Hi, there. We have also just returned. We really enjoyed our trip to Stingray City. We booked with Captain Marvin's on our own (very easy to do) to save money and go with a smaller group. It takes maybe five minutes to walk over to the meeting place. Once you get off the ship and reach the main street, cross it, go left and you'll be there before you know it. You will board a shuttle (clean and cool) that holds maybe 20 people. It might stop at a couple resorts to pick up other passengers. The driver will give you a mini tour on the way to the boat. The first mate will introduce the staff which includes a videographer (?) who tapes the excursion and will sell you the tape or dvd of the excursion for fifty (video) or sixty-five (dvd) dollars. That includes shipping in the US. We felt very relaxed on this excursion. The staff was friendly and took good care of everyone from youngest to oldest.
Speaking of youngest, our children (10,7, and 4) enjoyed the boat experience but were a little freaked out by the sting rays and snorkelling experience. Even though they've seen rays many times at the aquarium, they had never been in the open ocean or used a snorkel before. Probably, most kids have a blast, but be mentally prepared in case it's not the case. My dh was surprised and disappointed that his sons didn't love it as much as he would have at their age.
Cozumel - The dune buggy tour - Since shopping was not a priority to us, I booked a dune buggy tour that was scheduled from 10:30 - 4:30. Three out of five of us (dh, 7 yr old son and 4 yr old daughter) had a blast. They loved tearing through the "jungle" path in a noisy, open buggy. It was the thrill of a lifetime. They couldn't get enough. Oldest ds and I would have liked more time on the beach and less time in a vehicle.
I'm going to be cautious about reccommending this excursion because it's not for everyone. Someone in your party is going to be doing a lot of driving over some challenging terrain. Not to mention, whoever drives is going to have to drive through the busy streets of Cozumel on the way out and back. Once on the "trail", which is most of the day's excursion, everyone's going to get bumped and thumped around and everyone's going to get covered in dust. These buggies are poorly maintained. They run but there are no seat belts, no radio to contact the guide in the front jeep in case you have a problem (and that did happen on our tour), it's not easy to keep the car in first gear (which is essential during the "sand traps") and the tires are near bald which means there are at least three spots in which deep sand could (and probably will) mire the buggies. In all three trouble spots, at least two of the five buggies got stuck in the sand and the guides had to push the car out.
The stops on this tour are: the beach where you can swim, snorkel (they provide gear) and eat the yummy lunch they prepare; the ruins of a Mayan light house, and at the end, before you return to the city, a cluster of ramshackle shops, a restaurant and some other building whose purpose I don't recall where you can shop, eat, and use the restroom. Also, before you leave for the city, the photograph taken of you at the beginning of the tour is available for 15.00. I didn't ask if that was negotiable. Might be.
If you are big on cleanliness, comfort and ease this is not the tour for you. You spend a lot of time in the buggy and the ride is loud, fast-paced, often bumpy, and dirty. (who says that isn't fun??) Whoever drives has to be able to handle city traffic, sand traps, dodging countless rocks on the trail, and basically be on his/her toes. On the other hand, the scenery was great (although there was A LOT of trash near the trail, on the beach and out where we were snorkelling. I don't know if it had anything to do with last year's hurricanes or not), the cold drinks (water, soda, beer) and delicious lunch were plentiful. The guides were hardworking. They had to be with all the times one of us got stuck in the sand.
