DoomBuggieDriver
Boston Strong
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2003
- Messages
- 536
You know Castaway Cay is a great port. Now here's the scoop on Cozumel, the other great port:
First, I have to preface this with the fact that we are not shoppers, so we didn't get jewelry, vanilla or anything for that matter. The only thing we did buy were some very expensive photos and videos of the Royal Dolphin Swim at Chakannab National Park. It was also an additional $10.00 to get into the park, but it was worth it. Transporation is not a problem, so don't bother renting anything if you have just one destination in mind. Cabs are available the at the end of the pier and are also lined up at the park at all times.
In Cozumel, there are cool breezes even though it's hot, and there's really something for everyone; Touring, snorkling, shopping, bar hopping, beach bumming it, mini golf, water sports-you name it and you can do it. In our experience, all transactions were done with American money or on our credit card.
People are very friendly and fluent enough in English (at least where we were) that it wasn't a problem. We know enough spanish words to give it an honest effort, especially with the "Thank you's."
Of course, I will go straight to the Royal Dolphin Swim, as that's what people always wonder about, so here's the 411 as my DD would say:
How did you book it?
This program was booked in the end of January 2004 for our June 19, 2004 sailing, directly with the company. Here's the link:http://www.mexonline.com/cozumel/dolphin2.htm
There are different programs to book with them, but only one of the options is offered by DCL, and it's an Encounter, not a Swim.
Was it expensive?
Well, yes in that it was about $110.00 per person, and my DH and DDs particiapted, plus the cost for the video and photos of course. A few of the pictures I passed on, but I did get two each of DH and DDs, and naturally couldn't say no to the video. They set the footage to music, and it's a nice keepsake. I figure this is a once in a lifetime thing, (it would be the same routine each time you go so I would do something different next time) so why not buy this now.
It came to 12,000 pesos- about 110.00 american for all the photos and video; which is the most we spent in any port.
How was the check-in?
Very easy. We stopped at the main desk as you enter the park, and the girl directed us to the Dolphin Swim area. We checked in at their desk immediately just to make sure things were in order, and to our relief we were on the list. (I still have trouble trusting internet bookings, but so far it worked for us. I had also checked the week before we sailed.) The advantage to checking in right away is the there are free lockers, if you want them, for those in the Dolphin program.
What did you do?
I sat by the dock in the shade with bottled water and watched.
DH and DDs got on their life vests, which are required, and gathered in a waiting area where people were split up according to the program. There are different levels, which you can check on the website, but on the Royal Swim you get in the water, the dolphins come to you, and you actually swim around with them. Wear water shoes because DH says the area getting in is slimy. There are about 8 people split into two groups of 4 for this program. You are in the water about 45 minutes to an hour. The handlers have you swim out a ways, and they swim up behind you, and push the bottoms of your feet until you are at an angle up in the air traveling in front of them. They did this to everyone, even the adults. This is done one by one so everyone has a turn. Very cool. Then you swim out and the two dolphins swim along side you and pull you through the water. Also very cool. They also do tricks and shake your hand, and the photographers get shots of all this plus each person kissing a dolphin. The video and photos are available almost immediately after the swim. Our appointment was for 3:30pm, which was the last of the day, and it worked out well for us.
And now for The Rest of the Day, which really happened prior to the swim;
Well, we ate a late, big breakfast, got off the ship around noontime, grabbed a cab at the pier and went to Chakannab immediately. We snorkled for the first time ever with our new equipment right off the shore. If you are looking for a long, white sand beach that goes out into the ocean like Castaway, this is not the place for you. The snorkling is good here because of the rocks. Wear water shoes. There is a sandy strip that leads up to the shore, and there are rock steps to access the ocean. The ocean floor is sandy with ledge in places. There was a platform you could swim out to, and there were scuba divers below us. The chairs on the beach are molded plastic that sit on the ground and curve as your body does in a recliner. They looked weird but were very comfortable. We had no trouble finding chairs and an umbrella. I check with Disney and they said you cannot take a packed lunch onto Cozumel, so the soft-sided cooler went unused. We did bring our own water, but bottled water was readily available and not expensive at all (I think it was a buck or so) so there's no need to panic about that. There's also a restaurant right at the beginning of the beach. I saw people from the Magic there, but can't review it because we were full from breakfast. There are waiters on the beach happy to bring drinks to you; alcoholic and non-alcoholic. There was a lifeguard also.
I was glad we had our own snorkling equipment, because for some reason that day the rentals were all closed. This was a problem only in that I was hoping to rent a vest for the DDs. The snorkling area drops off over your head very quickly. Fortunately, there was a shop near the shore at the park entrance where I was able to buy those foam noodle things. I was figuring we could abandon them at Castaway Cay, but believe it or not they made the trip back to Massachusetts with us, and are sitting on my deck as I type. These proved invaluable, as the DDs had something other than me to hang onto if they were tiring, and I was able to spot them quickly (in Cozumel and Castaway Cay) because no one else had them. I am not good at estimating depth, but basically it was deep enough that when you dove down your ears blocked and felt pressure before you got near the bottom.
As I said, after the swim we headed back to the ship and showered. It was a little bit of rush and we were a few minutes late to dinner, but it was fine. I hinted around to head back out and do some mini-golf, but the other wanted to go to the shows and hang on the verandah, so we didn't get to see Sally. Definately on my list for next time.
Next time I also want to do the Dune Buggie or Jeep tours; or maybe a reef snorkle tour with the Eagle Ray Divers that Tooty Jane recommended. Cozumel is a great port.
Kathy
First, I have to preface this with the fact that we are not shoppers, so we didn't get jewelry, vanilla or anything for that matter. The only thing we did buy were some very expensive photos and videos of the Royal Dolphin Swim at Chakannab National Park. It was also an additional $10.00 to get into the park, but it was worth it. Transporation is not a problem, so don't bother renting anything if you have just one destination in mind. Cabs are available the at the end of the pier and are also lined up at the park at all times.
In Cozumel, there are cool breezes even though it's hot, and there's really something for everyone; Touring, snorkling, shopping, bar hopping, beach bumming it, mini golf, water sports-you name it and you can do it. In our experience, all transactions were done with American money or on our credit card.
People are very friendly and fluent enough in English (at least where we were) that it wasn't a problem. We know enough spanish words to give it an honest effort, especially with the "Thank you's."
Of course, I will go straight to the Royal Dolphin Swim, as that's what people always wonder about, so here's the 411 as my DD would say:
How did you book it?
This program was booked in the end of January 2004 for our June 19, 2004 sailing, directly with the company. Here's the link:http://www.mexonline.com/cozumel/dolphin2.htm
There are different programs to book with them, but only one of the options is offered by DCL, and it's an Encounter, not a Swim.
Was it expensive?
Well, yes in that it was about $110.00 per person, and my DH and DDs particiapted, plus the cost for the video and photos of course. A few of the pictures I passed on, but I did get two each of DH and DDs, and naturally couldn't say no to the video. They set the footage to music, and it's a nice keepsake. I figure this is a once in a lifetime thing, (it would be the same routine each time you go so I would do something different next time) so why not buy this now.
It came to 12,000 pesos- about 110.00 american for all the photos and video; which is the most we spent in any port.
How was the check-in?
Very easy. We stopped at the main desk as you enter the park, and the girl directed us to the Dolphin Swim area. We checked in at their desk immediately just to make sure things were in order, and to our relief we were on the list. (I still have trouble trusting internet bookings, but so far it worked for us. I had also checked the week before we sailed.) The advantage to checking in right away is the there are free lockers, if you want them, for those in the Dolphin program.
What did you do?
I sat by the dock in the shade with bottled water and watched.
DH and DDs got on their life vests, which are required, and gathered in a waiting area where people were split up according to the program. There are different levels, which you can check on the website, but on the Royal Swim you get in the water, the dolphins come to you, and you actually swim around with them. Wear water shoes because DH says the area getting in is slimy. There are about 8 people split into two groups of 4 for this program. You are in the water about 45 minutes to an hour. The handlers have you swim out a ways, and they swim up behind you, and push the bottoms of your feet until you are at an angle up in the air traveling in front of them. They did this to everyone, even the adults. This is done one by one so everyone has a turn. Very cool. Then you swim out and the two dolphins swim along side you and pull you through the water. Also very cool. They also do tricks and shake your hand, and the photographers get shots of all this plus each person kissing a dolphin. The video and photos are available almost immediately after the swim. Our appointment was for 3:30pm, which was the last of the day, and it worked out well for us. And now for The Rest of the Day, which really happened prior to the swim;
Well, we ate a late, big breakfast, got off the ship around noontime, grabbed a cab at the pier and went to Chakannab immediately. We snorkled for the first time ever with our new equipment right off the shore. If you are looking for a long, white sand beach that goes out into the ocean like Castaway, this is not the place for you. The snorkling is good here because of the rocks. Wear water shoes. There is a sandy strip that leads up to the shore, and there are rock steps to access the ocean. The ocean floor is sandy with ledge in places. There was a platform you could swim out to, and there were scuba divers below us. The chairs on the beach are molded plastic that sit on the ground and curve as your body does in a recliner. They looked weird but were very comfortable. We had no trouble finding chairs and an umbrella. I check with Disney and they said you cannot take a packed lunch onto Cozumel, so the soft-sided cooler went unused. We did bring our own water, but bottled water was readily available and not expensive at all (I think it was a buck or so) so there's no need to panic about that. There's also a restaurant right at the beginning of the beach. I saw people from the Magic there, but can't review it because we were full from breakfast. There are waiters on the beach happy to bring drinks to you; alcoholic and non-alcoholic. There was a lifeguard also.
I was glad we had our own snorkling equipment, because for some reason that day the rentals were all closed. This was a problem only in that I was hoping to rent a vest for the DDs. The snorkling area drops off over your head very quickly. Fortunately, there was a shop near the shore at the park entrance where I was able to buy those foam noodle things. I was figuring we could abandon them at Castaway Cay, but believe it or not they made the trip back to Massachusetts with us, and are sitting on my deck as I type. These proved invaluable, as the DDs had something other than me to hang onto if they were tiring, and I was able to spot them quickly (in Cozumel and Castaway Cay) because no one else had them. I am not good at estimating depth, but basically it was deep enough that when you dove down your ears blocked and felt pressure before you got near the bottom.
As I said, after the swim we headed back to the ship and showered. It was a little bit of rush and we were a few minutes late to dinner, but it was fine. I hinted around to head back out and do some mini-golf, but the other wanted to go to the shows and hang on the verandah, so we didn't get to see Sally. Definately on my list for next time.
Next time I also want to do the Dune Buggie or Jeep tours; or maybe a reef snorkle tour with the Eagle Ray Divers that Tooty Jane recommended. Cozumel is a great port.
Kathy
Not that I'm saying I regret any purchases, but I'm dreading the next charge card bill!
