Hotel/Pier construction upcoming

[DiverRtNY]

Been following the Coz forum for a few months now because I am heading down september 4-10 w/ 4 divers and 2 non divers (my wife and my buddies wife). I was looking for a little feedback that I am having trouble locating information and everyone in here seems very knowledgeable and educational with the island and their diving (the information on the cab fares was amazing!!! Huge bonus!!!)
We are tentatively staying at Park Royal for location to downtown and has to be AI for the ladies. My concern is since being September is the "off season" for Coz and I read that many shops and restaurants perform repairs around this time... is there any known hotels that have upcoming construction plans and certain resorts to avoid because of this? And with the extended pier that is outside of Park Royal, does this significantly ruin the scenery and view for staying at that said resort?
It's difficult to find any advertised information on remodeling and construction happening on the island ( what business would want to advertise a loud construction zone).
As far as dive groups... We are, for the most part novice/beginner divers with 3 of us under 50 dives. It's a new passion. Getting wet in Upstate NY and the Great Lakes this summer but I think we still qualify as your typical "cattle boat" clients. Do you feel at our stage in diving would it be best to dive with the DS from the resort or an operation such DWM or Aldora etc...? I understand its all preference with location, boat speeds/sizes, SI locations, and other priorities... but for our experience (as in I DONT HAVE ANY PREFERENCE yet) is it worth looking beyond the resorts' dive shops for being so novice...? We all have our own gear and computers and I don't want our bottom time to be shortened to someone elses poor consumption rate. This happened in Jamaica and we all were easily over 1500 PSI when we surfaced and hardly even ventured into the tables. In the same sense, I don't want us to hinder the dives of experienced divers by choosing a highly recommended DS that is geared around the experienced diver and we become "those guys"... Thanks for any input
Dave

 

[divingjd]

No reason to restrict your choices and exclude Aldora. Good service is not reserved for more experienced divers. With four divers in your group, you would be the majority on an Aldora boat. Some times, you could be the only divers on an Aldora boat. Aldora groups divers by experience and ability and has enough boats to do it. Don't worry about being "those guys." Although Aldora is a favorite of more experienced divers, its clientele represents the full range of diving experience and its staff is very good with newer divers.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Skittl1321]

I agree don't go cattle op because you think you aren't good enough for boutique. The are tons of ops on the island and you can find one that is a good fit for you.
We used scuba with Alison who was great for beginners. We dove our own computer. I felt she was really safety conscious and really watched over the beginners. She gave us more freedom as the week went on, but watched over you very carefully until you proved yourself. I was sick with worry the first day and she literally offered to hold my hand (which I declined). She led great dives where beginners could stay more shallow while she watched over and occasionally swam to the more advanced divers who went deeper.

Two things i really liked
1) you can giant stride or roll from her (comfortable, fast) boat.
2) she goes up to the safety stop with each buddy pair and if Carlos hasn't picked you up in a minute she's on the surface yelling for him (that happened once, Carlos is an amazing captain)


Can't help you with construction- we were there in December and our hotel was under construction (Sabor) and we just ignored it.

 

[Diver Kat]

What Skittl1321 said!! (And divingjd too!) Don't limit yourself thinking you have to go 'cattle-boat' or in-house dive op! Contact a few of the ops that you're interested in, or seem to fit your wants & needs. Ask some questions ..... and see who you like.

Like Skittl1321, we're Scuba with Alison fans. Originally booked with her the 1st time as she was the 1st op we contacted that had space, and was willing to push back their start time a bit (we were on a cruise ship :shocked2: ) but what got me hooked on her quickly was the safety factor. (And the fun on the boat didn't hurt either!) Now as an experienced diver, I still book with her for the safety factor, the comfort of the boat, and the overall fun. Her Op fits my wants & needs .... then & now. To me, that's what's most important .... finding an Op that fits what YOU are looking for. And there are tons of great Ops on the island, so don't limit yourself!!

 

[mstevens]

Personally, I'd say that a novice is better off with a small, personalized dive op. The cattle boats for all their regimentation can't really provide supervision or personal attention. The great boutique dive shops can and do.

 

[cicopo]

Park Royal had a major rebuild / face lift etc just a few years ago so it's very unlikely they would be doing anything major yet, and I think El Cid had a face lift around the same time PLUS all the new stores in that area should be up & running so I doubt you'll have any major construction issues. I do NOT recommend Aqua World but as pointed out you have a lot of options re a dive op including DWM who I've used & can recommend. If you need a photo tour of Park Royal's grounds & beach area it's in this album set.

Picasa Web Albums - Larry

 

[BettyfromToronto]

Great albums Larry.

 

[Sue Sue]

Another vote for a Boutique Dive Op. Smaller groups , more focused attention and guidance from the Divemaster and Captain.

So which dive op is best for you ? For my husband and I, we highly recommend Blue XT Sea diving. Christi and her crew offer top shelf and professional valet/boutique diving services. We have been diving with Blue XT Sea and have dived with Brand New newbies as well as Unit Directors. However, as you have probably read, there are many Cozumel Boutique style dive ops and there are also many Cozumel divers who have their "Best" dive op as well. I recommend after checking out the many threads and reviews of the Cozumel forum that you make a list of your top 3 - 5 Dive Ops. Then, contact them directly with your questions and requests. Do let the dive op know that your are a group of 4 with 3 divers having under 50 dives. Keep in mind this is not a problem, just good information for the dive op to have in order to provide you and your group with the best dive experience possible. Do mention your hotel plans, what equipment you may need to rent and your interest in not having to surface as a group. Once you settle on the one you feel is your best fit, then confirm your hotel reservation. The reason I recommend choosing your dive op first is that not all dive ops pick up at all hotel and/or pier locations. This is not a huge problem, but, it may be a deciding factor that you need to know about. Also, keep in mind, that the lodgings in the Southern areas of the island can rack up some hefty taxi fares should you want to go into town. Park Royal is not too far out of town and the cost for taxi, especially if shared by your group is doable.

Also, do not worry about the construction of the pier or off season shut downs. After Hurricane Wilma hit in 2005 we had to deal with the reconstruction of the Punta Maya pier. In general, there was really no interruption in service or a problem with excessive construction noise to be concerned about. If you are staying at The Park Royal, accommodations are located on the East side of the Main Street (Melgar) and therefore should not cause any trouble. BTW, at the Park Royal,in order to get to the pier and oceanfront you have an easy walk through a tunnel under the street. You may see the construction from your room, but you should be far enough away not to be bothered by it. As far as businesses that shut down, again, no worries. There will be plenty of stores, restaurants and tour type places open to choose from.

As you plan your Cozumel Dive trip you may want to check out the stickies at the top of the Cozumel Forum if you have not already. One, posted by Christi has a lot of information on Cozumel in general. The other sticky is "Arriving and Departing the Cozumel Airport" . With the input from several other frequent flyer Cozumel Scubaboarders, I keep this thread updated with Information and Tips on how to make the process of getting through the airport a bit easier.

Best Wishes to you !
Double S

 

[cicopo]

Thanks Betty. Happy Canada Day. The big party in Ottawa was interrupted by a major thunderstorm & tornado warning. Ottawa wasn't hit but one might have touched down a bit north of the city.

 

[Mossman]

As you plan your Cozumel Dive trip you may want to check out the stickies at the top of the Cozumel Forum if you have not already. One, posted by Christi has a lot of information on Cozumel in general. The other sticky is "Arriving and Departing the Cozumel Airport" . With the input from several other frequent flyer Cozumel Scubaboarders, I keep this thread updated with Information and Tips on how to make the process of getting through the airport a bit easier.

Christi also owns Blue XT~Sea, one of the most established boutique dive ops on the island. You'll be able to dive your tanks. bluextseadiving.com

Please be aware that some dive ops, including at least one previously mentioned here, require the entire group to ascend as a group when the first diver runs low on air and/or encourage the unwise practice of air sharing with the DM.