Can it be better than Coz?

[jc60625]

Cozumel for sure beats any of the diving on that list.

It is in no way my Top 5 favored Caribbean basin destinations, but for the dollar value, it's still the best deal going, and it includes passable diving.

i hope to be so spoiled someday that i can casually reference cozumel as "passable diving" LOL

 

[don Francisco]

....We went back to Coz once since then and were very dissappointed.... the diving was still good, but the topside touristy/cruiseship orientation of the island now doesn't appeal to us. Coz used to be a little, quiet dive mecca and now it is a cruiseship port with diving. When the cruise ships leave each day many of the shops and restuarants close down! Some don't even open if a cruise ship isn't in port. Also the timeshare hawks are on every corner now, didn't used to be that way. I doubt we will go back to Coz unless we go to ScubaClub and just stay on property most of the time. WE just don't like the Cozumel vibe anymore. Diving is good, but you can get diving just as good at MANY other places in the Caribbean without the issues I described (like Bonaire and Roatan).

I agree that there are probably too many cruise ships visiting Cozumel these days. Their numbers and the type of visitor they bring have definitely affected the selection of shops and restaurants along the waterfront.

However, the restaurants and shops that cater to residents, divers, and tourists who are staying on the island definitely stay open after the cruise boats leave. I suggest that anyone visiting Cozumel should make the effort to venture 1 -2 blocks off the waterfront, thereby avoiding the mob scene, diamond shops, and overpriced restaurants that cater purely to the tourist trade. The real Cozumel is alive and well, it's just hiding from the cruise ship crowd.

 

[Diver Kat]

I agree that there are probably too many cruise ships visiting Cozumel these days. Their numbers and the type of visitor they bring have definitely affected the selection of shops and restaurants along the waterfront.

However, the restaurants and shops that cater to residents, divers, and tourists who are staying on the island definitely stay open after the cruise boats leave. I suggest that anyone visiting Cozumel should make the effort to venture 1 -2 blocks off the waterfront, thereby avoiding the mob scene, diamond shops, and overpriced restaurants that cater purely to the tourist trade. The real Cozumel is alive and well, it's just hiding from the cruise ship crowd.

Have to agree with DF here .... we'll be making our 9th or 10th trip to Cozumel in March and it's pretty easy to avoid/ignore the cruise crowds. We frequent many of the mom & pop restaurants just outside the Plaza area, or some way back in the neighborhoods. We go to the Plaza Sunday night for the music, when all the cruise ships are gone. Most of the shops I've seen close when the ships leave, aren't where I'd be shopping anyway. (And honestly, I've been on island so many times now, I rarely, if ever shop anymore!)

As for other locations, Bonaire is a great spot, but food is quite a bit pricier than Cozumel in both the restaurants and the grocery stores. But if you get a good dive/drive/room package, you can get in way more dives per day doing shore diving, justifying paying a bit more for your trip ....

 

[Doc]

i hope to be so spoiled someday that i can casually reference cozumel as "passable diving" LOL

hi roatanman,
quick question for you regarding your cozumel post. you say:
"Cozumel for sure beats any of the diving on that list.
It is in no way my Top 5 favored Caribbean basin destinations, but for the dollar value, it's still the best deal going, and it includes passable diving."

May i ask what your top 5 Carribean are then?

I was always told Cozumel is the best.

This thread has pretty well talked about what a fantastic bargain Cozumel is. If you are looking for a great value vacation that also includes diving, you really can not beat it. The numbers are irrefutable.

The rest is subjective. If you have indeed been spoiled, or lucky enough to have gone on a Caribbean wide tour, your perspectives will differ from most others.

Such as:

The out islands of the Bahamas are fantastic.

I agree, and put them in my "Top 5", But they aren't Cozumel in terms of ease and cost of air travel. The best (and arguably only way) to see the Out Islands of the Bahamas is on a live aboard. So you can figure your diving and hotel at about $2800 per week.

It's apples and oranges.

Other locations in "my" list? Some are currently un-reachable:

-Cisne (Swan Island), to which only the Bay Islands Aggressor tried to service
-Los Roques, which was sailed by the Hughes Antares III which is gone
-Grenada's NW Barrier Islands, which you can do if you arrange it yourself ($$)

Bonaire, South shore Roatan, Tobago, Outer Bahamas, Outer Belizian Cays, some others.

The Southern Shores of Cuba look inviting, so maybe our new President will let me have a look-see. Until then, I have no real comparison. My Canadian friends who are widely travelled and opinions I trust- they have not been there. But that will give Coz a run for it's money, I do believe.

That brings up one last point. Who goes to the Mar Caribe? It is largely North Americans, predominately US citizens. This is what we know because it is in our own back yard.

Folks from England see the Red Sea in the same way. We think of it as pure exotica. (It does have a lot of nice wrecks, but the Caribbean has better critters) It is their back yard for diving.

The real adventurous Brits come to the Caribbean packed into Chartered Jets that land on many former British properties. My favorite example is when they fly in to Tobago.

When they fly 1/8th the way around the world, your expectations are pretty high. Remember, for us, Cozumel and most of the Caribbean is a pretty easy hop by jet.

So, it's all relative.

We have lots of fun diving to do in the Caribbean. Cozumel's diving stands high above the other (very specific) areas of locations that you mentioned.

So to put in in perspective, one of the Holy Grail dives for most American's is to go for a dunk in the Galapagos. For the British, travelling to that spot is fairly well out of the question. We may look at the Maldives in the same way.

If you want real exotic diving and locale, the equivalent to Coz in our world arena, I believe that would be the Philippines. Comparatively cheap all the way around, and the diving is just the shiznitz. The Brits are fairly familiar with this as they leave their work postings in the far East for four day weekends and head for the Philippines.

We all know what we know, this is our only basis for comparison.

In the world, there is diving elsewhere than in the Caribbean that is much more laden with diverse creatures, rare creatures, wrecks and underwater architecture... but it is our basis of comparison, and it is in out back yard.

Cozumel is something that I would recommend to almost anyone from North America.

 

[Torcatdog]

Great time of year for a trip!

I explored the Bahamas with Blackbeard cruises on 04-05 New Year. I have also been to Coz for 2 of the Last 3 years. Value presents a tricky bit of typing...

I have decided to go back to Blackbeard's for a 3/09 weeklong trip.

Airfare, accommodations, all meals and bev, up to 4 dives a day for 5 days, awesome snorkling during surface intervals..port fees and taxes, great company and rum punch in the evenings for $1600 as a single traveler.

Please note this does not include a 15%-20% - tip for the crew. They work very hard to ensure a fun and safe trip.

Happy trails,

Torcatdog

Thank you for all your replies. I will definately be keeping an eye on the fares to Bonaire and Roatan but they are a little hefty at the moment. Does anyone think that the out islands of the bahamas would be worth diving?

 

[diver 85]

Thank you for all your replies. I will definately be keeping an eye on the fares to Bonaire and Roatan but they are a little hefty at the moment. Does anyone think that the out islands of the bahamas would be worth diving?

That's one of the reasons we sold our house on Roatan last summer-----daXX TACA......

 

[robint]

Have to agree with DF here .... we'll be making our 9th or 10th trip to Cozumel in March and it's pretty easy to avoid/ignore the cruise crowds. We frequent many of the mom & pop restaurants just outside the Plaza area, or some way back in the neighborhoods. We go to the Plaza Sunday night for the music, when all the cruise ships are gone. Most of the shops I've seen close when the ships leave, aren't where I'd be shopping anyway. (And honestly, I've been on island so many times now, I rarely, if ever shop anymore!)

As for other locations, Bonaire is a great spot, but food is quite a bit pricier than Cozumel in both the restaurants and the grocery stores. But if you get a good dive/drive/room package, you can get in way more dives per day doing shore diving, justifying paying a bit more for your trip ....

As I said, my 2 cents. I did recommend Cozumel and I do recommend Cozumel often. I never said it was bad - I wouldn't have gone there 5 times if it was. I just said that it isn't what we enjoy anymore and our last trip, which was in Aug of 2004 was a big dissappointment. We had trouble finding dinner several nights as many restaurants (including several we always frequent) closed at 5pm when the cruiseships left. We do always walk around town and visit shops and things off the main strip, however, our teenaged daughter likes to shop......... ever travel with a teen who didn't? She was bored the whole trip as she had a mild cold and only dove the first day and eating downtown and shopping each night was for her the only good thing available. Lousy trip all around for her, and we hated having to eat at some of the restuarants we ended up at (at the cruiseship mall, CArlos & Charles, etc) which was the only place we found at 6pm open. Food was mediocre and very Americanized, not what we were looking forward to eating. This was not every night, but several over the week. Our first 3 trips to Cozumel were magical, and after that they went downhill. Having visited other places which we enjoyed diving and topside, I have to say again - Cozumel diving is good but I probably won't go back there for awhile when there are so many other places to go that are better all-around. My 2 cents.

robin

 

[tvictory]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Utila. I haven't checked the air fair differential, but the diving and accomodations on Utila can be had for about as low as anywhere in the hemisphere. Good chance of seeing whales sharks in March too.

 

[Diver Kat]

As I said, my 2 cents. I did recommend Cozumel and I do recommend Cozumel often. I never said it was bad - I wouldn't have gone there 5 times if it was. I just said that it isn't what we enjoy anymore and our last trip, which was in Aug of 2004 was a big dissappointment. We had trouble finding dinner several nights as many restaurants (including several we always frequent) closed at 5pm when the cruiseships left. We do always walk around town and visit shops and things off the main strip, however, our teenaged daughter likes to shop......... ever travel with a teen who didn't? She was bored the whole trip as she had a mild cold and only dove the first day and eating downtown and shopping each night was for her the only good thing available. Lousy trip all around for her, and we hated having to eat at some of the restuarants we ended up at (at the cruiseship mall, CArlos & Charles, etc) which was the only place we found at 6pm open. Food was mediocre and very Americanized, not what we were looking forward to eating. This was not every night, but several over the week. Our first 3 trips to Cozumel were magical, and after that they went downhill. Having visited other places which we enjoyed diving and topside, I have to say again - Cozumel diving is good but I probably won't go back there for awhile when there are so many other places to go that are better all-around. My 2 cents.

robin

Hey Robin! Didn't think you said it was bad! I was just agreeing with DF about getting away from the main plaza area as there are plenty of places that the cruisers never get to. (Although traveling with a bored teen isn't fun ... I've done it a time or two with my daughter!!) As for restaurants, sounds like you were staying too close to the Plaza and the waterfront still. We love to hit places like La Mission Parilla (on 30th) or El Moro (on 75th) which are way back in the neighborhoods that you will only see locals and those staying on the island eating there. We have been disappointed a time or two to find a favorite placed closed on the night we showed up, but usually just moved onto to another favorite. And we've gotten better about keeping track of who closes on what nights.

I recommend Coz, and often travel there, as I love the diving, love the food, love the people. And I can do a trip there on a really tight budget. If I had unlimited $$$ I would likely travel further afield for diving, but even then I think Coz will remain a favorite place for me ...

 

[vlkr]

if you are frequenting the restaurants which gringos del barco frequent on coz, you are going to the wrong restaurants imho.