Guests of Sunscape, Secrets & Residencias Reef

[flyboy08]

You guys make your vacation too complicated....staying at the AI Occidental and diving with ProDive is easy peasy....and yes, I see numerous other operators coming and going from their dock....it's so cheap that hitting town for dinner once or twice during the stay won't make you feel bad either!

Just about completing our third stay here and I have nothing to complain about and I'm from NYC!

 

[imoto]

"I have nothing to complain about and I'm from NYC!"

Now that's something as rare as hen's teeth!

 

[ronscuba]

"I have nothing to complain about and I'm from NYC!"

Now that's something as rare as hen's teeth!

I am from NYC too. People from NYC are diverse. We have seen and experienced a lot. Some people like to complain. Doesn't matter where they are from.

Back on topic.

A $2 pier fee per person per day if you choose to not use the house dive operator. If they put a system in place that is easy and convenient, this is not a big deal. If the payment system is difficult, then by all means lets complain. If they make it easy, then $2 a day will zero impact on the enjoyment of my dive vacation.

 

[kelemvor]

A $2 pier fee per person per day if you choose to not use the house dive operator. If they put a system in place that is easy and convenient, this is not a big deal. If the payment system is difficult, then by all means lets complain. If they make it easy, then $2 a day will zero impact on the enjoyment of my dive vacation.

It reminds me of the equally silly marine park fee and associated bar bracelets. On that note, I guess Cozumel does have a long history of doing things the hard way for no obvious benefit. Maybe these resorts really will continue to make operators go through the hoops Christi had to jump through.

 

[ronscuba]

I kind of understand and respect the concept of a $2 pier fee. The purpose of the pier is to enable resort watersports operators to serve guests. If guests choose to use an outside operator, that is cutting into the resort operators business.

As a guest I don't like paying extra and I don't necessarily agree with it, but as a business person, I understand the point of view of the resort operator. If they make the $2 payment process easy, they will get zero complaints from me.

 

[Christi]

The purpose of the pier is to enable resort watersports operators to serve guests. If guests choose to use an outside operator, that is cutting into the resort operators business.

The purpose of the pier is to allow THEIR guests to be served by any watersports provider - this is not limited to dive shops - parasailing, snorkeling, fishing, sunset cruises, etc - all have to pay this fee and none of it cuts into resort business - if anything it enhances the guests experience by being able to have access to these services right from their hotel dock vs. having to drive to the marina. So whether a guest is a diver or not, they will most likely benefit from the use of the pier in some way. The hotel could easily and non-invasively absorb this expense as "operating costs" by adding $1-$2 per room per night -

The onsite operator is NOT part of the hotel - they PAY a very healthy concession fee for the right to be onsite and have facilities onsite.

 

[Christi]

It reminds me of the equally silly marine park fee and associated bar bracelets. On that note, I guess Cozumel does have a long history of doing things the hard way for no obvious benefit. Maybe these resorts really will continue to make operators go through the hoops Christi had to jump through.

Why is the marine park silly? Pretty much everywhere I have dove in the world has a marine park fee - and it's significantly more than ours everywhere I've been. ie: Cocos $35usd/diver/day

But there is an equally silly way for operators to obtain the bracelets (fill out online form, print, pay at bank, take receipt to MP office to get the bracelets) - but it keeps the money out of local hands and in the hands of the Federal Government which then allocates the money towards the entire park system here and in other parts of Mexico.

 

[kelemvor]

Why is the marine park silly? Pretty much everywhere I have dove in the world has a marine park fee - and it's significantly more than ours everywhere I've been. ie: Cocos $35usd/diver/day

Having a marine park and an associated fee isn't silly. Charging completely separately and requiring divers to wear wristbands to "prove" they paid the fee is. By that same token, I don't think charging you to use the pier is unreasonable. But all the running around you had to do in order to pay is. You should be able to pay someone at pickup time, or pay on a schedule or maybe even pay a flat fee for pier access covering a given time period. If fundraising is really their goal, then the extra rigamaroll doesn't serve any purpose.

 

[ReefHound]

The silliness isn't the marine park fee but the implementation of it. Compare to Bonaire. For those that haven't been there, it's $25 per calendar year collected upfront by the shop. For the vast majority of divers who visit one week in a year, the fee is comparable to Cozumel at around $4/day. Cozumel has more short term visitors like those diving from cruise ships or coming over from Playa so for those a cheaper day tag may need to be an option. The Bonaire tag is a hard plastic tag a little larger than a quarter, with a colorful logo, that you attach to your BC. Many divers keep them as souvenirs or leave them attached permanently making it a conversational item when they are visiting other places and is free marketing for the island. People can't wait to rip off that wristband but a colorful tag might live on their bc for years.

 

[ronscuba]

The purpose of the pier is to allow THEIR guests to be served by any watersports provider - this is not limited to dive shops - parasailing, snorkeling, fishing, sunset cruises, etc - all have to pay this fee and none of it cuts into resort business - if anything it enhances the guests experience by being able to have access to these services right from their hotel dock vs. having to drive to the marina. So whether a guest is a diver or not, they will most likely benefit from the use of the pier in some way. The hotel could easily and non-invasively absorb this expense as "operating costs" by adding $1-$2 per room per night -

The onsite operator is NOT part of the hotel - they PAY a very healthy concession fee for the right to be onsite and have facilities onsite.

It's not always easy to see and understand an opposing point of view.

Who knows the exact details of the concession fee agreement between the hotel and the operators. This hotel or other hotels. If the hotel has onsite operators offering services, it makes sense to protect those operators in some fashion. If offsite operators are offering a service the hotel does not provide, it makes sense the hotel will charge a fee to that operator for allowing solicitation of their guests.

$2 a day per person is not a lot. I will complain if the payment process is difficult. If they simplify the process and make payment easy, then what is the big deal ? $2