Iberostar or Villa Aldora for family with non-diving kids?

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jonhall, I've cut/pasted what Dressel sent me for diving costs. Charging us per dive (and not per day) for BCD/Reg rental seems excessive, I'm accustomed to being charged by the week. Neither me nor my husband consume very much air (I'm petite and he's fit) so we're hoping to still get 60-ish min bottom times even if we can't dive with Aldora this time.

From Dressel:

10 Two Tank Package x 110 USD = 1100 USD > this is for 5 days of diving, 2 dives a day, 2 divers.

10 BCD rental per two tank X 12 USD = 120 USD

10 REG rental per two tank x 12 USD = 120 USD

20 hyperbaric chamber contribution per dive x 1 USD = 20 USD

Subtotal: 1360 USD – 20% prepayment discount = 1088 USD

+ 10 Cozumel Marine Park Fee per divign day/person x 6 USD = 60 USD

Total diving portion : 1148 USD
10 BCD rental per two tank X 12 USD = 120 USD
That is 5 days of diving x 2 people= 10 units
@$12 per unit = $120
So that is not a per dive rental cost, it is $12 per day
 
10 BCD rental per two tank X 12 USD = 120 USD
That is 5 days of diving x 2 people= 10 units
@$12 per unit = $120
So that is not a per dive rental cost, it is $12 per day
Oh I see this now, you're right. So $24/day for bcd/reg per person (which still sounds high to me but not totally out of the ballpark). I wanted to go with Dressel for their 2 tank dives in morning and afternoon (so we can switch off watching kids) but I've read from an older review that Dressel afternoon dives are only 30 min!
 
I'm staying at Iberostar next week. I booked it before IHG bought all the Iberostars when the rates were lower than they are now. I wanted to stay on the south end to have a shorter boat ride to the sites. Dressel Divers is headquartered in Spain, so email response time has been slow, but I'm doing some diving with Dressel and some with Scuba Tony. Here's the link Dressel sent me of their catalog of services and dive schedule. There is no pricing on the website, so you have to request it.

They do charge rental items by the dive, not per day, which can add up quickly and is not the norm in Cozumel. If you prepay your dives up to 3 days before arrival, you get 20% off. If you add more dives while on site, you pay the regular price. The offset to the high rental cost is the free Nitrox, and free Nitrox is not the norm in Cozumel.

Something I found out that I've never come across before is that if you split up a 2-tank dive, you pay a "split" fee of $8. So if you want to do one tank in the a.m. and one tank in the p.m., you pay a penalty.

Of note also, they charge separately $1 per tank for the chamber fee. Other dive shops include that in their pricing. The marine park fee is 90 Pesos, which (today) is $5.05, not $6, so they're taking around a dollar as profit in their pockets. These are small numbers to an individual, but over thousands and thousands of divers, the operations that are charging $6 and more are making money off the marine park fee. I always pay in Pesos.

Lots of nickel-and-diming....
 
From their website, it looks like Dive with Martin is now $435 for a 10-dive package. Not sure if that's cash or credit price. It certainly is becoming more expensive to dive in Cozumel. Plus, with all the extra taxes they're collecting from airfare (50%), one would think that in the 21st century they would have drinkable water.

That's still one of the lowest rates on the island. And if you need rental gear they include BC/reg.

Cozumel is definitely becoming more expensive but not sure if it is increasing at any faster rate than other places. I cringe when I see the current rates at places I stayed at 3 to 5 years ago.
 
Oh I see this now, you're right. So $24/day for bcd/reg per person (which still sounds high to me but not totally out of the ballpark). I wanted to go with Dressel for their 2 tank dives in morning and afternoon (so we can switch off watching kids) but I've read from an older review that Dressel afternoon dives are only 30 min!
During our trip there in May 2023 we averaged about 60 minutes for the first two dives and 53 minutes for the third. That's total time, not bottom time, but still...no complaints here about excessively short dives.
 
I need to update my Cozumel Dive Op spreadsheet - both of these ops have increased their rates. I'm very surprised that Dressel works out to be the same as Aldora - they used to be a lot cheaper. Convenience usually trumps everything else for me. You'll like Dressel keeping your rental gear in a basket ready to use the next day. Guessing you really purchased a total of 10 dives each for your wife and you - gives you a little freedom to do your dives any time of the day if some other activity comes up during the trip. You'll have a great time.
When you update the spreadsheet, note that Iberostar doesn't allow other operators to pick up at their pier, but they will pick you up on the beach. Prices include tax, dive times are 8:30, 10:30, 1:30 and 3:30, marine park fee is not included, and the listed Florida phone number is no good. The call disconnects immediately.

BTW, thanks for doing that. I know that was a lot of work but so helpful for all of us.
 
When you update the spreadsheet, note that Iberostar doesn't allow other operators to pick up at their pier, but they will pick you up on the beach.
Do they not allow pier pickups, or do they just charge a fee that ops don't want to pay? It used to be that the fee was the issue, but that may have changed.
 
Do they not allow pier pickups, or do they just charge a fee that ops don't want to pay? It used to be that the fee was the issue, but that may have changed.
I've been told they've banned all pier pickups, not even for a fee, and you can only be picked up on the beach. I'll report back if I encounter something different while I'm there.
 
I've been told they've banned all pier pickups, not even for a fee, and you can only be picked up on the beach. I'll report back if I encounter something different while I'm there.
That would pretty much seal it for me, not just because of the inconvenience but also for the attitude.
 
I've been told they've banned all pier pickups, not even for a fee, and you can only be picked up on the beach. I'll report back if I encounter something different while I'm there.

When we stayed there we had to wade out about 20-30 yards in chest high water because it is rocky and the boats cannot get near the actual beach. Make sure anything that needs to stay dry is in a drybag because it's easy to lose your footing on the rocky bottom and take a bath.
 

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