Sunscape/Secrets Pier Bracelets

[Christi]

It seems that Sectets/Sunscape management has finally come to understand and accept that the dive shops will not be fee collectors for them - and there finally seems to be some consistency.

They are still charging guests for pier use, but they are charging directly and have made it easy for guests to purchase the bracelets. Guests of both hotels as well as Reef Residencias can purchase the pier bracelets for $2/diver/day at the reception desk. We’ve all experienced consistency with this over the past few weeks.

While we still don’t agree with the Hotel
Charging their guests to use the pier, this is progress and on behalf of participating dive shops, we thank you all for your support in this battle.

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• Christi
• May 4, 2018

 

[cobra269]

My dive op for convenience to their divers just adds the $2 fee to your diving cost. They purchase large amount of bracelets and give the appropriate number to the Secrets collector on the pier upon drop-off. At least this is what I've experienced the last 20 days of diving.

 

[cicopo]

Is your op passing that cost onto those needing the bracelets? or absorbing that extra expense which ultimately means it will have to raise their rates to make the same margin as before, or has it raised the rate for everyone already.

 

[Christi]

My dive op for convenience to their divers just adds the $2 fee to your diving cost. They purchase large amount of bracelets and give the appropriate number to the Secrets collector on the pier upon drop-off. At least this is what I've experienced the last 20 days of diving.

Just curious who your dive op is? There has been much discussion of this over the past several months.

It is about much more.

1. AI guests should not have to pay for pier use at their hotel
2. Dive shops are not fee collectors. When the dive shop agrees to be the fee collector, they are enabling this.
3. Over 30 shops that we are aware of have agreed not to purchase bracelets and encourage guests to complain to management when purchasing their bracelets in efforts to put an end to this charge to the guests.

We are all servicing guests of the hotel, but guests are purchasing bracelets at the reception desk for the number of days they are diving/using the pier.

 

[RhodeDiver]

So are you still not picking people up at this pier?

 

[Christi]

So are you still not picking people up at this pier?

We have never stopped picking up
There - we just haven’t purchased bracelets. They have yet to produce the paperwork (which they are required to do) to show legal
Concession to the pier.

 

[tridacna]

My dive op for convenience to their divers just adds the $2 fee to your diving cost. They purchase large amount of bracelets and give the appropriate number to the Secrets collector on the pier upon drop-off. At least this is what I've experienced the last 20 days of diving.

Who is your op?

 

[uncfnp]

According to the April roll call it is Dive with Martin

 

[kmarks]

It's incredibly stupid that an all-inclusive is charging extra for use of their pier. It would make sense if they had two levels of guests, pay as you go with nothing included and AI, but they don't. If you are staying there, you should get full access to the basic things like pier use. I understand they have different tiers of internet as well, with an extra charge if you want it in your room vs just in the lobby. I'm ok with that. But if they were to just add $1 per night to their room cost, they'd probably make more money and anger fewer people, especially if they just did it quietly without making it a new "pier access fee."

 

[cobra269]

I use Dive with Martin. I'm not staying at Secrets but renting a condo at Residencias Reef next door.

1. I'm paying for the use of Secrets pier. May not like it but better than wading out to the boat each day which I've seen folks do in the past to avoid the $2 fee. Like 5 years ago. Or going else were to be picked up.
2. Dive shops are not fee collector? Who collects the $2 per day Marine Park Fee?
3. I'm on vacation. I appreciate the convenience of my dive shop just adding $2 per day as a line item (Secrets pier use) to the negotiated cost of my diving. Better than me having to go the guard shack to purchase the bracelets every few days.

I'm not here to say whether it's right or wrong. If the local dive ops want to fight this so be it. I don't want the hassle while on vacation. An additional $2 per day is a small price for the convenience for me for using the Secrets pier.