A catamaran cruise with snorkeling is the perfect addition to your beach vacation! But, in Cancun, there are so many companies! The following review is on a deal offered at many resorts around Cancun, and may or may not change because of COVID-19 restrictions.
I sat through a sales pitch, and paid for the cruise, to let you know EXACTLY what to expect with this cruise, because I absolutely hate it when I psyche myself up for something and end up disappointed. At the end of the day I felt this catamaran cruise was perfect for some people, while others should look for a different option.
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We stayed at Azul Beach Resort in Playa Morales. The resort offered us a BOGO deal on a catamaran cruise, snorkel, and beach trip to Isla Mujeres, plus an additional $50 off when we sat through an hour sales pitch. Normally priced at $100 pp, we ended up paying a total of $65. We did have to pay an additional $15 pp for the dock fee at the marina.
A massive tour bus picked us up at the resort on the morning of our cruise. We boarded it with dozens of other people from the resort. We only stopped at one other hotel in Cancun to pick up additional people for the tour.
If this tour is operating at full capacity, my advice is to pay the upcharge for a more exclusive experience, or look for a company that offers a small group catamaran cruise option
When we arrived at the dock, we followed the crowd and lined up in the queue. We were immediately offered options to “buy up” and upgrade booze packages. The option would mean smaller groups on the tour, and a better location at the beach. We declined, but just be prepared that the sales pitch is coming before you get to the boat.
After paying the dock fee, we walked to a catamaran owned by Albatros Catamarans. We took this cruise in June 2021. At that point, the tours were operating at 50%, and but there were still had dozens of people on board, even with reduced capacity.
The touristy beach areas of Isla Mujeres do not suffer from seaweed like other beaches in the area do. If you end up at a location with seaweed, Isla Mujeres is a nice day trip to enjoy a clean beach.
We pulled away from the dock, the music was booming, open bar was moving, and the water was a beautiful blue. First stop was Isla Mujeres for lunch, drinks and several hours on the beach.
On the way to Isla Mujeres, the crew will offer a golf cart tour around the area, for an extra charge. It takes you to a Mayan temple and makes several other stops during the hour-long tour. We did not upgrade to this option.
When we arrived at Isla Mujeres, the crew told everyone who wanted to take the golf cart tour to get in line for food. Be prepared to wait in line, it was long.
Instead of waiting, we got the attention of one of the men taking orders and delivering drinks on the beach. For a tip, he grabbed a couple of lounging beds for us and dragged an umbrella over for some shade. He also continued to check on us and take our drink orders the rest of the afternoon.
Another gentleman came over and invited us to a tequila tasting. The mango tequila was my favorite. They said it was only sold in Isla Mujeres, but I also found it for sale online … and it was MUCH cheaper.
For lunch we enjoyed tacos, salads and other sides, you can eat as much as you like. We spent time in the water, the sun, and under the umbrella. Before we knew it, it was time to leave. The stop was nice, but I’d heard such fantastic things about Isla Mujeres, I was a little disappointed. The beach was incredibly crowded and there were so many people in the water, it was murky because of all the sand that was disturbed.
From Isla Mujeres, we sailed over to the town to shop for about an hour. It wasn’t really enough time to do anything other than run through a store or two in port.
On the way back to Cancun, most of the people on the catamaran took advantage of the snorkeling option. I’ve snorkeled before, but many on this cruise had not. I didn’t feel like there was a lot of instruction about what to do and what to expect before everyone was told to get into the water.
If you really want to snorkel, this is not the tour to take. The sea was rough and there was only time for about 30 minutes in the water.
After everyone got back on board, we headed back to land. The crew was awesome throughout the day but then they passed around the “happy box” a.k.a the tip jar. They got really pushy with it. I believe that people should tip for fantastic service, but I also don’t believe that tipping should be mandatory. It was pretty much mandatory on this cruise unless you were cool with a little public humiliation leaving the boat. At one point the crew was shaming people because they felt they were tipping too low.
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One thing that I appreciated about this tour was that it included transportation from our resort in Puerto Morales, about 30 miles south of Cancun. Except it wasn’t flawless. There was a problem with our return bus. We waited about 45 minutes after our cruises ended, had to cross in the middle of an extremely busy street, were late getting back to the resort, and missed our dinner reservation. I don’t know if this is a common issue or not.
Overall, there are several things to consider before booking this tour. If you really want to snorkel, find a different option that focuses on snorkeling. This is not that tour. If you like a more personal service, search for a company that offers small group tours. It WILL cost more, but you’ll enjoy it. If you’re ready for a party, don’t care about the number of people on the boat and just want some fun, you’ve found your catamaran tour. It includes everything you need for a day of fun in the sun.