Isla Mujeres Catamaran, Open Bar & Optional Buffet and pick up

The pressure to tip...

The pressure to tip overshadowed the entire experience. My partner and I booked this catamaran expecting an enjoyable trip with drinks and a buffet. The alcoholic drinks tasted like rubbing alcohol with a splash of juice, and the sodas tasted flat. The buffet was okay to me, although my partner didn’t enjoy it. Staff kept pushing us to take drinks. At the end, they said they deserved tips because they had been providing us service, even though drinks were already included in the tour we paid for. They also mentioned supporting their families. The repeated requests felt like pressure rather than a voluntary opportunity to show appreciation. When we explained that we didn’t have any more money after visiting the island, a staff member joked along the lines of, “Come on, I know you have something stashed.” Please note that we initially hesitated to tip with coins because it’s not something we’re used to doing. However, after repeated requests, we ended up giving the leftover coins we had, but being pushed after explaining our situation made us uncomfortable. I also saw another guest being pressed to tip. When another guest tried to put a 10-peso coin into the tip chest, the staff member appeared upset and pulled it away. The guest tried again, but the staff member pulled it away a second time, covered the opening with his hand, and moved the chest around his torso. After repeatedly asking for tips, refusing the guest’s smaller contribution felt disrespectful. Later, I saw a staff member shaking the tip box and gesturing toward that guest, then toward us, while interacting with another guide. I couldn’t hear what was said, but it made me feel judged for the amount we tipped. He then left the area after noticing me watching. The drink quality and staff’s behavior around tips were. Tips should be voluntary, and guests shouldn’t feel pressured or embarrassed for giving what they had. Unfortunately, the tipping pressure is what I remember most from this trip.

via Viator

A day in paradise.

An absolute fantastic day out. Well worth the money. Plenty of drinks on board. The crew went around and supplied you with drinks. All equipment provided for snorkeling. Lunch was nice and we spent our free time on the beautiful white beach. Paradise is real xxx

via Tripadvisor

Beautiful visit

A really good day out, worth going to. Staff on the Catamaran were excellent, made the trip fun and well organised.

via Tripadvisor

Great day out

Great experience Beautiful island Snorkeling part was a bitter chaotic in the water with so many people so we stayed at the back, on board the Ventus catamaran staff was exceptional, friendly and entertaining Thanks for the memories

via Tripadvisor

A must read before booking.

Very disappointing — the upgrade was absolutely not what we expected. Unfortunately, our experience fell well below expectations, particularly because we were specifically sold an upgrade that was supposed to provide a better, less crowded experience with more dedicated service. We were also told that we did not need to worry about paying for drinks or toilets when we arrived at both locations as the boat would be there for us to enter whenever we needed to. We arrived at the dock at 8:30am, checked in at 9am and were given an in-depth explanation of the day by a gentleman who openly acknowledged that the company had received some poor reviews recently. As we had booked through GetYourGuide/Amigo Tours, he offered us an upgrade and strongly emphasised that this would give us fewer people, better service and an overall much better experience. Based on what we were told, we were really looking forward to the day. At around 10.15am we were finally taken out to what we though was to board the boat after waiting around for so long but we were instead lined up in the blazing heat with no suncream as per the instructions for the trip to be given a briefing about the expectations on the boat, this could of been easily done in the cool upstairs room we had waited in for over an hour. We boarded the boat and headed to our first stop - snorkelling. This was by far the highlight of the day. We saw some amazing sights and even stopped to see the underwater statues. However, the snorkelling itself was quite short and we were disappointed that we didn’t get longer in the water. We then headed towards Isla Mujeres. The all-inclusive drinks package, which had been heavily promoted as one of the main benefits, was disappointing. The bar was constantly occupied by a group ordering multiple cocktails, meaning those of us simply wanting soft drinks were left waiting for long periods. This didn’t feel like the dedicated service we had been promised with the upgrade. We then stopped at Isla Mujeres for a brief swim, which was enjoyable, before being given 2.5 hours to explore the island without any guide or real structure. While this was fine, we felt 2.5 hours was far too long and could have been used much more effectively elsewhere on the trip. We eventually returned to the boat and headed towards lunch. By this point it was around 2:30pm and we had still had no food. We had specifically been told to only have a light breakfast because of the snorkelling, so by this stage our entire group was extremely hungry. We arrived at the supposed exclusive beach club, which had again been presented to us as one of the highlights of the upgraded experience. Unfortunately, it was anything but. The buffet was extremely disappointing. One member of our group does not eat chicken and was told that the meat they had selected was pork - only for us to discover that it was actually chicken. Another member of our group does not eat pork and, due to the lack of clear information about what was in the dishes, had very limited options. We then waited over 15 minutes simply for water. The beach club itself was also extremely crowded, and the surrounding area and water did not appear particularly clean. It certainly did not feel exclusive or premium in any way. One member of our party was so concerned about the food hygiene that they chose not to eat at all. We ended up leaving approximately 45 minutes early because we simply didn’t want to remain there. We then walked back to the boat after being told that everyone needed to be back promptly for the 4:30pm departure. Despite being told we would have access to the bar and toilets, the staff were on board just watching us and another family return while we were left standing in the boiling sunshine waiting to board, instead of just letting us on. The journey back was another major disappointment. Staff were dancing provocatively with young women in front of multiple families, including families with young children, while encouraging this behaviour with provocative music and continuing to provide them with alcohol. It was not the atmosphere we expected from what had been presented to us as an upgraded, premium experience. Ironically, it was only during the final stretch back to Cancun that the service actually improved, with several members of staff coming over to ask whether we wanted drinks. By that point, however, we were already completely over the experience. To make matters worse, the staff subsequently came around with a tip box, seemingly expecting a tip despite the substantial amount we had already paid for the excursion and the additional cost of the upgrade. This was a very disappointing day and fell significantly below what we were promised and what we expected. The snorkelling was genuinely fantastic and was the one part of the experience that we really enjoyed. Unfortunately, that alone wasn’t enough to make up for everything else. Our biggest disappointment is the upgrade. We paid extra because we were specifically told we would receive a less crowded experience, more dedicated service and a significantly better overall day. That simply wasn’t what we experienced. If you are considering this excursion and are happy with everything I’ve described above, then by all means book it - but based on our experience, I absolutely would not recommend paying extra for the upgrade. We went into this expecting a premium experience and instead left feeling that we had paid more for something that simply wasn’t delivered. The trip was below our expectations, and the upgrade was, quite frankly, an absolute shambles.

Response from the operator: Dear Teresa, Thank you for your detailed feedback. While we regret that the experience did not meet your expectations, we would like to clarify several points. This is a shared catamaran excursion and the number of passengers on board is controlled according to the vessel’s authorized capacity and safety regulations. Drinks, music and entertainment are part of the experience, and therefore the return journey is intended to have a lively, festive atmosphere. The itinerary also includes free time on Isla Mujeres for guests to explore independently, as described in the activity, while snorkeling time and navigation are coordinated according to the day’s operation and maritime conditions. Regarding the upgrade offered locally, we are reviewing with the provider the information and conditions communicated at the time of purchase. We are also taking your comments regarding the buffet seriously, particularly the information provided about the food. We are pleased that you enjoyed the snorkeling and underwater museum, and we appreciate your feedback. However, we believe it is important to distinguish between aspects that form part of the advertised catamaran experience and the specific concerns raised regarding the locally offered upgrade. Kind regards, Amigo Tours Quality Team

via Tripadvisor