The Cozumel Turtle Sanctuary Snorkel Tour

Super!

The tour was amazing and just as described. There are extra fees for the protected areas.$16.55 USD posted to my credit card so people should be aware that the price of the tour doesn’t cover these fees. Absolutely worth paying the extra fees though as the whole experience was worth it. Our tour operators had a talented photographer who captured our interactions with a green sea turtle, starfish and stingrays. We were able to purchase the downloads and our pictures were awesome. They served us fresh and delicious fish ceviche, guacamole and salsa and chips. We also had a shot of tequila and a pina colada as part of the tour.

via Viator

Disappointing Experience — Excursion Never Took Place

Unfortunately, we never made it to the snorkeling excursion because of significant confusion regarding the meeting location and a lack of clear communication. The day before our excursion, I received an email with meeting locations, but it did not explicitly identify where cruise ship passengers arriving on a cruise ship were supposed to meet. That evening, an employee contacted me to make sure I had received the email. I confirmed that I had, but explained that I was still unsure where we were supposed to meet because we were arriving by Royal Caribbean cruise ship. He told me simply to meet at “the flagpole” and sent a pin. After our ship docked, I could see a flagpole off in the distance to the right but the pin sent would not open. However, once we made our way through the port and reached the street, a man told us that the flagpole we needed was actually about four miles away to the left. He called the phone number I had been given, and we were then instructed to walk a block to a hotel — not to a flagpole. We walked there with our family while being approached and yelled at by men and vendors on the street, which made us extremely uncomfortable. When we arrived at the hotel, it appeared nearly empty and possibly abandoned. The representative there then told us we would have to wait and eventually walk farther up the road to yet another location. At that point, there was no one else there, we had already been given conflicting directions, and we were being asked to continue walking through an area where we did not feel comfortable or safe. My husband and I decided that we were no longer comfortable proceeding and chose to return to the ship. A representative from Cozumel Snorkel Center later contacted me to ask if everything was okay. I explained exactly what had happened, both to her and to the gentleman I had been texting. Unfortunately, I felt that instead of taking responsibility for the lack of clear communication, or even acknowledging our concerns, we were given excuses for why the situation occurred. If you are arriving by cruise ship, I strongly recommend making sure you receive very explicit, cruise-port-specific directions before booking. Based on our experience, I would personally recommend booking an excursion directly through the cruise line or another provider with clear instructions for cruise passengers. It was disappointing because we were looking forward to the snorkeling excursion, but the confusion surrounding the meeting location and the uncomfortable experience getting there ultimately made us decide that it was not worth continuing.

via Tripadvisor

Turtles, stingrays, and stunning underwater photos - a snorkeling day to remember

Great experience, very well organized tour on a cool, spacious catamaran. Professional photographer Rafael took great pictures and videos, a huge plus for the memories. We saw sea turtles, starfish, stingrays, and a lot of variety of fish. The fresh ceviche with chips was absolutely delicious. Bathroom available on the catamaran. Thanks to the Cozumel Snorkel Center team!

via Viator

Excelente

Great day snorkeling and exploring Cielito. Leo and the Team made all efforts to create a nice experience. Recommend it.

via Viator

Highlight of our Trip

This was definitely the highlight of our cruise. We sailed with MSC and decided to book our excursion outside of the cruise line to save some money. We received multiple reminders and messages from The Cozumel Snorkeling Company before our trip that included meeting points and what to bring/wear. They are very accommodating for the guests on cruises and make sure to get you back on time. The excursion was the coolest thing my boyfriend and I have ever done. The guides made sure we saw everything and the photographer captured every moment. We saw sea turtles, starfish, and an array of different fish and sea life. At the end, we went to a sand bar where the crew prepared us fresh ceviche, guacamole, pico, and fresh mango and pineapple which was absolutely fantastic. They offered us multiple different kinds of drinks throughout the tour as well. We did the 9:30am tour to try and beat the heat and so glad we did. It was a little overcast but the water was still like glass the whole time. They said we were the only tour of the day for them so we got to stay at the sandbar a little longer which we enjoyed. The crew on the boat was fantastic and made sure everyone was safe in and out of the water. This is an excursion I would do every time I came back to Cozumel.

Response from the operator: Thank you so much for taking the time to share such an incredible and detailed review! 🌊💙 We’re absolutely thrilled to hear that your snorkeling adventure was the highlight of your cruise and one of the coolest experiences you’ve ever had! It makes us especially happy to know that our communication before the tour helped make everything easy and stress-free, and that you felt comfortable booking independently from your cruise line. We always make it a priority to keep our cruise guests informed and ensure they return to the ship on time. 🚢 We’re so glad you enjoyed seeing the sea turtles, starfish, and incredible marine life, as well as the fresh ceviche, guacamole, pico de gallo, and tropical fruit at the sandbar. 🐢⭐️🥑🍍 And of course, we’ll be sure to share your kind words with the crew and photographer! Thank you for trusting us with such a special part of your vacation. Knowing that you would choose us again every time you return to Cozumel truly means the world to our entire team. We can’t wait to welcome you back for another unforgettable adventure! 🐠🌴💙

via Viator