graceanddom Posted July 6, 2022 Report Share Posted July 6, 2022 Has anyone ever done the Beach Snorkel excursion through RC in Costa Maya? How is it, and is the snorkeling required or can you just hang out at the beach club? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted July 8, 2022 Report Share Posted July 8, 2022 On 7/6/2022 at 2:38 PM, graceanddom said: Has anyone ever done the Beach Snorkel excursion through RC in Costa Maya? How is it, and is the snorkeling required or can you just hang out at the beach club? Haven't done that one - I believe there was an age restriction the time I tried to book it. But if you read the excursion description, it should tell you whether equipment is provided or not. Usually, it is provided on a specific snorkeling excursion. On a "beach" excursion, there is often an extra charge for toys like snorkel equipment or kayaks. Also consider the sunscreen you take -- many places require something that is reef-safe. On a side note, we saw vendors selling snorkeling excursions at Mahahual. So when you exit the port shopping, you can buy a ticket on the "train" that takes you to the village. Once there, you can check out vendors (not screened by Royal). The taxi ride back to the port isn't expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted July 10, 2022 Report Share Posted July 10, 2022 On 7/6/2022 at 1:38 PM, graceanddom said: Has anyone ever done the Beach Snorkel excursion through RC in Costa Maya? How is it, and is the snorkeling required or can you just hang out at the beach club? Costa Maya is not the best for beach snorkeling. If you are also going to Roatan or Cozumel, I would do it there. Costa Maya doesn't have a reef close to the beach and also has frequent issues with sea grass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highpox1 Posted July 10, 2022 Report Share Posted July 10, 2022 Have I got the answer for you...... first I need to post a few pics. The very nice, beautiful beach picture is the one RC uses to sell the excursion. This is not Costa Maya. This is a stock photo of a beach somewhere else in the world. It is a plain and simple egregious misrepresentation to sell an excursion. The photos I am posting are the ones I took on the beach, if that is what you want to call this. Yes it was overcast, and yes there was seaweed piling up. Clearly this was never a good beach to start with. It is a run down, over used, beat up water front with a heavy influx of seaweed, so bad in fact they had to build a seaweed fence.. The breakwater is way out by a small reef, and yes you can swim out to it and see some fish. But don't get too excited on this one. Also be aware that just behind the 'beach' are about 20 hungry people trying to sell you everything they can, aggressively. Going to the bathrooms up there require this trip thru a gauntlet of high pressured vendors.... wordell1 and Mary Sue 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted July 10, 2022 Report Share Posted July 10, 2022 I agree that Costa Maya is not your best option for snorkeling but the description of “high pressure” vendors is exaggerated. Yes, there are roving vendors with trinkets to sell but a simple “no thank you” will send them on their way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted July 11, 2022 Report Share Posted July 11, 2022 12 hours ago, Highpox1 said: Have I got the answer for you...... first I need to post a few pics. The very nice, beautiful beach picture is the one RC uses to sell the excursion. This is not Costa Maya. This is a stock photo of a beach somewhere else in the world. It is a plain and simple egregious misrepresentation to sell an excursion. The photos I am posting are the ones I took on the beach, if that is what you want to call this. Yes it was overcast, and yes there was seaweed piling up. Clearly this was never a good beach to start with. It is a run down, over used, beat up water front with a heavy influx of seaweed, so bad in fact they had to build a seaweed fence.. The breakwater is way out by a small reef, and yes you can swim out to it and see some fish. But don't get too excited on this one. Also be aware that just behind the 'beach' are about 20 hungry people trying to sell you everything they can, aggressively. Going to the bathrooms up there require this trip thru a gauntlet of high pressured vendors.... Good pictures and definitely representative of what Costa Maya can be like. As I said above, I would plan my snorkeling elsewhere. To be fair however, I have also seen the water at Costa Maya clear and blue. The sea grass issue is random, but unfortunately prevalent in Costa Maya. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb T Posted April 1, 2023 Report Share Posted April 1, 2023 Just got back from a cruise with Royal Caribbean. We went on the beach snorkel on costa maya. If you look at the pictures above it will give you an excellent idea of what to expect, although our experience was worse. The "beach" was inundated with weeds. There were people snorkeling when we got there, but when it was our turn ,we were told that the snorkeling has been cancelled because of the weeds. A lady that had been out there had red marks all over from the weeds. She asked why she had not seen any fish and why the coral was all white. They explained it was because of global warming. You have to walk a gauntlet of local vendors to get to the "beach" area , and were still harassed by them. We decided to just leave , and then had to pay a taxi $8 to get back to the dock. One of the worst shore excursions for us. We complained to the guest services, and they did refund the money we paid for the excursion. The best part was the taxi ride back to the ship. That was worth the $8, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedNoodles Posted April 1, 2023 Report Share Posted April 1, 2023 32 minutes ago, Herb T said: The "beach" was inundated with weeds. There were people snorkeling when we got there, but when it was our turn ,we were told that the snorkeling has been cancelled because of the weeds. A lady that had been out there had red marks all over from the weeds. Unfortunately, seagrass is a problem all over Costa Maya and has been for several years. Also, unfortunately, not all vendors warn people that this is a problem in this area. I do believe they should warn people prior to going on a beach/snorkel adventure that their experience may not be what they expected. Maya Chan always does - they show you pics that they took that morning and they allow you to cancel with a refund on the spot before you get into the taxi. I'm glad you brought the issue up to Royal Caribbean and were refunded your money. Many resorts/beaches will rake the seagrass, but, honestly, it has to be pretty difficult to keep up with on days when it's coming in heavy. But they should be upfront about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb T Posted April 6, 2023 Report Share Posted April 6, 2023 thanks for the response Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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