Avoid Paradise Beach on Wednesday's

[KCSungirl]

I can't speak about any other day of the week, but I experienced PB on a Wed with seven other ships in port and it was Cruiser City. PB is the equivalent of a cruise ship private island with more noise, people, and distractions. You can share a beautiful stretch of beach with 3000 other cruisers and screaming kids. This is NOT a place for quiet sophisticates. The bungee swing on the trampoline is distracting. People/kids screaming having a good time. The jet ski noise is obnoxoius. Loud music playing in the bar/beach area. Kids climbing the rock wall in the water and screaming to the parents to look at them reach the top. Waiters walking back and forth delivering food and drinks. I was exhausted by all of the noise, movement, and activity. Maybe the atmosphere is different on other days of the week.

 

I saw PB Tom working the crowd on the beach. He is a great PR guy. Good looking too. The beach is clean and comfortable, but just too many people and too much noise. Great for kids, however, because there is a lot going on.

 

I heard very good things about the Passion Island excursion. Solita keeps pushing Paradise Beach. I am glad Solita likes the crowds and activities, but it is NOT for every one. Solita, what do you recommend for guests who prefer a quieter environment?

 

I am looking for an upscale hotel/beach that I can buy a day pass to enjoy for my January visit. Any suggestions?

 

Paradise Beach is great if you love crowds, kids, and lots of distraction. Otherwise, make other plans. Party ON........Sungirl

[aggieastrosfan]

I'm not Solita, but I have been to Passion Island. It was quiet, since it's only available through the cruise ships, but it's expensive, and you only get 2 1/2 hours of beach time. With such a short amount of time, it wasn't worth the $70 or so per person we paid for it. I haven't been to Paradise Beach, so I can't compare. I was thinking of going there on my next cruise, but you have me scared! There will be NINE ships in Cozumel on December 9th.:eek:

[Cozumel_Tom]

Yup, 8 cruise ships is a pretty heavy day for ALL beach clubs, not just ours! You quiet sophisticates are probably better off springing for a day pass at one of our tonier resorts where you can avoid your fellow cruisers! ;) I´d suggest either the Presidente, or the Grand Occidental Cozumel for you, Sungirl. Probably more what you´re looking for. The Iberostar is nice as well, but the beach is pretty rocky and not as nice as the Occidental. Not sure what they´re charging these days, but probably around 30-40 dollars.

PS- thanx for the compliment...I must have been holding in my beer gut when you saw me!!

[vanclan]

I was at Paradise Beach the same day as Sungirl .... that famous Wednesday with 7 or 8 ships in port! We went to Paradise Beach right from the ship and had an early lunch there and left about 11:30 am (Cozumel time) (We REALLY wanted to stay a whole lot longer...but needed to do Christmas shopping in town.) Our experience was totally different that KC Sungirl's probably due to the fact that we were there early in the day. We still found it quiet and not crowded. In fact we were the only folks in the upstairs restaurant when we ate. We loved our time at Paradise Beach....but it probably became more active and busier later in the day. The taxi men told us that 7 or 8 ships are unusual to be in port at one time...they said 3 or 4 is more normal. Anytime 7 ships drop perhaps 7,000 extra people on a small island all at one time..it's bound to be a bit more congested. We found downtown shopping was REALLY busy ...especially with the road construction. but if you venture into town a couple of blocks off the main street...it was almost deserted and great shopping.

So, if you are looking for a quieter Paradise Beach and there are a lot of ships in port...just go to the beach first and enjoy it.

[patnjohn]

We were at PB on Wednesday 11/3. It was fabulous, not crowded at all. We were there from 11am to 3pm & had a blast. I guess there weren't that many ships in that day. I seem to remember about 6.

[lenetere]

Well, I just checked the cruise ship calendar that Tom had posted. Yep, there'll be 9 ships in port the day we're there--Wednesday, 1/5/05. BUT we'd originally planned to go to Playa Mia [can you imagine how crowded THAT will be???] and then this forum turned us on to PB. Tom, there'll be six of us to add to your ever growing list of visitors for the first Wednesday of the year! :) Lene

[Cozumel_Tom]

Thanx for support, everyone!

 

lenetere...hasta la vista and get here early!

[sea_u_onboard]

PB is the equivalent of a cruise ship private island with more noise, people, and distractions. You can share a beautiful stretch of beach with 3000 other cruisers and screaming kids. This is NOT a place for quiet sophisticates. The bungee swing on the trampoline is distracting. People/kids screaming having a good time. The jet ski noise is obnoxoius. Loud music playing in the bar/beach area. Kids climbing the rock wall in the water and screaming to the parents to look at them reach the top. Waiters walking back and forth delivering food and drinks.

Sounds like my kind of place - count me in!

[curlyred]

I am so excited, because we'll be in Cozumel next Sunday and there is only one ship scheduled, ours. Hey PB Tom you will have lots of time to visit with us. We are so ready to enjoy some drinks, some fun and some sun. Like I said WOO HOO!!!!. Hey Tom maybe we could email and figure out a way to surprise my friend. I'd really like to surprise her with a greeting from you without her knowing that I set it up. Let me know if this might work out. Thanks. Mj

[NeedstoCruise]

Yes, wednesdays are VERY crowded, especially in holiday weeks as I saw last week. Still, it was GREAT, not a problem, though definetly not quiet. Being Thanksgiving, there were lots of families, but the service was great, the guacamole the best, and a wonderful day. LOVE THOSE TALL DRINKS>

 

Elaine

[abbyndrewmom]

Is it always Wednesdays that are busy? We are going to be in Cozumel on a Thursday in March. Is it to early to check and see how many ships will be in port that day. how do you check?

 

Allison

[FlorenceItaly]

When in Cozumel, I will be there :).

 

Marie

[abbyndrewmom]

Okay I figured out how to check there are 8 ships in port the day we are there!!! We had already planned to head to PB first so we will stick with that plan. Our original plan was to stay till 1:00 -2:00 pm however if it gets too busy we will just leave earlier.

 

I hope downtown isn't too busy.

[Vehorn]

We were at Paradise Beach last Wednesday and had a fabulous time. We got there early when hardly anyone else was there. We left after having a great lunch in the upstairs restaurant to get in some shopping but wished we never had to leave. Yes, it did get crowded toward mid-day but there were no problems that I could see. Sorry we did not get to see Tom, but the staff took great care of us and we enjoyed some of the best drinks we ever have had. Also, if you try the special hot dip be warned - it IS hot! :mad: Can't wait to get back to Paradise Beach. It was all we had heard it would be.

[MEOWSMURPHY]

Where is the "Cruise Ship Calendar" posted so I can see how many ships will be in port when we are there?

[PelicanBill]

You can find a very cool ship calendar at

 

http://www.cruisecal.com/dnn/

[solita]

Crowds at Paradise Beach (as well as the rest of this small island) depend on how many ships are here. I was out at PB that "infamous" Wednesday. I DO NOT like crowds at all. And even though there were alot of people, I was able to have a chair all to myself away from the crowd. Tom himself moved one for me. There is lots of room to spread out there. And the crowd thinned out tremendously at about 3:00. So don't let the number of ships scare you away...it is a great place.

 

Yes, I used to sing the praises of Passion Island. But there is a reason they are my former employer - although there are no sour grapes at all. It is a very secluded place BUT things have changed dramatically out there. I will not go into details but it ain't the same as when I was there.

[Ag_Cruiser]

We were in Cozumel on Wednesday . . . we just got back from FLL . . . and I had a WONDERFUL time. Tom kept going on about how it was crowded, the weather was bad (yeah, right!) and so forth, saying how it's usually better, but we had a blast. The Pina Coladas in the pineapples were awesome and not NEARLY as expensive as I figured they would be (not sure exactly how much they were, but it was under $7, I think) and we even started a little trend in our area . . . everyone around saw ours and started ordering their own.

 

I'm pretty exhausted and I'll be posting a review of our day in Cozumel (along with all our other destinations) later, but I wanted to jump in and say that the 4 of us had a complete blast!

[Island Annie]

Wo-hoo!! Looks like there will be 8 ships in port on March 3:-) (thanks for posting that site Tom). And I'm looking forward to spending a FABULOUS day on Paradise Beach. In my opinion . . . . "The more, the merrier":-) I'm on vacation to have FUN, meet new people & make new friends, not sit on a beautiful beach by my self, and wonder where everyone else went:-(

 

As long as I have a lounge chair(which I understand there are plenty of), an umbrella, and someone serving me pina'coladas (made with Bicardi rum, served in a pineapple shell & garnished with a red hibiscus flower) I'll be a "happy" girl:-)

 

ahhh, just 92 more days til I'm in "Paradise":-)))

 

See you at the beach!

 

Island Annie

[swells2345]

Well, if I wasn't convinced before, I am now. PB is where we will be weather permitting on Christmas Day! Looks like there are only two ships in port so those two annoying kids yelling "Mom, look at me" as they dive off of something will be mine! ;) If you are looking for quiet, you don't want to be near my precious angels. But I promise that if you move down the beach away from the water toys, we won't follow you! :p

 

Tom, it is just me and the kids so I will need LOTS of those pineapple drinks you are serving to keep up my holiday cheer. But seriously, thank you very much for answering all of these questions so a newbie like me can get the answers we are looking for. We'll try to bring a treat along for you guys (or the schoolkids). We can't wait!!!

[betsycam71]

As much as I wanted to go to Paradise Beach, it looks like there will be 10 ships in Cozumel on 12/8/04, so we have decided to splurge on the Passion Island excursion.

 

I am looking for a little more peace and quiet. My husband and I don't have kids yet, but as an aunt of 7 nieces and nephews, I know how on edge I get when around other people's children too long. Most are well-behaved, but some are not.

 

I don't mean any offense to those with children - Paradise Beach sounds like a wonderful place with lots of activities, and hopefully we'll go there someday with our future kids. I think 10 ships in port that day are just a few too many for my taste, and it seems like everyone is headed to Paradise Beach.

 

The OP's description made me cringe and now I'm really glad we're trying out Passion Island. Will let everyone know if it's worth the cost or not.

[mkmom]

I was on Paradise beach for the infamous Wednesday as well with a party of 10. We didn't get there until after our snorkeling excursion at 12 or so, but we were greeted immediately after stepping onto the sand by a great guy that we called "Chris" --we couldn't pronounce/remember his name, but it started with Chris and we asked if we could call him that and he was agreeable:D . He found us some chairs and half a table and we had the most amazing guacamole and pina coladas!!!!! I found the staff very accomodating and although it was crowded, the service was outstanding! So, thanks to Chris and everyone else who made our (too) short time on Paradise Beach just that...Paradise!

 

Stacy

[ready2goindec]

We will be in port on Wednesday, December 15th and hope to meet PBTom and CozSally at the beach! We will have a party of at least 18 and hope you have plenty of pineapples on hand for those famous drinks we've been reading about. What time should we arrive? CosSally, how does one go about getting a 20 minute massage that day?

[happyRN]

ready2goindec-from what I read CozSally does massages out of her home. Yes, massages are available at Paradise Beach, just not with CozSally.

[Cozumel_Tom]

LOL...great posts everyone! See you at PB soon, you are on the VIP (Very Important Pineappler) list!

 

curlyred...I have Sundays off:(. But if I´m in the area I´ll swing by :)!

 

vehorn...sorry I didn´t get to meet you that day, it was very busy and I did more running around than meeting-and-greeting! We had RECORD sales that day, smashing the old mark by about 30%!! Thanksgiving week, 9 ships in port, and the Disney boat added up to good attendance!

 

mkmom...Cresencio is his name...I just call him "Credenza". I don´t know why...maybe that summer job at IKEA had something to do with it.