5 stars, 5 stars, 5 stars!!!! Do you get the picture????
Typically, your resort will try to talk you into some kind of tour/cruise/activity where they offer you a "deal." After reading online that you should avoid the recommended trips by your resort (because obviously they get a kick back and only recommend tours that they profit from them)....I decided to check out Dancer Cruise. WOW! Sooooo very glad that I did.
The Dancer Cruise is amazing! You arrive around 9 AM. Around 9:30 AM, you board the boat. They offer you fruit punch, fruit (papaya, watermelon, and bananas), and pastries. Shortly thereafter, you are offered whatever you want to drink (including alcoholic beverages). Around 10:30 AM, they take you to a spot where you can snorkel for about 45 minutes. I've been snorkeling one time before and I was impressed with the quality of Dancer Cruise's snorkel gear. The gear seemed relatively new and they made sure I was fitted for the right flippers before I headed into the water. They divided us up into advanced and beginners, but honestly I couldn't really tell the difference once I got in the water. With that said, my sister noticed that they seemed to give more direction and pay closer attention to the beginners. I really appreciated that they didn't just stick us in life preservers (as that makes it hard to snorkel). They had a special type of flotation device that didn't seem to get in the way (at least not in the way that a typical life preserver does).
In terms of the quality of the snorkeling, there were plenty of fish to see, but just be careful not to venture out too far or you'll have to swim your butt back to the boat all by yourself (unless you're astute enough to realize there's a small motorized boat nearby for your lazy butt to get back to the main ship).
Following the great snorkeling, they take you to another spot where you can slide down the water slide and/or jump off the diving board. Both are worth trying out, but I definitely thought the slide was better.
Once that is over, they prepare you an excellent lunch. You get more drinks and some delicious fajitas, which come with guacamole and a side salad. I appreciated that before the fajitas, I got ceviche and chips (along with salsa), which were both absolutely delicious. Following lunch, we headed to Isla Mujeres for two hours. You can do whatever you want during that two hours. They will try to talk you into a golf cart when you book your trip....do NOT do this. We were able to book a golf cart for $13 per hour (regardless of the number of people in one's party) when we arrived on shore. The only downside is that there is an added fee if you book with a credit card, but it is pretty minimal. It was a blast and totally worth it. There are also quite a few things to do around the island, including an ice bar that I'm kicking myself for not checking out. For those who want to relax, there is a beautiful public beach walking distance from the boat.
Following Isla Mujeres, you head back to Cancun via the boat. The drinks flow freely again (which, if I haven't emphasized enough, is true all day long) and they put on a dance party, which was awesome.
In sum, such a great way to spend 7 hours in Cancun. I would easily book it again. read more