Passion Island — Attraction in Quintana Roo

Isla de Pasión is more like Isla de Basura. You can’t walk more than one foot in any direction along the beach without encountering buried plastic or trash - even along the front of the restaurants that charge visitors who wish to sit on the beachfront. I picked up 2 cups of soda bottle tops and broken shards of plastic - even a snorkel that was left behind by one of the boat loads of tourists visiting the other day from a cruise.

My family and I visited the island via a boat and were shocked when a security guard stopped us from walking along the beach to the other side of the island. He explained that the island is a Federal Zone but the restaurants on the island owned 20 meters of beach and forbid anyone from walking past to the other side of the island unless we paid 550 pesos. He said if we wanted to come the next day they would have a special for national citizens for 300 pesos. When I asked to have the police escort us to the other side - since it is a public property - the guard offered us to sit on the beach under a tree where there was a makeshift bench.

The restaurant owners only allow all-inclusive purchases for the above price (probably higher for foreigners), so it’s best to book a tour if going to the island. I know I will not be returning, especially after learning that the other side of the island is a lagoon where sewage waste is released into the water by a nearby water treatment facility. It literally had toxic waste on the shore of the back side of the island which is why there’s a rope at the boat pier not allowing foreign visitors to walk around to the other side.

The guard and the paramedic patrolling the beach said it was the restaurants on the beach with the rules (which seemed illegal) and which did not offer an alternative route to explore the miles of island. Instead they restrict non-tour purchasers to a small part of the island until all the tours are gone around 3pm - then it is open territory (which I soon discovered was covered in...

The island is beaitiful and the staff are very nice there is just some disorganization in getting visitors to and from the Island. We were supposed to be leaving at 11 and left at 12 instead, were supposed to be back by 4 and got back at 5:20 and final boarding was 5:30. Because it is a carnival endorsed excursion the ship will not leave without you but it left absolutely no time to purchase anything in cozumel and we felt rushed. In addition the food was so Iffy, none of the people there had any idea what was in the food, if you asked them what it was made of this is dangerous considering they see almost 500 tourists a day with various allergies and dietary restrictions and when you pay for food you hope to be able to eat it. Our guides were fantastic, they checked in and made sure we knew we had lots of time not to worry about them forgetting us etc and kept acknowledging that yes it is very busy, since they stagger people in and out throughout the day for the first 1.5 hours out of the 3 there was nowhere to sit other than in the scorching sun, and the drink and food lines were never-ending but after the first set cleared out it was significantly more enjoyable. I think if they are to accept that kind of patronage they need to ensure they can handle it first, if that means adding an addition biggest section or more shade for the seating, maybe another bartender at the bar so it moves faster then they should consider that. The guests pay quite a bit of money for what they are getting and I'm sure a good deal of that money goes to carnival but they are easily bringing in 20,000USD a day since each guest pays $70-90 just to go there not to mention gift shop spending, cash bar, photo purchases since they take around 500 people before 4pm (I can't speak to after that as we left by then) so management needs to reinvest that into bigger infrastructure and ideally a couple more staff if they are to keep expanding...

Our family of eight chose the All Inclusive Passion Island shore excursion while cruising with Carnival Fantasy in May 2019. Our older boys (15, 18 and 20) took the Twister to Passion Island (40 minute ride) and loved it! The rest of us took the powered catamaran (50 minute ride with bathroom) and it was very nice too. The kids fell asleep on the bench seats on the way back.

The island is amazing! It is well maintained to look like a tropical paradise with pristine sand, clear water (no seaweed) and perfect trees. There were plenty of seats and covered tables even though three different cruise boats were in port. The food and drinks (including alcohol) were unlimited and we ate and drank as much as we wanted. Granted, there isn't a huge selection but it was more than sufficient and good eating too.

There is more to do than play in the water and drink. There is a large shaded kids playground that is monitored by the staff. There are several shops with clothing, snacks, jewelry, etc. There are male and female bathrooms that are kept clean but not air conditioned. And there are open-air showers for rinsing off.

Extras included free kayaking, hammocks in the water and swinging seats at one of the bars. Our kids found plenty of seashells, sponges and coral bits. The coconut is literally cut open in front of you and straws dropped in. This is coconut water which has a unique but not unpleasant taste. Don't expect the white, sweet, flaky coconut used in the US for sweets.

Overall this excursion exceeded our expectations and we all agreed it is a must do for our next...