The last time I went to Hooters I didn't have to pay $100 for the privilege to get a seat. And chances are that if your son would have declined to pose with the Hooters girls (admittedly not likely, but for the purpose of discussion), would they stop anyone else from coming into the restaraunt until he complied? Of course not. And last, if what we're saying here is that the Lobster Cruise is no better (or worse) than going to Hooters, then perhaps we're closer to being on the same page. But that doesnt' make it a place I'd recommend to others while visiting Cancun. So - all of that being said - did you buy the photo? Perhaps more importantly, did that experience make you more or less inclined to revisit and/or recommend Hooters to others?
So three people who live here and one who visits every 6 weeks or so say that the way tips are coerced and, yes, coerced is a word I'll use is nothing out of the ordinary for Cancun. Yet you're still right and the Lobster Cruise is the biggest rip off ever. Your comparison with paying "$100 just to get a seat at Hooters" is miles off the mark too. For a start the lobster dinner cruise is $67 or $72 not $100, it includes your food (unlike getting a seat at Hooters) and includes cruising the lagoon plus entertainment and service. I know people very well who work on tours - like our booze cruise for example. They work 6 or sometimes 7 days a week and make $500 a week basic. That's pesos not dollars, of course. Tips are a way of life in Cancun, and are always optional but necessary to put food on the table in many cases. To put a particular tour down, just because of the tip/photo issue carries little weight when it is no different to anything else you will experience in Cancun. If the food was awful, the staff were rude or the boat stank of piss then by all means issue a not recommended warning. Like I said, if you know of a similar tour where the tipping / photo issue doesnt happen, let me know because I might just check it out and recommend that in future. At the end of the day, if you don't like it don't pay it, or dont visit Cancun. Go somewhere else like London where a "romantic cruise for two on the Thames" will cost you $300, plus your drinks on top. I guarantee the staff wont coerce you for tips but there might still be someone looking to take your picture. You seem a somewhat assertive character, and from past postings even arrogant. I'm sure you have the strength of character to walk past a line and not be embarrassed by not tipping. Or perhaps you're just one of those keyboard warriors.
And now you have information. Not just about the Lobster Dinner cruise (certainly not recommended), but also about the sort of information you're likely to get here. Some will be quality - such as from people who've been there and done it - with no vested interest in telling you anything but what they've experienced. Other information will come from those that have an agenda - perhaps a friend or a cousin who works there, or maybe pays for advertising space. [That doesn't always mean that the product or service being touted is necessarily bad - Just don't believe everything you hear (read)] Whatever you do, don't waste your time or your money on the Lobster Cruise. There's a lot of far more honest and customer-oriented businesses (that don't need to rely on coercion or any other form of trickery) in Cancun than you might be led to believe in this thread.
So we have two camps here. 1. Nao who has done this cruise once (probably the only cruise or tour in Cancun he's ever done, I'd guess from his comments) and didn't like it because of the tip/photo issue. But he still can't come up with a better alternative despite me asking him twice. 2. People that live here and regular Cancun visitors who say that such issues are to be expected everywhere you go in Cancun, and with every tour. So this issue shouldn't be seen as a deciding factor. Which camp would you go with? Who is misinforming who? This is not the first time that Nao infers that what I say and the advice and links I give is prejudice for my own favour. Sure, I make a commission on tours booked through my links, that's always something I've been open about. Book this tour in Cancun and you'll pay the same or more - and the sales person wont tell you about any downsides, and there'll be no others to add their thoughts. Here you'll read the good and the bad and based on what you read any sensible person will make their own judgement. Trust me, $14 (in this case) is not going to make or break me. Reputation for quality advice and a quality Cancun message board is far more important to me. The first time Nao posted his issues about this cruise was when he bumped an 18 month old thread. This time he was on it within 20 minutes of my reply - the guy clearly has issues on this particular tour, and the way he thinks cancuncare is run. I just looked at the who's online stats and I see him hanging in the Cancun Forum. Not posting, not reading - just waiting for my response, so he can come back with something and prolong the drama. I don't have time to play silly games and I have zero tolerance for people who mess me around. Not just because of this thread, but the other 4 or 5 similar occasions where Nao has deliberately tested my patience and wasted my time via multiple PM's where he has told me that it's just part of a game he is playing, and wants to see how long I put up with it for. Too bad you cant read the reply you've been waiting for Nao. You're banned.
Dinner Cruises Thanks for the replies - We are not especially looking for romance (just being in Cancun can take care of that!) We just have always had our son with us on previous trips so we would just like to take a dinner cruise with mostly adults. As for the lobster dinner cruise, do they have anything other than lobster? I'm afraid I don't care for lobster -
Re: Dinner Cruises I believe they offer steak but I could be wrong about that. I'mn sure someone who has done thecruise recently can give tell you for sure.
thanks for the reply. I think this is the dinner cruise that we will try to take if we can get steak- (I'm from Tennessee... lots of cattle here! ) Can I book it though this site?
I think you can... Check out the link to tours on the main page and I'm sure it will lead you there. If you can't find it just PM Steve and I'm sure he will provide you with the link.
Right on Steve Right on Steve. Ive been bashed by nao before. He must not have a life if he can post the long winded, lopsided and opinionated replays that he does. Back to topic, We did the lobster cruice twice. Obviously enjoyed it enough to return. Baught the picture the first time, said no thank you the second. As far as tipping, of course we do. But the tip jars don't say anything like 20 peso minimum :lol: Even the Isla ferry from embarcadero stops you before boarding for a picture. We smile and say cheese. Bought the picture the first trip but don't need 6 more :!: They never pressured us after saying no thank you. Jimmy
