I’d like to start out by saying that I am a people-pleaser and, as a result, fairly easy to please. It takes a lot for me to complain. Hair in my food? Won’t kill me, I can pick it out. Big attraction is down? Oh well, it happens.
But trying out the Money Bar in Cozumel, Mexico, during our cruise on the Disney Magic was the biggest mistake of my life. Please, I beg you, read this review and learn from my many mistakes!
I Swear I Thoroughly Researched
One thing no one will try to dispute is that I am a thorough planner. I like to know everything about a place before I go so I can maximize my time there. So I put a LOT of time into researching things to do in Cozumel.
I don’t love spending a thousand dollars for our family to go on a single excursion that is basically just… the beach. So up to this point, we’ve never done an official cruise excursion. Instead, I plan something for us to do independently. It has always worked really well… until this one.
The Money Bar Beach Club is frequently mentioned in forums as a great place to hang out in Cozumel. It’s noted for its excellent snorkeling, which is the one activity I was looking to do. The fact that it’s a full restaurant is just an added bonus!
This experience, which sounds simple and easy enough to pull off, was not how our day went.
Getting from the Ship to Land
The Punta Langosta cruise port is pretty typical of cruise ports: touristy and full of shops you are forced to walk through before actually entering the destination. At least they have a fun Cozumel sign, complete with faux native performers, to take pictures with! (Take some cash to tip them with.)
The good news is I didn’t find the sellers particularly pushy. They did shout and try to get our attention, but none of them blocked our path or made us uncomfortable. It is quite a trek to get through them and down to Av. Rafael E. Melgar, the road running along the coast.
Once we got down to land, though, the area felt reasonably safe and had sidewalks for safe walking. We didn’t take a taxi right away, as we were making our first stop at Mega, and it wasn’t too far. If you have limited mobility, though, you’ll want a cab – it’s about half a mile down the road.
First Mistake: ATM Horror Story
During my research, I read many awful stories of people using their credit cards to pay for everything on Cozumel, only to find fraudulent charges pop up within minutes of doing so. So I decided we were going to use cash at our port stops.
This led to me repeatedly reading that locals should be, and prefer to be, paid in their local currency, pesos. While they will accept US dollars – they’re not going to turn down money – it makes sense that paying in their national currency is more appreciated. I also read that most places will give you a better price in pesos vs. dollars.
So I asked my bank about exchanging cash for pesos. They could do it, but it would take a couple of weeks and there was a hefty flat fee for doing so. However, my bank has no ATM fees or foreign transaction fees!
I decided to research local ATM options on Cozumel, and discovered that the Mega grocery store, which is close to Punta Langosta cruise port, has several inside. I even learned that the Santander ATM has the best exchange rate. So a plan was formed!
How it Actually Went
Getting to Mega was pretty much as expected, although the walk felt a little longer than it looked on Google Maps. We walked all the way around the shops on the lower level before we realized the grocery store was up on the second level, and escalators took us up there.
I couldn’t see any ATMs near the front, so we started walking around. We literally walked the entire perimeter of this giant grocery store before we found them. So here’s a tip, should you dare to try this: the ATMs are to the right past the sushi place once you get up there.
I found the Santander ATM easily enough, but unfortunately, it wasn’t working! Tapping and inserting my debit card did absolutely nothing. Well, there were three other ATMs, so I let go of the notion of a better exchange rate and tried one of them. It still didn’t work.
After about 15 minutes, we decided to give up and just use the little American cash we’d brought off the ship. It would’ve been literally just enough to cover the taxi rides and our expected food costs at Money Bar.
Disclaimer: I Was an Idiot on This Day
The real issue we had with the ATM was that I did not ask the bank for an ATM limit increase for the size of withdrawal I was trying to make. I realized this after we left Money Bar, and I was able to request a temporary increase through my bank’s app.
We needed to have pesos to pay for our entry to the Dzibilchaltun Ruins in Progreso the next day, so I was glad I figured it out. We stopped at Mega before getting back on the ship and finally got our pesos. I had to use a third ATM, though, as the second one had apparently blocked my debit card after too many attempts.
Taxi Ride to Get There
When we gave up and left Mega the first time, there were some taxis waiting right outside. I asked him how much it would be to get to Money Bar BEFORE we got in the cab. He quoted $20, which was what I expected.
We all squeezed into a sedan with my husband in the front passenger seat. The ride there was pleasant enough. Our driver didn’t really talk at all, possibly because his English was limited.
He dropped us off very close to the entrance of Money Bar. We paid him with tip, and he was on his way.
Attempted Swindle at the Door
The restaurant looked promising: it was very large, not too busy, and we could tell it butted up to the ocean. Their main entrance was even decorated for Mardi Gras, which happened to be the exact day we ported in Cozumel!
Our first red flag was before we even got inside, though. Two women were ahead of us at the host’s podium, finishing up a conversation I overheard about the “fee” to enter, before they stepped aside to converse privately. I’d read it was free to enter and snorkel as long as you made a food and drink purchase, so I was wary upon approaching.
I asked for a table for four, and the young woman asked us if we planned on getting in the ocean. When I said yes, she said that there would be a fee of $20 USD per person for water activities. I was absolutely shocked – especially since that meant we wouldn’t be able to eat much lunch with the cash we had left!
The lady that had stepped to the side came back up to argue again, and I was grateful. She stated that she had been to Money Bar several times before and there had never been an entrance fee. I hadn’t been there before, but I didn’t say that, of course. I just chimed in with a “Yeah, there’s not supposed to be a fee if we’re eating here!”
The young hostess said things have changed, and she walked away! I stood there looking at my husband, unsure of what to do. We couldn’t afford an entrance fee AND food, and my dumb butt left all of our credit cards on the ship, thinking we’d be using cash everywhere.
False Hope
As luck would have it (and it turned out to be the only luck we had), an older female employee came to the podium. She asked us if we had our own equipment. I said yes, we had all our own snorkel gear. Then she explained what the $20 fee actually included, which was things like paddle boarding and kayaks along with snorkel gear.
I told her we were not interested in anything besides snorkeling, and she sat us at a table – no fee paid! She also confirmed for me we could pay for our food with US dollars. It seemed like our luck had finally turned around. (Spoiler: it hadn’t.)
What Money Bar Actually Delivers On
Our table was outside on the deck, just steps away from the stairs that led straight into the ocean. An umbrella provided plenty of shade, but it was also a comfortable 78 degrees outside and breezy. The ocean was beautiful.
Fun music was playing, the other patrons seated on the deck seemed very chill, and I was excited to finally be at our destination. A server came over fairly quickly to give us menus (with prices in pesos) and said he’d be back to get our drink order shortly.
My kids wanted to get in the ocean right away for snorkeling. They are both pretty strong swimmers, and the walk-in was very close, so I asked what they wanted to drink and told them to go ahead. My husband ended up following them in.
The server did come back to get our drink order. I told him I didn’t know what the kids wanted to eat yet since they went straight to the water, and he said that was fine. I went to the steps and asked what they’d like so I was prepared when he came back.
It took him about 15 minutes just to bring drinks back, which I thought was quite long, but didn’t think much of it. However, he didn’t stop long enough to take our food order. I thought perhaps he needed to drop off some other drinks or meals, and then he’d be back to us.
It all went south from there.
The Reality of Money Bar Snorkeling
After about another 15 minutes of waiting to give our food order, the kids came out of the water, hungry. I told my husband what I wanted to order, and I decided to get in the ocean for a bit.
I honestly didn’t see a single negative review of Money Bar with regard to the actual snorkeling experience. I’m here to give you one now!
Part of it was the choppiness of the water, which is not Money Bar’s fault. It was a breezy day, so the waves were pretty big. If you’ve never snorkeled in bumpy water, it’s not as pleasant as in calmer waters, that’s for sure!
The water was also very crowded. I should’ve expected this, given the place’s location and popularity. And to an extent, I did. I just wasn’t prepared for everyone to be crowding so close to the entry point! It was difficult to actually get out into the ocean.
Also, the entry point itself makes things difficult. The stairs do not lead to a sandbar like we’re accustomed to when visiting the beach. It is an extremely firm, concrete-like surface that is NOT smooth at all. It’s full of deep holes akin to how a foot of snow looks when someone has walked through it already.
I have a fragile ankle from previous injuries, so this made me very nervous! It was difficult to find my footing just to stand up and climb back out of the water. My kids had issues with it as well, and they are completely able-bodied.
Each of us snorkeled for maybe 10 minutes before growing tired of waves splashing over our breathing tubes and bumping into other guests. I did see some cool fish, but most of them were quite small. It was not the impressive collection I had hoped for, likely because we couldn’t swim out far enough to see more.
The Part That Was Our Fault
We didn’t have a ton of time in Cozumel as it was. Our all-ashore was meant to be 12:00PM, and while we were able to get off early – around 11:30AM – we’d wasted a good bit of time trying to get cash at Mega.
Our captain also warned us that after 3:00PM, many roads near the port would be blocked off to prepare for the Mardi Gras parade. I figured we’d head back by 3:00 to make sure we had plenty of time to get back onboard before our 5:45PM dinner seating.
This should’ve given us at least two hours for snorkeling and eating. Well, the snorkeling was not what we’d hoped for, so our attention turned to eating to make the day better.
Where’s the Server???
By the time I also got out of the water, our server still hadn’t come back to get our food order. We had been seated for over an hour at this point! It was 2 o’clock, we were all hungry, and the kids didn’t want to snorkel anymore. We hadn’t even seen our server to flag him down.
At that point, I was afraid to order food and be obligated to wait however long it took to actually get it! I told Josh we’d just give someone $20 to cover the sodas and lemonade we had and be done. We all took turns changing out of our swim clothes into dry clothes we brought with us.
I will say, the amenities were more than adequate. They had freshwater showers on the deck, and restrooms with large stalls indoors just off the deck. Still, no matter how much space you have, getting changed out of wet rash guards and into dry clothes is no easy task. Especially since we’d also forgotten to grab towels from the ship, haha! But truthfully, I was glad not to have to carry wet towels back with everything else.
Giving Up and Going Back
It took us at least another 20 minutes for all four of us to change into dry clothes. Our server still never came by. Funnily enough, after we packed our bags and got up to leave, he was suddenly walking our way!
And he had the nerve to ask if we were ready to order.
I told him, at this point, we were ready to leave. I handed him the $20, he looked at the bill, and said “Yeah, I guess, okay.” It was odd that he seemed genuinely confused by our departure, as I had begun to believe we were unwanted at the club and they did not want to serve us.
And we left. Fortunately, there is a line of taxis waiting not far from the beach club to take tourists back to the port.
This time, we were quoted $25 for the way back. I knew this was a little high, but we were eager to leave. It was about 2:40PM when we got close to the port and some of the roads were already closed! Our driver got us as close as we could, but we had to walk over half a mile to get back to the ship.
We passed the Mega again on the way, so that is when we finally got our cash after figuring out the withdrawal limit issue. As a result, our day in Progreso was much better than our day in Cozumel.
When we got back to the ship, we ordered room service and relaxed. Fortunately, being on a Disney cruise means our evening made the day all better!
Do I Recommend Money Bar Beach Club?
No. For many reasons.
The main one is that they tried to scam us out of $80! The younger hostess was well aware we had our own snorkel gear and still tried to push the “gear rental” fee on us like it was an “entrance fee.”
If you check out other recent reviews, it seems they are doing this to all tourists now. This is particularly ludicrous for those who don’t want to do any water activities. Plus, the food was overpriced on top of everything else.
And of course, the fact that they didn’t seem to want to serve us was an issue. That might be a one-off, and I assume it was based on all the great reviews I’d read previously. I don’t know if our server was just bad at keeping up with his tables or what, but that was a big negative for me. We genuinely wanted to eat authentic Mexican food while in Mexico!
But what we really wanted to do was have a great snorkeling experience in crystal-clear waters. And while the water met the requirements in clarity, the Money Bar’s entrance is treacherous at best. I was unaware it wasn’t a sandbar, and perhaps my research failed me in that regard.
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If I Could Re-Do Our Cozumel Day
My research didn’t give me a clear picture this time. If we ever cruise to Cozumel again, I still want to try snorkeling again – but I will be booking with a tour group!
That doesn’t even mean I will book an excursion directly through Disney, our preferred cruise line. Those things are always way overpriced, and you can usually find the same tours via Viator or directly through the tour providers at a significantly lower price.
My husband’s brother’s family actually cruised with us, and they chose to book a glass-bottom boat tour with snorkeling through Disney. They loved it, and I would book it next time. There’s a very affordable option for booking the same experience on Viator. At the time of this writing, it’s only $130 total for us and our two kids!
Of course, Disney won’t get you to the meeting point if you don’t book through them. But even if you add in the cost of a taxi to get to the starting location, it’s a lot cheaper than the $79 per person Disney charges.
Also, heed this advice: pay the fee to get pesos from your local bank before your trip. Do NOT wait to use an ATM in Mexico! It’s not worth the stress if the ATMs are down or you encounter issues with your card or bank.
Before You Go…
If you’re interested in cruising with Disney and enjoy snorkeling, check out my tips for snorkeling at Castaway Cay!
