Tremendously enjoyed this video! Thank you for taking the time to be so detailed. You two are absolutely adorable too. Wishing you many more trips and wonderful travels.
I've been binge watching your videos lately and you guys are so great. Jay, you're so funny and sarcastic and Dee is so sweet, and I just love how empathetic she is and how much she loves animals. I love your channel because of your personalities! I know this has been a while, but it was neat to watch a non-cruise trip! I'd love to see you guys travel to Europe!
I just started watching your videos when you went to xcaret. I love that place. I've been going to the Yucatan Peninsula for about 17 years now. I love how thorough your video was. I've just now started watching yours cruise videos. I'm not really much of a cruiser myself but I find your videos entertaining.
The percentage off the room rate is after three completed stays with My Barcelo. And they prefer Peso's in tips versus USD. It costs them to convert it. We have been to this area of Mexico 19 times, and have been told by staff around trip 4 , when we asked, that they told us Pesos. Loved this series. We have been to this resort four times in the past, last time in 2011. We are heading back in January 2022 for 14 nights, so I really enjoyed this series. You guys are awesome.
Thank you for sharing your vlog about the Occidental. We enjoyed it so much it became our nightly routine to get at least 2 episodes in. I think we enjoyed them so much because we smiled from start to finish (you guys are so natural at it) anyway, we were looking at booking this hotel and of course doing some research on youtube and ended up booking as a result of your vlog. We know it won't be the same when it's full to capacity. Once again thank you, keep up the good work and stay safe.
I hear they've already started back with more entertainment options, and we're hoping to return in the fall for a follow-up vlog series. Hope you have a great time planning your trip!! :D
I love this resort, I have stayed there a few times now. The staff is always so helpful and friendly, especially pacos tacos, my absolute favourite hang out in the evenings.
Loved the round up vlog. Im surprised to hear that you have never flown internationally or stayed at an all inclusive resort before. Lits of new experiences for you both.
New subscriber! I'm planning a trip to Occidental in the spring and checking out reviews and MUST SEE/DO things. Y'all are fabulous and I really appreciate the information you've shared! Thanks!! I'm even more excited now than I was before this video! lol
Thank you Dee and Jay ! Great series and insight into the all inclusive you experienced. My wife says that she somehow happens to always be picked for the extra scrutiny by the TSA (????) . Anyway, on to your further adventures. We have some catching up to do! Hope to see and say hi to you on the NCL VE cruise, God willing we are all back to somewhat normal by that time! 👍👍👍 🙏😎🌞
I’m glad you had such a great time! Thank you for sharing it with us and thank you for all the information. I’m absolutely going to book a vacation there.
Hi. Great job on this series. Our family is planning a trip to Occidental. We're still making our way through all of the videos so I apologize in advance if you offered an opinion on this but is the Royal Level worth the extra cost? There seems to be an array of opinions on this.
Loved your videos they were a big help in deciding on this resort. But how does someone get the Xcaret park included in their stay? Oh and also you both are so cute together!
Thanks for the helpful tips! My husband and I are planning on going to Occidental at Xcaret in March (fingers crossed) for our honeymoon/ to celebrate his birthday. we also got a really grate rate on the room! He loves animals and wildlife so it sounds like such a perfect place. When you checked in, did you get to choose the location of your room, or was it assigned to you? We want plenty of monkey encounters!
Woohoo, hope you have a great time! When we made the reservation online, there was a place you could put requests, which we asked for Building 18, third floor. Then 2 or 3 days before our arrival, I called and made sure the request was noted, ha ha... we really wanted those monkeys!! :P
Great video looks like you had an amazing time. Maybe I missed it, but was the cost of your flight included in your all inclusive stay or was that additional?
No, we had flight credit with Delta so we used that for our flights back-and-forth, but the resort does offer an option that includes airfare for an additional fee.
Hotel review We are staying here at the moment and here is my honest and factual review. 1. Location is great 2. Facilities are great, super clean, and well kept. 3. You are in the middle of nature so you will love the landscape. What needs to be fixed: 1. Food is bad, for example we ordered some tacos and pizza at Pacos tacos and a Lunchable pizza will taste better than this. Taco Bell would be much better.. so that’s how bad it was. 2. For new years, every single restaurant has the same exact menu.. except the restaurant at the Royal section which will only have 3 options.. and the buffet which we will try later. 3. The pools are super cold and there is only 2 jacuzzi section which are not heated …seriously what kind of jacuzzi is not heated ? The pools are pretty much empty because they are really cold.. for ranges of $800-$1,500 per night they should have heated pools. They have plenty of flat surfaces on the buildings roof where they can install solar panels in order to warm up the pools if they want to be environmental.. 4. The place is huge so to get from one restaurant to another you have to walk 20 mins.. + they should have at least 5 more golf carts which is what they use to transport people from one section into another… otherwise you will have to walk a lot. I don’t mind doing it for one day… but imagine staying here for 3 days where you have to walk every single day… 5. The food and drinks are really bad! Whoever writes positive about the food Or drinks have never had good food.. and probably eat at McDonalds… so for them this food is upscale and “good” lol They water down the drinks, the pineapple and orange juice.. taste like cheap juice that you will buy from a 7/11. They do this… in order to save money because offering “all you can eat” “all inclusive” means millions of dollars on a yearly basis just for food and thus they will always try to cut on the quality of the food and drinks in order to be able to have profits. I will rather for the owners to get rid of the “all inclusive” nonsense.. reduce the hotel rooms prices and charge for the food while providing better quality. I wouldn’t come back and I wouldn’t recommend it. It is better to stay at another 5 star Hotel than to stay at this “all inclusive” resort.
Hah, it's not actually a type of room... we called ours that because we were in a good zone to have monkeys visit our balcony every day, as can be seen in our vlog series!! :P
I'm trying to figure out where do you meet the free transportation at the Cancun airport? Do they have a big boss that says the resort name on the side or is it harder to find than that
Being from the UK we’re not used to tipping like you and our other cousins in the US. What’s the best way / amount / when to tip please? We’re travelling in august
Thanks for the great video. I just suppose that you did the convid testing before you flew back to US, right? Occidental provides you for the Antigen testing on site? How much? Thanks.
Did you feel there were a lot of kids at the resort? I know it is COVID times, but we have been to Mexico 5 times during COVID- so I know about the reduced guest amounts. We are thinking of staying here- we do not need an adults only, but like resorts that are a little less kid- themed… lol
Hey guys, we have watched every video yall made for Xcaret and appreciate them. We are flying out on the 5th of Nov until the 9th. We are staying in a Junior room, any idea of what buildings they are in?
That's awesome! As far as I know, they have all room types in all buildings, so you could be pretty much anywhere. We called a few days ahead of our arrival and requested building 18 because we knew that was a monkey hotspot, ha ha... but that was just our preference. :D
Great Vlog. I have one question. Where do we get immigration card? We have passports. Do we get this from filling out immigration form at airport? Also did you have to take a Covid test before flying?
Our airline gave us the immigration forms on the plane, then the folks in Mexico stamp them. That’s your card, so that’s taken care of in that same process. The Covid test would be at the discretion of the country, and Mexico was not requiring them.
Just wondering - did any of the Royal buildings have elevators?? I’m not great with stairs - and I know this isn’t your area of expertise- but was the resort wheelchair accessible at all? It was a lovely resort - but I still prefer cruising (probably because of the wheelchair accessibility).
We can confirm that we saw no elevators in building 30 or 32, and then 31 is timeshare. So that’s all the buildings. I’m assuming it would be ground floor only if you had a wheelchair. Most everything else was accessible, lots of ramps and all. And the buildings over in the standard section did seem to have elevators, though we heard that some were broken!!
We haven't been exploring much outside the resort properties when we travel, just due to COVID, but now that we've been able to get both vaccine shots since being home, we might venture out more. We haven't felt unsafe on any of our travels though!!
I was just wondering why you guys didn’t book flight and trip together Majority of the time it’s pretty cheap I always found booking separate it cost more ie.flight separate and resort separate....I always book both together and save lots
We loved how quiet the resort was at 30%, and we would definitely head back there at 60%. There's so much outside space and room to move around and find quiet spots if you like. I imagine it gets a little crazy at 100% in peak season, but we usually avoid peak times, ha ha... :P
Hello. We just returned from Hotel Excaret Mexico; a family trip with our 3 kids. All the parks were included and food & drinks as well. We heard that this hotel (Occidental) doesn’t include the parks which would be fine for my husband and I this time around; thinking of going in late September for our anniversary just to relax. But question: for standard package, is the food and drinks inclusive here??
We are going in May, did you have to pay for your COVID test? And about how much was it? Bc they are showing it’s going it be around $120 and I think that’s crazy!!
Flying back into the U.S. only required a rapid antigen test, which normally costs around $20/pp. I think the more expensive test is the PCR, which is required for Canada, etc. Many resorts around Riviera Maya are including the cost of rapid testing in the cost of your stay, but I believe you do have to pay for testing at Occidental Xcaret currently.
How did you know where you could eat, drink and swim? Is everything clearly explained? I plan to take my adult kids in 2021 and they would be mortified if we got kicked out of a pool or a restaurant. When we stayed at Ecaret Hotel, there was no distinction made between levels, and room service is included for everyone.
They let us know everything when we checked in, plus there was a QR code you could scan to give you all the info as well. For non-timeshare folks, there were only two levels to worry about... standard and royal. Standard had access to the three-in-one pool area, plus every restaurant except the royal one. Royal got access to everything, including the timeshare pool.
I am thinking of booking here. I am very confused on the difference between Xcaret hotel and Xcaret occidental. If I book at occidental do I have access to the whole park?
Occidental Xcaret and Hotel Xcaret are neighboring resort properties. Occidental Xcaret can typically be had for $150-$200 per night but does not include access automatically to any parks. Xcaret Park is next door and you can upgrade your Occidental package to include unlimited access to that one park, yes. When we went, we booked direct with the park because it was cheaper. Hotel Xcaret is normally $400-$500 per night, but includes full access to Xcaret Park, as well as ALL the other parks in the family, which are located off-site... Xel-Ha, Xplor, Xenses, so many options. For us, the Hotel Xcaret price tag hasn't been worth it, but I'm sure it is for some!! :D
In our vlog series, we showed the walking path to the park, or you can take a small boat for free. You do need to purchase park admission separately though. It's not automatically included with your stay.
You said you reserved place through resort. How to contact them ?do you have # to contact them ? We are really want to go in November, but it very expensive right now to reserve
I feel like they can handle most any time that your plane would arrive, as long as you let them know the flight number and arrival time in advance. We always try to get there sometime in the morning or around lunch, just so we can have some time to enjoy that first day, ha ha...
We’ve never been in February, but we just got back from a different resort in Riviera Maya a couple of days ago and the water was chilly in the pools and the ocean. I imagine February would still be pretty chilly!!
@@keyannaantoinette7912 my trip was AWESOME!! I honestly have no complaints about this resort! Everyone was super friendly. The pools and beaches were perfectly warm. The wildlife is amazing. Food was great at every restaurant. I booked through CheapCaribbean.com and got a great deal from them!
@@spiveyjoe yeah definitely! There’s so much to do there. The pools and beach are gorgeous too. I loved every bit of it! Right next door is xcaret park too which is an awesome place to check out.
We've heard that they do provide equipment if you need it, but I'm not sure if 2020-itis put a halt to that. We didn't see it being offered, but we always travel with our own anyway.
No charge for most ala cartes at all inclusives (including Occidental at Xcaret) although some resorts may have an optional fine dining option for extra $$. When discussing AIs, ala carte is generally used to identify sit down restaurants with menus vs buffets. Technically, ala carte just means menu items are ordered separately off a menu - not including sides like at chain restaurants.
Being nice. It works. When I was working with the public I would give a nice person better service than a 🐁‼️. Tips? I read something on either their website or it may have been on one of the Canadian tour operators sites that tips were included in the price, not saying you shouldn’t tip any extra if you receive great service, just not too sure about what to think. I like you, have never stayed in an all inclusive....yet. Cheers 🍻🥂🇨🇦🇺🇸
True, I guess tips aren’t expected, so that makes them “included”? Then it’s up to your discretion to tip above and beyond, or not at all. We always try to be nice though!! :P
We only drank bottled when we could, and used bottled for brushing teeth, etc. But we did both get a little bit of "Montezuma's Revenge" as it were, ha ha... I guess that's to be expected when visiting Mexico, and we packed medicines to be prepared!! :P
The food was definitely worth it when we went, but one of our main draws at the resort was the monkeys, ha ha... and they don't come to the Royal area that often. We'd probably do the standard if we went back again, oddly enough!! :P
You can take a gondola boat from either Hotel Xcaret or Occidental over to the park, as we did. Gondola would be recommended from Hotel Xcaret, but the walk from Occidental is pretty nice since it's closer.
They normally give you a paper to fill out on the airplane, then it gets stamped at the immigration desk in Mexico, and they give you a card to hang onto until you leave the country again. Don't lose it!! :P
We stayed there at Halloween in 2018. The resort was OK, the room had a mouldy odour to it, but the staff were very nice and the towel creatures on the bed were cute...........but the food was very mediocre with the exception of the Filet Mignon my wife ordered. When it came out we confused as to what it was. It was grey and looked boiled. Asking the server about the state of the steak, we were informed that the kitchen steams their steaks. I hope that this was a short lived practise as having a Filet steamed into a grey leather like substance is criminal.
Interesting! We didn't have any cleanliness or smell issues in late 2020 when we were there. The food wasn't mind-blowing, especially most of the buffet options, but it was decent overall. Our favorite bites were probably Pescador (the seafood restaurant)... I'd say the Japanese restaurant as well... and Paco's Tacos, ha ha... :P
Not automatically, no. But the resort does offer unlimited park passes as an extra option you can buy, typically around $200 USD per person but the price can vary.
I just checked and they're at $165/nt right now, booked directly through Barcelo's website (www.barcelo.com/en-us/occidental-at-xcaret-destination). Make sure you're not looking at "Hotel Xcaret" because that's a different and far more expensive property, situated next door!!
We stayed in the Royal area, room 32203 in mid October 2020. We really didn't care for the resort, way too big. Almost had Julia in the 1st Club fired for the treatment she gave us for simply being very nasty too me for simply grabbing a sandwich when I entered the club, truly not understanding where we were in their part of the resort, and that's the truth. Julia "in other words" literally was verbally nasty with me, even after apologizing. Ignoring her even further, I bit into my sandwich, and even proceeded to grab more for my spouse and my daughter. I've never seen a woman of Mexican decent sooo pissed off lol. And to take a cart here, to the lobby, etc was very aggravating. Food was tolerable/digestible to say the least. Will not return. Yes, being next to XCaret was awesome, but nothing to write home about and expensive. We stayed at Secrets Silversands back in 2018 on our 25th wedding anniversary, and LOVED IT ! No, we are not comparing this to that-Secrets was adult only, this had everyone, and we understood this going in. And $680.00 US for the 7 day XCaret pass! Forget about it-we covered the whole park in 2 & 1/2 days. Yes, the show there was awesome @ night. Note to everyone-please look elsewhere. AND if you do stay stay there & drink-make sure to state what liquor you want in your drink-Don Julio for example, not the crap well tequila they attempt to give you & watch closely when they fill your bubba cup. And if you have already booked there, make the most of it-simply enjoy it-bye!
Tremendously enjoyed this video! Thank you for taking the time to be so detailed. You two are absolutely adorable too. Wishing you many more trips and wonderful travels.
Thanks so much! Glad to have ya along for our craziness!! :P
Thank you Dee and Jay for this extensive review. I have made notes because we are considering this while waiting for cruising to return.
We had decided on this resort when your video series appeared, very good timing, thanks for everything.
It was a fantastic experience for sure. Hope you have a great time!! :D
Thank you! Loved this series - and I already have my new floatie for cruising.
I've been binge watching your videos lately and you guys are so great. Jay, you're so funny and sarcastic and Dee is so sweet, and I just love how empathetic she is and how much she loves animals. I love your channel because of your personalities! I know this has been a while, but it was neat to watch a non-cruise trip! I'd love to see you guys travel to Europe!
Thanks so much! We've got some European plans already set up for 2023, and are trying to add some for 2024!! :D
I just started watching your videos when you went to xcaret. I love that place. I've been going to the Yucatan Peninsula for about 17 years now. I love how thorough your video was. I've just now started watching yours cruise videos. I'm not really much of a cruiser myself but I find your videos entertaining.
Thanks so much! We haven’t delved too deeply into land-based vacations, but I can see a lot more of them in our future. This was a fantastic trip!! :D
The percentage off the room rate is after three completed stays with My Barcelo. And they prefer Peso's in tips versus USD. It costs them to convert it. We have been to this area of Mexico 19 times, and have been told by staff around trip 4 , when we asked, that they told us Pesos. Loved this series. We have been to this resort four times in the past, last time in 2011. We are heading back in January 2022 for 14 nights, so I really enjoyed this series. You guys are awesome.
Thanks Jay & Dee we are very excited to book this resort ...Thanks for all the info !!
I am going in 2 weeks and can’t wait 😊. Your videos have been so enjoyable and informative. I am now a Parodeejay fan!
Thanks so much! Hope you have a great time!! :D
Thank you for sharing your vlog about the Occidental. We enjoyed it so much it became our nightly routine to get at least 2 episodes in. I think we enjoyed them so much because we smiled from start to finish (you guys are so natural at it) anyway, we were looking at booking this hotel and of course doing some research on youtube and ended up booking as a result of your vlog.
We know it won't be the same when it's full to capacity.
Once again thank you, keep up the good work and stay safe.
I hear they've already started back with more entertainment options, and we're hoping to return in the fall for a follow-up vlog series. Hope you have a great time planning your trip!! :D
Loved it, thank you! Glad you enjoyed it so much!
I love this resort, I have stayed there a few times now. The staff is always so helpful and friendly, especially pacos tacos, my absolute favourite hang out in the evenings.
We really loved our first time there, and we can't wait to plan a trip back. The staff was awesome all around!! :D
I loved Pacos Tacos lol. Miss that place.
Thanks sooo much for sharing this vaca ....each vlog was wonderful....y'all are so cute !
Take care 🤘❤️🤘
Thank you for this! We just booked, so excited!! 🍹
That's awesome! Hope you have a fantastic trip!! :D
Loved the round up vlog. Im surprised to hear that you have never flown internationally or stayed at an all inclusive resort before. Lits of new experiences for you both.
True! We’ve only ever cruised for our major vacations, but this was awesome!!
I am so glad you got away on vacay!
New subscriber! I'm planning a trip to Occidental in the spring and checking out reviews and MUST SEE/DO things. Y'all are fabulous and I really appreciate the information you've shared! Thanks!! I'm even more excited now than I was before this video! lol
Thank you Dee and Jay ! Great series and insight into the all inclusive you experienced. My wife says that she somehow happens to always be picked for the extra scrutiny by the TSA (????) . Anyway, on to your further adventures. We have some catching up to do! Hope to see and say hi to you on the NCL VE cruise, God willing we are all back to somewhat normal by that time! 👍👍👍 🙏😎🌞
Woohoo! Have fun planning for the 2023 extravaganza... I know we will!! :D
Thank you for this review. I love all inclusive
Actually subscribing the energy this video gave was amazing much love
Great vlog guys thanks for all the info We are now talking about going there thanks again
I'm Happy That you kids Had A Blast on Your Vacation
So.glad yall had so much fun. I have loved all the videos. I hope to go there some day. I plan to book a monkey room. Loved all of Dee's monkeys. 🐒
Your video was SO helpful... thank you so much!
Thanks for watching! We had a ball at Occidental and the park next door!! :D
This is great, I can't wait to go!
We really enjoyed our time getting so close to nature, and still put this place at the top of our favorite resorts around Riviera Maya!! :D
Y’all need to come travel with us, I adore watch you guys! We’ll be going July 1st to this resort, we can’t wait
I’m glad you had such a great time! Thank you for sharing it with us and thank you for all the information. I’m absolutely going to book a vacation there.
Thanks for the video. This was very helpful. Looking to possibly go to this resort for a family vacation this Summer!
This was so informative, thank you so so much
Thank you for sharing. Because of your great videos. We are booked here in September 2021. I love your RUclips.
Thanks so much! Hope you have an amazing time!! :D
Thanks for the wrap-up video. It would be hard for me to not do the steakhouse every night. I'm glad to find out we could unless it was closed.
Thank you guys it was do helpful. I’m going next year thanks
good video, greetings from México! 🇲🇽
GREAT!!!
Great info ... TY TY TY 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
Thankee thankee!! :D
Hi. Great job on this series. Our family is planning a trip to Occidental. We're still making our way through all of the videos so I apologize in advance if you offered an opinion on this but is the Royal Level worth the extra cost? There seems to be an array of opinions on this.
Loved your videos they were a big help in deciding on this resort. But how does someone get the Xcaret park included in their stay? Oh and also you both are so cute together!
Good review!
Thanks for the helpful tips! My husband and I are planning on going to Occidental at Xcaret in March (fingers crossed) for our honeymoon/ to celebrate his birthday. we also got a really grate rate on the room! He loves animals and wildlife so it sounds like such a perfect place. When you checked in, did you get to choose the location of your room, or was it assigned to you? We want plenty of monkey encounters!
Woohoo, hope you have a great time! When we made the reservation online, there was a place you could put requests, which we asked for Building 18, third floor. Then 2 or 3 days before our arrival, I called and made sure the request was noted, ha ha... we really wanted those monkeys!! :P
Great video looks like you had an amazing time. Maybe I missed it, but was the cost of your flight included in your all inclusive stay or was that additional?
No, we had flight credit with Delta so we used that for our flights back-and-forth, but the resort does offer an option that includes airfare for an additional fee.
I really hope things can go back to somewhat normal by 2022. I plan on getting married here but seeing how so much is closed makes me super nervous.
It's a beautiful property, and hopefully things will be quite different by then! Hope you have fun planning your dream wedding!! :D
wifi is $99 for 7 days or if you are part of their rewards program if you sign up for it
Wich would you recommend me? Occidental xcaret, Catalonia Riviera Maya or Catalonia playa maroma? Thanks you very much
Hotel review
We are staying here at the moment and here is my honest and factual review.
1. Location is great
2. Facilities are great, super clean, and well kept.
3. You are in the middle of nature so you will love the landscape.
What needs to be fixed:
1. Food is bad, for example we ordered some tacos and pizza at Pacos tacos and a Lunchable pizza will taste better than this. Taco Bell would be much better.. so that’s how bad it was.
2. For new years, every single restaurant has the same exact menu.. except the restaurant at the Royal section which will only have 3 options.. and the buffet which we will try later.
3. The pools are super cold and there is only 2 jacuzzi section which are not heated …seriously what kind of jacuzzi is not heated ?
The pools are pretty much empty because they are really cold.. for ranges of $800-$1,500 per night they should have heated pools. They have plenty of flat surfaces on the buildings roof where they can install solar panels in order to warm up the pools if they want to be environmental..
4. The place is huge so to get from one restaurant to another you have to walk 20 mins.. + they should have at least 5 more golf carts which is what they use to transport people from one section into another… otherwise you will have to walk a lot. I don’t mind doing it for one day… but imagine staying here for 3 days where you have to walk every single day…
5. The food and drinks are really bad!
Whoever writes positive about the food
Or drinks have never had good food.. and probably eat at McDonalds… so for them this food is upscale and “good” lol
They water down the drinks, the pineapple and orange juice.. taste like cheap juice that you will buy from a 7/11. They do this… in order to save money because offering “all you can eat” “all inclusive” means millions of dollars on a yearly basis just for food and thus they will always try to cut on the quality of the food and drinks in order to be able to have profits.
I will rather for the owners to get rid of the “all inclusive” nonsense.. reduce the hotel rooms prices and charge for the food while providing better quality.
I wouldn’t come back and I wouldn’t recommend it.
It is better to stay at another 5 star Hotel than to stay at this “all inclusive” resort.
Yes, the coffee bar is only pesos, but they make a good strong coffee
Hey there Dee And Jay I was wondering about tipping ,should I be tipping and how much .
Love your vids
Does the standard level include the 5 different dinner restaurants, or is that only for Royal?
Good review, the coffee shop charges for beverages 🤔 our resorts have had free coffee shops, now jade being the best!
Yes, the coffee shop is an independent vendor, just like the shops around the lobby. We didn't get to check it out though.
Thanks for all the information, we're also considering all inclusive for the first time. Just one question: what exactly is a monkey room?
Hah, it's not actually a type of room... we called ours that because we were in a good zone to have monkeys visit our balcony every day, as can be seen in our vlog series!! :P
Great vacation resort! Now where are ya going to explore next??? Hummm?????
Thankee! I’d say prooooobably Tennessee, since we’re there right now... :P
I'm trying to figure out where do you meet the free transportation at the Cancun airport? Do they have a big boss that says the resort name on the side or is it harder to find than that
Being from the UK we’re not used to tipping like you and our other cousins in the US. What’s the best way / amount / when to tip please? We’re travelling in august
Hello, do you have to pay for your drinks at the bar at the beach lagoon if in a standard room
Thanks for the great video. I just suppose that you did the convid testing before you flew back to US, right? Occidental provides you for the Antigen testing on site? How much? Thanks.
When we visited, there were no testing requirements in place. All that happened afterwards, so we didn’t get to experience that!! :P
Was there a shuttle included to the hotel?
Did you feel there were a lot of kids at the resort? I know it is COVID times, but we have been to Mexico 5 times during COVID- so I know about the reduced guest amounts. We are thinking of staying here- we do not need an adults only, but like resorts that are a little less kid- themed… lol
Hey guys, we have watched every video yall made for Xcaret and appreciate them. We are flying out on the 5th of Nov until the 9th. We are staying in a Junior room, any idea of what buildings they are in?
That's awesome! As far as I know, they have all room types in all buildings, so you could be pretty much anywhere. We called a few days ahead of our arrival and requested building 18 because we knew that was a monkey hotspot, ha ha... but that was just our preference. :D
@@parodeejay thanks guys, wished we would've known beforehand yall were in Gburg, we live in the area
Great Vlog. I have one question. Where do we get immigration card? We have passports. Do we get this from filling out immigration form at airport? Also did you have to take a Covid test before flying?
Our airline gave us the immigration forms on the plane, then the folks in Mexico stamp them. That’s your card, so that’s taken care of in that same process. The Covid test would be at the discretion of the country, and Mexico was not requiring them.
Taking Notes :)
Just wondering - did any of the Royal buildings have elevators?? I’m not great with stairs - and I know this isn’t your area of expertise- but was the resort wheelchair accessible at all? It was a lovely resort - but I still prefer cruising (probably because of the wheelchair accessibility).
We can confirm that we saw no elevators in building 30 or 32, and then 31 is timeshare. So that’s all the buildings. I’m assuming it would be ground floor only if you had a wheelchair. Most everything else was accessible, lots of ramps and all. And the buildings over in the standard section did seem to have elevators, though we heard that some were broken!!
@@parodeejay - thanks Dee & Jay ❤️
What's your take on safety outside the resort? Traveling this Summer with my daughter (19) and son (12). Thanks!
We haven't been exploring much outside the resort properties when we travel, just due to COVID, but now that we've been able to get both vaccine shots since being home, we might venture out more. We haven't felt unsafe on any of our travels though!!
I was just wondering why you guys didn’t book flight and trip together
Majority of the time it’s pretty cheap I always found booking separate it cost more ie.flight separate and resort separate....I always book both together and save lots
Right, if we didn't have credit with Delta that was about to expire, we may have looked into that option!! :D
Jay and Dee do you have an email? I’d like to talk to y’all about your cameras and video editing. Glad y’all had fun.
Would you consider going back with the capacity cap increased to 60%? or hold off until COVID is gone?
We loved how quiet the resort was at 30%, and we would definitely head back there at 60%. There's so much outside space and room to move around and find quiet spots if you like. I imagine it gets a little crazy at 100% in peak season, but we usually avoid peak times, ha ha... :P
Hello. We just returned from Hotel Excaret Mexico; a family trip with our 3 kids. All the parks were included and food & drinks as well. We heard that this hotel (Occidental) doesn’t include the parks which would be fine for my husband and I this time around; thinking of going in late September for our anniversary just to relax. But question: for standard package, is the food and drinks inclusive here??
*Xcaret
What’s the best leval ?
We are going in May, did you have to pay for your COVID test? And about how much was it? Bc they are showing it’s going it be around $120 and I think that’s crazy!!
Flying back into the U.S. only required a rapid antigen test, which normally costs around $20/pp. I think the more expensive test is the PCR, which is required for Canada, etc. Many resorts around Riviera Maya are including the cost of rapid testing in the cost of your stay, but I believe you do have to pay for testing at Occidental Xcaret currently.
I would go on Travelocity to buy tickets to Xcaret I believe they’re only about 150 there
How did you know where you could eat, drink and swim? Is everything clearly explained? I plan to take my adult kids in 2021 and they would be mortified if we got kicked out of a pool or a restaurant. When we stayed at Ecaret Hotel, there was no distinction made between levels, and room service is included for everyone.
They let us know everything when we checked in, plus there was a QR code you could scan to give you all the info as well. For non-timeshare folks, there were only two levels to worry about... standard and royal. Standard had access to the three-in-one pool area, plus every restaurant except the royal one. Royal got access to everything, including the timeshare pool.
So are the breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets included with your stay? This means you don't have to pay?
Correct, they’re included with your stay!! :D
I can't wait to go but I thought that if you stay at the hotel the parks were free?
Occidental Xcaret doesn't offer free access to any park, but Hotel Xcaret next door (which is usually MUCH pricier) does offer all parks.
How long was your flight? Short haul or long?
We flew Norfolk to Atlanta to Cancún, so about two hours per leg.
I am thinking of booking here. I am very confused on the difference between Xcaret hotel and Xcaret occidental. If I book at occidental do I have access to the whole park?
Occidental Xcaret and Hotel Xcaret are neighboring resort properties. Occidental Xcaret can typically be had for $150-$200 per night but does not include access automatically to any parks. Xcaret Park is next door and you can upgrade your Occidental package to include unlimited access to that one park, yes. When we went, we booked direct with the park because it was cheaper. Hotel Xcaret is normally $400-$500 per night, but includes full access to Xcaret Park, as well as ALL the other parks in the family, which are located off-site... Xel-Ha, Xplor, Xenses, so many options. For us, the Hotel Xcaret price tag hasn't been worth it, but I'm sure it is for some!! :D
Thank you soo much
Are you able to go into the Xcaret resort from the Occidental?
In our vlog series, we showed the walking path to the park, or you can take a small boat for free. You do need to purchase park admission separately though. It's not automatically included with your stay.
You said you reserved place through resort. How to contact them ?do you have # to contact them ? We are really want to go in November, but it very expensive right now to reserve
We booked directly through their website, but their toll-free number from the US is 1-833-422-3539.
@@parodeejay I was trying to find their website online and didn't found it.can you please share that website?
The resort? We booked here: www.barcelo.com/en-us/occidental-at-xcaret-destination/
What time should my flight land in Mexico for check in to xcaret?
I feel like they can handle most any time that your plane would arrive, as long as you let them know the flight number and arrival time in advance. We always try to get there sometime in the morning or around lunch, just so we can have some time to enjoy that first day, ha ha...
We paid 60 dollars per person per night and it was so worth it.
Hii guys! I’m going there in February! How’s the temperature of the pools and the lagoon?
We’ve never been in February, but we just got back from a different resort in Riviera Maya a couple of days ago and the water was chilly in the pools and the ocean. I imagine February would still be pretty chilly!!
Kimberly, was your trip? What how was the weather? What were your favorite parts? Did you go with kids? Sounds amazing
@@keyannaantoinette7912 my trip was AWESOME!! I honestly have no complaints about this resort! Everyone was super friendly. The pools and beaches were perfectly warm. The wildlife is amazing. Food was great at every restaurant. I booked through CheapCaribbean.com and got a great deal from them!
@@Midwestchickenbabe would you recommend going here for my honeymoon which is next month
@@spiveyjoe yeah definitely! There’s so much to do there. The pools and beach are gorgeous too. I loved every bit of it! Right next door is xcaret park too which is an awesome place to check out.
How much was it to fly were yall live at to there
We had flight credit to burn from previous canceled cruises, so we didn’t really have to pay for it out of pocket, fortunately!! :P
Did the resort provide snorkeling gear?
We've heard that they do provide equipment if you need it, but I'm not sure if 2020-itis put a halt to that. We didn't see it being offered, but we always travel with our own anyway.
@@parodeejay Thank you for the quick response, our family has really enjoyed all of your videos!
Quick question ala carte restaurants means they charge separately?
No charge for most ala cartes at all inclusives (including Occidental at Xcaret) although some resorts may have an optional fine dining option for extra $$. When discussing AIs, ala carte is generally used to identify sit down restaurants with menus vs buffets. Technically, ala carte just means menu items are ordered separately off a menu - not including sides like at chain restaurants.
Did you get any travel vaccinations before going on this trip?
No, as neither Mexico nor the U.S. were not requiring any that I'm aware of when we traveled.
Being nice. It works. When I was working with the public I would give a nice person better service than a 🐁‼️. Tips? I read something on either their website or it may have been on one of the Canadian tour operators sites that tips were included in the price, not saying you shouldn’t tip any extra if you receive great service, just not too sure about what to think. I like you, have never stayed in an all inclusive....yet. Cheers 🍻🥂🇨🇦🇺🇸
True, I guess tips aren’t expected, so that makes them “included”? Then it’s up to your discretion to tip above and beyond, or not at all. We always try to be nice though!! :P
ParoDeeJay I agree, just sounds confusing when they say “tips included”
Where did u book ur trip
Direct through the Occidental/Barcelo website!! :D
Any issues drinking the local water?
We only drank bottled when we could, and used bottled for brushing teeth, etc. But we did both get a little bit of "Montezuma's Revenge" as it were, ha ha... I guess that's to be expected when visiting Mexico, and we packed medicines to be prepared!! :P
Do you guys think is worth getting royal ?
The food was definitely worth it when we went, but one of our main draws at the resort was the monkeys, ha ha... and they don't come to the Royal area that often. We'd probably do the standard if we went back again, oddly enough!! :P
Does xcaret park go through hotel xcaret?
You can take a gondola boat from either Hotel Xcaret or Occidental over to the park, as we did. Gondola would be recommended from Hotel Xcaret, but the walk from Occidental is pretty nice since it's closer.
Thank you 🙏 what’s the immigration card ?
They normally give you a paper to fill out on the airplane, then it gets stamped at the immigration desk in Mexico, and they give you a card to hang onto until you leave the country again. Don't lose it!! :P
We stayed there at Halloween in 2018. The resort was OK, the room had a mouldy odour to it, but the staff were very nice and the towel creatures on the bed were cute...........but the food was very mediocre with the exception of the Filet Mignon my wife ordered. When it came out we confused as to what it was. It was grey and looked boiled. Asking the server about the state of the steak, we were informed that the kitchen steams their steaks. I hope that this was a short lived practise as having a Filet steamed into a grey leather like substance is criminal.
Interesting! We didn't have any cleanliness or smell issues in late 2020 when we were there. The food wasn't mind-blowing, especially most of the buffet options, but it was decent overall. Our favorite bites were probably Pescador (the seafood restaurant)... I'd say the Japanese restaurant as well... and Paco's Tacos, ha ha... :P
What exactly is Xcaret? A water park?
It’s sort of a nature park. We showcased it in four parts of this vlog series.
Does included xcatet park?
Not automatically, no. But the resort does offer unlimited park passes as an extra option you can buy, typically around $200 USD per person but the price can vary.
swim bar - how deep is the water ? and how do you pay for drinks keep your credit card from getting drenched? haha
You don't pay for drinks lest you tip and you can find a waterproof phone case and keep it in that pouch if you so choose.
Gondolas??? They are called chalupas, just like the ones in Xochimilco. I rather you guys give pesos why? They don't have to pay change rate.
I didn't see it on any of your videos but, did you pet or hold any of the monkeys or just cry over them? LoL
Nah, no touching or holding, ha ha... they're known to bite sometimes!! :P
No way!! They want 850 a night now 😭😭😭
I just checked and they're at $165/nt right now, booked directly through Barcelo's website (www.barcelo.com/en-us/occidental-at-xcaret-destination). Make sure you're not looking at "Hotel Xcaret" because that's a different and far more expensive property, situated next door!!
@@parodeejay thank! 😊
@@kimieann1975 i checked and it’s still $800 plus per night for two
Wow $131 per night God those days are so gone
They're still showing those kinds of rates for the fall, which is the time of year we went. I'm seeing $120s to $140s... not bad!! :P
We stayed in the Royal area, room 32203 in mid October 2020. We really didn't care for the resort, way too big. Almost had Julia in the 1st Club fired for the treatment she gave us for simply being very nasty too me for simply grabbing a sandwich when I entered the club, truly not understanding where we were in their part of the resort, and that's the truth. Julia "in other words" literally was verbally nasty with me, even after apologizing. Ignoring her even further, I bit into my sandwich, and even proceeded to grab more for my spouse and my daughter. I've never seen a woman of Mexican decent sooo pissed off lol. And to take a cart here, to the lobby, etc was very aggravating. Food was tolerable/digestible to say the least. Will not return. Yes, being next to XCaret was awesome, but nothing to write home about and expensive. We stayed at Secrets Silversands back in 2018 on our 25th wedding anniversary, and LOVED IT ! No, we are not comparing this to that-Secrets was adult only, this had everyone, and we understood this going in. And $680.00 US for the 7 day XCaret pass! Forget about it-we covered the whole park in 2 & 1/2 days. Yes, the show there was awesome @ night. Note to everyone-please look elsewhere. AND if you do stay stay there & drink-make sure to state what liquor you want in your drink-Don Julio for example, not the crap well tequila they attempt to give you & watch closely when they fill your bubba cup. And if you have already booked there, make the most of it-simply enjoy it-bye!
We didn't have anything negative happen to us during our nearly two weeks there, fortunately! Sad to hear that things weren't great!!
the way you ignored that lady makes it sound like you are entitled and rude