Riviera Maya Catamaran Cruise: Snorkel, BBQ & Open Bar (Shared)

Skip the packed party boats out of Cancún. This one leaves from the calm marina at Puerto Aventuras, twenty minutes south of Playa del Carmen, and heads straight out to the INAH reef, a protected stretch of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef where the water stays clear even when the beaches don't.

You get about 45 minutes in the water with masks, fins, and a guide who knows where the turtles feed. While you snorkel, the crew fires up the grill on the back deck. You come back aboard to a plate made minutes ago, grilled steak fajitas, a burger, chicken or fresh fish, with a baked potato and salad, and a bar that doesn't close until you're back at the dock. Somewhere in the last hour someone starts the music, the slide comes out, and the deck turns into the best kind of chaos.

This is the trip we recommend for families who want the kids busy and the adults relaxed, for couples who'd rather see a reef than a nightclub, and for groups who want a full day on the Caribbean without renting the whole boat.

Departure Point: Marina Puerto Aventuras, Portofino dock, Caleta Xel-Ha 405, 77733 Puerto Aventuras, Quintana Roo, Mexico Group Size: Max 70 guests (shared cruise, boat built for 100) Boat: 65ft catamaran with built-in water slide