It’s been a couple of months now since the premiere of Cirque du Soleil’s dinner and show concept at Riviera Maya, Mexico, and we’re not hearing much about the audiences reactions to JOYA. But if these reviews on Trip Advisor are a good indication, people love it! Although that’s not to say people out there don’t hate it too… As of this writing there are 175 reviews about the show and almost 80% are very favorable!
- 99 Excellent = 56.6%
- 40 very Good = 22.9%
- 18 Average = 10.3%
- 11 Poor = 6.2%
- 07 Terrible = 4%
So, here are what a people are saying about their experiences with JOYA – the good, the okay, and the bad…
THE GOOD
Lynn S Taylors | South Carolina, USA
“Great Show!” – 5 STARS
Reviewed January 19, 2015
Attended this show with my hubby and two teenagers. We did the dinner and show combination. The meal was exquisite and gourmet. We really enjoyed the pre-show dinner music which was a type of jazz group. Very talented group of men. The show is in Spanish so we weren’t able to follow the story-line exactly but we got the gist of what was going on. The circus acts were incredible and very entertaining. This is a total sensory experience…from the lights & sounds, the amazing set design, and the entertainers themselves. The facility is absolutely beautiful. You’ll want to plan some time to look around the facility. The show was over before we were ready for it to be but we absolutely loved every minute of our experience here. It’s an attraction worth the money you’ll spend.
Terri L | Playa del Carmen, Mexico
“Intimate and amazing” – 5 STARS
Reviewed January 19, 2015
We’ve been to many cirque performances but never ever experienced one like this! The fact that this is done in such a small intimate setting simply gives the cirque experience something brand-new. It is absolutely one of the best cirque’s we have ever seen. Being up close in around theater enjoying the show while having some champagne and the performers being right there in front of you is so unusual so and unique. I believe it’s something that anyone visiting the Riviera Maya absolutely must see. In addition going to the nectar restaurant was fantastic as well and spending time walking around and taking pictures was just beautiful. What Vidanta has done is just amazing. This show is an absolute 100% must see and I’d like to see it again and again and again!
JLReyes1967 | Cuernavaca, Mexico
“Intimate show but expensive experience” – 5 STARS
Reviewed January 15, 2015
This is an intimate Cirque du Soleil show. The theater is small and cozy with seats next to a small table, so it feels more like a bar/restaurant. Having dinner in the premises is possible for the seats next to the scenario but far more expensive. Thinking that this is a resident show we thought it would be more elaborated than the other visiting shows that we have seen in Mexico, and indeed it was! still it is not comparable to other resident shows (Orlando or Las Vegas) in its grandeur, but they added some local details that let it be unique. Still it is as magical and overwhelming as always!
Jose Luis R | Unknown
“Too Short” – 4 STARS
Reviewed January 15, 2015
This is probably the most beautiful Cirque Du Soleil that I’ve ever been. The stage, the theatre and the dinner experience is just amazing. The dinner is probably the best thing about this place. Live Cuban music on stage, luxurious and delicious dishes and a great atmosphere. But about the show it’s not as good as any other cirque do Soleil in the world. The show is too short, it’s about 70 minutes long and I mean, the main point of this show should be the “Cirque”. If you want to come, I recommend you to buy the dinner and show tickets, the show by itself is not as good as I expected. I hope in the future, Joyà will add more cirque artists and performers to make this show as good as any other Cirque du Soleil.
Annchgo | Kansas, USA
“Best Cirque show we’ve seen (seriously)” – 4 STARS
Reviewed January 13, 2015
I’ll be honest: we bought tickets to this show, almost on a whim, as something to do one of the eight nights we were in Playa del Carmen. We’ve seen three traveling Cirque shows and up until this show, had never seen a permanent Cirque show (e.g. Las Vegas and Canada). We’ve also seen other live “circus” style shows, whether it be Chinese acrobats or the Big Apple Circus. We really didn’t expect much out of this. However, we were blown away.
What’s amazing about this show is it takes typical acts (juggling, trapeze artists swinging on a bar) that everyone has seen before in Cirque and elsewhere and tweaks them slightly to make the performances extremely unique. I won’t spoil the end act, but it’s a trampoline act that takes a nod from skateboarding in a half pipe. It is visually stunning and the performers almost appear to be floating at times.
Much thought was put into the presentation in terms of the set design and the angles from which the audience views the performers. Additionally, the spoken parts are in both English and Spanish. Regardless, the storyline is easy to understand and begins with a naturalist in his office where his friends are animals. Unlike other Cirque shows which can be serious, dark, and brooding, this show reflects its home environment as it was lighthearted, funny, and whimsical throughout.
As other reviewers mentioned, it is an extremely short show, especially for the price. The show is 1 hour 15 minutes long, but the acts don’t really start until 15 minutes in. There are at least five or six performances. It feels like there should be two or three more acts and at least 30 more total minutes.
Alexandraann | Virginia, USA
“Best CDS show we have seen – by far!” – 5 STARS
Reviewed January 11, 2015
We were in Mexico for our honeymoon and staying at Vidanta’s Grand Mayan resort, just across the street from JOYA, and splurged on tickets with dinner and champagne on Tuesday evening. The dinner was a pleasant and DELICIOUS surprise. We were greeted by the very friendly and accommodating staff, who seated us immediately at 8PM for dinner and champagne. There was an awesome band playing live music on the stage and our food came out almost immediately. I chose the Prime Rib and my husband chose the Salmon. Both were truly delicious. The appetizers were also delicious and the presentation was just breathtaking – as a CDS dinner should be! Everything was so creatively displayed and imaginative. The show itself was the best CDS show we have seen – and I have been to about 3 of them in the past that I was not very impressed with overall. The music was excellent, the performances were top notch and the whole evening was truly magical and unforgettable. Book your showing today – and don’t forget dinner and champagne!! You won’t be sorry!! Can’t wait til they open Celebrate and we can dive into the CDS experience headfirst!!! Great idea for the largest theme park in the world by Vidanta and CDS….is it 2018 yet?? We will be back!
Dawn M | Key West, Florida (USA)
“A total experience ” – 4 STARS
Reviewed November 26, 2014
I have seen 17 cirque du Soleil shows. This is a very unique one. I purchased tickets for the champagne/dinner and show. The dinner is an hour long and is quite an experience. From being able to eat the menu, to the “dragons breath” palate cleanser- to 4 of the most amazing deserts I have ever tasted. Live music while you dine. The show is short but fun. The cost for just the show is much less than any other cirque show and should be since it is so short and not as incredible as many of the others. . But the dinner and show is well worth the experience. If you really want a rare experience- book one of the tables where there is a center platform- since during the show performers do some of the acts right on them!
Suntraveler13 | Boston, Massachusetts (USA)
“Dinner and Cirque – a phenomenal combination!” – 5 STARS
Reviewed December 2, 2014
I would absolutely spend the additional money for the dinner and the show. The location is terrific, especially because we were staying at the Grand Bliss, which is part of the Grand Mayan Resort directly across the street. The facility itself is beautiful, especially when lighted in the evening. If you get there early there is a bar for a drink before you enter. Once inside the sight lines were great. I felt that no matter where you sat you would have a good view. The meal was tremendous and beautiful. It was a true work of art to look at as well to taste. The meal played into the theme of the performance. The show itself was very well done. I would not say it was as amazing as some of the larger shows I have seen in Las Vegas, but it was very well done and I am always in awe of what the performers are able to do. I can’t wait to go back when we return to Riviera Maya next year!
CaroleLR | Gatineau, Quebec (CAN)
“Cirque du Soleil” – 5 STARS
Reviewed December 9, 2014
We had booked the dinner/champagne/show. The show started at 9:00 pm – dinner was at 8:00 pm. We arrived for 8:00 pm and were a little rushed for time. If you do go for the dinner, it is a good idea to arrive about an hour earlier (if you want to take pictures, etc.). The food was simply amazing!! While dinner is being served, there are musicians playing on stage (fantastic). At 9:00 pm the show starts and lasts 70 minutes only. We really enjoyed the show. We were sitting right next to the stage it was a little hard trying to see everything. I think that the seats a little further back would’ve been better. The artists, the costumes, the musicians, the acrobats, nothing deceived us. We’ve seen many Cirque du Soleil shows and this one did meet our expectations.
THE OKAY
Hriquelme | Chicago, Illinois (USA)
“Show with dinner” – 3 Stars
Reviewed January 14, 2015
The “show & dinner” and VIP Experience are almost the same, the only 2 differences are that the people with VIP tickets enter before (10min) and 1 or 2 acrobats play in their tables. The place itself is small so it doesn’t make any difference enjoying the show from any place, however I would take the dinner, because it was such a fantastic experience, you really don’t want to miss it. It’s so tasty and unique, you can even eat the menu, so you can imagine how fantastic the dinner is (There are two options to offer and both are super tasty). In addition to this, the dinner comes with LIVE music and an excellent service. On the other hand and this is why I am ranking with 3 stars, it is the show itself. The acrobats are great, but the story is incomprehensible, for me there were missing some acts to make the flow of the story smoother. The show lasts less than 1hr and the link between some acts is missing. I am assuming they will incorporate more acts since the time is too short and they started playing a few weeks ago, if my assumptions is incorrect, I would say that this is the most incomplete and worse story I have seen.
ZMTravels | New York, New York (USA)
“Don’t buy the dinner….” – 3 Stars
Reviewed January 9, 2015
It was an okay show but we splurged and bought the dinner package. For what they charge you definitely do not get enough food. It is artfully presented and delicious but you will still be hungry. We also ended up with seats on the side. Unless you can get seats facing the stage you are going to miss some things. I have seen better Cirque du Soleil shows but I was not expecting much so was not disappointed. It just seemed expensive and short.
Jpa F | Unknown
“Wasted opportunity.” – 3 STARS
Reviewed December 21, 2014
The moment I saw there was a new Cirque du Solei in the Mayan Riviera, I booked immediately. I gotta admit I was a little disappointed. Maybe the problem is that I expected something completely different. I expected Mayan themes, exploring Mexico’s rich cultural heritage (humor, colors, races, languages, landscapes)….what I got was something that looks like a British fable. It is not a BAD show per se. The performers are good and theater is very beautiful, just not at all what I personally expected. For the price and the time it takes to get there you should go to Xcaret/Xelha/Xplora instead.
THE BAD
NikkiDetroit | Detroit, Michigan (USA)
“Joya – not as good as other Cirque du Soleil” – 2 stars
Reviewed December 4, 2014
In Mexico and saw JOYA on November 15th. The facility/buildings and surrounding area is spectacular – beautiful lighting and a must-see at sunset and nighttime. Joya, however, was a letdown compared to La Nouba and Love. Storyline was confusing, Costumes and staging was great – acrobatics not as good as others and few (maybe 6). Dinner was the best we had in Mexico those 2 weeks we were there! Three course, super appetizers, main course (choice of short ribs or chicken) short ribs melt in your mouth, and the 4 desserts in a book (pretty neat – something to do with the JOYA story)) was wonderful. Wait staff was SO attentive that you never had to ask for a thing – water and champaign was refilled as soon as you put your glass down. Oh, and we had an edible menu. So the dinner was superb but the JOYA not so hot. Still an enjoyable time but maybe not worth the money. We paid about $130 per ticket for dinner/show – I guess not too bad but high for Mexico. Guess they have to pay for the facility….
The Nektar Yucatecan Grill and Lounge next door was terrible!! We came back to eat there the following week. The food was no good and very expensive and not a good presentation. And the wait staff – boy they sure needed a TON of training – they were lost as to how to treat customers – no silverware or plates – had to ask – never came back to see if you needed anything else – took 15 minutes to get the bill (la quinta??). Give that place about 6 months (maybe a year) to come up to speed. We complained nicely but I think the waiter had no idea what we meant. Stop by for a drink to check the place out if you do not have tickets to Joya. Drinks are a sticker shock – not sure why SO high – I will never complain about drink prices in the states again….
LuciaArnone | Unknown
“most expensive hour of my life!” – 2 stars
Reviewed December 1, 2014
Really disappointed! We’ve heard of so many people how good the shows are. We paid around $170 for two tickets. I emailed the customer service department asking for a layout of the theatre 3 times and in the end they couldn’t help so ignored my email. They told me I could view it when booking the tickets – followed the instructions and we still couldn’t do it. So we decided to go with the best seats available which were close to the front with a side view. For us not too bad but some people like to choose where they want to sit and would pay extra got preferential seats but this was not an option. No one told us where to go and no one welcomed us. Our car was taken for valet service for $100 but that is it. This can be quite misleading for some people as you pass by here first. Nevertheless really fast service but the theater is tiny and there are not that many people in there and a lot of people stay sitting after the show as they hadn’t finished their drinks so you can just park yourself.
Drinks were very expensive, especially for a Mexican on a salary of around 10,000 pesos a month. It was 2300 for 2 tickets and 90 pesos for a diet coke. Not good! Plus getting there too.
Now the theatre looked amazing inside and out! But it was so small. I was expecting it to be huge, but really nice and intimate. Difficult for the staff to get past you ordering drinks and serving them. There is a table between two people too.
The show itself was a bit slow at the beginning. Hardly any acrobatics for the first 15min I would say. Then soon after it started to get a bit better. There were 2 fantastic guys and 4 guys jumping on a trampoline which were the highlight of the show and what I expected. But unfortunately it was more about the settings, costumes and staging I believe. Don’t get me wrong the theme was fantastic and the props they used. It all flowed well as a story too. Then all of a sudden it ended. I honestly thought it was an interval. But the show had ended. I was very disappointed and wanted to see more acrobatics and maybe another story line. Unfortunately I work for a tour operator and will be advising people not to go. They can spend the same amount of cash and spend a full day out at an all-inclusive resort. Will be writing to Cirque as well to express our disappointment.
Carol M | Boston, Massachusetts (USA)
“Not worth it for the price” – 2 stars
Reviewed December 1, 2014
I have long been a huge Cirque du Soleil fan, have seen over 10 shows, including permanent shows in Vegas, and Florida and must say that this one was extremely disappointing. While the actual show was nice as always, the time it lasted was not worth it for the money. I purchased the champagne package and was not happy. It’s a cheap 4 dollar bottle of champagne, yet my ticket was 121. I’d wished I had known the show was so short, and just had purchased the stool seats. I don’t understand why the show has to be so short, while other permanent shows are the full 90 minutes. I’m sure many people will go, as Cirque has created a high repertoire, but if you get to read this and other reviews, I’d suggest go for the cheaper seats. It’s not worth shelving the extra for a dinner here when you can purchase for cheaper; not even the champagne seats are worthwhile! Just enjoy the one hour show.
pams80 | Plainfield, Illinois (USA)
“Save your time and money” – 1 STAR
Reviewed December 7, 2014
While I haven’t seen another Cirque show before, I certainly knew what to expect from TV and other accounts. We are owners at Mayan and received a 2 for 1 for the show and still feel overcharged. As others indicated, it’s barely over an hour and the first 20 minutes have NO acrobatics whatsoever. The supposed storyline makes no sense and people look around at each other, confused, in the audience. The grounds and building is truly stunning but unless you get free tickets and have nothing better to do, don’t bother.
Lisa H | Unknown
“Worst Cirque show EVER”
Reviewed December 7, 2014 – 1 STAR
If you know the Cirque brand prepare to be EXTREMELY disappointed. The buildings are incredible and then you see the barely hour show. There is no story line, the acts are mediocre and the costumes are meh! The only good thing is you have a plush seat versus the plastic ones we get in Montreal, Canada. Prepare to be confused in a bad way and left feeling short at the end of it (cheapest ticket is approx $100 CAD). If this is your first show, know that every other show is way better. Is Guy Laliberte compromising quality in this show….YES!!!! Cirque team, please fix this ASAP!
* * *
And there you have it. The majority of the reviews on Trip Advisor are favorable (about 80% of them), however, we did note that most of the unfavorable reviews fell into the “it’s too pricy” and “it’s too short” categories, centering around the cost of the dinner and/or the show (being too expensive for the reviewer), and the duration of the show (at 70 minutes, many felt JOYA was just too short for the time and effort taken to see it.) These are valid complaints if one is expecting something more, especially if the price is higher than you would normally expect to pay for an event (or dinner and show) of that duration. That being said, comparing JOYA to any of the big-ticket Cirque shows in Vegas, one easily sees the show seems to be priced accordingly. Time will tell. Either way, should you be interested in making the trip to Riviera Maya for JOYA, as long as you keep an open mind you’re sure to enjoy yourself – and JOYA!
