Two Margaritaville Island Reserve resorts share Bahía Petempich in Puerto Morelos, and only one takes children: Riviera Cancun is all ages, with a kids club for 4 to 12, while Riviera Maya is adults only. At Riviera Cancun the beach faces east, behind the reef, so with small kids book sunrise. We recommend The Chapter: 60 minutes, 35 edited photos, 475 USD, no deposit.
Search for Margaritaville Riviera Cancun with kids and the confusion arrives fast: two Karisma resorts carry the Margaritaville Island Reserve name on the same bay in Puerto Morelos, with opposite age policies. If your family is booked at the all-ages one, this is our guide to a family session there: where we shoot, when the light is kindest to small faces, and what to know about the kids club, seaweed and the resort's rules.
Which Margaritaville Is Yours?
Read the end of the name
Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Cancun. All ages and all-inclusive, says Karisma, which runs both resorts. Its address is Km 27.5, Bahía Petempich, Puerto Morelos, and it has a kids club for ages 4 to 12. This guide is for you.
Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Maya. Adults only, by Karisma's own label, so not an option with children, and Karisma's address puts it on the same bay, Bahía Petempich. If that is your booking, see our Margaritaville Riviera Maya guide.
The mix-up is easy to make, and not only for guests: on November 14, 2026, the Riviera Cancun resort's own groups page carried a line about “the new, adults-only Margaritaville Island Reserve Resort Riviera Maya.” If anything seems to say your kids cannot come, check the resort name on your confirmation.
The Session at a Glance
- ResortAll ages, all-inclusive, 146 suites, by Karisma
- WhereKm 27.5, Bahía Petempich, Puerto Morelos
- Beach facesEast, onto the Caribbean, behind the reef
- Kids clubParakeets Kid's Club, ages 4 to 12, 9 am to 5 pm
- Best light with small kidsSunrise
- For familiesThe Chapter: 60 min, 35 photos, 475 USD
Where We Shoot
The water's edge. The heart of a session here. The Mexican Caribbean tourism board says the reef of Puerto Morelos Reef National Park lies just offshore, only a few hundred meters out at the town's main beach, and calls the beach at Bahía Petempich calm, shallow and sheltered by the reef, a good choice for families with small children. Calm water changes the pictures: a toddler can sit at the edge and splash, a parent can let go of a hand, and the frames show a family playing, not bracing for waves. Calm still means an adult within arm's reach, and the beach flag has the final word.
The grounds. The resort lists four pools: License to Chill is for adults only, and the other three are described as family pools. Where the resort allows, the grounds give a second backdrop. Karisma posts the property map as a downloadable image on the resort's Resort Map page.
Puerto Morelos town. If you want the town in your gallery as well, our Puerto Morelos and Akumal family guide covers it.
Sunrise and Sunset by Month
The reef park's management program, published in Mexico's official gazette, places the park in front of Puerto Morelos, a town on Quintana Roo's northeastern coast facing the Caribbean, and cites waves of about 0.14 meters (5.5 inches) measured at the beach, inside the reef. The beach looks east over that sea, so the sun rises out of the water and sets inland, behind the resort.
With small children we lean toward the morning. It comes before the heat of the day, and with the sea behind your family, the low sun sits behind you rather than in small eyes.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| January | 7:27 am | 6:27 pm |
| February | 7:17 am | 6:46 pm |
| March | 6:56 am | 6:57 pm |
| April | 6:29 am | 7:06 pm |
| May | 6:10 am | 7:18 pm |
| June | 6:06 am | 7:30 pm |
| July | 6:15 am | 7:32 pm |
| August | 6:26 am | 7:17 pm |
| September | 6:35 am | 6:50 pm |
| October | 6:43 am | 6:23 pm |
| November | 6:57 am | 6:06 pm |
| December | 7:16 am | 6:09 pm |
Our online starts are 6:30, 7:00 and 7:30 am and 5:00 and 5:30 pm; other times can be arranged on WhatsApp. From November to February the sun rises between 6:57 and 7:27 am, so choose 7:00 or 7:30. From April to August it is up by 6:29, and a 6:30 start meets it still low over the water. In March, September and October it rises between 6:35 and 6:56 am, so 6:30 or 7:00 works. The 5:00 and 5:30 pm starts suit October to February, when the sun sets between 6:06 and 6:46 pm; from March to September it sets between 6:50 and 7:32 pm, so message us for a later start.
The Kids Club and Your Photo Day
The resort's all-inclusive list includes the Parakeets Kid's Club, with supervised activities for children 4 to 12, open 9 am to 5 pm; certified babysitting costs extra. A 7:00 am start with The Chapter ends at 8:00, an hour before the club opens. A 5:00 pm start lines up with closing time, so on photo day collect the kids earlier, let them rest, and dress them just before we meet. Under 4, plan around naps, as our guide to family photos with a toddler and a baby explains.
The resort's website has a sensory-friendly travel page, and Autism Double-Checked has published a visitor guide for it, with an optional Autism Passport you can share with the resort before arrival. A photo shop and service is among the resort's extras; our comparison of resort and outside photographers lays out both options.
Seaweed on This Stretch
The reef calms the water; seaweed is the variable no one controls. In its October 31, 2026 outlook, the University of South Florida's Optical Oceanography Lab found sargassum more than halved in most regions during October, though still high for the season, and expected further decreases until possibly the end of November or December, with Caribbean beachings likely to continue at much lower severity. It adds that the bulletin is not meant to predict conditions at a specific beach.
Closer to your date, Mexico's Navy publishes a daily sargassum bulletin, and our guide to checking beach conditions today shows how to read it with the state's traffic-light map, the beach flag and a webcam. Look the night before; cancellation with us is free up to one day before.
How the Photographer Gets In
We found no rule for outside photographers on the Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Cancun website: its weddings page, its FAQ and Karisma's reservation policies, which we checked on November 14, 2026, do not mention one. Some hotels charge a fee for outside photographers. If this one does, you pay it to the hotel, and we confirm the resort's rule with you before your date.
The resort's full name, Riviera Cancun, so we check the right property; your kids' ages; and whether you are a morning or an evening family.
Collections and Prices
For families we recommend The Chapter: 60 minutes, 35 edited photos and one look for 475 USD.
| Collection | Time | Photos | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Postcard | 35 min | 15 | 295 USD |
| The Keepsake | 45 min | 25 | 375 USD |
| The Chapter | 60 min | 35 | 475 USD |
| The Story | 75 min | 50, 2 looks | 545 USD |
| The Editorial | 90 min | 70, 2 looks | 645 USD |
| The Heirloom | 90 min | Full gallery, 2 looks | 895 USD |
You can move up a collection by paying only the difference. There is no limit on the number of people, no per-person charge and no deposit: you pay at the end of the session, by card or in cash, and cancellation is free up to one day before. A preview arrives within 24 hours and your private 4K gallery in 1 to 3 business days, with unlimited downloads and print rights. Every detail is on our prices page.
Our team, led by Vianey Díaz, brings more than 20 years of photography experience and has photographed thousands of families and couples. Since IVAE Studios was founded in 2023, we have delivered more than 500 sessions, and we hold 5.0 across 75 Google reviews.
Book online with a 6:30, 7:00 or 7:30 am or a 5:00 or 5:30 pm start, message us on WhatsApp for another hour, or see how our Cancun family sessions work.
Sources Checked
Read November 14, 2026: Karisma (Margaritaville resorts, resort list, resort addresses, reservation policies; Riviera Cancun resort page, experiences, map, groups, weddings; Riviera Maya map); Margaritaville Resorts (resort page, contact, FAQ, pools); Autism Double-Checked guide; Mexican Caribbean tourism board, Puerto Morelos beaches (September 29, 2024, verified August 28, 2026); Diario Oficial de la Federación, reef park management program; US Naval Observatory (20.9047 N, 86.8476 W, UTC-5); Mexico's Navy, sargassum bulletins (No. 1612, November 13, 2026); University of South Florida, sargassum outlook (October 31, 2026).
From our Google reviews
Searching for Margaritaville Riviera Cancun reviews? Those come from the resort's guests. Here is what families wrote on Google about their sessions with us:
“They met us on the beach right by our resort and led us through a great session”
Phil L., Google review
“She handled everything as far as coming to the resort (contacted reception to set up her visit)”
Stacy T., Google review
“She knew exactly how to keep them engaged and smiling naturally, which is no small task on a sandy beach in the sun!”
Danielle P., Google review
Read more in what 29 parents wrote about their family sessions. Every quote comes from a public review on our Google profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Karisma lists Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Cancun as all ages and all-inclusive, with a kids club for children 4 to 12. The adults-only resort is its sister on the same bay, Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Maya.
Yes. The Parakeets Kid's Club, for ages 4 to 12, is on the resort's all-inclusive list and is open from 9 am to 5 pm. Certified babysitting is an optional service at extra cost.
On Bahía Petempich in Puerto Morelos, at Km 27.5 of the Cancun to Tulum highway, by Karisma's address; its adults-only sister, Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Maya, is on the same bay. The Mexican Caribbean tourism board describes the beach there as calm, shallow and sheltered by the reef, a good choice for families with small children.
Sunrise, especially with small children. The beach faces east, and on the 15th of each month in 2027 the sun rises between 6:06 am in June and 7:27 am in January. It sets inland, behind the resort.
We found no rule for outside photographers on the resort's website. Some hotels charge a fee; if this one does, you pay it to the hotel, and we confirm the resort's rule before your date.
We recommend The Chapter: 60 minutes, 35 edited photos and one look for 475 USD. Collections run from 295 to 895 USD, with no deposit and no per-person charge.