Lucky Posted March 5 Report Posted March 5 I had the waterpark in Costa Maya booked for my Allure sailing this December and just got an email today saying my excursion has been canceled. I wonder if Royal is going to be completely redeveloping this area. Quote
steverk Posted March 5 Report Posted March 5 34 minutes ago, Lucky said: I had the waterpark in Costa Maya booked for my Allure sailing this December and just got an email today saying my excursion has been canceled. I wonder if Royal is going to be completely redeveloping this area. As I understand it, the plan is to completely bulldoze the entire port and water park and start new. Given that Royal continues to sell cruises that stop at Costa Maya, it raises the question about what do they expect passengers to do there during construction. Quote
smokeybandit Posted March 5 Report Posted March 5 38 minutes ago, steverk said: Given that Royal continues to sell cruises that stop at Costa Maya, it raises the question about what do they expect passengers to do there during construction. The "move some dirt for us" excursion or the "plant some trees for us" excursion Baked Alaska, steverk, ckruetze and 2 others 5 Quote
Lucky Posted March 6 Report Posted March 6 1 hour ago, steverk said: As I understand it, the plan is to completely bulldoze the entire port and water park and start new. Given that Royal continues to sell cruises that stop at Costa Maya, it raises the question about what do they expect passengers to do there during construction. Dang, that really stinks. The kids area at that waterpark is one of the best I've seen and I was excited to see my youngest daughter's reaction to it. steverk 1 Quote
Rackham Posted March 7 Report Posted March 7 On 3/5/2025 at 6:50 PM, smokeybandit said: The "move some dirt for us" excursion or the "plant some trees for us" excursion Fiesta de la Tierra: Perfect Day Mexico's Eco-Adventure From: $79.20 $99.00 / guest (20% OFF) PRE-CRUISE SAVINGS Overview: Embrace the spirit of eco-tourism and community service with a twist! Join us for a unique and rewarding experience at Royal Caribbean's upcoming "Perfect Day Mexico" at Costa Maya. This lighthearted excursion combines environmental conservation with a dash of playful deception, culminating in a delicious authentic Mexican meal. Highlights: Arrive at the developing "Perfect Day Mexico" site, where you'll be greeted by enthusiastic "eco-guides" who will explain the importance of your "volunteer work" for the day. Don provided gardening gloves and sun hats as you're assigned to various "crucial" tasks such as moving small piles of dirt from one location to another, planting saplings in pre-dug holes, or artfully arranging rocks along pathways. Listen to amusing commentary from your guides about the "vital impact" of your efforts on the local ecosystem, all while enjoying the beautiful coastal scenery. Participate in comically exaggerated team-building exercises, like forming human chains to pass buckets of sand or engaging in "synchronized raking" competitions. As the day progresses, gradually realize that your "hard work" may not be as essential as initially presented, leading to shared laughter and camaraderie among participants. After your "eco-adventure," relax and enjoy a well-deserved authentic Mexican lunch featuring freshly made corn tortillas and savory charro beans, served with a wink and a nod to your "environmental contributions." Important details and advisements: Tour not recommended for guests in wheelchairs or with limited mobility. Wear comfortable clothing and closed-toe shoes; sunscreen is recommended. Guests must be at least 12 years old to participate. This tour takes place in a developing area; expect uneven terrain and ongoing construction. Guests must sign a waiver to participate. A sense of humor is required for maximum enjoyment of this excursion. Join us for a day of lighthearted "work" and genuine Mexican flavors at Perfect Day Mexico! steverk, SeaSunnedTraveler, Baked Alaska and 10 others 1 11 1 Quote
nate91 Posted March 13 Report Posted March 13 Yeah, this one makes no sense to me. It's supposed to open in 2017, so 2 years from now, or like 2 years and 9 months if we extend that to late 2027. They should be starting construction now. But how will they do construction when 2-3 ships per day are docking here, and not only RCI ships at that. Seems like if they bulldoze that entire pool/shopping area at the port, even if they leave a narrow walkway to the transportation, that leaves almost nothing at all to do unless you pay for an excursion. But I haven't seen anything official on what's staying and what's going. I have a feeling that somehow this project might be pushed back/cancelled. Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted March 13 Report Posted March 13 1 hour ago, nate91 said: Seems like if they bulldoze that entire pool/shopping area at the port, even if they leave a narrow walkway to the transportation, that leaves almost nothing at all to do unless you pay for an excursion. The best news here (if this what actually happens) is that the $20 beach massages at Mahahual will likely remain ! Quote
GatorCruiser Posted March 14 Report Posted March 14 1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said: The best news here (if this what actually happens) is that the $20 beach massages at Mahahual will likely remain ! Agreed , this thing seems commercial. I’ll likely go to Mahahaual beach clubs for local spice or Maya Chan. AandD and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote
Carlos A. Posted March 14 Report Posted March 14 16 hours ago, nate91 said: Yeah, this one makes no sense to me. It's supposed to open in 2017, so 2 years from now, or like 2 years and 9 months if we extend that to late 2027. They should be starting construction now. But how will they do construction when 2-3 ships per day are docking here, and not only RCI ships at that. Seems like if they bulldoze that entire pool/shopping area at the port, even if they leave a narrow walkway to the transportation, that leaves almost nothing at all to do unless you pay for an excursion. But I haven't seen anything official on what's staying and what's going. I have a feeling that somehow this project might be pushed back/cancelled. They are not going to bulldoze the port. It is going to stay as it is. The construction will be next to it. The red arrow marks the land they will develop. Quote
Matt Posted March 16 Author Report Posted March 16 On 3/14/2025 at 11:27 AM, Carlos A. said: The red arrow marks the land they will develop. I can't say anything more, but more than what that red arrow points to will be developed. Carlos A., JimnKathy, PhillyLady and 2 others 4 1 Quote
smokeybandit Posted March 16 Report Posted March 16 RC said 100 acres, much bigger than coco cay. Quote
Carlos A. Posted March 18 Report Posted March 18 On 3/16/2025 at 8:17 AM, Matt said: I can't say anything more, but more than what that red arrow points to will be developed. Of course, I meant that the area where they are going to build is not the current port. Quote
steverk Posted March 18 Report Posted March 18 4 hours ago, Carlos A. said: Of course, I meant that the area where they are going to build is not the current port. Whatever is or is not going to be developed will become clear soon enough. To be open by 2027, they'll have to start building relatively soon. Quote
PhillyLady Posted March 20 Report Posted March 20 There are a LOT of negative reviews about Costa Maya in its current state floating around, so maybe rebuilding from scratch is definitely needed. We are taking an excursion to Chacchoben Ruins on our stop there next month, but we will definitely spend a little time exploring/shopping in the port (although everyone says prices are better in Cozumel.). Ha-Ha--The first time I went to Cancún in the early eighties there were few hotels, especially down South in the Riviera Maya area (totally undeveloped), and look at it now--bumper-to-bumper hotels. Okay, I also loved Acapulco (stopped there on the original Love Boat, Pacific Princess0, and it has now turned into a cartel headquarters. Tourists can make or break a location by liking or disliking a place and spending money, but it is also important for it to be safe. At this point Costa Maya's isolation is an advantage for safety. Quote
wordell1 Posted March 30 Report Posted March 30 We were just there and nothing has started yet. The port area is pretty nice so I would be surprised if they don't just incorporate it into what they are doing, but who knows. I hope it is like PDCC with both free and paid options and allow use of on-board drink packages and diamond drinks vs a pay to get in model. I'm also wondering how they will handle other cruise lines - or just restrict it to RCI/Celebrity only. As a Texas resident - I'm hoping they really come through with something equivalent to PDCC since the port possibilities from Galveston are so limited. PhillyLady, Thumper44 and Zenra 3 Quote
Thumper44 Posted March 31 Report Posted March 31 On 3/30/2025 at 9:12 AM, wordell1 said: I'm hoping they really come through with something equivalent to PDCC since the port possibilities from Galveston are so limited. I'm literally holding off on cruising out of Galveston for this reason. I'm keeping an eye on whatever Oasis (or Icon) class ship is there in 2027 and 2028, hoping that the beach club in Cozumel and the Perfect Day Mexico will be in place by then. JimnKathy and Southern Dan 2 Quote
Southern Dan Posted April 1 Report Posted April 1 I think Royal is waiting until both are open to homeport an Icon Class ship there. steverk 1 Quote
steverk Posted April 12 Report Posted April 12 While Jewel departed Costa Maya today, I had an interesting conversation with a fellow passenger. He said that Royal has closed the deal to purchase the port recently and closed the aviary. I hadn't paid any attention to the aviary, but I looked at some pictures I took and it appears the bridges between the towers have been removed. @Matt can you confirm if this is true? Is it the first step towards the start of construction on Perfect Day Mexico? Thanks Quote
Matt Posted April 12 Author Report Posted April 12 It could be, I really dont know. My understanding is the entire port area as we know it will be demolished and replaced with new things Thumper44, steverk and Firefly 2 1 Quote
JimnKathy Posted April 12 Report Posted April 12 On 3/31/2025 at 1:36 PM, Thumper44 said: I'm literally holding off on cruising out of Galveston for this reason. I'm keeping an eye on whatever Oasis (or Icon) class ship is there in 2027 and 2028, hoping that the beach club in Cozumel and the Perfect Day Mexico will be in place by then. 8-night sailings from Galveston go to Coco Cay now. We're sailing Harmony in September so our grandkids can experience Perfect Day for their first time. Quote
Austin Posted April 12 Report Posted April 12 At Captain’s corner on Radiance this week, Captain said that Royal had purchased the entire port area and pier. He said, “We will be waving to the other cruise lines as they sail by.” He also said that the plan is to keep Radiance class vessels sailing for at least another 10 years. We were also told by staff at Playa Mia in Cozumel that Royal takes over April 30th to start their beach club. The staff there are moving to a different property on the island. WAAAYTOOO and steverk 1 1 Quote
Rackham Posted April 12 Report Posted April 12 31 minutes ago, Austin said: At Captain’s corner on Radiance this week, Captain said that Royal had purchased the entire port area and pier. He said, “We will be waving to the other cruise lines as they sail by.” He also said that the plan is to keep Radiance class vessels sailing for at least another 10 years. We were also told by staff at Playa Mia in Cozumel that Royal takes over April 30th to start their beach club. The staff there are moving to a different property on the island. April 30th appears to be their last day of operation for Playa Mia from website reservations. Reservations are being accepted on the 30th, but come May 1st, there's an error message if you try to book. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote
Firefly Posted April 13 Report Posted April 13 I will looking for updates as we move into and through the summer. We’re going to be at Costa Maya in late August and are looking forward to walking through the Aviary before enjoing the day in Mahaual itself. I booked the Aviary for my bird enthusiast son via the cruise planner because the price was $10 vs $14 on site. So far, my reservation is still showing, so I will be watching for that to possibly be cancelled. I can’t help but wonder how they can handle all the cruise passengers (Both Royal and other lines) if the entire current port area is under heavy construction. You currently have no choice but to navigate that maze to get to the taxis if you want to head into town. For the sake of all the people In Mahahual whose jobs depend on cruise tourism, I hope it isn’t to devastating an impact as construction takes place. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote
SeaSunnedTraveler Posted April 13 Report Posted April 13 I wish RC would build a beach club on the Mexican gulf coast, closer to Texas. Perfect Day at Tampico has a nice ring. Thumper44 1 Quote
Matt Posted April 13 Author Report Posted April 13 10 minutes ago, SeaSunnedTraveler said: I wish RC would build a beach club on the Mexican gulf coast, closer to Texas. Perfect Day at Tampico has a nice ring. Cozumel Beach Club is going to effectively be that, along with Perfect Day Mexico just a bit further south JimnKathy 1 Quote
JimnKathy Posted April 14 Report Posted April 14 On 4/13/2025 at 8:45 AM, Matt said: Cozumel Beach Club is going to effectively be that, along with Perfect Day Mexico just a bit further south Those of us who drive to Galveston are SO looking forward to Perfect Day Mexico! The only way to visit Coco Cay from Galveston right now is to do 8-night sailings on Harmony (we're taking our grandkids to Perfect Day this September). Zenra 1 Quote
steverk Posted April 22 Report Posted April 22 I'm on Mariner and we stopped at Costa Maya today. I took special interest in the aviary. It is definitely closed and about 1/2 of the bridges have been removed. I spoke to a shorex person on board and he said it was closed for necessary maintenance. It will be interesting to see if it ever reopens. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote
PhillyLady Posted April 22 Report Posted April 22 Well, I was just in Costa Maya this past week, and actually the port area is a lot nicer than I thought it would be, given all the online complaints. Yes, there are a lot of vendors, almost too many, but no, they do not bother you that much. It is actually a very fun place to shop, to explore, or just to relax (great pools). Everything was pretty neat, attractive, and safe. Okay, we headed out to the Mayan Chacchoben ruins first, so there are other things to do and see beyond the port. i happen to really like Western Caribbean itineraries from Florida (NOT Galveston, too far to fly), so I look forward to seeing what RC does with this area. WAAAYTOOO, OCSC Mike and Thumper44 3 Quote
GatorCruiser Posted April 22 Report Posted April 22 Not to mention the beach clubs in mahuhaual are really cool too OCSC Mike 1 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted April 22 Report Posted April 22 1 hour ago, PhillyLady said: Well, I was just in Costa Maya this past week, and actually the port area is a lot nicer than I thought it would be, given all the online complaints. Yes, there are a lot of vendors, almost too many, but no, they do not bother you that much. It is actually a very fun place to shop, to explore, or just to relax (great pools). Everything was pretty neat, attractive, and safe. We’ll likely skip it this week but I agree it’s a perfectly nice port area if you just want to get off the ship, walk around, maybe get some food or shop, and get back onboard. We did that last year. I’d love to go to a beach club there like we did a long time ago but Wonder out of PC always leaves so early (gangway up at 1:30pm) I can’t be bothered to just go for the morning. PhillyLady 1 Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted April 22 Report Posted April 22 2 hours ago, PhillyLady said: i happen to really like Western Caribbean itineraries from Florida (NOT Galveston, too far to fly), so I look forward to seeing what RC does with this area. +1 for this. We MUCH prefer the Mexico itineraries to the “Saints” itineraries. PhillyLady, OCSC Mike and GatorCruiser 3 Quote
SeaSunnedTraveler Posted April 22 Report Posted April 22 45 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: +1 for this. We MUCH prefer the Mexico itineraries to the “Saints” itineraries. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the 'Saints'. The sinners are much more fun... WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted April 22 Report Posted April 22 53 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: +1 for this. We MUCH prefer the Mexico itineraries to the “Saints” itineraries. If I’m not doing one particular excursion on St. Martin, I agree. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote
steverk Posted May 5 Report Posted May 5 On 4/21/2025 at 7:07 PM, steverk said: I'm on Mariner and we stopped at Costa Maya today. I took special interest in the aviary. It is definitely closed and about 1/2 of the bridges have been removed. I spoke to a shorex person on board and he said it was closed for necessary maintenance. It will be interesting to see if it ever reopens. I'm back in Costa Maya today. There is noticeable progress on rebuilding the bridges blin the aviary. Therefore, it looks like it will reopen. Thumper44 and WAAAYTOOO 1 1 Quote
dangjr213 Posted May 11 Report Posted May 11 On 4/12/2025 at 4:11 PM, Rackham said: April 30th appears to be their last day of operation for Playa Mia from website reservations. Reservations are being accepted on the 30th, but come May 1st, there's an error message if you try to book. This makes me very sad. Not counting the cruise industry shutdown, we've been going to Playa Mia at least 2x a year for the last 9 years. My daughter loves the place and its an affordable beach club if you aren't interested in doing an open bar. @Austin did the staff say they are moving to work at another existing property? Or is Playa Mia reopening somewhere else? Quote
Firefly Posted May 21 Report Posted May 21 Not sure if it was coincidence or not, but within ten minutes of making final payment on a cruise that included a stop at Costa Maya, I got an email from Royal canceling my reservations for the Aviary. My son will be bummed, but I guess that means now we will spend the entire day in Mahahual. I feel really bad for all the people there that depend on tourism now that Perfect Day Mexico looks to take over everything. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love PDCC, but don’t want to just cruise from private cruise beach club to private cruise beach club. GatorCruiser and WAAAYTOOO 1 1 Quote
GatorCruiser Posted May 22 Report Posted May 22 12 hours ago, Firefly said: but don’t want to just cruise from private cruise beach club to private cruise beach club. Couldn’t agree more. You nailed it with this opinion. I don’t favor sanitized americanified experiences.if I wanted that I’d stay in the states. I’ll probably still go to mahuahal even when that beach club opens. I prefer authenticity. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote
GatorCruiser Posted May 22 Report Posted May 22 I gotta be honest. On a big ship I don’t hate sea days Thumper44 and OCSC Mike 2 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted May 22 Report Posted May 22 10 hours ago, GatorCruiser said: I gotta be honest. On a big ship I don’t hate sea days So are you sailing for authentic ports or the ship? Make up your mind, man! You already know this but that’s why I don’t mind doing loops to PDCC, especially after visiting Mexico so many times. Plenty of people sail for the ship & plenty others want port experiences (most probably want some of each). There’s no right or wrong way to cruise. One last thought… staying on the ship during a port day has some advantages over sea days. I haven’t gotten off in Nassau in forever but I’m glad I’m going there. PhillyLady and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote
foxrunner Posted June 12 Report Posted June 12 On 4/22/2025 at 3:26 PM, OCSC Mike said: If I’m not doing one particular excursion on St. Martin, I agree. Give it up Please! OCSC Mike 1 Quote
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