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Cozumel/Costa Maya with NO shore excursions?


Pooch

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We've done CM once and Cozumel twice now with no excursions. I would say it depends what you are looking for. Adventure, beach, leisurely exploring?

CM has a great touristy area that has lots of shopping, beach, etc. right when you get off the ship. @twangster featured this area in his Liberty of the seas live blog in the live blog section.

Cozumel has lots of cabs waiting at the pier when you get off and they can take you just about anywhere. We have gone twice now and just walked around downtown Cozumel.

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Absolutely.  It all depend what you are looking for. 

Costa Maya -  cheap shuttle to the local village which has a boardwalk with lots to do.  Some prefer a day pass to places such as Maya Chan or just a cheap beach day at Krazy Lobster with covered tables right on the beach (beer is $2-$3).  Otherwise just browse the boardwalk, drink cheap beers and head back to the port which by itself has lots to do.  Watch for blog updates from @Matt who boarded a ship today on an itinerary that includes Costa Maya.   

Cozumel - Honestly I really like Cozumel.  One of my favorites ports.  If beach is your goal there are several 'on your own' or 'resort for a day' options but all typically involve a taxi..  If you want to stick to foot traffic, walk towards town, stop and bar hop and just enjoy the views and drinks at your own pace.  I've been to Cozumel numerous times including a few weeks ago.  I love it there.

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14 hours ago, twangster said:

Absolutely.  It all depend what you are looking for. 

Costa Maya -  cheap shuttle to the local village which has a boardwalk with lots to do.  Some prefer a day pass to places such as Maya Chan or just a cheap beach day at Krazy Lobster with covered tables right on the beach (beer is $2-$3).  Otherwise just browse the boardwalk, drink cheap beers and head back to the port which by itself has lots to do.  Watch for blog updates from @Matt who boarded a ship today on an itinerary that includes Costa Maya.   

Cozumel - Honestly I really like Cozumel.  One of my favorites ports.  If beach is your goal there are several 'on your own' or 'resort for a day' options but all typically involve a taxi..  If you want to stick to foot traffic, walk towards town, stop and bar hop and just enjoy the views and drinks at your own pace.  I've been to Cozumel numerous times including a few weeks ago.  I love it there.

Yes, what twangster said.

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Both are easy ports to do on your own as others have said. In Costa Maya, the cruise compound has a huge pool with swim up bar, restaurants, etc., but I'd take the shuttle to the beach village to save money and enjoy the beach. There's also a water/thrill park within walking distance. As for Cozumel, you can simply stroll around and shop or head to some of the a la carte or all-inclusive beach resorts.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ditto, Twangster.  We winged it both days and had a great time.  Don't be afraid to haggle a little for price reductions with tour operators - it's better to go out than loose a sale. Also, we paid in American dollars which is a higher price than the local currency so I think there is some room for wiggle.

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Never been to Costa Maya.  I'm anxious to see Matt blog about it.  

As for Cozumel, ditto for what everyone has said. 

Side note - I hear Mr. Sanchos and Nachi (Google this for more info) are awesome so my Mom and I will probably do one of these.  It's not an excursion through RC.  You pay for the day and hang out there.  About 20 mins from the pier.

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I have been to Cozumel many times I love it mr sanchos is a cab ride away and a real treat 50.00 gets you all you can drink and eat search it up on the internet reservations are suggested and can be had for 5.00 although I personally now just stay in the port area there is a little cantina that has great food and drinks for cheap there is a large one but off to the side is the small one by a tree in a fenced area depicting how the people that settled the area chose the place interesting there is a plaque that goes into detail the merchants in the port will gladly negotiate prices and don't miss going upstairs I have gotten my best deals on silver up there

On ‎3‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 1:55 PM, Pooch said:

Can it be done?  If we decided to just wing it, what would you suggest?

 

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4 hours ago, Matt said:

I go all the time to Cozumel with no excursions.  Very easy to go into town and figure it out on the fly.

Matt, are you on the cruise right now that goes to Cozumel, Costa Maya, etc?  I want to say I remember someone commenting that you were on a cruise this week?

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17 hours ago, Matt said:

Love it!  I just LOVE reading blogs about cruises.  It takes me there!  Can you tell me where on this website I can access others?  I'm kinda a newbie to this site so I am not sure where they are all located.  

Thanks again for sharing!!!!

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13 minutes ago, Lindsay said:

Love it!  I just LOVE reading blogs about cruises.  It takes me there!  Can you tell me where on this website I can access others?  I'm kinda a newbie to this site so I am not sure where they are all located.  

Thanks again for sharing!!!!

Just go to the main forums page and scroll down to "live blogs".  Lots there to keep you busy ?

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23 minutes ago, Lindsay said:

Can you tell me where on this website I can access others?

To be honest, I don't have a listing on the site of all my live blogs.  I probably should, but it doesn't exist currently. In the meantime, just google "Royal Caribbean Blog live blog" and you will find them.

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I'm late to the party but here is what my wife and I did in Cozumel when we were there in February. We had a lot of fun and got to check out the beaches on the East side of the island as well as downtown. I have never been to Costa Maya, but Cozumel is easily one of my favorite ports.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

We've done Sanchos, Naachi Cocom , private trip advisor tour and also the Dolphin Royal Swim.  Was just there three weeks ago and rented a brand new 2018 Jeep ( white with automatic, had only 100 miles on it with new car smell)  for 95.00 USD a day.Paid extra $20. USD for fuel option and with tax my total was $121.00 USD  ( they converted it  to Mexican Pesos) .  We had a great time. Island is big, so we drove the whole thing, went shopping south of port ( more than just a walk from ship) and did Coconuts , the beach way north of the ship and tequila tasting at several shops with no issues.  Just watch your speed as they do radar on motorcycles on side of road . 

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  • 4 weeks later...

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