Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Costa Maya in December

[Ugh21]

Hello.  Thank you in advance for your patience!  We're total newbies to all of this! Booking our first ever cruise with our agent tomorrow.  7 night cruise including these 3 stops.  We think booking our shore excursions through RC is in our best interest for this first time.  It's just the 2 of us and we like to explore and try new things.  I've heard we can book a trip to swim with stingrays at one location.  We're hoping to find an excursion that includes a boat ride with snorkeling and a beach bbq or similar.  Does that sound realistic for our itinerary?  Will we be offered a book of available excursions prior to our actual trip or will we only be given our options once on board?  Thanks in advance!

[WAAAYTOOO]

Congratulations !  I'm sure it will NOT be your last !

Grand Cayman and Costa Maya are GREAT destinations - especially for your first cruise.  Both locations are extremely friendly and safe and there is lots to do at both stops.  I highly recommend that you do Stingray City in GC.  It's a lot of fun and one of the top Caribbean "must-do's", IMO.  Chances are there will be LOTS of boats with LOTS of people there but it's a truly unique opportunity to swim with friendly stingrays.  I think you are very wise to consider doing a ship's excursion for this one.  Once you are a little more comfortable with cruising schedules you will be more comfortable going out and doing things on your own.  For Stingray City, I would recommend sticking with the ship's excursion.

There are lots of options for doing any kind of swim and snorkel and unfortunately ( I say "unfortunately" b/c now you're going to have to choose !!), I think that GC is also a great place to do this.  I always recommend going to Paradise to snorkel in GC.  It is within walking distance of the ship, is very affordable and includes a comfortable place to spend the day and get some great chow (a bit pricey but everything in GC is expensive) !  The snorkeling right off the shore of Paradise is some of the best in GC and there are many excursions that you pay for that take you right THERE where you can go for free if you know about it.  Just get off the ship, turn right out of the compound, follow the road along the beach, go past the Harley-Davidson store and Hard Rock and you will see a building with a blue roof.  This is Paradise.  It is a restaurant but there is also a dive shop attached.  The dive shop is where you get your snorkel and fins.  I believe it cost us $18 per person to rent the gear and to use the restrooms, showers, patio with tables and chairs for the day.  It would be hard for me to choose between these 2 options (Stingray City or Paradise) but with it being your first time to GC, I would say go with the stingrays this time and do Paradise when you return, which you will, undoubtedly, do. Whichever you choose, make sure you bring your water shoes.

As far as Costa Maya goes, many people enjoy Maya Chan, which is an all-inclusive beach day.  I have never been there but it looks like it would be very nice.  Apparently there is no swimming pool but the food and service seem to be great.  We always just take the shuttle to Mahahual and spend the day at the Krazy Lobster.  It's a SUPER cheap day b/c you pay nothing for the tables, chairs and hammock (if you're lucky enough to get one !), the food is great and cheap and you can get $1 Coronas by the bucket.  If you are smart (do NOT let someone help "find" you a masseuse) you can get a 1 hour massage on the beach for $20.  Negotiate this price yourself though....b/c if someone "helps" you, they will want a tip and it will likely double your price from $20 to $40.  Just walk up to one of the massage tables and negotiate your best price.  It is WELL worth it.  There is ONE down side to going to Mahahual and spending the day and that is the roving trinket sellers.  They never stop.  They are NOT pushy and it's easy to get them to walk away but they just keep coming and coming and coming.  If you are comfortable with just saying "no thank you" about 100 times during the day, then you will be fine.  The compound at Costa Maya is very  nice with a swim-up bar, restaurant, live band (usually) and lots of activity.  Many people never ever leave the compound at Costa Maya which is a shame but you can have a great time and never go outside the compound !!

Great choice for your fist cruise !  Welcome to our world.

[DunkelBierJay]

10 hours ago, Ugh21 said:

Hello.  Thank you in advance for your patience!  We're total newbies to all of this! Booking our first ever cruise with our agent tomorrow.  7 night cruise including these 3 stops.  We think booking our shore excursions through RC is in our best interest for this first time.  It's just the 2 of us and we like to explore and try new things.  I've heard we can book a trip to swim with stingrays at one location.  We're hoping to find an excursion that includes a boat ride with snorkeling and a beach bbq or similar.  Does that sound realistic for our itinerary?  Will we be offered a book of available excursions prior to our actual trip or will we only be given our options once on board?  Thanks in advance!

One thing about booking excursions with Royal Caribbean is to get familiar with using the Cruise Planner section once you have created a username and password. There are frequently sales on the cruise planner that are announced on this site. You almost always save money over booking on board, so I recommend booking what you want now, and checking to see if the price dropped. If that happens, you can cancel and re-book to save a little money. Pretty much the same goes for drink and dining packages, spa, etc. 

[tiny260]

Cozumel, anything through the ship is great, if you want something on your own look at Nachi Cocom (Not through the ship), Cozumel is a very laid back island and easy to get around, Taxi's are plentiful and safe.

Grand Cayman, go with @WAAAYTOOO suggestions, something through the ship.

Costa Maya, stay around the port, plenty to do, or book and excursion through the ship, if you want something on your own, look at Maya Chan (Not through the ship), very laid back beach all inclusive.

[WAAAYTOOO]

I kinda skipped over Coz.  Sorry.  Didn't mean to do that, just forgot.

[bellemiche]

I recommend Maya Chan in Costa Maya (we've been twice). In Grand Cayman, we've done Stingray City through Cayman Eco-Adventures twice also. You meet them right at the port, they take no more than 25 people, and they make sure you are back in time. We were even able to go for lunch at Da Fish Shack before getting back onboard.

[Ugh21]

Wow!   Thank you all so much for the recommendations! Great information and I really appreciate it. We have gotten ourselves set up on the cruise planner and were flipping through today. We're going to spend some time this weekend booking our excursions. I like the idea of getting sale prices on some of these items, but I also don't want to miss out on the opportunities.  I have no idea how quickly some of these book up. Thank you for the thought about booking now and potentially changing our booking later if we find it at a different price. Getting pretty excited! Now I just have to wait several months until we actually set sail!   5 months out is probably a little too early to start packing!

[Ugh21]

Hi all.  Thank you again for your recommendations.  We booked our shore excursions last night!  GC- catamaran to stingray city and reef snorkeling.  We'll have enough time to grab lunch on our own too! Costa Maya- tour of ruins and swimming at 7 colors lagoon. Cozumel- Chichen Itza. I want to be in the water a lot and Richard is a history buff so we thought this was the perfect mix.

Our Cruiser Planner is counting down the days... and so am I!

[WAAAYTOOO]

Wonderful selections.  You are going to have a great cruise !

[June May]

Chichen Itza is astonishing - but be prepared. It's a long day - there's a water taxi to Playa del Carmen and then a bus ride out to the Yucatan where Chichen Itza is located.  In 2015, I'd say 2/3 of the time was spent travelling, and the remaining third was at the actual site. Totally worth it in my books, but my (now ex) husband grumbled and griped the whole time.

And if you're at all sensitive to motion sickness, grab some over the counter relief before you board the water taxi. In a week of cruising, that was the only time I needed it!

All that being said, I'd go back and do it again in a heartbeat! 

[mom2mybugs]

On 6/27/2018 at 8:06 PM, Ugh21 said:

Wow!   Thank you all so much for the recommendations! Great information and I really appreciate it. We have gotten ourselves set up on the cruise planner and were flipping through today. We're going to spend some time this weekend booking our excursions. I like the idea of getting sale prices on some of these items, but I also don't want to miss out on the opportunities.  I have no idea how quickly some of these book up. Thank you for the thought about booking now and potentially changing our booking later if we find it at a different price. Getting pretty excited! Now I just have to wait several months until we actually set sail!   5 months out is probably a little too early to start packing!

It's never too early to start packing lol!  Everything mentioned above is great.  Also keep in mind, especially in Costa Maya, that you can wander the port a bit and then get back on the ship and have fun with fewer people.  What ship will you be on?  Jane

[Ugh21]

Thanks Jane!  I bought new bathing suits this weekend... a size to small for a little motivation    We're on Adventure of the Seas.  I thought a little bit of a smaller ship.... not the Oasis line... would be less overwhelming for my first time.

[Sweety]

Does anyone know where the liquor store is in Cozumel?

[tiny260]

3 minutes ago, Sweety said:

Does anyone know where the liquor store is in Cozumel?

Should be one at the port, since it is all duty free, but if not I know there is one on the main street down town, if you just want beer, tell the Taxi driver what you need.

[Sweety]

9 minutes ago, tiny260 said:

Should be one at the port, since it is all duty free, but if not I know there is one on the main street down town, if you just want beer, tell the Taxi driver what you need.

Tequila.

[WAAAYTOOO]

3 minutes ago, Sweety said:

Tequila.

They certainly have liquor vendors in the compound at COZ but I'm doubtful that these would have the best prices.  My favorite part of COZ is to go downtown and walk around anyway; my guess is that there are plenty of places to find some good tequila at the city square, downtown.  I know that there is a tequila factory somewhere (we keep threatening to do that tour but have not done it yet.  Maybe in Sept. when we are on Liberty !).  I'll bet it's not hard to find....

[tiny260]

59 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

They certainly have liquor vendors in the compound at COZ but I'm doubtful that these would have the best prices.  My favorite part of COZ is to go downtown and walk around anyway; my guess is that there are plenty of places to find some good tequila at the city square, downtown.  I know that there is a tequila factory somewhere (we keep threatening to do that tour but have not done it yet.  Maybe in Sept. when we are on Liberty !).  I'll bet it's not hard to find....

+1

[KJ1231]

Appreciate the info is this thread. We are on Brilliance so will visit GC and Cozumel. 

On 7/4/2018 at 11:26 PM, June May said:

Chichen Itza is astonishing - but be prepared. It's a long day - there's a water taxi to Playa del Carmen and then a bus ride out to the Yucatan where Chichen Itza is located.  In 2015, I'd say 2/3 of the time was spent travelling, and the remaining third was at the actual site.

 For our day in Cozumel we have 10:00 AM arrival and 7:30 PM departure. Chichen Itza is at 10:30 AM for 6 hours (10:30 - 4:30) and is our first choice.

Based on your post and description in the cruise planner, travel is a 45-minute water taxi each way (90 mins) and based on your 2/3 description it sounds like an hour+ bus ride with 2 hours at the actual site?

Is there easy access to a beach near the ship so we can relax for a couple hours and maybe grab a light meal (not really looking for alcohol) before we get back on the ship for the 7:30 departure?

[Ugh21]

Hey friends... a related question.... in GC we're doing Stingray City.  We have about 3 hours between that excursion and the time we need to board the ship.  We thought of lunch at DaFishShack but is there a nearby beach we can enjoy for a couple of hours before heading back to the ship?  I see the all-inclusives but we're really just looking to lay out a towel and swim for an hour or two.  I read the earlier comments about Paradise.  Think this is a good option for this short time? Thoughts?

[WAAAYTOOO]

There isn't much of a beach (I'm not sure there's any, actually) at Paradise.  There is a rocky entrance to the water that has excellent snorkeling but I can't remember anywhere that you could actually lay out on the beach.  I could be wrong.  I am not a beach person so I just never noticed.

[Carlos A.]

On 7/13/2018 at 9:54 AM, KJ1231 said:

Appreciate the info is this thread. We are on Brilliance so will visit GC and Cozumel. 

 For our day in Cozumel we have 10:00 AM arrival and 7:30 PM departure. Chichen Itza is at 10:30 AM for 6 hours (10:30 - 4:30) and is our first choice.

Based on your post and description in the cruise planner, travel is a 45-minute water taxi each way (90 mins) and based on your 2/3 description it sounds like an hour+ bus ride with 2 hours at the actual site?

Is there easy access to a beach near the ship so we can relax for a couple hours and maybe grab a light meal (not really looking for alcohol) before we get back on the ship for the 7:30 departure?

This would be the view from the Ship at Cozumel. 

As far as I know there are no public beaches near the ship but these options might work for you:

Once you leave the port there are two hotels with a small beach facing the Ship. They have day passes and you are right next to the port so you don't need a taxi. 

The first hotel from right to left (looking the picture) is EL CID https://www.resortforaday.com/El-Cid-La-Ceiba-Day-Pass-Excursions-p/czcoec.htm
The Day Pass is something around $65 and is All Inclusive.

The second hotel would be Grand Park Royal Cozumel, they also have Day Pass option. The hotel is in the other side of the street (not on the beach) but they have a beach club right in front http://parkroyal.mx/en/park-royal-grand/cozumel 

I'm not sure of the cost but you can call them, it should be around $65 also.

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

We've done the day pass at Park Royal and it was very nice.  I don't remember the cost but I thought it was a great deal.

[Mljstr]

In Cozumel take a taxi ($7.00 couple  last time I took it last September) to Pancho’s Backyard for a delicious Mexican lunch, killer Margaritas and have a piece of coffee flan for dessert. Then shop in Los  Cinco Soles and buy tequila in the tequila shop in the store. We do this every time we stop in Cozumel. 

[Ugh21]

Earlier I had mentioned that in GC we have about 3 hours after our Stingray City outing before we need to get back to the ship. 

7 Mile Beach looks AMAZING and sounds relatively close to the port.  Is it feasible to think we can take a cab to 7 Mile Beach for a few hours before heading back?  That might be just the beach I'm looking for to lay out a towel and go for a swim.

Since we'll be on our own for the first time, I need to be very conscious of time... but I also dont want to miss the opportunity.... even if it is for only and hour!

Your thoughts?

[Michael Vitale]

On 6/25/2018 at 10:58 PM, Ugh21 said:

Hello.  Thank you in advance for your patience!  We're total newbies to all of this! Booking our first ever cruise with our agent tomorrow.  7 night cruise including these 3 stops.  We think booking our shore excursions through RC is in our best interest for this first time.  It's just the 2 of us and we like to explore and try new things.  I've heard we can book a trip to swim with stingrays at one location.  We're hoping to find an excursion that includes a boat ride with snorkeling and a beach bbq or similar.  Does that sound realistic for our itinerary?  Will we be offered a book of available excursions prior to our actual trip or will we only be given our options once on board?  Thanks in advance!

I hope you realize what you’ve gotten yourself into  

Once you experience a cruise vacation, you’ll be hooked like the rest of us. You will start planning and anticipating (obsessing ?) over your NEXT cruise the second you arrive home and start unpacking. Welcome to the world of cruising. What took you so long ??

My 2 cents on this subject is to enjoy a day at Mr Sancho’s in Cozumel. It’s my fav beach day. For $55 it cannot be beat. Google Mr Sancho’s. Check out some YouTube videos. And don’t be hesitant to do an excursion outside of RC, as Mr Sancho’s is. Again, welcome to cruising !!!