This is the final post in the Ports of the Freedom of the Seas Western Caribbean Cruise series. We took this cruise is May, 2010, and Cozumel, Mexico is the 4th port on the seven-day cruise.
This port is a mainstay of the Western Caribbean cruise itineraries. The ship’s excursions run the gamut from the full-day trip across to the mainland to see the Maya ruins at Tulum to shorter snorkeling trips and party catamarans. Royal Caribbean docks at the International Pier, while most of Carnival ships dock at Puerta Maya, about 2 miles south. Both terminals have large shopping areas, as well as bars and restaurants. The day we visited there were 3 cruise ships in port. In the winter months, there can be as many as 6 or 7 ships in port at a time.
We decided not to do a ship excursion, but take a taxi to Chankanaab Nature Park-about 6 miles south of the pier. This park is costly to get into-upwards of $20 per person, depending on your package. We got some coupons off the internet for a free drink, free t-shirt, and entrance to the shows for about $25 per person. We could have gone snorkeling, as the reef is right off the beach here. We could have gone swimming with the dolphins, as they have a section of the beach set up for this. The dolphins are in separate enclosures, and each small group of people gets its own dolphin with which to get up close and personal. Those activities cost more money. We did see the manatee and get a tour of the dolphin enclosure, and we saw the sea lion show. At the end of the show, each member of the audience can get a photo with a sea lion. Purchase available in the gift shop about 30 minutes after the show.
There is also a botanical garden with walkways through the jungle, a pretty lagoon, a nice beach area with shaded chairs, 2 restaurants and several bar areas. We walked the length of the park and had our free drinks at a bar. We did the show and the tour of the dolphin enclosures, perused the gift shop. We hadn’t brought our suits, or we would have sat on the beach and gone swimming. It was quite hot that day, so by the time we left the park and headed back to town, we just went back to the ship. The taxi to the beach was about $12.00 and the taxi to town would have been about $5 more.
I would recommend Chankanaab for a full day of activities all in one place.
Since Cozumel is such a popular cruise port for many cruise lines, what follows is more info about things to do in town.
The town of Cozumel has a main shopping strip along the water that goes for several miles. There are many many shops selling everything from cheap souvenirs to the expensive jewelry and watches.There are good restaurants just a few blocks off the main drag. One we liked is called La Choza Restaurant. There is also the Cozumel Museum which costs $3.00 entry fee and has art exhibits as well as 2 rooms devoted to the biology, history, and geology of Cozumel.
If you want to head to a beach, the taxi stand outside the port terminal has signs that tell you the cost to each beach. Several websites have info about all the beaches and offer coupons. One good one is www.cozumelinsider.com. Another one is www.cozumelmycozumel.com
The farthest beaches on the leeward side can cost about $25 one way. Most beaches have free entrance, and you buy food and drink there. Some beaches charge for chair rental, but most hope you’ll spend lots on food and drink. There are a few beaches that cost money and take reservations, notably one called Nachi Cocom. It is a nice, quiet beach, and the entrance fee comes with included food and drink. Here as well as at a lot of the beaches, you can rent snorkeling equipment or hire a boat for parasailing trips.
We ended our day in port with some shopping for souvenirs.
If you are heading out on a cruise, I highly recommend joining www.cruisecritic.com and browsing the pages for port and excursion information.
No comments:
Post a Comment