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Maya Chan

lindalo5032

By lindalo5032,
in Costa Maya

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kdiala

kdiala

Posted
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We are sold on how great the service is at Maya Chan, we are a little hung up on the water issue - some days seems ok, but most people post about the grass and murky look to it. We wanted to take some engagement photos on our trip and wanted the clear blue water in the background. Is the whole beach near Maya Chan like this, or is there anything in walking distance that would be better?

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CruisinWithUs

CruisinWithUs

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We are creating a trip report website from our October 2012 Disney Fantasy Cruise. We LOVED Maya Chan!!! Anyone wanting to see pictures & even a little video for yourself can visit our trip report website here: http://fantasyhalloween2012.tradingtales.com

Go to the "Trip Report" page & look under "Day 4" to see our pictures of Costa Maya & Maya Chan. Right above the extensive photo gallery, at the bottom of the page, there are little tabs; click on the green "Maya Chan" tab to see all of our Maya Chan photos.

 

Even though the water may not be as clear as in Cozumel, we enjoyed Maya Chan much better. The water is beautiful enough for amazing pictures. We appreciated the fact that the seagrass was still there. This provides a welcome habitat for the local wildlife & I would never want to destroy the native habitat for a few hours of vacation fun for myself. The seagrass didn't stop us from enjoying the water, but if you think it might bother you, just wear beach shoes in the water.

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cpuff70

cpuff70

Posted
Posted
We are creating a trip report website from our October 2012 Disney Fantasy Cruise. We LOVED Maya Chan!!! Anyone wanting to see pictures & even a little video for yourself can visit our trip report website here: http://fantasyhalloween2012.tradingtales.com

Go to the "Trip Report" page & look under "Day 4" to see our pictures of Costa Maya & Maya Chan. Right above the extensive photo gallery, at the bottom of the page, there are little tabs; click on the green "Maya Chan" tab to see all of our Maya Chan photos.

 

Even though the water may not be as clear as in Cozumel, we enjoyed Maya Chan much better. The water is beautiful enough for amazing pictures. We appreciated the fact that the seagrass was still there. This provides a welcome habitat for the local wildlife & I would never want to destroy the native habitat for a few hours of vacation fun for myself. The seagrass didn't stop us from enjoying the water, but if you think it might bother you, just wear beach shoes in the water.

 

Wow! Thanks. Your review and pics just thoroughly convinced me to go here on our visit. Beautiful!

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SissasMomE

SissasMomE

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Yes, every family booked gets a hut. They have a limit on how many people they take each day and everyone is assured their own little "spot/section". No worries. :)

 

How is a family of 4 handled? I noticed that there ar eonly 2 chairs. If I am booking for 4, will there be 4 chairs?

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mitsugirly Great Review Rare

mitsugirly

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How is a family of 4 handled? I noticed that there ar eonly 2 chairs. If I am booking for 4, will there be 4 chairs?

 

They will make sure you have enough chairs to accomodate your family plus more.

 

We were a family of 2 adults and 1 three year old and we had 3 chairs, a bed, and a hammock in our hut. ;)

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SissasMomE

SissasMomE

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They will make sure you have enough chairs to accomodate your family plus more.

 

We were a family of 2 adults and 1 three year old and we had 3 chairs, a bed, and a hammock in our hut. ;)

 

That's awesome! I was stuck between here and Almplena, but I think I'm going to try this.

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SCDreamWeaver

SCDreamWeaver

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Just got back from the Dream cruise last week and Maya Chan was definitely a stop that we will take again. They did a wonderful job from everything from making sure the trip there went smooth to the lunch that was prepared prior to our departure. The only thing we could complain about was that we didn't have enough time due to our short port time. The drinks were great, the beach was great, and the staff there really does check on you enough to make sure there is nothing you need! Great trip!

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lah66

lah66

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We have just booked Maya Chan for our February cruise on the NCL Jewel. I have learned to take advice from Mitsugirly...she never steers me wrong! We are really excited to have a beautiful beach day with some pampering! I cannot believe the accommodations! Your own private palapa! And what a great price for transportation, a great meal, drinks, kayaking, snorkeling etc!

Every time I think to look at the webcam, it is either raining or dark...I hope that is not a sign!

Thanks for everyone's thoughts on Maya Chan!

Lauri

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mitsugirly Great Review Rare

mitsugirly

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Posted
We have just booked Maya Chan for our February cruise on the NCL Jewel. I have learned to take advice from Mitsugirly...she never steers me wrong! We are really excited to have a beautiful beach day with some pampering! I cannot believe the accommodations! Your own private palapa! And what a great price for transportation, a great meal, drinks, kayaking, snorkeling etc!

Every time I think to look at the webcam, it is either raining or dark...I hope that is not a sign!

Thanks for everyone's thoughts on Maya Chan!

Lauri

 

I hope you have a wonderful day. The people at Maya Chan are top notch and they treat you well. Eat some of that yummy guacamole for me. I have yet to find another place ANYWHERE in the Caribbean that is as good as the guacamole at Maya Chan. No lie. :)

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LaurieCM

LaurieCM

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Don't worry about the weather- it was a sunny sport day the 1st time we went to Maya Chan- swimming, kayaking, eating, and drinking- What a day. And the 2nd time we went it was sunny, but there had been a storm out at sea the day before, and so the water was murky- not a good day for snorkeling, so it was more of a social day- What a day! We had so much fun and made great friends. No matter what kind of weather you will have a wonderful time.

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lah66

lah66

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I love their webcam! A little boy was having a ball digging in the sand and a little girl ran up and nabbed his bucket! Absolutely adorable!

 

Thanks Mitsugirly for the advice! I love your reviews..you have been on this western itin so many times, you are definitely an expert! I will make sure to have some guac for you! Are you almost done with nursing school so you can cruise more often??

 

LaurieCM...you are so right..we will have a great time regardless of the weather. As long as it doesn't lightening, who cares if you get wet while snorkeling?? It can never be a bad day when you are cruising!

 

Lauri

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mitsugirly Great Review Rare

mitsugirly

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I love their webcam! A little boy was having a ball digging in the sand and a little girl ran up and nabbed his bucket! Absolutely adorable!

 

Thanks Mitsugirly for the advice! I love your reviews..you have been on this western itin so many times, you are definitely an expert! I will make sure to have some guac for you! Are you almost done with nursing school so you can cruise more often??

 

LaurieCM...you are so right..we will have a great time regardless of the weather. As long as it doesn't lightening, who cares if you get wet while snorkeling?? It can never be a bad day when you are cruising!

 

Lauri

 

It's funny you mention watching the little boy digging in the sand in front of the camera. Several people on here were watching the camera the day we were there and they were able to watch my little daughter (then 3) playing in front of the camera too. It was kind of neat to come back and people were talking about seeing her on there. :D Also, don't forget to stand in front of it yourself and have Dave or someone take a picture of you from the computer to "save" as a souvenir and send back to friends and family back home. :)

 

I don't know about an expert but...I enjoy the western. However, I'm going to try to make it my mission to not do anymore western (after my December cruise) and get back to the eastern again (or Bermuda of course).

 

I think I have maybe 3 weeks to finish up this semester and then another 2 semesters...then I'm done. Whew. :eek:

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lah66

lah66

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Mitsugirly...I hope the next two semesters go by fast for you! I have a lot of coworkers in the same boat...they are phlebs at our lab, working towards their degrees. It is really hard work, but so worth it in the end!

 

I sure appreciate all your helpful reviews...I love seeing pics of your little girl! She is adorable and I just love how she is not afraid of ANYTHING!!!! Not only did you help me figure out what excursions to do, you helped me to decide to get the D20...I messed up the settings for our Bermuda cruise so our pics were awful but when we went out of San Juan in March, I took only the D20 and my pictures are amazing! And I can fit it in my pocket! No way would I carry my big Canon with me ever again! LOVE LOVE that camera!

 

Have you ever cruised Southern out of San Juan?? That is our favorite to date. You would love it...so nice to be the only ship in port. I cannot believe that there will be 7 ships in port when we are in Cozumel!!!

 

Have fun...Lauri

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mitsugirly Great Review Rare

mitsugirly

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Mitsugirly...I hope the next two semesters go by fast for you! I have a lot of coworkers in the same boat...they are phlebs at our lab, working towards their degrees. It is really hard work, but so worth it in the end!

 

I sure appreciate all your helpful reviews...I love seeing pics of your little girl! She is adorable and I just love how she is not afraid of ANYTHING!!!! Not only did you help me figure out what excursions to do, you helped me to decide to get the D20...I messed up the settings for our Bermuda cruise so our pics were awful but when we went out of San Juan in March, I took only the D20 and my pictures are amazing! And I can fit it in my pocket! No way would I carry my big Canon with me ever again! LOVE LOVE that camera!

 

Have you ever cruised Southern out of San Juan?? That is our favorite to date. You would love it...so nice to be the only ship in port. I cannot believe that there will be 7 ships in port when we are in Cozumel!!!

 

Have fun...Lauri

 

Lauri,

 

Glad you like your D20. I'm not sure what the differences are between the 20 and 10 (since I only have 2 of the D10s). But, if anything ever happens to the D20, check the Olympus Tough (that's the one I got after 2 cruises back and forgetting my batteries). I have to say it's now my favorite camera over the D10. It just does a lot of amazing things. :D

 

I have never done the Southern ports and REALLY REALLY want to do them. Every time I have tried to book one (and I'm talking about the ones from the US port, which would be a 9 or 10 day cruise), I can never seem to get the dates to correspond to when I'm out of school and it just has never worked out for us. I do plan on going some day. Hopefully after I graduate I'll have a "free" schedule. :)

 

I'm not sure about cruising out of San Juan. I can't even imagine the cost in airflight to get there and staying overnight pre-cruise and stuff. I have always thought it would be too expensive and never thought much more about it. Maybe YOU can give ME some pointers. ;)

 

Don't sweat the 7 ships in port in Cozumel. Really, it's not that big of deal. They dock in different places and of course not everyone goes to the same place while there. Chankanaab is a huge place and it doesn't feel crowded if you go there. If you go to an AI, well they only allow a certain amount of people to begin with. So, just plan wisely and you shouldn't have any problems. We didn't even run in to too much traffic getting back either.

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snownyet

snownyet

Posted
Posted (edited)

mitsugirly, sailing out of san juan is fantastic and the southern ports are a nice change too. We fly out of Buffalo and each time we've sailed from Puerto Rico, both the flights and the cruises have been cheaper than if we were sailing from Florida, cant explain why. We've stayed at a few different hotels around old san juan and in fact liked it so much the first time that we decided to spend a few days in puerto rico post cruise each time that followed. Id suggest you just keep checking airfare for dates you may be interested, checking other home airports withing reasonable driving distance too. You may be surprised.

Edited by snownyet
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mitsugirly Great Review Rare

mitsugirly

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mitsugirly, sailing out of san juan is fantastic and the southern ports are a nice change too. We fly out of Buffalo and each time we've sailed from Puerto Rico, both the flights and the cruises have been cheaper than if we were sailing from Florida, cant explain why. We've stayed at a few different hotels around old san juan and in fact liked it so much the first time that we decided to spend a few days in puerto rico post cruise each time that followed. Id suggest you just keep checking airfare for dates you may be interested, checking other home airports withing reasonable driving distance too. You may be surprised.

 

Oh I bet it would be fantastic and I would love to do it. However, every time I have considered it the airfare is outrageous. I'm not sure if it's the time of year or what it is but it has always been expensive when I have looked. I would LOVE to do a southern cruise. I have never done southern and figured the only way I would ever be able to do that is to do a 9 or 10 day cruise...which I have NO problem with. :D

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LaurieCM

LaurieCM

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We sailed out of San Juan once-boarding was very interesting....We were in a open-air building. There was a table set up by Bacardi and they were giving away unlimited Bacardi drinks- Cuba Libres and Pina Coladas. Everyone was toasted by the time we got onboard. (:

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caissonqueen

caissonqueen

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Count me in for trying Maya Chan too. My best friend and I will be doing the atv adventure in the morning and go to Maya Chan afterwards. I know the visit will be short but it looks too great to pass up. I put down my deposit and have to wait until Feb. :(

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