Costa Maya, Cozumel, Roatan - may we book excursions on our own?

[travispete]

How can I determine if the three of us in my family who are all vaccinated, may book excursions on our own, NOT through RCI? The three ports are Costa Maya, Cozumel, and Roatan.

Thank you in advance.

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, travispete said:

How can I determine if the three of us in my family who are all vaccinated, may book excursions on our own, NOT through RCI?

The ports which require ship tours are listed on the RCI web site. All of the ones you listed should be doable without ship tours.

[c-leg5]

4 minutes ago, travispete said:

How can I determine if the three of us in my family who are all vaccinated, may book excursions on our own, NOT through RCI? The three ports are Costa Maya, Cozumel, and Roatan.

Thank you in advance.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center/getting-ready-to-cruise
 

put in your sailing

[hotsauce126]

They don't make it super clear on the website, but basically if you're leaving from the US then you only need ship excursions in Barbados, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts if you want to leave the enclosed port area. If you're leaving from Barbados you need ship excursions in every port. The rules are different if you have unvaccinated children with you.

[travispete]

Thank you all! 

[BennyBrun]

Do you homework and read reviews on Costa Maya and Cozumel tours.  They are very free with descriptions and not in a good way.  I went to a chocolate “factory” and tequila “museum” on one of the tours and there was nothing factory or museum about it!  Research!!!!

[RockHoundTX]

There are a ton of self excursions you can do in Roatan. You can walk across the road to the King Kong zip line. It was pretty good and also cheap (especially compared to the RCL ones). Seen a few pier runners in Roatan but mostly due to going to one of the "all you can drink" beach spots and loosing sense of time (and local time is 1 hour different than ship time).  If you want to go to the Mayan ruins out of Costa Maya, that is the one excursion I would do via RCL. I have seen folks miss the boat a couple of times. Other times they made it just because the RCL excursion was also late so they held up departure by an hour (on one occasion there was some sort of strike and the group had put logs across the road). Cozumel is pretty free-form where you can grab a cab and do what-ever you want. 

[Readytogo]

My exact itinerary. Thanks for asking this. And, thanks to all of the helpful replies. 

[BennyBrun]

I 100% agree about going on RCL excursion if you want to see the Mayan ruins!  The ship excursion will wait for you but if you go on your own they will not wait.  If the excursion involves 2 hours of travel time or more EACH WAY no matter which port unless debarkation, I would recommend ship excursion.  I have been caught up in some bad traffic and each time I was on ship excursion and they waited.

[hollon]

I'm going on this same itinerary and not too pleased with it, but the date works and I'm happy to be cruising again.  Can anyone recommend any good tours to these places.  I'm up for anything.  Thanks

[BirdTravels]

12 hours ago, BennyBrun said:

Do you homework and read reviews on Costa Maya and Cozumel tours.  They are very free with descriptions and not in a good way.  I went to a chocolate “factory” and tequila “museum” on one of the tours and there was nothing factory or museum about it!  Research!!!!

There is no easy way of doing homework. If the ShoreEx says "factory tour", there is no way to know that the "factory" is closed due to COVID. We had this exact problem with a ShoreEx on Grand Bahama where over 3/4 the locations on the ShoreEx description were not included because they were closed. After our return to the ship, I had a "discussion" with the ShoreEx manager who, eventually, went from her offer of a 10% discount to a 100% total refund. 

 

Bottom Line: If you are not happy with a tour, take it up immediately with the ShoreEx department and don't accept an compensation until it represents what you believe is fair. At 10%, I told the ShoreEx manager that the offer was an insult to a long time Diamond+ member, that ShoreEx obviously didn't care about their guests, and that I would take it up with the General Manager. 

[BennyBrun]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

There is no easy way of doing homework. If the ShoreEx says "factory tour", there is no way to know that the "factory" is closed due to COVID. We had this exact problem with a ShoreEx on Grand Bahama where over 3/4 the locations on the ShoreEx description were not included because they were closed. After our return to the ship, I had a "discussion" with the ShoreEx manager who, eventually, went from her offer of a 10% discount to a 100% total refund. 

 

Bottom Line: If you are not happy with a tour, take it up immediately with the ShoreEx department and don't accept an compensation until it represents what you believe is fair. At 10%, I told the ShoreEx manager that the offer was an insult to a long time Diamond+ member, that ShoreEx obviously didn't care about their guests, and that I would take it up with the General Manager. 

Oh if you booked with RCL then definitely talk to them if you are not happy.  I was referring to booking tours on your own.  The “factory” or “museum” I was referring to was no rather open or closed but rather a genuine museum/factory.  In Costa Maya and Cozumel the tour I booked said tour a tequila museum and it turned out to be a road side set up with some pictures and agave plants and a set up to sell you tequila and a chocolate factory was a tour of pictures on the wall of people making chocolates but with a set up to sell you chocolates.  I only found out later that when you search online you can find reviews of people who actually went on these tours and warned about the description of the tours.  There are some good ones out there but just do your homework if you want to book on your own.  Also BEFORE you make an online payment, contact the tour operator first.  Make sure you can get a hold of someone and ask questions and more importantly that they are still operating.

[c-leg5]

19 minutes ago, BennyBrun said:

Oh if you booked with RCL then definitely talk to them if you are not happy.  I was referring to booking tours on your own.  The “factory” or “museum” I was referring to was no rather open or closed but rather a genuine museum/factory.  In Costa Maya and Cozumel the tour I booked said tour a tequila museum and it turned out to be a road side set up with some pictures and agave plants and a set up to sell you tequila and a chocolate factory was a tour of pictures on the wall of people making chocolates but with a set up to sell you chocolates.  I only found out later that when you search online you can find reviews of people who actually went on these tours and warned about the description of the tours.  There are some good ones out there but just do your homework if you want to book on your own.  Also BEFORE you make an online payment, contact the tour operator first.  Make sure you can get a hold of someone and ask questions and more importantly that they are still operating.

Was this Costa Maya OR Cozumel? Or did you have a bad experience in both ports?

 

I agree a small amount of research can really help although I have seen misleading photos in some broker sites so you have to be careful and ask questions.

Edited November 24, 2021 by c-leg5

[BennyBrun]

13 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

Was this Costa Maya OR Cozumel? Or did you have a bad experience in both ports?

 

I agree a small amount of research can really help although I have seen misleading photos in some broker sites so you have to be careful and ask questions.

I unfortunately had the similar bad experiences in both ports booking the tour on my own but after being there a few times and more research I found a few good ones to go on tour with.  I don’t like to those high pressure sales tactics especially at a tequila “museum” since I don’t like tequila lol.

[BennyBrun]

1 hour ago, hollon said:

I'm going on this same itinerary and not too pleased with it, but the date works and I'm happy to be cruising again.  Can anyone recommend any good tours to these places.  I'm up for anything.  Thanks

I booked with this company a few times and I did the private jeep tour.  You select what you want to do and off you go with your private guide.  I told them no chocolate factory or tequila museum after my first tour with them.  I did the chocolate museum with them before while it was not the worst experience it was something I didn’t need to do the first time lol.  I found them to be reliable and professional.  The owner gets on the phone with you at the end to double check you were taken care of.  The lunch is decent on the beach (depending on which activities you selected the location will vary).  Some of the sites depending on what you pick will include additional charges (admission).  https://cozumelcruiseexcursions.net

[BennyBrun]

Costa Maya I used https://ecoexperience.mx/tours/chacchoben-shore-excursion/

 

and you have to follow the instructions to meet them which is basically walking out of the cruiser port.  It can be confusing to find the exit because of all the shops but its towards the back where the taxi picks up.  I did the ruins tour and it was informative and interesting.  I did it once and I don’t feel the need to do it again.  Now when I am adventurous I take the taxi to the beach / town area … walk on the boardwalk and have lunch somewhere.

[billslowsky]

Cozumel is an island so if you wanted to do a Mayan ruins  type tour on the mainland, you're going to have a lot of transportation time and going independent can be risky if there are delays.

[BennyBrun]

2 minutes ago, billslowsky said:

Cozumel is an island so if you wanted to do a Mayan ruins  type tour on the mainland, you're going to have a lot of transportation time and going independent can be risky if there are delays.

I agree 1000% and should book that tour with the cruise directly!

[cruizinmimi]

We have been to these ports many times since August.  It is just adults in our party (all been vaccinated).   We went into Port and visited the island on our own in Costa Maya and Cozumel.  I heard people did the same in Roatan also.   Key words is all adults and vaccinated fully.

 

[Magicat]

Back in September we walked off the ship in Cozumel.  Our tradition is to go have some great Chinese food right by the pier.