Costa Maya

[jbarker1414]

This is my fifth cruise, fourth through the Gulf; thank goodness we're not stopping in Jamaica:D , but what about Costa Maya? Is is worth getting off the boat? I'm not interested in spending eight hours on a tour bus to see ruins. Anyone have any tips?

[TennisLover]

From what I've read on these boards, there are some great places to go there. But you have to do your homework. I didn't (I didn't find this board till after my last cruise) and we had a terrible time in Costa Maya. That was my fault.

 

There's another part of CC where the threads are about the different ports. Try there. A lot of people have a really good time in Costa Maya.

 

If I happen to be on a ship that stops there in the future, I will plan something ahead of time to make the most of the day.

[MiniMom57]

We enjoyed Costa Maya -- we just got off the ship and relaxed by the pool. I know that's not for everyone, but we had 3 teens with us who weren't enthusiastic about touring. It was a relaxing day for all of us.

[Ju1es]

I went there with NCL and really liked it. We did an airboat excursion which wasn't terribly exciting. But then we went to this little secluded beach where you could take out kayaks and stuff. The beach was beautiful and the only people there were the people from our excursion. It was really relaxing.

[lyndamarie6]

I have been on 30 cruises and have been to Costa Maya a few times. Living in Florida and having some nice beaches here I can say I have not found a nice beach area in Costa Maya, my opinion.....I love the shopping there for trinkets, blankets, onyz, souveniers are great but you must "haggle and deal" with the people. You walk away and they generally come running after you lowering their prices. This place is safe to go and try some authentic mexican food and there are a few places right outside the pier a couple nice places outside also. You can rent mopeds easily here and although I have not been interested in any of the excursions offered, I would gather snorkeling, scuba and any other kind of excursion involving a boat of some kind would be nice. The water is nice but I have to say there isn't much to do here.

[beancounterbeth]

Costa Maya was actually one of our favorite stops on our cruise last summer. Get off the ship and go straight through the little tourist area to the back fence. Once there you can ask for (they also have signs) a cab to Majual (sp). It's pronounced Ma-hu-all. It is a beach area about 5 minutes down the road. There are little tiki huts set up all along the beach. All you have to do is pick one and park yourself right in front of it in their beach chairs. The ocean breaks farther out so you have a nice calm ocean to swim in and the men at the tiki bars will bring you drinks and food all day (of course for a price). We had an absolute blast that day. The perfect day in paradise.

[sherin65]

Our group loved Costa Maya on our cruise back in March. Check out the Costa Maya forum to get details on fun things to do.

 

We all took a taxi to Majuahal, three of us took a 4 hour mayan ruins tour with David & Ivan. The tour was great. Everyone(22 of us) was drinking, eating, shopping and having a great time. There are massages on the beach for $20, parasailing for about $30, my DH rented the boys a jet ski for an hour for something like $45. Lots of trinkets to buy and haggle for, and the beach is very nice.

[Lightsluvr]

Here are some ideas:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=291724

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=230956

 

Hope you enjoy Costa Maya. Just don't stay at the pool area.

 

LL

[lv2bcruzin]

We stopped in Costa Maya in 2004 so it hadn't been open for more than a few years. There really wasn't much to do, didn't have much there. We did the ruin tour which I think was well worth it. I don't remember it being all day long, but it was really cool. Actually, it was the only real excursion they offerered.

 

At that time the closest gas station was 2 hours away and the tour bus drivers had to drive four hours from their homes to the pier. So eight hours round trip. There was no housing and very little building structures period.

 

They had a little shopping center right at the pier with a pool and a restaurant which was terrible. I agree with LL, that area is lame. I'm sure quite a bit has changed, at least I would hope, since we have been there. We don't plan on going back unless it's part of itinerary that has other ports we just have to go to.

[rpmljm]

We just returned from our cruise on Grandeur which stopped in Costa Maya last week. I really liked it. There is a pool area and beach and shopping right at the dock area.

 

We took the ruins tour that someone else mentioned above with David and Ivan. This is not an RCCL excursion but they are very reputable and have lots of references. Ivan lived on the ruins land during his childhood and has a wealth of information and personal recollections. It was a highlight of our cruise. I liked seeing the real Mexico and learning a lot about life there now and in the past during the 50 min. ride to the ruins.

I can provide the link to their website if anyone is interested.

[Fighting34th]

We just returned from our cruise on Grandeur which stopped in Costa Maya last week. I really liked it. There is a pool area and beach and shopping right at the dock area.

 

We took the ruins tour that someone else mentioned above with David and Ivan. This is not an RCCL excursion but they are very reputable and have lots of references. Ivan lived on the ruins land during his childhood and has a wealth of information and personal recollections. It was a highlight of our cruise. I liked seeing the real Mexico and learning a lot about life there now and in the past during the 50 min. ride to the ruins.

I can provide the link to their website if anyone is interested.

I would appreciate the link to the David and Ivan tour in Costa Maya. Thanks!

[vickiang]

Can you please post the contact for this tour? It sounds interesting. We'll be going there in September on the Grandeur of the seas. Thanks,

 

Vicki

[Trainacomin]

Enjoy! We did last April.

 

http://www.chacchobenruins.com

[Island Annie]

jbarker,

 

DEFINITELY worth getting off the ship. Costa Maya was the highlight of my week:-)

 

You can take a taxi to the small Mexican fishing village of Majahul located about 10 minutes away from the cruise terminal.

 

Majahul is like stepping back in time.

 

There is only one main street. (actually a dirt road that uses the big ropes the ships use to tie up as speed bumps;-). The entire length of the town is only about 6-8 blocks long, is all beach on one side of the road, and the other side is lined with shops, bars, and restaurants.

 

The entire length of the beach is lines with palapa-style bar/restaurants which will provide you with a chaise lounge chair if you purchase your food & drinks from their establishment. There are umbrella tables right on the beach where you can enjoy a nice Caribbean lunch. Of everyone I've talked to about costa Maya no one has mentioned having any ill-after-effects from eating /drinking in Costa Maya, so you shouldn't have anything to worry about there. (prices here are also VERY reasonable)

 

The beach in Costa Maya is beautiful. It almost reminded me of the one on the corona tv commercial. There are beach massages available and a strolling mariachi band, so I really enjoyed my lunch on the beach that day.

 

Just accross the street, there are LOTS of shops selling local crafts & souveniors. The local merchants welcome you to "negotiate" a price with them, so can get some nice Mexican souveniors for very little $.

 

When you're ready to go back to the terminal area, you can buy a return ride from the taxi stand located on the beachside of the main street. Go back, relax at the outdoor pool, swim up for a margarita, watch the Mexican dancers show,shop /eat /drink more before getting back on your ship.

 

All in all a very "fun" yet relaxing day:-)

 

PS: Try going to http://www.webshots.com and doing a search for majahul. you'll finds lots of pictures your fellow cruisers have posted to give you a better idea of the town.

 

I hope you enjoy!

 

Annie

[VCgal]

Costa Maya was the favorite port for our group of 18, including the teenagers. We went to Majahual and hung out at the Cat's Meow all day. We had tables in the shade and lounge chairs on the beach ($5/day). Ice cold beer, great margaritas, free chips and salsa, and amazing food. The total drink/food bill for the whole group after several hours was $210. Buckets of beer at 6 for $10. Jorge took great care of us! The Cat's Meow is run by a Canadian (Barbara) who usually comes down to chat with everyone. The restaurant is clean and you can feel safe eating the food. We drank the drinks WITH ice cubes (she uses filtered water) with no problems. There was a place next door for massages (Jorge got us a rate of 40 min for $20). There are various vendors around the beach for snorkeling, banana boat rides, etc. Overall, we found it to be incredible relaxing and enjoyable. I'd go back in a heartbeat!