Trying to decide how to spend our time in Cozumel

[FishyTrishy]

We'll be in Cozumel the second week of August and we are unsure as to how to spend our time there. Something relaxing with a few drinks would be nice, but we are also interested in the Mayan ruins. Will it be too hot for that? Other ideas were Snuba, or the intro to scuba. Paradise Beach also sounds wonderful. We'll be there from 7am until midnight, so we should have plenty of time to get in whatever we want to do, but I don't want to have to take a vacation after my vacation due to pure exhaustion. Or are the excursions worth it? Should we do our own thing? First cruise in twenty years and I was a bit young therefore I don't remember much, plus this is our first trip to Cozumel.

 

Thanks so much for your help! :p

[HOSKI]

Cozumel is the easiest and best port to do on your own. I personally skip the ruins here because of the long ride to get there and then you are in the heat. I'll list some of the things we have done on visits and you can let me know if you need more info on something.

 

Shopping - easy, fun and good prices. This is the place for your alcohol and hand made item purchases. We love the blankets for $4 and vanilla is really cheap and makes great gifts. You could spend the whole day shopping and stopping in some places for drinks. Carlos 'n Charlies is a must see at least once. Not the same as the old one, much safer building.

 

Chakanaab - $12 to get in and a great day. Good choice to snorkel, has mini ruins replicas and a very relaxing day. We took a cooler with water and beers and no one said anything since you pay admission. If you don't pay admission at a beach be prepared to be encouraged to spend your money.

 

Mr. Sanchos - nice relaxing free beach. They will give you a chair and hand you a menu. Best Guaqamule (sp) I've ever had.

[FishyTrishy]

Hoski...

 

Thanks so much for your quick response. The shopping sounds like fun, and I'm not even a big shopper. Also, I we plan to go to Carlos 'n Charlies. I'm sure we'll have a great time. Once again... thanks for the info! :)

[lory]

Go for the SNUBA! Mayan Paradise offers a really fun trip. They take you out on the Zorro to visit 3 reefs. The reefs are absolutely beautiful. The crew on the boat is a lot of fun too. It's a great trip. I'm headed back to Coz this weekend and can't wait to make another trip with them.

[sddiver]

Trish,

 

If you have any interest in diving the intro to scuba would be a blast. Cozumel is a scuba mecca to us divers. There are a number of ops that would take good care of you. Eagle Ray Divers and Blue XT Sea get a lot of rave reviews from cruisers. If you get an early start(9am) you will be done with plenty of time to enjoy the afternoon on any of the great beaches with you choice of several frosty beverages. The dive op may even be able to drop you off at your beach of choice after the dives. Skip the shopping unless you can't find anything else to do. With such a long day, go to town in the evening when it is much less crowded and enjoy the local scene, lots of good food and drink to be had.

 

Enjoy

Rich

[mwrr]

Our party of 18 visited Paradise beach Friday July 16th and found plenty to do. I wish I had more time there to have a massage, get a hair wrap and all the other fun activities they offered. I had been reading on these boards about PB and when we got off the ship we ran acoss a kind man telling us about PB. It was Tom, took me a minute to remember about him until someone commented about how friendly this gentleman was! Every one in our group kept thanking me for finding out about Paradise Beach. You can parasail there, snorkel, canoe and down the roadk is Chankanab Park. You can take a cab over there to snuba. that is what my son and husband and son did then came back to PB.THe staff at PB are very attentive and treat you like the staff on the ships do, making sure you hae what you need. There are clean showers there you can clean up in then go to town for the evening. I really recommend you visit Paradise Beach, you won't be disappointed. From what I heard from some getting off the cruise before ours they were disappointed in the Mayan Ruins, it was long and hot and boring according to several we talked to.

 

Have a blast,

Marty in Texas

[Cozumel_Tom]

mwrr...thanx for taking the time to post a review...sounds like you all had a blast!! Glad I met you on the Pier to steer you in the right direction! Hasta la vista!

[FishyTrishy]

mwrr...

 

Sounds like you had a great time, and from what I hear Paradise Beach would be an excellent choice if we decide on a day, or partial day at the beach. We're less than a month away so I'm sure a decision will be made soon. I'm ghostly white, so I'm not sure if a whole day at the beach would be a wise decision. PB Tom... so there is snorkling there? I tried finding your website, but I was unable to. I know that you aren't allowed to say in on here, so I'll continue to search once my frustration goes away. ;)

[NewCruzer1]

We're first-timers to Cozumel, too, in October, and have decided to create our own tour: rent a Jeep, snorkel (probably at Dzul Ha), laze on the beach and eat lunch at Nachi Cocom or Playa Palancar, then sight-see the east-side beaches. The good news is that October appears to be a slow month, so crowds will be light (only 2 ships in port that day). Bad news is we only have 7-8 hours in port. Despite the raves about Paradise Beach, we'll save it for a lengthier stay.

[*CruiseFan*]

FishyTrishy - go for Carlos and Charlies. My boyfriend and always have a blast when we go there (we're 23 and 25) and so many people from the RCCL and Carnival will be on it. You'll be lucky though because you'll exit onto Carnival's private pier which is awesome :)

 

I'd do that or Chakkanaab (no idea how to spell that and too lazy to look it up). I wouldn't bother driving to the other side of the Island. It's nothing for miles, a monkey in a shack, and really windy. We used to go there a lot when I was younger and it's really nothing to write home about - I'd stick with staying Chakkanaab and closer to downtown :)

 

Have fun!

[FishyTrishy]

Ashkarita...

 

Carlos and Charlies is definitely on our list! Thanks for the suggestion. :)

[Cozumel_Tom]

FishyTrishy...we have free (refundable deposit) snorkel equipment that you can use. The snorkeling is good for beginners, as where you find a natural sand beach, you won't find great snorkeling. Having said that however, we have found some coral heads that we've marked off with some red buoys. It's a bit of a swim, but use the fins and you'll get there quick! If you ever find our newest website, you'll see some video of the snorkel area...good luck!

 

NewCruzer1...maybe I'll see ya next year...have a great vacation and don't forget to visit Coconuts on the East side. They are up on a bluff, and have a great view of the coastline...adios!

[FishyTrishy]

After some searching, I found it! :p