Costa Maya and Hurricane Dean discussion (merged)

[TennisLover]

Costa Maya - February 2006, with Liberty in the background. Wishing all the best for those who live there.

[suzski]

We will be "scheduled" to visit Costa Maya and Coz in a little over a month. The pier was my concern also. did they build it to withstand a hurricane and to what force?

 

 

Unfortunately, I would not think there would be much that could withstand a direct hit from a Cat 5. Although I'm sure they will rebuild, it's so incredibly sad....the Costa Maya port was beautifully laid out and the town of Mahajual a throwback to an earlier Mexico.

[TVMet]

RCL and Carnival should be in there quickly with help for those folks!

[dec2007w3boys]

I am/was so looking forward to our day in costa maya this November and joining the whole in the fence gang; however I will be content with an extra day on the ship or at another port as these poor people have to rebuild their whole existance. My inconvenience is nothing compared to theirs. They are in my thoughts. :(

[PH8]

Woke up this morning to hear Costa Maya got it BIG time...........my thoughts are not that chances are we wont get there on our Nov cruise..My heart feels for all the people that live there...........May God bless them all.........

[cactusqueen]

Right now I am sitting at my desk, looking at a photo of the beach at Costa Maya I took this past April. It is so beautiful, it looks unreal. I remember sitting on the beach, thinking , "this is paradise". I can't even imagine how it must be there now. We met so many nice locals in Mahajual, my thoughts and prayers are with them, that they ride through this safely and are able to rebuild what they have lost.

[GaryinOhio]

The one thing I heard this morning on MSNBC was that where the eye of the storm was making landfall, there wouldn't be much storm surge to do the type of damage most storm surges can and usually do.

 

Also, if people want to remember what was so bad about Wilma in 05, was that the storm stagnated for 26 hours directly over that area...passing over the Peninsula faster, this storm has just now been downgraded to a cat 3 storm from cat 5...this is at about 8am EST. They suspect that the storm WILL gain back a lot of energy once it hits the gulf of mexico on the west side of the Yucatan Peninsula, possibly regaining cat 4 or 5 status (water temp in that area is in the high 80's). I am hopeful that this storm breaks up enough over land that Dean doesn't regain a ton of strength.

 

Watch out people in Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. My heart goes out to those in the path of the storm and those nailed by it already. I am thankful though, that other than where Dean made landfall, the area is not highly populated.

 

Gary in Ohio

[snorkelman]

Let's limit this thread to only posting damage reports and pictures of the damage. There are other threads that speculate and talk about other issues. Let's try and limit this one to only providing damage reports and the status of cruiselines substituting other ports instead of Costa Maya.

 

 

I am curious as to the official press releases from the various cruiselines as to whether any of them will take Costa Maya off the itinerary for the next X sailings, or the next X weeks/months, so if anyone finds that type of info, please post.

 

Here are some itinerary changes that have already taken place.

 

Carnival Triumph, August 18 departure from Miami. The ship will visit San Juan, St. Thomas, Half Moon Cay and Nassau instead of Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Jamaica (Ocho Rios) as first scheduled.

 

Carnival Imagination, August 18 departure from Miami. The ship will visit Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau. The original itinerary was Grand Cayman and Jamaica (Ocho Rios).

 

Carnival Inspiration, August 18 departure from Miami. The ship will visit Nassau and Freeport instead of Grand Cayman and Calica.

 

Holiday, August 18 departure from Mobile. Freeport and Key West have replaced the original itinerary of Costa Maya and Cozumel.

 

Carnival Legend, August 19 departure from Tampa. The ship will visit Key West, Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk. The original itinerary was Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize and Costa Maya.

 

Carnival Valor, August 19 departure from Miami. The ship will visit Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten instead of Grand Cayman, Isla Roatan, Belize and Costa Maya as originally scheduled.

 

Carnival Conquest, August 19 departure from Galveston. The ship will still call at Grand Cayman and Cozumel as scheduled but will bypass Montego Bay.

 

Carnival Fantasy, August 20 departure from New Orleans. The ship will visit Key West (instead of Costa Maya) and Cozumel.

 

Carnival Fascination, August 20 departure from Miami. The ship will visit Key West and Nassau (instead of Calica).

 

Carnival Ecstasy, August 20 departure from Galveston. The ship will visit Cozumel as scheduled, but will not be visiting Progeso as originally planned.

 

Royal Caribbean

 

Enchantment of the Seas will depart from Ft. Lauderdale's Port Everglades on Saturday -- as scheduled -- but the itinerary has been revised. The ship will call at Labadee, Haiti on Monday and Nassau on Wednesday before returning to Port Everglades on Thursday as planned.

 

The Galveston-based Rhapsody of the Seas will still depart on Sunday, but its itinerary is modified. It will call at Key West on Tuesday, Grand Cayman on Thursday and Cozumel on Friday before returning to Galveston.

 

Freedom of the Seas, which departed from Miami Sunday for a seven night Western Caribbean cruise, will call on Jamaica and Grand Cayman as scheduled.

[TVMet]

Gary, I'm a professional meteorologist in hurricane country and I have to say one thing: don't get your weather information from MSNBC. They are in New Jersey and they constantly report incorrect information about hurricanes.

 

There will be a significant storm surge, maybe 20 feet, with the eye of Dean.

Although it is moving fast, damage will be severe with a cat. 5. The only good news is this is a fairly unpopulated area and there isn't much to damage. Of course, many of us cruise fans have been to Costa Maya which is probably totally destroyed since it sits right on the water and isn't protected by any barrier islands.

[TVMet]

http://www.hurricanecity.com/live1.htm

 

This web site has a english-speaking radio station playing from somewhere in the Yucatan in Mexico. Interesting reports...

[iluvdoxies]

I am glad we had a chance to visit Chac-Chi last month (and became OFFICIAL members of the "Hole in the Fence Club"...

 

 

I would imagine that the photos and memories are all that we have left of Chac-Chi.

 

I read yesterday where the area should expect a 20 foot storm surge - that pretty much wipes the slate clean there. I anxiously await those first few photos of whatever is left of all the shops/pool area...

 

 

Tom

 

Tom, I imagine they are gone as well as Muhual. How sad for everyone there.

 

We never made the "hole in the fence excursion", thanks for the pics.

[TVMet]

The cruise companies should be in there soon with relief supplies, like they did in Grand Cayman shortly after Ivan in 04.

[sirdavid]

The wonderful port of Costa Maya has taken the full force of Hurricane Dean. I pray for all those wonderful people we met last March when we docked there on the Westerdam. I fear that the "Cats Meow" that great beach front bar/cafe may have been hit very hard, if it survived! The Weather Channel says the storm surge was about 20' with 30' waves on top of the surge!

David

[Cracker Ken]

This is indeed terrible news. Direct hit, and I've heard reports of 160MPH winds with gust to 200, with a 20 ft storm surge. Wind blown waves are on top of the surges, and waves from 160-200 MPH have to be tremendously huge. They could have had 30-40 ft of water coming in, if you consider waves and the surge both. That area is low and flat, and everything almost to the waters edge. I fear for all of those people who lived down there. I hope they were able to flea the area, because (realistically), there probably isn't hardly anything left. The better constructed area of the cruise complex might be destroyed too. Considering how another storm destroyed piers at Cozumel, those at Costa Maya may be out too. This is terrible for all of the people who have populated that area to service the cruise trade. I'm sure it will rebuild. I'm not concerned about missing the port on my next cruise in the W. Caribbean, that's no big deal. What I am concerned about are all of those people that lived around there, and on into the inland areas. There are many impoverished people there living in little more than huts. God help them.

 

Ken

[CatgirlNC]

I love Costa Maya! This is so sad.

 

Here is one of my favorite Costa Maya pics. It's me with a cat we met at Tequila Beach.

 

[augie]

The strength of Dean, when it made landfall near Costa Maya, was comparable to Andrew when it landed in south Florida in '92.

 

Anyone that can remember the widespread and massive destruction of buildings that were much sturdier than almost everything near Costa/Mahajual, can imagine how devaststting this will have been.

 

Let's hope that the damage there, while surely severe, will be limited to structures and "things".

[Donna n Francis]

The people in that village have very little to protect them from heavy winds or sea surges. They are all in our prayers.

 

Dianne

 

Hi Dianne.....we were on the Carnival Valor together in April/May 07. We were a group of 18 from Nova Scotia.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all the people in Costa Maya too. This was my 2nd visit to Costa Maya and it was my favorite port of call. We spent most of the day with Barbara (fellow Canadian) at Cats Meow. I know that they live in a little trailor behind Cats Meow. Hope her family, cats and her staff, especially Hugo are ok.

[nieciez]

How awful for the people of the Yucatan. We visited Costa Maya in December aboard Victory and just loved the port....visited Pez Quadro in Majahual and had a wonderful time. The people of the area are great. I pray that all are safe. I've been thinking of the people of Belize too...even though they may not be taking a direct hit, the small Cays like Cay Caulker will have a lot of damage too I am sure. Not a happy day :(

[98Charlie]

Hi Dianne.....we were on the Carnival Valor together in April/May 07. We were a group of 18 from Nova Scotia.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all the people in Costa Maya too. This was my 2nd visit to Costa Maya and it was my favorite port of call. We spent most of the day with Barbara (fellow Canadian) at Cats Meow. I know that they live in a little trailor behind Cats Meow. Hope her family, cats and her staff, especially Hugo are ok.

 

 

Good to hear from you again. We had a great time on that cruise, didn't we. Hope we get to cruise together again soon.

 

My thoughts have been so much with the people of Majauhal all morning. I'll be glued to the tv until info starts coming in about the extent of damage to the area.

 

Dianne

[Northender]

We visited Cats Meow in March. Lets hope all the places along the beach that spend so much time trying to make our stays in Costa Maya a great time are ok. Rebuilding can be done, its the lives that count.

 

Before going thru the Hole in the Wall - I do believe the Cruise Ships pay for that area and will make sure it is back in shape as quickly as possible.

 

Prayers for all in the path of this terrible hurricane.

[woodofpine]

In November, my family spent a day with Ivan and then had lunch in Chacchoben Village with Ivan's Mayan friends. My children danced with some of the little ones of the village.

 

All you can do is count your blessings (charity donations notwithstanding)... Anyone in Mahajual was in grave danger given the elevation and storm surge that came ashore. The storm is still clocking 125 mph winds (with higher gusts) now several miles inland so the situation for the local populace is pretty awful. Very few locals own housing that can withstand this sort of storm. Heck, Chacchoben Village only got electricity (pretty limited) about half dozen years ago...

[KimS.]

Visited Pez Quadro in Feb. It was truly our best day of the entire cruise. The people were friendly the drinks & food were great. Hey and you gotta love the swings! One of my friends that was with us that day (there were 6 of us) made me a fish like the one that hangs from the ceiling, and now it hangs in my pool house. My thoughts and prayers are with them all.

[enester]

Wow - they couldn't have had it worse:

 

" The eye of the storm hit land near Majahual, a port popular with cruise liners and it was racing across the Yucatan Peninsula toward a Tuesday evening entry into the Bay of Campeche, where the state oil company evacuated the oil rigs that produce most of Mexico's oil."

[MaryZ]

this is so sad. We were there last november and we thought it was one of the nicest ports for a beach day. Even the little port town was kinda fun, not that we spent any time there but it looked like a lot of people did.

I hope the people all evacuated.

[GoinCruisin]

Just a very sad morning :( I pray for the people of Costa Maya... that poor village has to be destroyed. Costa Maya is one of my favorite ports... we've been there 4 times now, and I'm afraid it's going to be a very long time before any of us get to enjoy that wonderful place again... I'm just afraid there is no more Costa Maya this morning, I hope the people were able to get out of there... so very sad :(