looking for advice on which port would be best to venture into town.

[cruising4marrige]

1st time cruisers here. We are getting married on the boat before it leaves Port in Florida. Our stops will be Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya, & Nassau, in that order. We would like to go into town at one of these ports to do some shopping away from the high priced ports. Looking to get some authentic Mexican Tequila and some other small things. Anyone have any advice as to which port would be best to do this in, and how we should go about doing it.

 

Thanks,

Ian

[ehfl]

Do NOT go into town in Belize. Either do an excursion away from the city, or stay on the ship. If you do decide to walk around, turn right when you get of the pier. Do not go left, especially by yourself or with just 2 people. Larger groups should be OK if you stay on the main streets.

 

The other ports are fine for walking around.

[crewsweeper]

Of the ports you're visiting, IMO, Cozumel would offer the better opportunity for shopping away from the pier area. Go to cozumelinsider dot com and look up shopping for local tips on where to get groceries, booze, and trinkets once you're away from the pier areas. That site and others is geared toward people coming and staying for a week or more, not the short time crusier.

Belize City is fine to wander around in a horse drawn carriage or such, but typical tourist oriented shopping is limited. To most Americans it appears rundown and thus a place to avoid. Most pax go on excursions out of town here, or stay at the pier area. (but, how many diamond international stores can you shop in in a single cruise?)

 

Nassau too has that rundown, seedy feel to it. Most people go tot he beach or get gouged by a day pass at Atlantis. Costa Maya has a nice shopping area at the end of the pier. but not much else that's not touristy. There is Majahul about 3 miles south, with a malecon or strand that has shops and restaurants and beaches. Very nice, but again, limited in selection, if you're searching for local stuff.

[clackey]

I'm with crewsweeper on this one. Haven't been to the Bahamas yet but of the other 3 ports Coz is my pick. Just get away from the beach front and go back several blocks into town. Lots of bargains, but it helps if you speak a little Spanish.

[Visa711]

I second their opinion with Cozumel. It's a fun little town right off the dock (assuming you are at the close one - I don't know which is which though). It's safe and there are liquor stores and other shopping right there.

 

If you plan to stay on the ship for a port, I would say Belize! I don't scare easily when traveling, but to me the town was scary. We didn't hear the warnings from others not to go left, and we went left.... We are going back this year and will be booking an excursion, so I haven't given up on it, I just wouldn't recommend doing this town on your own.

[crewsweeper]

Punta Langosta is the closest pier to downtown for cruise ships. Just south of the plaza. TMM International and Puerta Maya are a little further south. Cabs to downtown from there were $6 I now hear they're about $7.

 

As far as Belize goes. I haven't heard of any issues of safety in Belize City. It's just a bit seedy looking and lots of locals hanging out on the streets. Near the pier and swing bridge sometimes they harass you a bit for money and selling stuff. It's just not a place most cruisers would feel comfortable wonering around because there's no real attractions to draw you anywhere (except for JamBel's Jerk Chicken:)). But the horse draw carriage tours seem to cover a lot of ground, if you're not into beach bumming or long bus rides.

[cusyl]

Definitely Cozumel....take a taxi into town and ask to be dropped off at Los Cinco Sole. They have everything there and at good prices. Then, you can walk back towards the ferry pier and across from that is Palmeras.

Stop there and have their ice cream fruit sundae, it's terrific. Their prices are in pesos, not dollars so don't be frightened. LOL

Across the town square you will also see a couple Pharmacias that you can purchase different presciption drugs over the counter.

[Mrs007]

I agree with Cusyl. Los Cinco Sol - I believe they have about 100 different tequilas if that is what you are looking for and then you can stop at Poncho's Backyard for lunch (right there at Los Cinco Sole). Belize you either need to take a tour or stay on the ship - this is a good place to take a snorkel trip if you like to snorkel or want to give it a try. Costa Maya has a nice port area with some shopping, restaurant and swim-up bar, nice pool or go to Majahal for a nice sandy beach with a VERY gentle slope and drink a beer in the shallow water.

[cruising4marrige]

Thanks everyone! Will be back to let everyone know how it goes. Also starting a new thread have a few more questions.

[MDSue]

Costa Maya is great too. You just need to catch a taxi for a short trip to Majahual. You can shop in local shops and hangout at the beach restaurants. Thisis one of my favorite ports. It was heavily damagedby a hurricane and Majahual was totally destroyed. They rebuilt it and it is now reopen.

[Star1]

Los Cinco Sole is where I want to walk to. How do I get there? Besides booze what kind of things does it sell?

Thanks,

[CaribQween]

Nassau too has that rundown, seedy feel to it. Most people go tot he beach or get gouged by a day pass at Atlantis. Costa Maya has a nice shopping area at the end of the pier. but not much else that's not touristy. There is Majahul about 3 miles south, with a malecon or strand that has shops and restaurants and beaches. Very nice, but again, limited in selection, if you're searching for local stuff.

 

We were in Nassau this past February. We don't have a lot of experience traveling, but we didn't think it really had a "rundown, seedy feel" at all. We actually really loved Nassau. It wasn't originally on our itinerary but due to bad weather near the cruiseline's private island, the captain decided to take us to Nassau.

 

We scheduled an excursion through the cruiseline that included a land tour and a water & submarine tour. On the land portion of the tour, we went to a Fort they have there and when we got out there were quite a few small sounveneir stands where I bought some really cool bracelets and necklaces made from different stones for under $10 each. I wear them all the time and get compliments constantly. I only wish I would have had more time at that stop to browse a little more.

 

Before and after our tour, we had quite a bit of time to walk all around the city where there were tons of different shops with all types of different goods. Some were your traditional touristy t-shirts/sweatshirts, handbags, perfumes, etc. but there were also some that had hand-made crafts. There was a really cool shop where the guys were actually outside carving windchimes and statues out of wood right there in front of you. Across from it was Senor Frog's which was right out on the water. There were also quite a few other nice-looking restaurants and bars around too. One of the big food items in Nassau is Conch which we tried it deep-fried and it was really good. And you would see the police walking around through town in uniforms with crisp white jackets and gloves that actually made it feel a little more safe there.

 

Near the end of the day, we took a cab over to Paradise Island and went down to the beach but didn't have much time there. It was a really nice, clean beach and it wasn't overly crowded either. You can also take the ferry over to the island but it's quicker to just grab one of the van taxis that are running back and forth constantly from right in front of the cruise pier. Just make sure you leave enough time to make it back to the ship if it is during rush hour in the afternoon or you might find yourselves pushing it and running like crazy for the ship like we had to do :o.

[Mrs007]

Los Cinco Sole is where I want to walk to. How do I get there? Besides booze what kind of things does it sell?

Thanks,

I found this site for Los Cinco Soles. http://www.loscincosoles.com/mainwelcome.htm

[GTJ]

1st time cruisers here. We are getting married on the boat before it leaves Port in Florida. Our stops will be Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya, & Nassau, in that order. We would like to go into town at one of these ports to do some shopping away from the high priced ports. Looking to get some authentic Mexican Tequila and some other small things. Anyone have any advice as to which port would be best to do this in, and how we should go about doing it.

 

It's great to see that you're interested in looking beyond the overpriced ports. I think that you've done your research well in concluding that the stores in and around most ports are tourist-oriented and largely overpriced. Unfortunately, it can be difficult in many Caribbean places to get sufficiently far away from the tourist crowd to seek what I think you're after. I've visited Cozumel and Belize, and have research and would have visited Costa Maya but for an itinerary change caused by hurricane damage.

 

You're likely going to be with the tourists no matter where you head in Cozumel. Virtually the entire island, as well as the mainland connected to Cozumel (i.e., Playa del Carmen and surrounding communities), is oriented towards tourism. You might find some locations where locals shop for their daily consumables, but in most places an American complexion will make your quest difficult.

 

There have been a number of concerns expressed here about Belize. More so than in Cozumel you can readily visit the heart and main street of the country's largest city. But by American standards it is rather rag-tag. The street scapes can be intimidating to Americans that do not regularly venture into the least affluent parts of domestic cities. You could probably find local stores more readily here than in Cozumel, though the selection of goods might be limited and the intimidation might be greater. I would rather use my time in Belize to see some of the archeological treasures than trying to make it a shopping trip.

 

While I haven't yet had the opportunity to visit Costa Maya, I can tell you that this is a cruise-ship built community. Before the ships arrived this was a very isolated small community. While still isolated, the cruise ships are the community's lifeblood. They're looking to get your money, and with the isolated location, you won't have the ability to get anywhere else (on the ADO bus it is 2.5 to 3 hours to the nearest big city, Chetumal).

 

In sum, I would agree with most of the other posters that Cozumel is probably your best bet for shopping.

 

Congrats on the marriage. My wife and I were also married as part of a cruise holiday. In our case we boarded the Norwegian Spirit in our hometown of New York and sailed to St. Thomas, St. Lucia, Barbados, Aruba, Curaçao, Santo Tomas de Castilla (Guatemala), and Belize City before alighting in Cozumel. We traveled inland and got married in Oaxaca. After honeymooning throughout southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, we boarded the Carnival Fantasy in Cozumel and sailed to Progreso and New Orleans (and boarded the overnight train back home to New York).

[bigbear54]

I must agree with Cozumel. Los Cinco Soles is a great store, carrying a wide variety of merchandise including tequilla. You may be able to sample various tequillas there. Poncho's Backyard is a great place for lunch in a pretty cool atmosphere. You can go to www.loscincosoles.com and print coupons for free margaritas. The address is on the coupons. There are many stores between there and the cruiseship terminals, you may even encounter some costumed dancers enroute. Have a great trip.

[ozysanj]

We were in Nassau this past February. We don't have a lot of experience traveling, but we didn't think it really had a "rundown, seedy feel" at all. We actually really loved Nassau. It wasn't originally on our itinerary but due to bad weather near the cruiseline's private island, the captain decided to take us to Nassau.

 

We scheduled an excursion through the cruiseline that included a land tour and a water & submarine tour. On the land portion of the tour, we went to a Fort they have there and when we got out there were quite a few small sounveneir stands where I bought some really cool bracelets and necklaces made from different stones for under $10 each. I wear them all the time and get compliments constantly. I only wish I would have had more time at that stop to browse a little more.

 

Before and after our tour, we had quite a bit of time to walk all around the city where there were tons of different shops with all types of different goods. Some were your traditional touristy t-shirts/sweatshirts, handbags, perfumes, etc. but there were also some that had hand-made crafts. There was a really cool shop where the guys were actually outside carving windchimes and statues out of wood right there in front of you. Across from it was Senor Frog's which was right out on the water. There were also quite a few other nice-looking restaurants and bars around too. One of the big food items in Nassau is Conch which we tried it deep-fried and it was really good. And you would see the police walking around through town in uniforms with crisp white jackets and gloves that actually made it feel a little more safe there.

 

Near the end of the day, we took a cab over to Paradise Island and went down to the beach but didn't have much time there. It was a really nice, clean beach and it wasn't overly crowded either. You can also take the ferry over to the island but it's quicker to just grab one of the van taxis that are running back and forth constantly from right in front of the cruise pier. Just make sure you leave enough time to make it back to the ship if it is during rush hour in the afternoon or you might find yourselves pushing it and running like crazy for the ship like we had to do :o.

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