Cozumel, Mexico is a person of the most common ports of phone in the Western Caribbean and 1 of the busiest cruise ports in the entire world by travellers. The island is positioned about 12 miles off the coast of Mexico and is roughly 30 miles prolonged and 10 miles huge.
By the finish of 2022, Cozumel experienced virtually 3 million visitors from about diverse 1,200 cruise itineraries!
If Cozumel is on your approaching cruise itinerary, you are most likely pondering how to shell out your working day on the Mexican island. Fortunately, there is one thing for every person! It does not issue if you want to come across a snug beach lounger and shell out the day calming or do a thing that necessitates a very little far more action, like snorkeling or wading as a result of caves.
You can go scuba diving or zip lining, choose an ATV tour about the island, unwind on the seashore, consume mouth watering reliable Mexican food, or even take a look at cenotes and underground caves.
Read through a lot more: Ideal Caribbean shore excursions
Right here are the finest points to do on your subsequent cruise to Cozumel.
What is the weather conditions in Cozumel like?
If you are cruising to Cozumel, you need to know that temperatures continue being relatively constant in the course of the yr. In just about every year, the daytime highs are in the 80s (peaking nearer to the 90s in the center of the summer season), while the nighttime lows will vary from the superior 60s to mid-70s. At times, the island will confront a cold front, which usually normally takes place in December and January.
If you want the most temperate and cozy temperatures, you should really system on cruising between November and March. The relaxation of the yr is subject matter to greater temperatures and humidity temperatures, as perfectly as a larger possibility for rainfall June via Oct due to hurricane season.
The place do cruise ships dock in Cozumel?
Cozumel, Mexico has a few principal cruise docks: the Langosta Pier, Puerta Maya, and the International Cruise Terminal. The latter is the oldest pier in Cozumel and is situated 3 miles south of downtown, though the Langosta Pier is found in the coronary heart of downtown. It costs about $8 for a cab for up to four visitors to get from the Worldwide Cruise Terminal or Puerta Maya to downtown.
The International Cruise Terminal is primarily utilized by Celeb Cruises and Royal Caribbean, with all other cruise traces docking at the Langosta Pier.
Puerta Maya is reserved just for Carnival’s Cruise Line and is situated just south of the Worldwide Cruise Terminal. It can accommodate up to a few ships for every working day!
Pay a visit to Mayan ruins
Traveling to Mayan ruins is one of the most popular matters to do though docked in Mexico. A lot of excursions, however, have to have you to board a ferry to Playa del Carmen, and this ride can frequently be tough and choppy. At the time you disembark the ferry, you will have to sit on a bus for at the very least a further hour.
If you do not want to spend the bulk of your port working day in transit, there are some Mayan ruins on the island of Cozumel! Though the San Gervasio Mayan Archaeological Web-site is not as well-liked and famed as those in Tulum or Chichén Itzá, they spotlight the Maya beliefs of enjoy and fertility.
The entrance charge is only $12.50 per individual, with little ones three and beneath obtaining in for absolutely free. In addition, for about $20, you can get a private information to direct you close to!
Of training course, this will not change a trip to the infamous Tulum ruins or Chichén Itzá. The most effective way to encounter these sites is to reserve an tour by way of your cruise line, as you will want to ensure that you have good transportation you do not want to miss out on your cruise ship!
Carnival Cruise Line presents an tour to Tulum for $100 per grownup and $90 for every baby. The tour lasts about 7 hrs and consists of a guided tour of Tulum, as well as 1.5 hrs of totally free time to discover on your personal!
Chichén Itzá is a very little little bit further, so tours are not usually offered. It is dependent on how extensive your ship is docked in Cozumel for. If you are there prolonged adequate, you can choose to just take Norwegian Cruise Line’s 9 hour “Chichén Itzá Mayan Ruins” tour for $185 for every grownup and $149 per baby.
Study far more: 11 prevalent cruise shore excursion blunders to keep away from
Scuba diving and snorkeling
Cozumel is known for their scuba diving and snorkeling chances. In this article, you will obtain all around 500 species of fish, 60 species of coral, 350 mollusks and marine mammals, algaes, and seagrasses.
If you are an inexperienced diver, you can book a snuba excursion that enables you to dive under the area of the ocean without the need of the large scuba products or prolonged lessons. Carnival delivers a person for only $80 for each person, with a least participant age of 8-many years-aged.
And of training course, there is certainly always snorkeling. Depending on which tour you guide, you may possibly be taken to as numerous as a few various reef locations all-around the island! Some even include things like some time for you to take it easy on a beach front.
Do not restrict yourself to what your cruise ship presents. There are quite a few third party operators in Cozumel that you can opt for from that are more cost-effective than cruise line excursions.
Browse much more: How to program your individual shore tour
Check out genuine delicacies
Even however Cozumel is greatest identified for its lovely shorelines and diving, foodies might want to think about employing their time in port to test some scrumptious Mexican foods.
Cruise lines will offer you foodstuff tours however, to get the most authentic working experience, you are greater off undertaking investigate in advance of time and likely on a self-guided tour or scheduling via a 3rd get together. In most scenarios, you will have to venture outside of the main tourist areas.
If you are likely to go off on your have, you will want to make absolutely sure that you have pesos. If you forgot to go to your lender and get regional currency in advance of your trip, there are many ATMs in downtown Cozumel that deposit pesos. This is the ideal way to make certain that you might be having the greatest charge, as well!
Study much more: I identified the ultimate foodie location in the Caribbean: The most scrumptious Cozumel foods tour
Soak up the sun on the seaside
Quite a few cruisers want to lounge on the beach front even though in Cozumel and sip on a piña colada or some other tropical beverage.
I propose preventing cruise line beach excursions. They are typically overpriced and you can working experience the exact thing for significantly less if you go on your own! In addition, you will not be relient on a shuttle back to the ship, that means that you can commit as very long (or as little) on the seashore as you would like to– just be absolutely sure you do not skip the ship!
If you are seeking for an all-inclusive seaside day, two of the most preferred solutions are Mr. Sanchos Seashore Club and Paradise Beach Club. Costs for Mr. Sanchos start at $40.00 for young children ages 4 to 11, $45 for kids ages 12 to 17, and $68 for all company 18+.
Cruise travellers likely to Paradise Seashore Club can count on identical pricing: $41 for kids in between the ages of 5 and 11, $47 for teenagers 12 to 17, and $60 for all those who are 18+.
For those people seeking to experience fewer crowds, you can undertaking to the other aspect of the island, which include Ixpalbarco Seaside, Punta Morena, Chen Rio, and El Mirador.
Examine a lot more: 10 tips for receiving the finest cruise shore tour values
ATV or dune buggy tour
If you might be intriguing in exploring the Japanese shores of the island, the most effective way to do so is on an ATV or dune buggy tour. Compared with the occupied Western half, the Japanese aspect of the island is virtually uninhabited. You will get to view some of the most lovely landscapes on the island, as effectively as sweeping sights of the Caribbean Sea.
If you are sailing on Carnival, you can opt to e-book the “ATV Jungle Experience & Seashore” excursion right via the cruise line for $90 per person. Take note, on the other hand, that there is a minimum age of sixteen-yrs-outdated.
If you have youthful children, a Jeep or dune buggy tour may well be a lot more acceptable. Norwegian Cruise Line presents a dune buggy tour that incorporates a snorkel stop and totally free time at Explora Beach. This charges $129 for each adult and $109 for every child.
Underground river in Playa del Carmen
When docked in Cozumel, you are only a solitary forty-five moment ferry ride absent from Rio Secreto Purely natural Reserve, a collection of historic caverns that are related by crystal-crystal clear underground rivers, in Playa del Carmen. This ferry, nevertheless, has a standing of inducing sea sickness therefore, you will want to make sure that you pack Bonine or Dramamine in your day bag!
Because you will have to journey off the island, this can be 1 of the additional costly excursions offered, and you will almost certainly want to guide it by means of your cruise line to eliminate any worries about building it again to Cozumel on time.
Through Carnival Cruise Line, you can be expecting to pay back all-around $115 for each adult and $100 for each little one for their “Wonderful Key River” tour.
Not only do you get transportation to and from the natural reserve, but you also get a buffet lunch comprehensive with non-alcoholic drinks, all gear needed for the tour (i.e., wetsuit, existence jacket, helmet, water shoes, towels, and lockers), and free of charge time in downtown Playa del Carmen relying on ferry departure moments.
If you can’t determine…
If you cannot determine how you want to commit your day in Cozumel, think about employing a private driver, as you will get to see and knowledge the island in accordance to your interests.
By scheduling a personal driver, you will be stop by various different sights in a solitary day with no working with a substantial tour team.
You can start out by traveling to the San Gervasio Mayan Archaeological Web site, followed by a tour of the Japanese facet of the island in the afternoon and some procuring in downtown Cozumel just before returning to the pier.
You can guide a driver via your cruise line or a third occasion. A 50 percent-day (4 hour) private driver by means of Disney Cruise Line costs $679 for up to 8 visitors, although a whole-day (8 hour) fees $949.
If you have fewer visitors, it could possibly make a lot more perception to book by way of an independent vendor. Cozumel Personal Tours, for instance, expenses $78 per adult and $64 for every child for a 5 hour non-public tour, with a minimum amount of $312. If you are a family members of 4 comprised of two older people and two young children, this would only price tag $312 compared to Disney’s $679!
Often, there will even be drivers accessible in the vicinity of the cruise port to retain the services of when you get there. Just make positive they are from a highly regarded enterprise!
Study extra: 12 cruise ship shore excursions you should skip
