Cozumel: Small island with big fun
Cozumel, Mexico is a small island, roughly 10 miles by 30 miles. in the Caribbean Sea. The island is off the coast of the Yucatan Penisula, directly across from Playa Del Carmen. Considered mostly underdeveloped, the little island is one of the most popular stops for cruise ships in part because of its gorgeous beaches and fabulous scuba/snorkeling. Cozumel is on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second largest reef system to the Great Barrier Reef. It is also the largest reef system in the Western Hemisphere.
With temperatures averaging 83 degrees year-round, soft powdery white sand, and turquoise waters Cozumel is a major port stop for cruisers. A 40-minute ferry ride to Playa del Carmen, another great spot to visit to view ruins, shopping, and beaches all make Cozumel a prime cruise port. There’s even swimming with sea turtles while you go snorkeling. There is so much to do in Cozumel, you won’t want to leave!
I love visiting Cozumel! The people are friendly, the beaches are gorgeous and I always find something fun when shopping. There really is something for almost everyone. Cozumel is truly tourist-friendly; if you want to grab a taxi, there is a large sign with prices to different locations clearly marked so you don’t have to worry about getting ripped off. Cozumel is super easy to get around! There are some nice places within walking distance too, but for most of the “better” beaches and locations, you will want to take a taxi or go on an excursion.
While Spanish is the main language spoken on the island, English is commonly understood, at least in the more touristy areas.
Cozumel Piers and Pier Runners
One of the first things you see if traveling by ship is the piers- there are five of them! Three of the piers are cruise ship piers, one is a ferry dock that goes to Playa del Carmen, and one near downtown is for vehicles. Carnival docks at Puerta Maya at a very loooooong dock.
One of the fun and free things that make Cozumel interesting if you’re immature like me are pier runners. If you’ve not cruised, pier runners are people who, for different reasons, are late to the ship. The reason it’s funny to watch pier runners isn’t that they’re late, that’s scary to think about missing the ship.
The fun part is when the pier runners are drunk. Suddenly, that pier gets really wobbly… On one cruise, another passenger was so drunk, the cruise line sent out a golf cart to bring them back to the ship. The passenger was so drunk, they were hanging off the golf cart seat. I saw a girl drinking out of her shoe once too. It was not because she was only wearing one shoe that made her wobbly though.
Don’t Miss The Ship!
You always, always, always want to ensure you are not a pier runner because not only are you holding up the ship, or running the risk of missing the ship. You also do not want to be a pier runner because fellow passengers will sit on their balconies or other seating areas. clapping or yelling things like “Run Forest, run.” It’s tradition! Thankfully I’ve never seen anyone get left behind but I’ve seen some seriously drunk “runners.”
Cruise ships must keep on schedule so when it’s time to leave, they will depart even if it means leaving people behind. They will do everything possible to try to locate missing people though, and there are circumstances where a ship will wait. When it’s time to leave, you will hear names being called over the ship intercom asking them to contact Guest Services. Those are people who have not gotten back on the ship.
I should explain a bit here: every cruise line monitors everyone who gets on and off the ship. Carnival has a “sign and sail” card, and Princess, Disney, and Royal Caribbean have fob wristbands. Cruise passengers use these trackers for things like embarking/disembarking from their ship, onboard purchases, and unlocking their cabin doors.
As I previously mentioned, there are a few occasions a ship will wait. During my last time in Cozumel, the ship waited at least twenty minutes past the time to leave. We watched an entire ferry full of passengers arrive late, then embark as if they had all the time in the world. If an excursion was booked through the cruise line, the ship will wait if that excursion is late. If an excursion is late but not booked through the cruise line, the ship WILL leave if the wait becomes too long though.
Another great thing about Cozumel is right off the pier are gorgeous free beaches. Some of the bars do rent chairs but there are several free beaches too. You can spend your entire stop on the beach for free! While there are some places like various resorts that have nicer beaches, free ninety-nine is awesome too!
Shopping in Cozumel
A major element at the Cozumel cruise ship piers I enjoy is the shopping. The cruise ship piers have some excellent shopping for fun tourist goodies or more serious jewelry shopping. At Carnival’s pier (Puerta Maya), there’s the obligatory Margaritaville, Ron Jon Surfshop, or at the International Pier, you get Bubba Gump shrimp. Both piers have non-branded tourist shops full of knickknacks, t-shirts, shot glasses, and plenty of bars. Even if you don’t drink, the bars can be useful; for a small purchase, many bars have wi-fi for paying customers.
However, you will want to be cautious when shopping at the piers. One of the biggest draws for pier shopping is jewelry- especially diamonds, blue sapphires, and because it’s Mexico, silver. Stones such as Larimer and black coral are pushed as “exclusive.” However, if you do a little internet shopping you can find pieces at home for a fraction of the cost at the pier shops. The onboard shopping show will get you all excited and tell you all about all the “special,” or “exclusive” goodies you can only buy in port. While some of this may be true, do your research first.
Scooter Warning! One of the scams tourists get into themselves into:
Outside the pier gates are some shopping, a taxi stop, and pick-up locations for rental scooters and dune buggies. Be super duper cautious if you rent scooters!! Scooters can be a major problem for tourists getting ripped off. One of the ships I was on even had a “Do Not Rent Scooters” sign before disembarking. I’m not telling you to not, but I’m strongly warning you to be cautious.
If you take a longish walk or short taxi ride, you can find some fun shopping and site seeing if you head to downtown Cozumel. The main attraction downtown is Benito Juárez Park and the popular, colorful Cozumel sign. One of the nice things about Cozumel is the vendors. While they will try to talk to you, they are low-pressure and friendly. Be polite and say no “thank you” if you’re not interested. The vendors are actually quite lovely. During one trip, we were looking for a silver ring in one shop. When asked for what we were looking for, that shop did not have what we wanted but the owner took us around the corner to another shop that had actually what we wanted.
While downtown, you can also hit the beach or go snorkeling
Chankanaab Adventure Park
Typically when I visit Cozumel, I go to Chankanaab which is inside Cozumel´s National Reef Marine Park. I’ve always gone on my own and not as part of an excursion. After doing some research and seeing for myself, the excursions were not what I was looking for. I choose to not use an excursion in Chankanaab for a variety of reasons. The time at the park was limited, groups were large, and it is more expensive than paying for park entry and getting a taxi. This is just my experience though!
One of the amazing reasons to go to Chankanaab is the submerged sculpture park. While there are guide-led groups to show you the locations of each sculpture, I found it more exciting to discover the sculptures on my own. There are several more including the Virgin Mary but I don’t want to spoil them for you!
One of my other great loves at Chankannab was swimming with the manatees. They do offer various dolphin swim packages but for various reasons, I choose to not do these. Dolphin swims are unethical and cruel, but after doing what reading I could find regarding the manatees, Chankannab Park is a rescue for the manatees. This is a tough discussion regarding ethical wildlife tourism experiences.
In an attempt to find more ethical options, I no longer do the manatee swim which I admit makes me sad. This was my choice after learning more and more about wildlife tourism, especially in relation to sea creatures. I’ll just have to go on another cruise where you can see the manatees in the wild!
