Cruise Day #13 - Costa Maya, Mexico

Good morning Costa Maya, Mexico!  This port is often jokingly referred to as "Costa Maybe" because cruise ships are frequently forced to skip it due to high winds. Thankfully, this morning the weather is calm, with no wind and some beautiful cloud cover.

Docked nearby is Grandeur of the Seas, the oldest and smallest ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet. We haven’t seen her in years!

Despite all our travels throughout the Caribbean, this is our first visit to this port. Like many others in the region, it features a purpose-built "cruise village" right outside the ship, filled with shops and restaurants—a now common tactic to encourage passengers to spend more of their tourist dollars close to the dock.

Our kids booked a Viator excursion to visit some Mayan ruins a fair distance from the port. After breakfast, Debbie and I plan to explore the port area and see what it has to offer.

We walked off our ship this morning and were immediately struck by how close the MSC Seashore was—just 20 feet away on our opposite side!

The weather was oppressive, with the temperature hovering around 85°F and 80% humidity. The walk down the pier to the so-called “village” was a long 200 yards, and once inside, it was wall-to-wall shops in every direction.

In the middle of it all was a huge pool, packed with people. Hordes of visitors filled every corner, making it feel more like a theme park than a port town.

Debbie, always planning ahead, tried to do a little Christmas shopping, but the prices were exorbitant! We also checked out a couple of restaurants for lunch but found them overpriced and lacking in authentic local options.

In our opinion, this “village” is nothing more than a tourist trap. As we started to make our way back to the pier, the Harmony of the Seas was just disembarking passengers. The four cruise ships in port today increased the population by around 20,000 people!  Way too many for our comfort!

Our recommendation: If you're planning a stop in Costa Maya, definitely book an excursion that takes you away from the port area. Otherwise, Costa Maya quickly becomes “Costa No Way!”

Our family loved their excursion!

Jacques, the Director of Restaurant Operations, and our Restaurant Manager, Héctor, surprised our granddaughter with an amazing birthday cake. She was sooo surprised and happy!