Short Stop at Costa Maya
About This Page: This is a discussion on Short Stop at Costa Maya within the Planning Your Disney Cruise Voyage, part of the PassPorter Community - Boards & Forums on Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel; We are on the Fantasy in April and the stop at Costa Maya is only from 1:00 PM till 5:30 ...
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We are on the Fantasy in April and the stop at Costa Maya is only from 1:00 PM till 5:30 PM. It seems to short to do any excursions. Has this been the experience of anyone who has been there recently ?
We've done the Mayan ruins in this port of cal. My husband and I liked then a lot! The kids, not so much...."why are we seeing old stones rather than stay at aqua duck "was their opinion. Besides, I do not know why, and if it will repeat, the ship stayed at the port until 10 pm.
We are on the Fantasy in April and the stop at Costa Maya is only from 1:00 PM till 5:30 PM. It seems to short to do any excursions. Has this been the experience of anyone who has been there recently ?
I have the same question. We leave in March and our stop is the same as yours and opted not to book any port adventures. There is a free area at port that has shops and pools...we will try that. I'll let you know how it is.
DCL isn't going to offer excursions that are too long to fit into the schedule. The real issue is whether you want to spend all your time ashore on an excursion, or also want spend some time on your own, exploring the port.
Dedicating all your ashore time to a single excursion is not all that uncommon. For example, a stop in a port like Rome lasts much longer, but due to travel time between the port and the city (up to an hour each way) and the number of sights to pack into the excursions, you may have a similar wall-to-wall experience - off the boat as soon as possible, back to the boat just in time for dinner or departure. Whether 4 hours or 9 hours, that can leave you feeling breathless. At least when it's a short day in port, you get some additional relaxation time at sea to compensate.
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On our Fantasy cruise a few weeks ago, we were scheduled to originally leave Costa Maya at 5:30, but for whatever reason, there was a chance of plans & we didn't leave until 1am! I think it was b/c our next stop was Cozumel which is only a few hours away from Costa Maya. There's not a ton to do at Costa Maya...I would have rather left Costa Maya & gotten to Cozumel earlier...
Costa Maya is a made up port basically - it was created by the cruise industry. So if you are imagining lots to see/do right in port - not so much. A lot of touristy stuff. We did go to some Mayan ruins outside of the area that we enjoyed, but if I had a short time in port, I'd probably opt to stay on board!
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DisneyLand too many times to count; DisneyWorld: ('82; '94; '00; '04; '05; '08 - twice!; '10;'11 - twice); DCL (3 ships): ('00, '05, '06, '10, '11); DVC Hilton Head Resort ('06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13)
I have the same question. We leave in March and our stop is the same as yours and opted not to book any port adventures. There is a free area at port that has shops and pools...we will try that. I'll let you know how it is.
We would really appreciate that. We have booked an excursion - Dune Buggy Jungle & Beach Safari. It is Pirate night so for us there is no rush to get back to the ship to see an early show before dinner.
DCL isn't going to offer excursions that are too long to fit into the schedule. The real issue is whether you want to spend all your time ashore on an excursion, or also want spend some time on your own, exploring the port.
Dedicating all your ashore time to a single excursion is not all that uncommon. For example, a stop in a port like Rome lasts much longer, but due to travel time between the port and the city (up to an hour each way) and the number of sights to pack into the excursions, you may have a similar wall-to-wall experience - off the boat as soon as possible, back to the boat just in time for dinner or departure. Whether 4 hours or 9 hours, that can leave you feeling breathless. At least when it's a short day in port, you get some additional relaxation time at sea to compensate.
We would really appreciate that. We have booked an excursion - Dune Buggy Jungle & Beach Safari. It is Pirate night so for us there is no rush to get back to the ship to see an early show before dinner.
I'll let you know. How did you find out when pirate night was?
When they stayed late did they extend your shore time in port? When did they announce that the ship was departing late? We return from the Mayan Ruins 30 min. before departure and would like some extra port time to look around.
When they stayed late did they extend your shore time in port? When did they announce that the ship was departing late? We return from the Mayan Ruins 30 min. before departure and would like some extra port time to look around.
Yes, when we stayed late in Costa Maya, all aboard time was not until 1am, with the ship sailing shortly thereafter. The all aboard time was written on the Personal Navigator that we got the night before we arrived at Costa Maya and our cruise director, Brent (who is AWESOME), also announced it.
If you do have time after the Mayan Ruins, I HIGHLY suggest getting a cab to the neighboring town of Mahahual. (It's probably a 5 min cab ride away.) At Mahahual, there are free white sand beaches with small beach bars, shops, restaurants & CHEAP beach massages!! You can walk around the man-made Cruise ship port in less than an hour, but there is nowhere to swim in the beautiful Caribbean water at the port! If you want a place to relax and enjoy the warm blue water, go to Mahahual. I will warn you, though, that Mahahual is a real Mexican town...tiny shacks with grass roofs, stray dogs, etc, so don't expect the luxury of the Ritz Carlton. But, if you're looking for a beach to stretch your legs and relax by the sun with a Pina Colada, this is your place.
Here's me with a giant Pina Colada! 2 for $15! (I could only drink half of one!)
Yes, when we stayed late in Costa Maya, all aboard time was not until 1am, with the ship sailing shortly thereafter. The all aboard time was written on the Personal Navigator that we got the night before we arrived at Costa Maya and our cruise director, Brent (who is AWESOME), also announced it.
If you do have time after the Mayan Ruins, I HIGHLY suggest getting a cab to the neighboring town of Mahahual. (It's probably a 5 min cab ride away.) At Mahahual, there are free white sand beaches with small beach bars, shops, restaurants & CHEAP beach massages!! You can walk around the man-made Cruise ship port in less than an hour, but there is nowhere to swim in the beautiful Caribbean water at the port! If you want a place to relax and enjoy the warm blue water, go to Mahahual. I will warn you, though, that Mahahual is a real Mexican town...tiny shacks with grass roofs, stray dogs, etc, so don't expect the luxury of the Ritz Carlton. But, if you're looking for a beach to stretch your legs and relax by the sun with a Pina Colada, this is your place.
Here's me with a giant Pina Colada! 2 for $15! (I could only drink half of one!)
Thanks for the reply! I made a note about Mahahual it sounds like a cool place to check out, if we stay late we hopefully we will go there! Only 43 days and it's Pina Colado time for me!
We went to Maya Chan Beach Resort in Costa Maya & LOVED it!!! The great price included all of our food, drinks, sand toys for kids, kayaking & snorkeling, & even the taxi fare to get there. The price was cheaper than we would have spent on meals & drinks for 4 people. We were really impressed. You can check out there website at: Costa Maya Beach Resort, Costa Maya Chan Beach Resort - Majahual, Mexico
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About This Page: This is a discussion on Short Stop at Costa Maya within the Planning Your Disney Cruise Voyage, part of the PassPorter Community - Boards & Forums on Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel; We are on the Fantasy in April and the stop at Costa Maya is only from 1:00 PM till 5:30 ...
Tinkerbell1012
DisneyLand too many times to count; DisneyWorld: ('82; '94; '00; '04; '05; '08 - twice!; '10;'11 - twice); DCL (3 ships): ('00, '05, '06, '10, '11); DVC Hilton Head Resort 
('06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13)
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