Puerto Maya, Cozumel, Mexico from a Carnival Cruise in 2019

This morning, we were in Cozumel! Watching the boat dock was cool. I always love watching that part. After breakfast, we headed down to go ashore. Going all the way down to Deck 0 always feels a little strange. I can’t help but imagine scenes from Titanic every time I am on a boat. Morbid, I know. Cozumel had an 80% chance of rain today, according to the Carnival Hub app, so we opted to skip a shore excursion and stick with wandering around the port for a little bit. Well into the port area, there was a stand that offered a novelty passport stamp. I got one. My pages aren’t full and I’ll have to renew next year anyway, so I figured there was no reason not to. There are a lot of shops in the port area and it’s easy to kill a couple of hours. Instead of doing the smart thing (staying in the relative safety of the port area), I decided to venture towards downtown to see what was out there.

A beautiful tourist monument in downtown Cozumel amidst the shops, Cozumel, Mexico 2019

After a little sunburn and a lot of walking, I determined that downtown was not where I wanted to be. Like a lot of places, you can’t walk more than 15 feet without someone else trying to sell you something. The common hustle of giving something away for free to gain your attention and then try to sell you something else is everywhere here. It wouldn’t be so bad if they kept talking to you even after you had already walked thirty feet away from them. These people are determined to sell somebody something.

A popular tourist spot. Three Amigos is right on the edge of the pier when you get off of the boat and through Customs.

Haggle for everything is the moral of the story down here. Everything from a Coke in a shop to jewelry in a case; you negotiate. It is important to not be afraid to walk away. If you really really want something and you feel you have to have it, then you will pay what they want to charge you for it. You win some, you lose some. It is important to note that most of the beaches on the port side of the island are pay beaches. You must access them through hotels and restaurants.

A gorgeous sunny beach in Isla Cozumel, Mexico

I was on shore for only 2 hours or so and I had enough of overcast Mexico. Getting back on the ship early is always a great idea. There are fewer people everywhere and nobody in the pool! I bought 2 new swimsuits for this trip and didn’t get either one wet until this afternoon. The adults-only pool on 10 Aft was empty. It was wonderful. I got to lay out for a bit, swim around for a bit, and not be surrounded by people. The dining areas were virtually empty and there wasn’t a lot of noise. There was still another 4 hours before everyone else had to be back on board.

All but vacant Adults Only pool at the back of the boat during a port day.

After the sunning and relaxing, there was some more eating and a delightful nap. Happy hour started at 2 and I did not make it there until 3:30. Just enough time for two drinks before the prices went back up. The bartender was very insistent and I did not care for him. Knowing that throngs of guests would be boarding the boat soon, I made my way to my room, ordered room service, and hunkered down for a little while. Any time there is mass movement and chaos, I prefer to be in the safety of my cabin.

In the middle of playing cards, at 4:40 PM, the crew came over the loudspeaker and listed out about thirty names. He quickly asked for those people to call guest services. Apparently, there were some people lost in the mix of the boarding process in Cozumel. Ten minutes go by and the crew comes on the overhead speaker again with five of the thirty names asking them to call guest services. Another five minutes go by and the list id down to three. All of the people on this list had the same last name. We were afraid it was a family that got lost somewhere. A few minutes later, we were leaving.

There is a common concern on the boat that the family of three was indeed left in Cozumel. It is a frequent misunderstanding of customers to think that the boat will not leave you in port. If you are not back on time, you will learn how untrue this is. There is one solid piece of advice here. If you get off the port at the port, make sure that you have your passport and a credit card. You are responsible for getting yourself home if the boat leaves you somewhere. The cruise ship does not require that you have your passport with you when you get off. Carnival only requires a photo ID. Take your passport. You don’t want to get caught in a bad situation and be stuck in another country trying to figure out how to get home.

Dinner time rolled around and there was some snacking, as always. Another round of drinks and some time with my family made for a lovely round out to the day. Tonight was the Mega Deck Party in midship and I people watched at that for a while. There were plenty of people to watch, for sure. It got too loud for me and now I’m back in my room, ready for sleep.

Until tomorrow. Thanks, y’all!