This article is reposted from the WeChat public account of a reader from our WeChat group, Lanren 33’s Food, Drink, and Fun. Original link.

Itinerary Planning

All of these ports were new to us, so when booking, we focused on the classic itineraries. We also wanted some variety in the schedule. The original plan had four themes: ruins, relaxing, animals, and snorkeling. Later, the snorkeling in Cozumel was changed to a customized island tour because of the weather.

WhatsApp is widely used in the western Caribbean, so communication is very convenient. I am listing the WhatsApp contact information for reference.

There are Mayan ruins in both Costa Maya and Cozumel, but the ones in Cozumel are very far away, so I recommend seeing the ruins in Costa Maya instead.

Snorkeling in Cozumel is among the best in the entire Caribbean, so it was a real pity that we could not go because of the weather. I will go into more detail in the Cozumel section.

As for why we booked all the shore excursions ourselves instead of through the ship, the pros and cons are explained in How to Plan a Cruise Trip.

COSTA MAYA

Communication for this shore excursion went pretty smoothly, and they quickly arranged everything for our large group. The tour company sent us a location and told us to go around from the parking lot side, but the Costa Maya port staff stopped us and forced us to go through the shopping area instead.

When we got off the ship, we happened to run into the ship from our very first cruise arriving at the port. We were held up for about 10 minutes and were not allowed to leave, so that caused a bit of a delay.

The color of the water here was just so-so, but Costa Maya has a famous seven-color lagoon that looks beautiful in photos.

The meeting point for this shore excursion was a bit far away. After getting off the ship, you have to walk 15-20 minutes, and you will see it after going around the big pyramid. After meeting up, our group of 20 was split into two vehicles, 14 + 6. The drive to the Mayan pyramids took about 40 minutes each way. Here, kids can sit in the middle seat at the front of the minibus, which several of them found very interesting.

There was water in the vehicle, though it was not very cold. The driver was nice and friendly. However, I do not know if they were too busy that day or what, but the tour company’s staffing was a bit chaotic. On the way, we were assigned to the guide from another vehicle, and after arriving on site, we were assigned to yet another guide.

After walking along a short shaded path, we could see the ruins. It was quite hot that day, and the kids who do not handle heat well were all complaining.

My close friend is a Mayan ruins enthusiast. When I asked her how she felt after seeing them, she said they were both a little like what she had imagined and a little different.

For the kids, it was more about the experience of climbing up and down. Besides us, the guide was also leading a small Indian family. He told us to take photos on our own, then went around to the back of the ruins to take photos for the Indian family. We could not find him anywhere for a while and briefly considered leaving a bad review. Fortunately, he came back and apologized repeatedly, then took out several small booklets from his backpack and told us about the history of the Mayan ruins.

It was actually quite interesting, and the guide made the explanation lively.

In addition to the ruins, he also explained some of the local plants.

Afterward, each of the kids bought a popsicle and sat at the small shop by the entrance to eat it. It felt like summer. (No photo here because I was too lazy to edit one.)

A little duck in the vehicle.

On the way back, the vehicle could take us directly inside the port area. This excursion was pretty easygoing, so after returning we thought about signing up for a dolphin experience. Dolphin experiences are very cheap on Groupon, but the Costa Maya dolphin experience is right at the port and the location is extremely convenient. I guess they do not lack customers, so they do not participate in Groupon promotions, and the price is doubled.

We went back to the ship for a meal, changed into swimsuits, and got off the ship again to have fun. There are two pools at the port, and we swam in the closer one. The water was quite cloudy, possibly because seawater had been brought in. A friend’s child was allergic to salt water and turned red all over. Before leaving, we walked around the port. The facilities and decorations were pretty nice, but overall it still felt a bit rough, with a strong sense that everything was designed to make money.

Harvest Caye (NCL Private Island)

Harvest Caye is NCL’s private island, occupying a nice piece of land in Belize. If we had known there was a free shuttle train to take people onto the island after getting off the ship, we would have brought the alpaca swim ring off the ship too so the kids could play with it.

Based on our previous experiences with private islands, the main plan for this day was simply to relax. If you want to do any activities, you can sign up on site. After all, everything is run through the cruise line, and most of the activities are man-made, so in general they probably will not sell out.

In the end, nobody signed up for any activities, and we just spent the day relaxing by the beach. We got off the ship at around 9-10 a.m., and there were still quite a few chairs with umbrellas available by the beach.

At noon, we had lunch at the restaurant by the pool, and it was unexpectedly decent. The pool design was also pretty nice, but the kids still preferred playing by the beach, so we did not go. The prices were also fairly reasonable. Purchases on this island cannot be charged to your ship card; you must use a credit card or cash.

We ran into a little lizard along the way.

This private island is not large. Unlike RCL’s island, it does not need a little train to shuttle people around. The spot we chose was right next to the kids’ water park. The kids played by the beach, then played at the water park, which worked out quite well.

Private islands are all set up in roughly similar ways. Compared with RCL’s island in Haiti, this island felt much safer.

There was basically nothing to see while snorkeling, but everyone did find a large starfish.

We brought sand-digging tools, and the kids spent another few hours digging in the sand together.

We spent a relaxing day there.

Roatán, Bay Islands

Roatán is an island in Honduras, and it is also a place developed by the cruise companies. The water was much prettier than in Costa Maya. The weather was also very nice that day.

Once we got off the ship, it was obvious that this place was much less developed than the previous two stops. The pier was under construction and looked a bit run-down.

We walked from the pier to the meeting point, about a 15-minute walk. During the second half of the walk, people in our group felt pretty scared because all kinds of people were packed along both sides and kept trying to approach us. I personally thought it was okay. There were still a lot of tourists, and compared with the situation at Royal Caribbean’s private island last year, this felt much better and not especially unsafe.

The area around the meeting point felt like a small Chinese town from the 1990s. The roads were all dirt roads, dust was flying everywhere, and the meeting point was next to an unfinished building that smelled like urine. Friends who were visiting the Caribbean for the first time were shocked by how undeveloped it was. We had been to a few even less developed areas before, so we felt it was still acceptable.

Being underdeveloped is not the issue. This tour company actually looked fairly legitimate, and everyone was wearing matching uniforms. While waiting for the vehicle, we realized that this vehicle did not have enough seats at all. We had clearly booked spots for 20 people. Later, because a friend got sick, two people canceled, so only 18 people were left, but even then one little kid could only sit on the mom’s lap. If all 20 people had really shown up, how would everyone have fit?

Right after we sat down, the second complaint came up. Everyone had been waiting outdoors for the vehicle and was thirsty, so we asked the guide for water. The guide actually said there was no water. But TripAdvisor clearly said water was included! After discussing it in the vehicle in Chinese, we decided to argue the point with the guide. The guide called the boss, who was the person who had been contacting me on WhatsApp, and the boss approved a budget for bottled water. Along the way, we stopped somewhere to give the guide money, then went to a gas station, where the guide got off to buy water. After buying it and getting back on the vehicle, she said only adults got water, not children...

Thinking back now, we really should have kept arguing! After all, 2 of our children had paid. Why didn’t they deserve water?

While we were sitting in the vehicle, the boss kept frantically urging me on WhatsApp to pay for the attractions. Ages 5 and up were full price, under 5 was free, and the pricing felt very arbitrary. When we arrived at the first stop, the iguana park, it further confirmed my suspicion: the ticket office at this park did not even have a posted sign, so there was no way to know the public ticket price, or whether the boss had overcharged us. At that point, it definitely felt like we had been ripped off.

The park itself was very small. The main thing was seeing groups of iguanas. At first they were still kept in cages, but later there were clusters of them crawling directly on the ground while people walked among them. It was still a little scary.

There was also a feeding session. The park guide took out large leaves for us to feed them. Note that when feeding them, it is best to throw away the long stems. My best friend’s child got bitten on the finger, and there was blood everywhere. Luckily, iguanas are herbivores. A park staff member brought over a bottle of alcohol to disinfect the child’s wound and put on a Band-Aid. The poor child was still left with a psychological shadow about lizards.

There were also large parrots.

At the end, we reached the pier, where the fish were huge. There was a fish-feeding show.

For the second stop, we went to see sloths, which are one of the biggest highlights of Roatán. You can hold the sloths, and everyone took turns holding one, though the kids were all too scared. Holding one felt like having a little baby hanging on you. It was so cuddly. The sloth also loved grabbing hats and kept holding onto my straw hat.

In addition to sloths, you could also take photos with large parrots. After the parrots took photos with about half of our group, they got tired and went to rest, haha.

This attraction also did not clearly post ticket prices. I tried scanning the QR code at the entrance, but still could not get any ticket price information. Basically, we could only go by whatever the tour company boss said.

I won’t post the group photos because I’m too lazy to edit them. But I would still highly recommend the two activities above!

The final stop was going out by boat to snorkel. Along the way, there were many old, run-down buildings like this.

The guide said the boat that had gone out to sea had not come back yet, so we had to wait. He said he would take us to a chocolate factory. It was already noon by then, so I asked about lunch plans. The guide gave a vague answer—probably because they had not worked out the commission with a restaurant. The chocolate factory was packed, so we had to go to another one.

They called it a factory, but it was really just a small house. Visitors could walk straight into the production room. The people making the chocolate were not wearing gloves, hairnets, or anything like that. Honestly, it looked very unsanitary. Outside, there were samples to try, and the kids happily ate a lot. In the end, the parents could not resist since the kids liked it so much, and bought a large package of chocolate. With that level of hygiene, I really did not want to buy any.

Since there was still no word on lunch, we arrived at the final snorkeling spot on empty stomachs. I had previously thought they were working with a snorkeling company, but once we got there, it was obvious the travel agency was running the snorkeling themselves.

The snorkeling spot had changing rooms. This round of snorkeling was very easy: the boat ride was only two or three minutes, and you could even see the spot from shore.

Two people in our group did not want to get in the water, so they did not add this snorkeling activity separately. As mentioned earlier, the itinerary description said it included simple refreshments. I had previously questioned the owner about why the children who paid did not get water, and the owner said there would be some later. I naively thought water would be handed out here. Instead, the guide said only those participating in snorkeling would get the simple refreshments. But the simple refreshments were included in the tour price, weren’t they? It felt like we had been tricked again.

After boarding the boat, we found that they did not have enough life jackets or snorkeling gear for all of us, so everyone had to go in the water in two groups. The number of people on the boat also exceeded the posted capacity.

The waves were fairly big that day, but we could still see some fish at the snorkeling spot. My super timid kid finally tried snorkeling with the new snorkel mask we had bought after having gone out to sea ten times, and was very excited about it.

This small island has only one road. On the way back, traffic was awful. We were stuck near the pier for about half an hour. If it had not been for the kids and the heat, I would have wanted to get out and walk.

The sloths and iguanas were still very distinctive—just make sure to avoid the travel agency we used.

 COZUMEL

Cozumel is said to be one of the best places in the Caribbean for snorkeling and diving, so of course we had to book a snorkeling tour!

We booked this tour very early: https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g150809-d24048087-El_Cielo_Cozumel_Snorkeling_by_Private_Boat-Cozumel_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

Then, one or two weeks before departure, they called me and said that because of local government rules, only one boat could go out each day, and since we had booked late, our tour was canceled. I quickly notified the others in our group, but friends who had booked later than I did said theirs had not been canceled. I called the company again, and they said it was a mistake?? They asked me to rebook. Because I no longer trusted them after that mix-up, I decided to find another company.

Later, I found this one: https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g150809-d25287780-Cozumel_Snorkeling_Tour_Starfish_Stingrays_and_the_Turtle_Bay_Experience-Cozumel_Y.html

To my surprise, I found that the tour we originally booked was through a middleman, while the company for this tour was one of the actual partner operators. In that case, of course booking directly with the operator was a better deal. I also added them on WhatsApp.

Because snorkeling is very weather-dependent, and bad weather during Christmas is quite common, I checked the forecast every day. At first, the weather looked pretty good, but the closer we got, the worse it became. Three days in advance, I quickly messaged the operator on WhatsApp to ask about the situation. They said it would most likely be canceled, and that the government would most likely not allow any tour boats to go out that day.

I quickly picked a backup plan and discussed it with the group. In the end, we chose SafeTours Cozumel, also a customized tour. Their service was excellent! The owner professionally suggested places for us, and the drivers were very friendly. At the end, after we got sandy at the beach, we said we wanted to find a place to rinse off the sand before getting back in the car. The driver said there was no need—that was part of their job. The car had water, Mexican Coke, and Mexican beer, which made the alcohol-loving members of our group extremely happy. The snorkeling gear I asked them to lend us was also very new and clean, and it was neatly arranged. Overall, it was 100 times more professional than Honduras.

The only thing to note is that the remaining balance has to be paid in cash. We had a lot of people, so this was not a small amount. We only found out when we met up, and everyone was dumbfounded. In the end, we solved it by paying with a credit card and a hefty fee. It feels like credit card acceptance in the western Caribbean is clearly not as widespread as on the eastern and southern Caribbean islands, so remember to bring plenty of cash.

The developed areas of Cozumel are mainly on the west coast, the side closer to Cancun. Unfortunately, the wind direction that day made the waves on the west coast especially big. Before getting off the ship, I was still half-doubting whether boats really could not go out that day. As soon as I got off, the strong wind and big waves in the port convinced me completely.

If the snorkeling gear was lost, we would also have to pay for it. They had printed all of this out in advance, which was quite professional.

We really could not come up with that much cash, haha.

The Cozumel port uses the same routine: you are forced to walk through the entire shopping area before you can get outside. It was also about 15-20 minutes from getting off the ship to the meeting point.

Activities like swimming with dolphins, seeing stingrays, and going to water parks are all on the west coast, and the owner did not recommend doing any of them that day.

Our first stop was purely a photo spot. Everyone took turns taking photos. Some studious friends asked the driver about local culture and history, and I just listened on the side for a bit.

The second stop was a place for tequila, taco, and chocolate tastings. Adults were $5/person, and kids were free. It was also cash only, which made things even worse for those of us already short on cash.

When we entered, they first handed out a drink. You could choose a Bloody Mary or something else—I do not drink, so I did not pay much attention.

The taco was tiny. You could choose spicy or non-spicy, and the spicy one was actually pretty flavorful.

The chocolate was also just a tiny little piece. After all, the kids were free.

Finally, we did an indoor tasting with all kinds of flavors—coffee, coconut, and so on. Even though I’m not much of a drinker, I still tried a few small glasses.

Then came the main activity of the day: shore snorkeling. Cozumel’s main snorkeling spots are mostly on the west coast, so the owner could only just barely find us a spot on the east side. Sure enough, the wind and waves were much calmer over here. The beach they took us to was pretty nice, with very fine sand. The water was very shallow, so when getting in you had to be careful not to get scraped by the coral, since it was all very close. We saw a “silver fish storm” here, and the variety and number of fish were no worse than what we had seen the day before in Roatán. It would have been even better if the weather had cooperated.

Another challenge was that the east coast’s internet service was underdeveloped, and the restaurants by the beach did not accept credit cards either. Since we were the people in the group carrying the most cash that day, we took on the important task of allocating everyone’s lunch budget. The food at the seaside restaurant actually tasted pretty good, and there were fresh coconuts to drink as well.

Finally, we went to a beach for photos. There were lots of tide pools and quite a few marine creatures. A big wave came in and got all our clothes wet.

At the end, back at the pier, there were quite a few vendors selling handmade bracelets. You could even design your own, and the artisans would braid them on site.

Even with bad weather, Cozumel was still the best of the four ports, aside from the lazy beach day. It felt much more legitimate and developed, with far fewer tourist-trap routines. Hopefully when I go to Cancun in the future, I’ll catch Cozumel in good weather and experience some of the Caribbean’s best snorkeling.

About the Author

This article was reposted from the WeChat public account of a reader in our WeChat group, Lazy Person 33’s Food, Drink, and Fun. The account publishes original, high-quality articles. If you’re interested, feel free to follow it.