Courtney GOn our fourth day, we were in port again. We were in Costa Maya. I had a later start (but not much later) since we didn’t have any excursions planned that day but I still caught the sunrise.
With our dinner mates from last night being no-shows, our waiter let us take the extra bread from last night. We had enough left over from our own loafs of bread to make another one so in total we had two big loafs. All three of us ended up eating the bread for breakfast before heading out to the port.
Beach Escape in Mahahual
Originally, the plan was to walk around the port, take a taxi to the beach in Mahahual, and go to Krazy Lobster for lunch. From research, I found it was $4 there and $4 back.
Instead, we were talked into doing the “Beach Escape” excursion for $54 per person via the port (which apparently was an excursion offered by Royal Caribbean, originally). It included transportation to and from the beach, open bar, access to the beach and a beach chair. The food costs extra. I ordered a beef quesadilla (but they gave me a burrito) for $15 and my friends got shrimp and fish ceviche for $18 each).
When we went into the water, it was a decent temperature but there were a lot of rocks and shells so I would suggest getting some swim shoes to avoid cutting your foot (or just be really careful).
Various Vendors
We were constantly approached by people wanting to sell things to us which could get a bit frustrating but everyone was somewhat friendly and not too pushy.
One woman kept offering to braid Celeste’s hair, avoiding eye contact with me. I tried not to take it personally since my hair was in large twists and clearly didn’t need to be braided. But neither did Celeste’s because her hair was already in two French braids.
The kids selling their flower-shaped palm leaves were adorable as they were trying to hide from beach security. I’m assuming they weren’t allowed to solicit and that’s why they would basically play hide and seek with security. One of them got sand on Cali’s shoes while running and took the time to dump the sand off and dust them for her before catching up with his friends. I’m not gonna lie, I couldn’t stop laughing. It felt like something out of a family comedy movie.
There was also a few stray dogs here and there. The dogs, however, stayed on the walking path and didn’t go in the sand.
Souvenirs
I bought some souvenirs at one of the shops on the side of the walking path. I bought a small skull hand painted skill for myself and a shot glass for my mom. I had used most of my cash for the day at that point, so, I left the shop.
After using the restroom, I ended up going back to the shop to get an NFL Atlanta Falcons skull for my dad and crystal turtle. This time I paid with my credit card which was $44 with tip and tax = 924 pesos (at the time). You do not have to tip but they’ll ask you to or talk you into it. I was feeling generous that day (I regret it just a tad).
Bye-Bye Beach
After that, my friends and I lounged around more, ate some elote (it was my first time and it was delicious), but we didn’t even go back in the water. And, we only got one drink each (granted they did give us two cups) . I guess you could say that was more on us, though.
Our bus group was supposed to leave at 3PM but we didn’t want to stay that long. We caught a different bus with the same company that was leaving at 2PM back to the port. Of course, we asked our original guide first before just hopping on the other bus. With me not being a big beach person, overall, not sure if it was worth $54. However, I’m also not sure how much a lounge chair would’ve cost to rent. That’s the most useful thing we had (besides the bus transportation).
The Costa Maya Port
When we got back to the port, there were 10x more people there than when we left for the beach. We were the first cruise ship to disembark (and the first few people off the ship) but there were two other cruise ships in port at this point. This port was way more tourist-y compared to Cozumel. Meaning, this was specifically built for tourists.
We went back to our ship to return our towels and changed our shoes before heading back out to explore the port. The trolley was running at this point so we took it down the pier.
Tip: You can check out towels from Royal Caribbean to use in port. Make sure you bring them back or else they’ll charge your room $25 per towel (and trust me, I don’t think they cost that much).
Danza de los Voladores
We saw the ritual of “The Dance of the Flyers”. Watching them set up, prepare, and of course the “flying” itself was so wonderful. Four men climbed to the top of the pole and slowly started wrapping rope around it. I thought it was to keep them secure but it was more than that. When they finished wrapping the rope, they start playing instruments and descended down, the rope unraveling and twirling them around as they played. The man at the bottom was chanting also but I couldn’t take my eyes off them flying in the air.
I gave a tip based on the cash I had left. After, we went shopping for more souvenirs. Well, my friends did. I should’ve gotten the shot glass from the port because it would’ve been much cheaper. I gotta live with my decisions, I guess.
More Port to See
The port does have other attractions like the Aviarius ($12-$14) with all the birds, Dolphin Discovery to swim with dolphins ($80-$110), and a swimming pool. We didn’t even have to leave the port for entertainment.
I originally wanted to go to the aviary but I didn’t want to use any more of my cash and save it for the last port. I only made an exception to use my card to get the Falcon’s skull for my dad.
By the time my friends finished shopping for souvenirs in the port, we got back on the ship with 10 minutes to spare. Too close for me. I prefer to get back an hour before.
Back on the Ship
Once back on the ship, I went to ask about the $99.75 charged I’d noticed on my card from Royal Caribbean before we went to the beach. They explained it was just a pre-authorization so whatever I didn’t spend will be put back on my card.
Tip: When you’re on a cruise, they will most likely put the pre-authorization on your card (no matter the cruise line) for on board spending. Keep that in mind when you’re on a cruise. Also, keep an eye on your onboard spending so you can avoid going over the budget you set for yourself. Remember, you’ll still have your regular bills to pay when you come back.
After that was settled, Cali and I went to watch Where the Crawdads Sing in the movie theater of the ship before dinner. This was before we found out that the author of the book the movie is based off may not be a good person. I enjoyed the movie more than I expected, though I didn’t know what to expect. I wish they offered some type of snack or concessions right outside the theater like the actual movie theaters. I remember Disney cruises offered that (at an additional cost).
While we were watching the movie, Celeste had gone to the pool deck and watched Jurassic World: Dominion. Cali and I went back to the room to wait for her and found a channel that was also showing Jurassic World. I’m pretty sure it was running exactly what was playing on the pool deck because when it ended, Celeste came down shortly after.
Dinner Time!
We went to dinner in the main dining room at 8 again. There was no hope of getting an earlier time. This time we were seated immediately and sat at our own table. Bread was still cold.
I ordered shrimp ceviche (which looked more like shrimp salad with all the lettuce) for an appetizer. When I compared it to how Cali’s shrimp ceviche looked from the beach, there was a clear difference. Celeste and I split a plate of escargot which was pretty good. For the main course I had the braised beef short rib which was so good and I didn’t even need a knife to pull apart. It was one of my favorite meals so far (outside of Chef’s Table). For dessert I got crème bruleé, one of the better desserts I had there.
My friend was thinking about getting one for her dessert, too. She had ordered something else before she saw mine. We didn’t even say anything to our waiter, Anthony, but he brought out another crème bruleé for her and we all were impressed. This dinner was probably the quickest and most efficient one we had in the main dining room.
After dinner, we went back to the room to decompress and take showers. However, we were determined to stay up later tomorrow (even though we have an early excursion the day after).
The day was fine overall. I didn’t feel like I missed out on the “adventurous” excursions but I do regret not walking around Costa Maya/Mahahual more while we were out side the port.
How would you spend the day in Costa Maya? Would you stick with the port, go to the beach, or go on an excursion? Leave it down in the comments below!
