Day 3: Gettin’ Muddy in Cozumel
On the third morning, I woke up to a beautiful, serene ocean view as the ship was heading to our first port of call, Cozumel, Mexico. This was not my first time in Cozumel however, I believe the last time I visited was around 2011. We had booked an All-Terrain Buggy and Snorkel (CZ57) through
DCL and needed to meet in Sarabi at 8:15 am that morning. For breakfast, we grabbed something quick from the case in the lounge and stocked our bags with bottles of water and towels. The lounge usually has both Evian and Dasani options for water. We prefer the Evian, but grab the Dasani for excursions because they come in aluminum cans rather than glass bottles, as Evian does. Although DCL does provide complimentary towels on the way out, we find it easier to grab them beforehand, so we aren’t fumbling to stuff them in our backpacks while trying to exit the ship.
The check-in process for this excursion was a little different than what we were used to. Normally, there is a crew member stationed at a table upon entering the check-in spot to scan your KTW and hand you the color sticker. Instead, they urged us to find a seat in Sarabi and wait for a crew member to come by with their tablet and check us in. Honestly, I was not a fan of this, will speak more about it when I recount our Jamaica experience later. Luckily, there weren’t many people in Sarabi at the time, but the engineer in me could not help but forecast how much of a circus that process could turn into if there was an influx of guests, late guests, or a backup with deboarding. And don’t EVEN get me started with those horrid character stickers that always fall off and end up as litter on the pier. I digress.
Disembarking the ship went smoothly, and our tour guide was waiting for us right there. They had us line up and check in to receive our buggy assignments. An important thing to note about this excursion is if you are less than a party of 4, there is a possibility you will be split up or placed in a buggy with another party. Originally, they were going to split up this couple and have one of them ride with us three. Luckily, they were able to procure another buggy so the couple could drive on their own, but I could definitely see the initial disappointment on their faces when they realized they were going to be separated. Right outside was the parking lot where other tours were loading up into buses. They had a line of buggies waiting for us. We each received a helmet, a bottle of water, and a souvenir bandana. Throughout the excursion we stayed in a line with a tour guide at both the front and back of the pack. The buggy was straightforward to drive especially if you are comfortable driving a car and have a driver’s license. There are no turn signals on the cars, so everything was communicated through hand signals that got passed down the line such as when we were turning or slowing down.
The first 15 minutes of the drive was through the city roads to get to the trail. It was an easy drive despite driving amongst local traffic. Eventually, we turned off the main roads to a trail where things finally got exciting! With our luck, it had been raining heavily the days prior, so the conditions of the trail were very, very muddy. This is where I caution you to wear clothes and shoes you don’t care about because there is no way to stay clean. I did observe, however, that those who were in the buggies with the fully closed doors compared to just the half-door style stayed a lot cleaner. We were the unfortunate ones in the half-door style buggy. The drive through the thick jungle was another 15 minutes of adventurous off-roading and muddy bumps. My dad and I were having an absolute blast, my mom, on the other hand, loudly inquired, “Who booked this!?!?” from the back seat. (Spoiler Alert: she was the one who booked this). The trail eventually ended, and before we turned around to head back, the tour guides had us pause to walk through a quick trail to view a cenote as well as offer the opportunity to switch drivers. My dad and I ended up switching so I could drive for the next 40 minutes back through the trail and onto the highway towards Bahía de Uvas Beach for snorkeling.
We stayed at the beach site for a couple of hours. The facility had gift shops, food for purchase, restrooms, lockers, table seating, snorkeling gear, and loungers. The vendors were a little pushy, but generally left us alone. Our tour group was the only one there at the time. Included with the tour were complimentary chips and salsa that hit the spot; the salsa was so fresh. We had the option to snorkel as well. They provided free snorkel gear, including a visibility vest, fins, mask, and snorkel. About half of the group decided to snorkel while the other half stayed on the beach. The water was stunning, providing some great views of marine life. Our tour guide led the group around the area, pointing out some fish and a sinkhole. Apparently, many tour companies come here to photograph the fish for marketing material, so a lot of the fish came extremely close up because they have been conditioned to be fed. It is not an ethical practice, so I don’t condone feeding the wildlife, but it did explain their behavior. Entry into the water was very rocky, and you had to go down a slippery ramp, so it could be difficult for kids or those with disabilities. After the beach, we headed back into the buggy and returned to the port. My family and I were pretty wiped from the day, and some rain was rolling in, so we headed back onto the ship.
I would like to formally apologize to the wedding party that was in the Grand Hall as my muddy family and I walked past to get to the Forward elevators. We did stick to the walls and their backs were towards us, but still. They only had the Aft entrance open for getting back on and the elevators were busy. I changed out of my mud-soaked clothes and went out on Deck 11 to grab a quick cone. The rotating flavor was blueberry, and Rosita made THE most exquisite swirl I have ever seen.
Then it was time to do laundry because boy, did our clothes need it! There is only one laundry area on the Triton Class ships, located on Deck 8 Forward. The difference between the laundry rooms on these ships vs. the others is night and day. The washers are fairly small, a little larger than my hand. There was plenty of availability, and the cycle was surprisingly quick. We always pack a small Ziploc bag of Tide pods in case we want to do a small load of laundry on the ship. It has helped us become lighter packers. Unfortunately, my shirt did end up getting stained, oh well.
I had freshened up from the day’s adventure and had some free time, so I decided to head down to the Grand Hall and attend Coriander and Sage’s set for the afternoon. It seemed DCL was either too hopeful or late to the game, as the stage was set up with their props, but after waiting 15 minutes past the designated time, they came over the announcements saying only Coriander would be out to walk around instead of whatever bit they were supposed to. Again, Sage was MIA, and soon to follow all events where Coriander and Sage were scheduled to be in the Grand Hall mysteriously disappeared off the Navigator. I did leave the cruise feeling like I missed out on some of the entertainment because of these absences, but on the other hand, it is now an excuse to go on the Treasure again! I did chat with Coriander, she remembered our family from Choose Wisely!, and she let me hold the Atlantis Shepherd's Journal for a photo (my millennial heart was thrilled). I cannot rave enough about how awesome Coriander was; she easily was a standout on this cruise and remembered me throughout the sailing. I also was able to catch Voyager Minnie Mouse in her chic new outfit. The Cast Member I spoke to said that there is no rhyme or reason when she does wear her Voyager outfit, only that if the other characters are in their sailing outfits, then there is a good chance she is in her Voyager outfit. For example, Pirate Night would rule out the probability of the Voyager outfit. Also, another tip, if you see her wearing her Voyager outfit earlier in the day, there is a good chance that’s what she will be wearing for later sets.
I headed back up to the concierge lounge to meet my parents and hang around until the Mickey’s Color Spin Dance Party at 7:30 pm. I had scuba planned for the next day, so Kemisha made me a non-alcoholic frozen drink, not sure what it was because I asked her to surprise me, but it was delicious. We ordered some hot food again to share, the Arancino Stuffed with Bolognaise and the Monte Cristo. The arancino had the perfect crisp, while the Monte Cristo was nothing special. I did notice they had Spaghetti and Meatball Tacos listed for a kid option which I thought was so zany and immediately thought about
iCarly (iykyk). We then tried our luck at Disney Villains Trivia in Sarabi, to no avail.
We assumed our spots for Mickey’s Color Spin Dance Party on Deck 12, Starboard, about 15 minutes before show time. I was excited that this was being offered on the Treasure. It originally debuted on the Dream when she was in Europe, so I hadn’t had a chance to see it yet. Alas, 5 minutes before it was planned to start, the cruise director came over the PA to announce it had been moved indoors due to impending weather. We then hauled butt to get down to the Grand Hall which was already jam-packed with people. We found a decent spot on Deck 4 overlooking the stage. Unlike the other atriums, I did notice the Grand Hall had a lot of blind spots. The party started, with the chandelier lighting up different colors that synced with a specific character and song. Overall, I enjoyed it a lot despite being indoors, but it definitely would have been more fun outside, so we had space to dance. The characters were doing some pretty intense dance moves, the songs were lively, plus Goofy and Max did the “perfect cast” together, which was iconic. The confetti was also severely delayed and scared the daylight out of me when it went off.
Now it was time to dine in the third restaurant aboard the Treasure: Plaza de Coco. I try to minimize watching clips of new shows and experiences beforehand so I can be surprised and bewildered the first time watching. As such, I was excited going into it and seeing what it was all about. The hallway was beautifully decorated and created the perfect atmosphere. Our table had one of the best views of the stage with no obstructions, another perk of sailing in concierge. As I mentioned before, some of the entertainment was in B-Mode, and this was the case as Abuelita was missing from the show. Our server mentioned that the performer was sick and not even on the ship when I asked her. However, this did not diminish the experience at all because I didn’t realize she was missing until the second night.
Instead of a bread service, we were given a fresh bowl of tortilla chips and salsa. The chips reminded me of Tostitos, I wouldn’t be surprised if they just heated a bag up and dumped them into the bowl. Again, the desserts were listed on the menu, and our server had us order everything all at once before the show started. The premise of the first show at Plaza De Coco was Miguel and his family preparing for Día de los Muertos. This show is supposed to take place a couple of years after the end of the movie. Miguel was in his signature red hoodie with a plain guitar. Accompanied by a mariachi band, Miguel and his parents took turns singing some songs, not too many from the actual film. The music was lively, and I felt there was a good ratio of show to dinner. The performers did not walk around to meet with tables like they do in Arendelle. Overall, I enjoyed this dinner show and thought it was entertaining. Here is what I had for dinner that night:
Chorizo Street Croquettes
Abuelita Elena’s Shrimp Diabla
Enrique’s Port Wine Braised Center Cut Beef Short Rib
Tia Gloria’s Flan De Queso
I don’t know how they do it, but any time I order a Short Rib from Disney, they absolutely knock it out of the park. The last time I had a short rib was at Storybook Dining at Wilderness Lodge and I didn’t think anything could come close to how delicious that was. The short rib was tender, no knife needed, and full of flavor. The rest of the meal was also delicious as well. I appreciated having new options to choose from that we typically haven’t seen from DCL. Aside from Arendelle, most of the dishes on the Triton Class seemed to be recycled versions of dishes they already have in the fleet, which understandably makes sense from a supply chain management perspective. The Shrimp Diabla was spicy for Disney standards and I was overjoyed by this because I feel DCL holds back on the spices to appease everyone’s palates. The Flan had a unique flavor to it, definitely not a favorite, but I appreciated the daringness of it. Overall, I was duly impressed by this brand-new menu and bummed I didn’t have more room in my stomach for additional things.
The adult entertainment was lacking, so we decided to go to bed early, however, we might have gotten a little distracted on our way to the Forward elevators. We caught the tail end of the 10 pm “Goodnight Kiss” in the Grand Hall. Is it still called that on the Treasure? Anyways, the chandelier and staircase light up in a magical fashion with the lyrics of “Arabian Nights” filling the space. At the end, I did notice the lamp statue had been lit up, it appears they embedded LED lights into it to sync up with the show, which I thought was super cool.
Heading towards the Forward elevators, we decided to stop for a drink at the Skipper Society. My mom ordered an Espresso Martini, which came with a graphic printed on the foam, and my dad got the Jungle Navigation Co. Ale, a very dark ale, because we wanted to purchase the souvenir beer mug to take home. We normally do not take advantage of the beer mug savings, mostly because we have access to the lounge and aren’t big beer drinkers, however, we do like to purchase the mugs to take home if the design is unique. I had the Jungle Juice, one of the non-alcoholic beverages with passion fruit guava, lychee, and boba bursting pearls, that was served in a cool tiki glass. I loved this drink, it was fun and refreshing.
In addition to my trip report, I also have a vlog up for Day 3 on the Treasure:
