Podcast Cruise 4.0 - 12/08/2012

My sister just finished a week of scuba in Cozumel. This a new thing for her. She wants to scuba Grand Caymen.

We want to do a "ruins" tour. Not sure about which - one from Cozumel or Costa Maya. Anyone done these? Either one seems to be an all day trip, which could be the deciding factor. We are at Costa Maya only a few hours.

Costa Maya is kind of a disappointment. It is a "town" manufactured just for cruise ships!

Here is a description of Costa Maya.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=150



http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=150

Costa Maya is just the port facility, and unfortunately - it's as far as some people venture off the ship. The nearest town is Majahual - although it's primarily a beach. If our port time were longer, I'd do another tour to the Chacchoben Ruins.

I found this part of Cruise Critic's description particularly interesting:
Costa Maya is what you'd expect if, say, Disney World decided to create its own private island in Mexico: a man-made tourism village with bars, restaurants, shops and pools at the ready. The faux village itself was created solely to woo cruise passengers and it has a myriad of facilities -- pools, restaurants, bars, shops and a small beach (though it's too rocky to swim).
 
Cozumel to buy vanilla. Other than that ...been there, done that.

So this is the present I am supposed to bring to the folks at home? Vanilla? I never would have guessed - vanilla!
 
I have read about Majahual. It is not the manufactured area, is it worth a taxi ride or a walk there? If we do not have one for the Chacchoben ruins, then I guess it will be Tulim.

Yes, funny the Costa Maya description is "Disney". Like two Castaway Cays on one trip?
 
I have read about Majahual. It is not the manufactured area, is it worth a taxi ride or a walk there? If we do not have one for the Chacchoben ruins, then I guess it will be Tulim.

Yes, funny the Costa Maya description is "Disney". Like two Castaway Cays on one trip?

It's a bit of a walk, but worth the taxi ride to see "authentic" Mexico.
 


Neither Hope or I have been to these ports. She was talking about going to the ruins at Tulum (sp?) I discovered on a previous cruise, I can't snorkel. I have a weird panic attack when I try to breathe thru a snorkel. Not sure what I might do besides the tour of the ruins. The time we have at Costa Maya, isn't that long, so I have no clue what to do there. Where can we get the good vanilla? Is it the beans or the extract? I would love to use it for my Christmas baking that year. I will be honest, Mexico scares me a little. I know we will be safe, but all the stuff that goes on down there is just so whacked. I will have to look at the current excursions again to see if I am even going to get off the ship at a couple of stops. A whole day by the pool or in the spa when everyone else is on shore sounds nice.

Kim
 


Has anyone been on any of the tours at either Grand Caymen or Cozumel? I want to scuba dive at one of these and do a land tour at the other but can't decide. Does anyone know when they will post excursions for Costa Maya? I like to plan ahead! :rotfl:
For Cozumel, I plan on trying to do the swim with Dolphins that I had to cancel 2 years ago. 3rd time is the charm? (I've had to cancel this excursion twice. First time on Curacao, I got a scratched cornea on the plane to San Juan & had to stay out of the water. 2nd time on Cozumel, I was on blood thinners due to a blood clot, and my doctor strongly recommended that I cancel. I really want to swim with the Dolphins, but I'm a little afraid to schedule it! :eek:)

Hopefully snorkeling in Grand Cayman.

Sayhello
 
We buy vanilla extract. Buy it from one of the more established stores, otherwise you may not get strong vanilla.. I think we paid aroung $8-10 for a food-service sized bottle.
 
For Cozumel, I plan on trying to do the swim with Dolphins that I had to cancel 2 years ago. 3rd time is the charm? (I've had to cancel this excursion twice. First time on Curacao, I got a scratched cornea on the plane to San Juan & had to stay out of the water. 2nd time on Cozumel, I was on blood thinners due to a blood clot, and my doctor strongly recommended that I cancel. I really want to swim with the Dolphins, but I'm a little afraid to schedule it! :eek:)

Hopefully snorkeling in Grand Cayman.

Sayhello

3rd time will be the charm! I was thinking about the Trainer for a day, that is something my daughter is always talking about doing for a living, I think she would get a kick out of it. So excited about this trip, can't believe it is over a year away.
 
3rd time will be the charm! I was thinking about the Trainer for a day, that is something my daughter is always talking about doing for a living, I think she would get a kick out of it. So excited about this trip, can't believe it is over a year away.
Yes! That trainer for a day does look pretty cool!

Sayhello
 
Tracey just officially gave us the Welcome aboard. Look out guys, you'll all know my kids and I by the end of the cruise (hopefully in a good way).:cool1:
 
Neither Hope or I have been to these ports. She was talking about going to the ruins at Tulum (sp?) I discovered on a previous cruise, I can't snorkel. I have a weird panic attack when I try to breathe thru a snorkel. Not sure what I might do besides the tour of the ruins. The time we have at Costa Maya, isn't that long, so I have no clue what to do there. Where can we get the good vanilla? Is it the beans or the extract? I would love to use it for my Christmas baking that year. I will be honest, Mexico scares me a little. I know we will be safe, but all the stuff that goes on down there is just so whacked. I will have to look at the current excursions again to see if I am even going to get off the ship at a couple of stops. A whole day by the pool or in the spa when everyone else is on shore sounds nice.

Kim

I've been to Tulum. If I remember correctly it was a long bus ride but an interesting tour. What I remember most was the soldiers carrying sub machine guns standing there as you get off the bus. Wasn't expecting that. I would do it again.

For Cozumel, I plan on trying to do the swim with Dolphins that I had to cancel 2 years ago. 3rd time is the charm? (I've had to cancel this excursion twice. First time on Curacao, I got a scratched cornea on the plane to San Juan & had to stay out of the water. 2nd time on Cozumel, I was on blood thinners due to a blood clot, and my doctor strongly recommended that I cancel. I really want to swim with the Dolphins, but I'm a little afraid to schedule it! :eek:)

Hopefully snorkeling in Grand Cayman.

Sayhello

As far as the dolphin thing in Cozumel, I felt horrible for the way the dolphins were penned in. They were in a rusty chain link enclosure in the sea and we stood on a metal 2 foot wide gangway (wear beach shoes). They had several pens with a dolphin in it and we were moved twice because the dolphins weren't cooperating. Well no kidding, the first pen they put us in was a mommy with a 2 week old dolphin. As soon as I heard that she had a baby in there, I was very nervous. She didn't want us anywhere near her baby and I couldn't blame her. I read that after a hurricane they lost the dolphins, etc, so I guess the rebuilt and captured more dolphins. I haven't been on another dolphin excursions so I have nothing to compare this to, but I hope the others are a little better to the dolphins although they are in captivity so how good can it be?
 
Good Morning Everyone !!!! I'm really looking forward to this cruise....we are talking about taking the tours of the ruins...sounds very interesting.
 
We buy vanilla extract. Buy it from one of the more established stores, otherwise you may not get strong vanilla.. I think we paid aroung $8-10 for a food-service sized bottle.

I would check out Penzeys spices. A great company with amazing product.
 
We have just put in a request for the Hawaii cruise so couldn't do PCC3.0 as we'd originally planned... nothing for it but to push out PCC3.0 to PCC4.0 so looks like I'm travelling with you all instead :cool1:
 

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