Help with things to do in Cozumel

This may be asked and posted before so I apologize but can't find any good advice on the ports of call forum. We are cruising to Key West and Cozumel in December with my mother in law. She has issues with walking long distances.She can use crutches for short distances and has a little scooter to get around if we are out a lot. Key West doesn't seem to be to big of a deal but unsure of Cozumel. We are traveling with 3 kids and 3 adults including her. Everyone wants to do the beach but unsure if we can get her there and if there some accessibility at any of them . She could zoom up the path then we could help her to the beach . BUt my concern is the bathrooms .She can manage a normal stall but wouldnt be able to do steps up to them. She said she would just stay on the boat but the whole reason we are all going is because its on her bucket list.If anyone has attempted the beach or if one is better than the other or if there is something else we should be concerned about I would love to know. Just want her to have a great time and enjoy herself and not just sit on the boat.Thanks in advance

We went to Chaankanab (spelling of that may be wrong) park last November and did well there. I used my travelscoot to get to the beach and then canes to get into the water. There are accessible bathrooms but I can't remember how close they are to the beach. They also will let you use a beach wheelchair if you need it. The snorkeling is pretty good with lots of fish but no reef to speak of. There are also a few shops as you enter and a nice nature type walk. They have a swim with dolphins program but we didn't go there. They also offer introduction to scuba but we didn't do that either. I would go back again and enjoyed the snorkeling very much.

Thanks will check it out.

I did the dolphin swim and it was awesome! The park is very pretty!

We have been there 3 times. The last time was about a month ago. There is a nice shopping area by the dock that is very accessible. There was even a small beach area with chairs where you could put your feet up and daydream. I don't believe they allowed swimming there however. I think they improved it after the last big hurricane because it used to be harder to get into many of the shops. We have done the Playa Mia Beach Delux excursion. Comments would be similar to the beach above. They also had a small zoo and a very nice lunch buffet. There was a nice dressing/bathroom area, but I seem to recall having to use my crutches to get into it. Not sure why because I think it had a ramp. It's been a number of years since we were there.

Katisdale, would you mind giving me more information about Chaankanab? I will be renting a scooter from Care Vacations and want to visit Chaankanab. I can walk short distances with a cane but from the photos that I have seen, it looks like it would be very difficult to get in and out of the water on the rock steps. Is it a long distance from where you parked your scooter to the water? Were you worried someone would tamper with the scooter? Thanks!

I have a small travelscoot scooter. I used a bike lock and attached the scooter to a fence like thatched area. The travelscoot does not have a key so it could be driven off easily if not secured. We did take the batteries off and put them in a locker. We stopped at the first sandy beach area we came to, right next to the place where they rent snorkel gear. There are no steps here. I did have trouble but that is because of my own stubbornness. I declined to use the beach wheelchair and didn't want to get my canes wet so I relied on my husband to help me into the water. That was a mistake as I need more than one arm for help walking. I should have used the chair. We met a wonderful guide (works just for tips) names Marco Ceh in the area and when it was time to leave he showed me an area where I could sit on a series of ever higher rocks until I could sit on a rock well and then a chair. It all worked out in the end but in the future I would take the offered assistance of the beach wheelchair. I keep having to learn that lesson again and again. I hope to stop being stubborn soon. My husband is really helpful and I really shouldn't make things harder for him. I need to remind myself about that.

Thanks Katisdale for your prompt reply. So, basically, you have to traverse a sandy beach to get to the rocks to enter the water. No ramp or regular concrete steps. I was hoping they had improved entrance to the water after the hurricane. Also, I know you said you didn't do the dolphin encounter but do you recall if you can ride the scooter down the dock to where you enter for the dolphin encounter? I'm hesitant to get the beach wheelchair because I don't want to have to ask my husband or someone to push me. But I thought if I did get the beach wheelchair, I could push it myself and use it like I would use a rollator. I'm just concerned about getting in and out of the water.

Katisdale,

How did you get your scooter to the park/beach? Are there taxi's that can transport a scooter?

There is a w/c accessible taxi in Cozumel. Ask the manager at the taxi stand to call it for you. Standard taxi fare to the Park is $10 but they will charge $5 to $10 more for the w/c taxi.

We went from the pier to the park in a regular taxi. I have a very small travelscoot scooter and it collapses into a duffel bag. There was room for the scooter in the trunk. Going back to the ship we took a van type taxi and just put the scooter in the back area and did not have to collapse it.

The paths at the park to the various areas are paved primarily although a few areas are cobblestone.

We did not go to the dolphin swim area so I cannot tell you about that. The beach area we walked across was not very large. It looks like a kids water play area but there is access to deeper water there. I did not use steps either in or out of the water. Mr. Ceh showed me some rocks that were at different levels so I just bottom bumped myself up until I was sitting on the retaining wall and then transferred to a beach chair (not a wheelchair, just a standard plastic seat).

Does anyone know if in Cozumel they have the golf carts that transport you from the ship to the end of the pier and back to the ship?

Thanks.

We had the little guys in the rickshaw type take us from the ship to the end of the pier a few weeks ago in Coz. Didnt see any golf carts..