c-leg5

Wow! That is a hefty add-on, I had no idea.

Punta Sur is nice and can be a full day (in ship excursion terms). It will probably be better than the east coast for sargassum - not sure how different it would be to Palancar. I understand there are two beach bars at Punta Sur although hard to keep up as they keep changing name and ownership. Certainly more flexibility with transport to Palancar. @ Mitsugirly has photo reviews of both although somewhat dated now and currents can affect the beaches. Not sure how much the storm that reduced the beach at Occidental had on Palancar it has been several years since we were there as we were finding it had become too busy (although to be fair we arrived at lunchtime that day, busiest time).

We recently used Galveston Express for a one-way from IAH to Galveston when doing a repositioning from Galveston. They have shuttles at several times which you can book from their website. They did pick up one party directly from their hotel or as suggested above you can shuttle back from your hotel to the airport. there are several independent shuttles and the cruise line shuttles. Price compared against uber will depend on time of day and number in your party.

How close to the airport (and which airport) are you staying?

If you use the search engine there are certainly some reviews. There are several options for different types of experiences- independent, accompanied in town tour, and electric bikes out of town at Punta Surr or east coast. I think practicality depends on which port you are docking at, which supplier you are using and what sort of ride you envisage? There are certainly some “bike lanes” and some reasonably bike protected roads but i think a lot depends on what you are expecting and where you want to go. I wouldn’t say “lots of bike paths”. If you are a really avid cyclist the participants in the Ironman race go round the island several times so it is possible. In town unless you know where you are going i would take extreme care as many streets are one-way. I am not sure what aspect if safety you are concerned about?

Not sure the buffet is all you can eat and whilst adequate ii isn’t great. We find it better to do PAYG from the beach bar but then we are only looking for a substantial “snack”. Food quality, quantity and requirements are very subjective. Prices as I recall are typical Cozumel “tourist” prices - not outlandish but not what you find at the local eateries.

There are shops in port but depends what cruise line you are on - not your best opportunity for shopping. Where else are you stopping?

Totally depends on the ages of your group and the type of experience you are looking for? Lots of options in Cozumel but you have to be more specific as to what youcare looking for.

It is a day bed not exactly a cabana as some people expect. Is it $50 for 4 people plus the AI pp charge? How is the service any better than a lounger? $50 to sit around a pool seems like a lot unless there is something extra i am missing?

If there was room to let them in sounds greedy on the part of Paradise. I guess it comes down to what they can get away with and how desperate the client is for particular facilities. If it was two of us i would have moved on elsewhere, for a family it is more difficult - you would need to know where else you wanted to go, how much it would cost when you got there and pay for a taxi to get there. I don’t know how old the group were but that is a lot of money for 11 people. I wouldn’t want to oay that for kids plus fun pass. I suppose you need to call in advance theses days or take a chance.

I haven’t been to AKR but I know they offer a day pass and diving. It would be up to OP to research whether the facilities were suitable. I have enjoyed a day at Turquoise Bay many years ago, before it was acquired by Mayan Princess and before all the added and renovated facilities of recent years.

What story?

That would be typical. The difference is Costa Maya (and Maya Chan) is on the mainland like Cancun, Playa, Puerta Morelos and therefore facing the predominant sargassum currents. Chances are the east coast of Cozumel (Punta Morena, Mezcalitos, Rastas) probably had the same problem. Unfortunately east coast of Cozumel is much more undeveloped and doesn’t have the same procedures in place for clearance like the mainland. The west coast beaches of Cozumel (main tourist areas) are only affected temporarily,when certain wind patterns occur, and in our experience ( Nachi) they just wait it out and make a half-hearted effort to clear the beach when affected.

You have seen/heard of the trolley running into town after cruising resumed, or are you just talking about the pier trolley? I think @mitsugirly was referring to the one that used to be an alternative to taxis. I recall it maybe running the first week back and nothing since.

Anthony’s Key or Turquoise Bay. You could contact direct or Turquoise Bay has packages through the ship. I don’t know how timing would fit in with diving.

I presume you have checked your junk mail - there have been reports of that before? Also problems with gmail. I see recent TA reviews.

A la carte menu still listed on website. I have always had prompt replies to emails to them. I would suggest you ask them directly for your date. Sometimes entrance restrictions are seasonal.

Yes, they could but that takes time and as stated above, nice idea on paper. Some locations would claim that it isn’t as simple as “cleaning/clearing” a beach. With an island as small and confined as CoCo Cay the question is very much dependent on quantity whether they could deal with it effectively but fortunately it isn’t regularly reported to have been a problem so far. Coco Cay doesn’t appear to have a lot of undeveloped space where it could be safely stored without impacting some activity if the quantity was significant.

And do what with it? What activities are on the east side?

Is that single trip or annual policy?

Do you need to pre-book - or just decide on the day? Apart from Del Mar which is very small or a driver for the day I don’t think we ever pre- book Cozumel.

Not really comparing apples to apples here. A day at Chankanaab and Paradise are completely different so it depends what is important. There are several drinks included at Chankanaab but I cant remember exactly how many ( my daughter booked it once with dolphins while we did independent PAYG), however transport is included so you can offset that against purchasing extra drinks plus of course you are paying for access to the park and facilities which you don’t do/have at Paradise. Waterpark at Paradise is extra IF you need/want it. Snorkeling is better at Chankanaab if that is s important - pool is probably better at Paradise.

Wow, surprised to hear that about the taxis and that it would happen twice. Did you have the taxi numbers and get refunded from dispatcher? Our only problem with taxis when cruisers are in town has been them trying to charge each couple/ family the fare in a shared van, which is why we often walk out into the street but I am sure you would have had private taxis for your party to and from there. Did you get a taxi back easily enough?

Most places on west side are not affected regularly but it can happen depending on storms, winds and waves. It is generally temporary. East side will have sargassum much of the time during the season and isn’t cleared.

lots of options on Cozumel - as stated it depends what you consider necessary as included, large/small, quiet/active, pool/ocean, sand, luxury/rustic, snorkeling/ water sports?