Cozumel 3/21 arrive at 11am HAL - How to Manage?

Greetings, all. We are relative newbies to cruising and never been to Cozumel. We are a family of 4 - 2 boys - 8yo and 4yo - our 4yo has physical disabilities - can walk, but not run, e.g.

Our ship arrives in Cozumel at 11am local time and leaves at 11pm.

HAL cruise services by phone said we may not be able to get off the ship until 12:30p. Boys should be in bed by ~9pm.

Not sure what to do given the odd (to us anyway) arrival/departure times there. Beach clubs (Mr. Sancho's, et al.) all close at 5:00p. Are they too crowded by the time we could get there - probably at least 1:00pm on our own by taxi?

Chankanaab park closes at 4:00p, I think. Would this be worth it via taxi and entrance fee? Seems like such a limited amount of time.

Atlantis sub through HAL is from 1:15 - 3:15 and basically means if we did that we couldn't enjoy any other outside beach time, if I understand beach clubs close at 5:00p.

We're kinda confused and not sure what we should plan on given the timing of when our ship arrives and when things close down for outdoor activities.

We thought maybe we should just plan on doing Mr. Sanchos, but then it might be too crowded for us to get a spot/shade. The activities there seem good for our family, though.

Any other excursions (whether on our own or through HAL) you could recommend? We are totally willing to do this day on our own.

Even if the day outdoor activities are somewhat limited, we might like to sit down for a meal in the evening before getting back on board. Any suggestions for excellent Mexican food & good for kids?

Or a good sunset spot?

Muchas gracias,

Los Tejanos

Welcome to the boards! :D

Paradise Beach is a large, pay as you go beach club with great facilities and a HUGE pool. $3 admission/chair rental fee per person. Taxi fare should be about $17 from the pier to PB - check the fare board near the taxi line for your pier. Spend the afternoon on the beach or in the pool, clean up, and then taxi to downtown San Miguel for dinner/drinks and sunset.

Cielito Lindo Bistro - Very good Mexican food

Calle 3 Sur 289 (at Ave 5a Sur across from Del Sur)

San Miguel

987.101.9589

Hours 1030-2200

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I am guessing that HAL docks downtown at Puerto Langosta. That is right in the middle of downtown San Miguel. Lots of shopping and walking around, Blocks and blocks of restaurants and stores, but not much else.

If you want to see a little bit of the island, I would do and excursion. With your late arrival, it means that many beach clubs will already be full, but some will be emptying out as other ships may be leaving mid-afternoon.

Chankanaab Park would be awesome for kids that age....just my opinion.

Thanks for the advice, all! We're looking forward to it and I'm getting the sense we will probably want to return to Coz soon with all the amazing things to see and do there!

Much appreciated!

I thought HAL docked at Puerta Maya?

Assuming you are sailing during summer 12.30 is probably ship time. Be sure to keep a watch (NOT cell phone) on ship time. Cozumel is on EST year round.