Costa Maya excursions/port activities

Hi all,

My family and I are going on our first cruise in August, on the carnival fantasy. It stops at the Cozumel and Costa Maya ports. We booked an excursion for the day in Cozumel through Mr. Pancho’s resort. We haven’t yet set anything up for Costa Maya. Does anyone know of any excursions that don’t go through Carnival, like a Mr. Pancho’s, that will be suitable for a family of 5? Keep in mind we have 3 little ones, so there’s a lot of things that may be out of the question. Or is it better to just wing it? I’ve read there is plenty to do inside the port, and there are taxis waiting outside of the port. I was just hoping to get some ideas. Thanks all, happy sailing! :)

We liked the all-inclusive day at Maya Chan.

Other ideas in the port of call forum: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=169

A second here for Maya Chan. We went with three couples and all enjoyed it very much.

We used https://www.thenativechoice.com/ and did the Dzibanche Ruins Tour. The tour guides are local to the area, they were very informative, the tour was great, the price was good.

Hahahaha..a THIRD vote for Maya Chan. Check it out!

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g499450-d3844947-Reviews-Maya_Chan_Beach-Mahahual_Costa_Maya_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

We used https://www.thenativechoice.com/ and did the Dzibanche Ruins Tour. The tour guides are local to the area, they were very informative, the tour was great, the price was good.

This looks amazing and may actually check it out myself, but the OP has 3 little ones.

When we went to costa maya we were in port from 1-9 and just wanted a laid back day . I emailed steve at the tropicante before the cruise and he reserved us chairs for free. The day of we took the open air taxi there , it was great. We relaxed, played in the water, ate nachos and had drinks for a few hours and just before the sun started going down we went back and shopped at the port and watch the sun set before getting back to the ship. I think we spent around 30 ish and whatever we spent shopping.

If you are looking for a quiet, low-key day just hanging out on the beach, check into Almaplena resort. It's a short drive from the port (they will pick you up) and they provide food/drinks all day. It's a very small resort with a beautiful beach and a nice patio where they serve food. If it's desirable to have lots of other people around, especially if your kids will want to interact with others, then I would not recommend it.

If you are looking for a quiet, low-key day just hanging out on the beach, check into Almaplena resort. It's a short drive from the port (they will pick you up) and they provide food/drinks all day. It's a very small resort with a beautiful beach and a nice patio where they serve food. If it's desirable to have lots of other people around, especially if your kids will want to interact with others, then I would not recommend it.

This sounds as if it is something we would like; how would we get the information? Do they have a website?

Thanks! :)

Another vote for emailing Steve at the Tropicante. We thoroughly enjoyed our day there. You can get his email from Trip Advisor.

This sounds as if it is something we would like; how would we get the information? Do they have a website?

Thanks! :)

Looked it up on Google and it has great ratings on Trip Advisor etc. so we booked it.

They were very quick to respond; it looks beautiful and it is all inclusive; transportation, all you can eat, beach chairs/palapas(?), snorkeling and drinks. It looks like it is not too large of a resort but has great service etc. Hope so! :)

Safe sailing!

Costa Maya have a fantastic water park, it's possible to walk there from the port.