Did Carnival drop Cozumel for July and August?

[Lee Cruiser]

John Heald mentioned briefly this morning something about not going to Cozumel.  This was a response to a comment on his FB live video.  Is Carnival not going to Cozumel in July and August?  Has anyone received any information on this?  Cozumel is one of our favorite ports.

[tap_out]

24 minutes ago, Lee Cruiser said:

John Heald mentioned briefly this morning something about not going to Cozumel.  This was a response to a comment on his FB live video.  Is Carnival not going to Cozumel in July and August?  Has anyone received any information on this?  Cozumel is one of our favorite ports.

 

Yeah pretty sure they dropped it and it was replaced by Bimini.

[G-Heart]

This is what John said on Visitors Posts after his video:

 

We are going on the Breeze in August, and we still have the shore excursions for Cozumel available.

[arkaine23]

This has more to do with Grand Cayman and Jamaica being closed to cruising.   If those + Cozumel were your itenerary and you were sailing from Florida, there's kinda no alternatives for the closed ports that'll still send you in the direction of Cozumel.   Roatan and Belize are too far out of the way for you.  If your cruise included one of those and you were sailing from Florida and to Eastern Caribben destinations, then they swap a closed port for an extra Bahamas port (Bimini).

 

Whereas if you were sailing from Texas, they easily swap the closed ports to Roatan and Belize.

Edited June 25, 2021 by arkaine23

[ProgRockCruiser]

 

38 minutes ago, Lee Cruiser said:

Cozumel is one of our favorite ports.

 

So why is that?  The beaches?  The excursions?

 

I thus have a related question about Cozumel - it is one of our port stops for a cruise on Mardi Gras later this year.  I've never been there before.

 

I know this question would normally belong in the Ports of Call area, but dredging through there wasn't getting me the satisfaction/knowledge I was looking for, and my questioning is rather Carnival-related:

 

Looking at the available excursions offered by Carnival, nothing really stands out (for me, at least).  Maybe there will be a bit more offered as we get closer to sailing date and new / old vendors are added back into the mix.  Not sure whether I want to do a private excursion at this stage.  (I know lots of people really prefer non-Carnival excursions.)

 

I see that there is an Amber-Cove-like area right at the pier that Carnival (almost?) always docks at.  If we are just looking to walk around and have a "local" snack or drink, is there any specific thing we might want to check out?  If not going on an excursion, how else could we entertain ourselves for a few hours, specifically from that Carnival exclusive pier?

[Essiesmom]

2 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

 

 

So why is that?  The beaches?  The excursions?

 

I thus have a related question about Cozumel - it is one of our port stops for a cruise on Mardi Gras later this year.  I've never been there before.

 

I know this question would normally belong in the Ports of Call area, but dredging through there wasn't getting me the satisfaction/knowledge I was looking for, and my questioning is rather Carnival-related:

 

Looking at the available excursions offered by Carnival, nothing really stands out (for me, at least).  Maybe there will be a bit more offered as we get closer to sailing date and new / old vendors are added back into the mix.  Not sure whether I want to do a private excursion at this stage.  (I know lots of people really prefer non-Carnival excursions.)

 

I see that there is an Amber-Cove-like area right at the pier that Carnival (almost?) always docks at.  If we are just looking to walk around and have a "local" snack or drink, is there any specific thing we might want to check out?  If not going on an excursion, how else could we entertain ourselves for a few hours, specifically from that Carnival exclusive pier?

Are you talking about the shops at Amber Cove?  In Cozumel the shopping area is much more extensive, there is a tiny beach area there that is not free, and there is no pool.  EM

[ProgRockCruiser]

1 minute ago, Essiesmom said:

Are you talking about the shops at Amber Cove?  In Cozumel the shopping area is much more extensive, there is a tiny beach area there that is not free, and there is no pool.  EM

Yes, I am comparing to the shopping area at Amber Cove, where there are also a couple of bars and restaurants, etc.  The area at Cozumel I am referring to is called Puerta Maya.  Not really worried about beach or pool right there (the ship has pools!).

[Lee Cruiser]

52 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

 

 

So why is that?  The beaches?  The excursions?

 

I thus have a related question about Cozumel - it is one of our port stops for a cruise on Mardi Gras later this year.  I've never been there before.

 

I know this question would normally belong in the Ports of Call area, but dredging through there wasn't getting me the satisfaction/knowledge I was looking for, and my questioning is rather Carnival-related:

 

Looking at the available excursions offered by Carnival, nothing really stands out (for me, at least).  Maybe there will be a bit more offered as we get closer to sailing date and new / old vendors are added back into the mix.  Not sure whether I want to do a private excursion at this stage.  (I know lots of people really prefer non-Carnival excursions.)

 

I see that there is an Amber-Cove-like area right at the pier that Carnival (almost?) always docks at.  If we are just looking to walk around and have a "local" snack or drink, is there any specific thing we might want to check out?  If not going on an excursion, how else could we entertain ourselves for a few hours, specifically from that Carnival exclusive pier?

We have been there numerous times as that's where many of the cruises out of N.O. go.  We love the beaches.  There are so many to choose from.  Our personal favorite is Paradise Beach.  We take a taxi there and spend the day on the beach. Great food there!  It is a little quieter than some of the all-inclusive beaches like Mr. Sanchos, but many people love those areas.

 

We have taken some Carnival excursions in the past.  Our favorite was to the southern part of the island, near Punta Sur lighthouse.  It is a beautiful area near the Caribbean side.  Not sure if they still offer that excursion or not.  If not, you can take a taxi around the island.  It is a beautiful place.

 

As someone as already said, the shopping area is bigger than in Amber Cove.  We mainly buy souvenirs and vanilla.

[crewsweeper]

1 hour ago, arkaine23 said:

This has more to do with Grand Cayman and Jamaica being closed to cruising.   If those + Cozumel were your itenerary and you were sailing from Florida, there's kinda no alternatives for the closed ports that'll still send you in the direction of Cozumel.   Roatan and Belize are too far out of the way for you.  If your cruise included one of those and you were sailing from Florida and to Eastern Caribben destinations, then they swap a closed port for an extra Bahamas port (Bimini).

 

Whereas if you were sailing from Texas, they easily swap the closed ports to Roatan and Belize.

Neither Roatan nor Belize are TOO FAR out of the way from Florida.  We've done many Western C cruises out of both PC and Miami.

[KKB]

Yesterday Celebrity let Edge guests (sailing tomorrow) that their 2 MX stops are cruise sponsored excursions only. 

Cozumel has seen a spike in cases as of recent; earlier this month they went to orange with the threat to go to red, but apparently while cases haven't exactly dropped, they have leveled somewhat so they haven't pushed to red yet.

(someone posted a graph that showed the June spike--highest numbers they have ever seen)
MX has been open to tourists for some time w/ few restrictions. They have administered about 40M doses, (out of about 130M) but they don't know numbers on who has had 1 shot or who is fully vaccinated...

[Joe817]

We love Cozumel! On our Dream cruise in late summer, 2019, we just did a walk about on our own. We went all over Puerta Maya, then walked up the main drag, to take in Margaritaville, Hard Rock café,  and toured the shopping area up and down Av. Melgar/Malecon(the main drag at the pier area). If you google 'Cozumel maps' get tons of ideas.

 

This time around(Vista cruise 8/21), we are taking a non-sponsored excursion to Nachi Cocum. We are really excited about this. This year, they are limiting the guests to 100 people. Just our thing we were looking for! 👍

[arkaine23]

I'm no expert.  But seems like a stretch to get out there, hit 3 distant ports, then back within the constraints of a 7 day cruise.  I'd think the westerns from FL normally have a stop in G.C., Jamaica, or both for logistical/timing/resupply reasons.  But I am just making it up as I go, and drawing conclusions from the itinerary changes that have been made.

[d12j28]

1 hour ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

 

 

So why is that?  The beaches?  The excursions?

 

I thus have a related question about Cozumel - it is one of our port stops for a cruise on Mardi Gras later this year.  I've never been there before.

 

I know this question would normally belong in the Ports of Call area, but dredging through there wasn't getting me the satisfaction/knowledge I was looking for, and my questioning is rather Carnival-related:

 

Looking at the available excursions offered by Carnival, nothing really stands out (for me, at least).  Maybe there will be a bit more offered as we get closer to sailing date and new / old vendors are added back into the mix.  Not sure whether I want to do a private excursion at this stage.  (I know lots of people really prefer non-Carnival excursions.)

 

I see that there is an Amber-Cove-like area right at the pier that Carnival (almost?) always docks at.  If we are just looking to walk around and have a "local" snack or drink, is there any specific thing we might want to check out?  If not going on an excursion, how else could we entertain ourselves for a few hours, specifically from that Carnival exclusive pier?

This link gives you tons of info on the port area.

 

http://www.puertamaya.com/Port-Information.aspx

 

Last time we were there we went to Mr. Sanchos and had a lot of fun. 

 

https://www.mrsanchos.com/

[KKB]

11 minutes ago, Joe817 said:

We love Cozumel! On our Dream cruise in late summer, 2019, we just did a walk about on our own. We went all over Puerta Maya, then walked up the main drag, to take in Margaritaville, Hard Rock café,  and toured the shopping area up and down Av. Melgar/Malecon(the main drag at the pier area). If you google 'Cozumel maps' get tons of ideas.

 

This time around(Vista cruise 8/21), we are taking a non-sponsored excursion to Nachi Cocum. We are really excited about this. This year, they are limiting the guests to 100 people. Just our thing we were looking for! 👍

We do too--have done Nachi Cochum several times. 

But haven't they always limited to 100 passengers?

I'll be sad if we can't go next month--they dropped the price to $39pp!

[vacruisin]

6 minutes ago, KKB said:

We do too--have done Nachi Cochum several times. 

But haven't they always limited to 100 passengers?

I'll be sad if we can't go next month--they dropped the price to $39pp!

Yes, Nachi Cocom has always had a limit of 100 passengers per day.  We have gone there once before; it was very nice.  Loved the swim up bar!

[Joe817]

7 minutes ago, KKB said:

We do too--have done Nachi Cochum several times. 

But haven't they always limited to 100 passengers?

I'll be sad if we can't go next month--they dropped the price to $39pp!

Yes, 100 because of the pandemic. It's normally 139. And yes! we snagged the $39pp this past Monday. Heck of a deal. You'll be sad? We  will be heart broken! I don't see at all Carnival cancelling the Cozumel stop. Fingers crossed!  🤞

[stellarose]

wonder if cozumel is off for Christmas?

[Joe817]

4 minutes ago, stellarose said:

wonder if cozumel is off for Christmas?

Why would it be??

[Cruise Related]

Well, on my July 18th cruise on the Horizon, my original itinerary was Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios. As of two weeks ago, it was changed to HMC, Amber Cove, and Bimini. I was told by a carnival rep that no Cozumel for July and August. I do have Mardi Gras booked in September, it has Cozumel currently on the itinerary. 

[Roger88]

1 hour ago, arkaine23 said:

This has more to do with Grand Cayman and Jamaica being closed to cruising.   If those + Cozumel were your itenerary and you were sailing from Florida, there's kinda no alternatives for the closed ports that'll still send you in the direction of Cozumel.   Roatan and Belize are too far out of the way for you.  If your cruise included one of those and you were sailing from Florida and to Eastern Caribben destinations, then they swap a closed port for an extra Bahamas port (Bimini).

 

Whereas if you were sailing from Texas, they easily swap the closed ports to Roatan and Belize.

Its weird how some routes are getting oppened while others are closing again. I am tired of searching for any reliable route\cruise. Maybe it will be safe just to wait another year and then choose whatever you like?

[Joe817]

7 minutes ago, Cruise Related said:

Well, on my July 18th cruise on the Horizon, my original itinerary was Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios. As of two weeks ago, it was changed to HMC, Amber Cove, and Bimini. I was told by a carnival rep that no Cozumel for July and August. I do have Mardi Gras booked in September, it has Cozumel currently on the itinerary. 

Maybe that's only for your port of departure. Nothing I've seen has mentioned Cozumel is a cancelled port. OTOH, out of our 3 stops, were changed. From Grand Cayman and Montego Bay, to Mahogany Bay & Belize. Cozumel remained the same. 

[Cruise Related]

12 minutes ago, Joe817 said:

Maybe that's only for your port of departure. Nothing I've seen has mentioned Cozumel is a cancelled port. OTOH, out of our 3 stops, were changed. From Grand Cayman and Montego Bay, to Mahogany Bay & Belize. Cozumel remained the same. 

It’s not uncommon to speak with a Carnival customer service rep and they have inaccurate information. Maybe it does go by port of departure. No clue. Situation is always changing. 

Edited June 25, 2021 by Cruise Related
Typo

[stellarose]

just checked my carnival planner and Cozumel is still listed.

[TravelGirlinDallas]

1 hour ago, Lee Cruiser said:

Our personal favorite is Paradise Beach.  We take a taxi there and spend the day on the beach. Great food there!  It is a little quieter than some of the all-inclusive beaches like Mr. Sanchos, but many people love those areas.

 

Another vote for Paradise Beach. We always appreciated that they had both a la carte as well as all-inclusive options, because we didn't want to be locked into all-inclusive. The food is great.

[TooManyWakeUpsTilWeSail]

1 hour ago, arkaine23 said:

I'm no expert.  But seems like a stretch to get out there, hit 3 distant ports, then back within the constraints of a 7 day cruise.  I'd think the westerns from FL normally have a stop in G.C., Jamaica, or both for logistical/timing/resupply reasons.  But I am just making it up as I go, and drawing conclusions from the itinerary changes that have been made.

I’m all for adaptability but stop this Facebook/Instagram notifications crap.  My cruise in September (listing GC and Jamaica) as 2 ports is still listed with no changes.  If all 3 will be different, just let us know and give us excursion options.  I understand & completely agree that Carnival cannot help port closure.  But if they KNOW these options don’t exist, stop the money grab and clear things just a little.