Costa Maya and Hurricane Dean discussion (merged)

[gaiamother]

Dr. Jeff Masters at weatherunderground.com has some more information on the fate of Costa Maya in his blog today:

 

http://www.weatherunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/show.html

 

One of the major concerns I have is that Dean was getting stronger at time of landfall. Wilma, although moving slow, was weakening when it lingered over the Yucatan in 2005. Most of the really deadly and damaging hurricanes in the past have been getting stronger at landfall. If Dean had had a few more hours out over the open water before landfall, it might have been the strongest hurricane of all time to hit land in the Atlantic (at least that we know of.) Anyway, read Jeff Masters blog for an interesting image of the winds at landfall. Not good.

 

 

 

 

This report really does not sound good for Majahal. So disturbing. I really feel for all of those who live in these areas of Mexico!

[Gosap]

These folks are very industrious and hard workers and will get back on their feet. We will all have to ready to book plenty of cruises to the Yucatan to spend our dollars to help them out.

 

You got it. Cruisers with money to spend will speed up the recovery!

[Choozin Croozin]

Doug, that is such an awesome picture. Hopefully some day it will look like that again. Afraid it might be awhile. Unfortunately I had not gotten around to booking my tour with David and Ivan yet. I was pretty sure that was what I was going to do, but was still undecided......but maybe, just maybe by Feb....???? I feel so bad for them. I just wish the news would give some updates on Costa Maya. Nothing.

[familycruising4us]

http://www.portillas.com/ I ran across this site while searching for information on the damage. It has a blog written by a person who lives at Costa Maya. It includes his thoughts and preparations as the storm approached. I thought some of you might be interested in reading it. I hope he has a chance to update it with information very soon.

 

I found this site Friday, have it marked in my favorites as I have been cking back everyday. I hope he made it north enough...

I've never been to Costa Maya, hope to on our Jan 09 cruise. I feel like I've been, tho, from reading all of your reviews, seeing all of your pics. I can't wait for this port out of all the ports, bcuz it sounds and looks so wonderful.

Right now I just pray for all of those people, heartbreaking...

[wtrmdr]

I've been reading through these posts and feel so sad that those poor people are having to go through this. Our ship is supposed to dock there in late November. It is one of the ports I have been wanting to visit for some time. But ... if our ship has to find another port, someone earlier said it right - our inconvenience is nothing compared to theirs!

 

I do have a question, however, and perhaps missed it being answered. What is the "hole in the wall"???

[bbaileyfamily]

GREAT picture!!! Very nice!

 

Great thoughts on the folks down there also. We are (were?) scheduled for a Halloween docking there. Hopefully there is something to go to for everybody's sake.

[flamingos]

From what we saw of Majahual when we were there, as low and flat as it is, I would be very much surprised if thre is much still there. I would not expect there to be any concrete building that wasn't swept through & through - and anything of lesser construction simply won't be there at all. How very sad.

[WillCruz4Food]

It is very said that Majahual will likely be swept away completely. But also keep in mind that the very shabby construction that a lot of these very primitive coastal villages use is used for a reason. A lot of them have been using the same building methods for hundreds of years. When storms like this come through they will rebuild in a matter of weeks because they do not have to worry about pouring concrete and rebuilding complex walls and such.

 

Hopefully they were all smart and evacuated to Chetumal, and if so they have only lost things that can be rebuilt easily.

 

It's sad, but think positively. These people have lived on these shores for a very, very, very long time and they know how to cope. Unfortunately when places like New Orleans are hit with massive storms the destruction always seems so much more catastrophic, because the way we build here in the states is "Let's build these to withstand damage" which rarely ever works as where the coastal villages in mexico use the "Let's build so it's easy to rebuild when it's blown away", which is probably the easier and less destructive method to use unless you plan to build bomb shelters. Alas, we need our luxurious homes so that will never happen.

 

So to end my ramblings and in conclusion, send your prayers, but all will be well. These are very resilient and resourceful people.

 

And btw, my first post here. Hello! :)

[FloridaCouple05]

I suspect the "hole in the wall" comment refers to the exit from the cruise port. The entire area (8 or 10 acres or so) around the pier containing the shops, bars, restaurants and pools is surrounded by a wall that is maybe 10 or 12 feet tall, and even though we were determined to find the exit and worked our way around the entire complex, we were unable to locate the exit on our own. We finally asked one of the bartenders, who directed us to the exit gate so that we could find the taxi stand. They don't want you to leave, so they don't make it easy or obvious how to escape!

[flamingos]

The first photos, not specific as to where:

 

http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?ei=UTF-8&p=majahual&c=&fr=&c=images

 

 

And the history of the place provided by WillCruz4Food is true - if they have the funds, they will be back in a few months. Perhaps this will be an oportunity to upgrade the infrastructure so they can get water on a more regular basis. :)

 

I am sure everyone from Majahual fled to shelter. Surviving the storm is all that matters. Things can be replaced.

[CalypsoCruisers]

I was on a ship that was one the first back to Montego Bay right after Jeanne. The headlines of the local paper was huge...it said the

 

Tourists are Back!!.

 

I was very moved by this and have used it as a measure of my vacation time and dollars. Regardless of the damage, we are their source of income. They will rebuild because they have to.

 

Ironically, that same cruise diverted us to Costa Maya for another port's damage. I fell in love with that lovely corner of the country and I am praying for the health and safety of those effected.

[lizard6216]

Hi!! I spent the day at the cats meow a year ago. If anyone get's info on how Barbara and everyone and everything came through the storm please post it. My family and I feel a personal attachment to the area and are praying for everyone.

 

Hi Dianne.....we were on the Carnival Valor together in April/May 07. We were a group of 18 from Nova Scotia.

 

Our thoughts and prayers are with all the people in Costa Maya too. This was my 2nd visit to Costa Maya and it was my favorite port of call. We spent most of the day with Barbara (fellow Canadian) at Cats Meow. I know that they live in a little trailor behind Cats Meow. Hope her family, cats and her staff, especially Hugo are ok.

[Starz723]

The hole in the wall, is actually "The hole in the fence".

 

The thread about this is: The resort next to the pier Chac Chi. It is on this board.

 

The pier owners have put up a wall and fence so you cannot access a wonderful beach and eco tourism resort right next to the pier. They want to contain you in a very commercialized area so you can spend your money there. The owner of the resort once owned the land that the pier was built on, but, a nasty double cross has taken place and the pier owner has tried to stop cruisers from accessing this slice of paradise. I have actually seen cruise ship employees jump off the pier and swim to Cha Chi beach. While I was there, I was snorkeling and many people walking down the pier asked me how I got there. I was happy to tell them the directions. Its not hard.

 

Many people who frequent this board have referred to themselves as the "hole in the fence" gang or club. I myself are one of them. There is a hole in the fence and YOU CAN access this magnificent place. If you go to that thread, there are directions and pictures on how to gain access and many posts from happy cruisers who have been there. Its a magical place. Hopefully, its still there after it has taken a direct hit from the hurricane. It is bascially Palapas type buildings and cabanas..not very sturdy to withstand a Cat 5 hurricane. I do hope its still there and can continue to be in business.

 

Marge

Starz723

[ev8876]

Supposed to return in January 2008....

[gail811]

WOW! If you look at the picture of the woman walking with her baby you can make out the lighthouse in the top left corner of the picture. IF it is the same one I have a picture of (taken from the beach in front of Tapas), everything appears to be gone:(

 

[trcori]

We were in Majahual in spring of last year, during a short Costa Maya stop aboard Galaxy; we went to Majahual to catch the Chacchoben tour with Carolina and Ivan. Hope they and theirs are OK. The area was on the brink of tremendous development then - guess this will accelerate the process, now that the simple little storefronts along the dirt road in Majahual appear to have been literally blown away ... TR

[vacruizer]

The first photos, not specific as to where:

 

http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?ei=UTF-8&p=majahual&c=&fr=&c=images

 

 

And the history of the place provided by WillCruz4Food is true - if they have the funds, they will be back in a few months. Perhaps this will be an oportunity to upgrade the infrastructure so they can get water on a more regular basis. :)

 

I am sure everyone from Majahual fled to shelter. Surviving the storm is all that matters. Things can be replaced.

 

These photos bring tears to my eyes. If I remember correctly, the concrete, yellow "hotel majahual" was just outside the cruise port section. Looks like the town has been completely obliterated. I can't fathom what the citizens there are going through right now. Will be interesting to see if the pier is still there.

[float'n fanatics]

Here's another view...

 

 

[Mrsg324]

This was posted about 6:00 central time, it does not sound good

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/5072938.html

[CruiseCATnMACK]

 

On the bright side...... for all of those of you who know the "hole in the wall" story..... maybe Dean knocked down the darn wall to Chac Chi(the way it should be)

 

Doug

 

As a member of the hole in the fence gang I am heart broken. I was supposed to be there again on September 24th and in November. I'm hoping for a miracle.

[Mrsg324]

This is the first article that shows much that I can find. It doesn't sound good at all.

My heart just breaks for these people. I wish I had ventured out past the cruise terminal when I was there in July but we didn't.

 

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/5072938.html

 

Here is some info directly from the above article

 

 

President Felipe Calderon said no deaths were immediately reported in Mexico, after Dean killed 13 people in the Caribbean. But driving rain, poor communications and impassable roads made it difficult to determine how isolated Mayan communities fared in the sparsely populated jungle where Dean made landfall as a ferocious Category 5 hurricane.

"It wasn't minutes of terror. It was hours," said Catharine Morales, 30, a native of Montreal, Canada, who has lived in Majahual for a year. "The walls felt like they were going to explode."

One of a handful people to ignore military orders to evacuate, she weathered the storm in her new brick-walled house with her husband and 7-month-old baby. Winds of 165 mph — with gusts of 200 mph, faster than the takeoff speed of many passenger jets — blew out windows and pulled pieces from their roof.

Hundreds of homes were collapsed in Majahual when Dean's eye passed almost directly overhead, crumpling steel girders, splintering wooden structures and washing away about half of the immense concrete dock that transformed the sleepy fishing village into Mexico's second-busiest cruise ship destination. The storm surge covered almost the entire town in waist-deep sea water.

[lizard6216]

I just read on yahoo news that the concrete dock in mahahual has been partially swept away by the storm surge. :( It sounds like the ships will be rerouted. It also reported the town is under waist deep seawater still.:( Very sad.

[Loucat]

I know this is not possible, given the scams and diversions of relief funding, but I wish there was a way to donate to a REAL fund that would help the people in this area. Given the depth of poverty, and the fact that they depend on the cruise lines for income, this is a pathetic situation.:(

[Mrsg324]

here is another site I just came across

http://blogs.usatoday.com/cruiselog/

 

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

There's growing buzz in cruise circles today over the fate of Costa Maya, the fast-growing cruise port south of Cozumel. The six-year-old hub appears to have taken a direct hit from Hurricane Dean, which roared ashore on the Mexican coast this morning with sustained winds around 165 miles per hour.

"It's a big deal," says Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of cruisecritic.com, who fears the port has suffered major damage. "Trust me, it won't be up and running tomorrow."

Costa Maya has been one of the cruise industry's success stories in recent years. Carved out of the jungle in 2001, it has grown from nothing to become one of the most popular ports in the Western Caribbean. It offers berths for three ships and a man-made, private island-type experience with bars, restaurants, shops and pools, as well as excursions to nearby Mayan ruins.

The irony, says Spencer Brown, is that "Costa Maya really took off when Hurricane Wilma slammed Cozumel, Playa del Carmen and Cancun, and ships had to quickly reshuffle their itineraries." Will today's storm bring a reversal of fortune? As cruisecritic points out, Cancun and Cozumel appear to have been spared the brunt of the storm and are already reopening their ports for ship arrivals later this week.

So far, little information is getting out on Costa Maya's status. In a statement this afternoon, the destination's public relations firm said little more than that the port "was affected" by the storm. It said a crew is on the way to inspect the damage. But a spokesman for Carnival, which has five ships that call regularly at Costa Maya, sounded a cautious tone.

"We're still assessing damage at Costa Maya, but it looks like we will not be calling there for some time," Carnival's Vance Gulliksen told USA TODAY this afternoon.

Spencer Brown says cruisecritic.com's database shows there are 26 ships scheduled to call regularly at Costa Maya this winter and next winter.

 

 

 

World to Costa Maya: Are you still there?

[CatgirlNC]

Thanks for the updates, although the news does not sound good for Costa Maya as yet. I've been thinking about that place all day, hoping to hear that the pier escaped damage at least (since that's a key factor in getting the ships there), but I guess that wasn't the case. :(