We love Cozumel. I think the cruise lines love Cozumel too because it is on a huge number of Caribbean itineraries.
We have been to Cozumel five times and have done five different things each time. Most of those things I would do again or at least highly recommend!
Tulum: The first time we went to Cozumel was several years ago on our very first cruise. We weren’t sure if we would love cruising or hate it, but I knew I did not want to squander the opportunity to visit a Mayan ruin. With that in mind, we took the 7 hour excursion with Carnival to visit the ruins of Tulum. We had a great time! I am so very grateful we did the excursion….but I did not need to do it again for a long time. It took the entire day and the ferry ride to the mainland was the roughest seas I have ever experienced.
Snorkel and Beach: The second visit to Cozumel was a basic snorkel and beach break. Those excursions seem pretty straight-forward every time. You snorkel, you get offered some drinks, you get dropped off at the beach and can get some more drinks if you want. We lounged about in some hammocks for a while then we took the catamaran back to the ship. Easy and fun.
Then about five years went by….
Amazing Race: This is a whole post all by itself it was so much fun. I cannot recommend this enough! By far my favorite excursion. We booked through Carnival, but it was run by an independent company and I think you could book directly with them.
We were taken to the downtown area, solved some clues, got in a small boat and taken out on the water, solved some more clues and then went to a restaurant for some (included) food and drink. When we were ready, they put us in a cab to go back to the port. It was a great experience and you can read the whole post here.
Cozumel Ruins: We really just booked this excursion because my mom was with us and she wanted to see some Mayan ruins, but Tulum did not fit into our schedule for the day. It was a four-hour excursion and was fun and interesting. The guide was very informative and we enjoyed the trip to the ruins.
We stopped by a beach for a few minutes after the ruins and I had way too much fun climbing on the rocks the guide advised were dangerous. This is a great excursion if you are just looking for something fast that allows you to see some Mayan ruins. They are not nearly as impressive as Tulum, but it is still a fun trip.
Nachi Cocum: This is the only one of the activities that was not a ship excursion. It was a beautiful beach day. I’m sorry I really don’t have many pictures because I spent way too much time enjoying myself laying on the beach and drinking the included Margaritas that I forgot to take pictures! We got off the ship early, hopped in a taxi one of the port workers directed us into (17 USD for the couple) and took a 20-minute drive down to the resort. We got set up with a chair and (included) bottles of water and enjoyed walking, laying and swimming in the nearly private beach. They cap the number of people that are allowed in, so it never felt crowded. Lunch and drinks were included. When it was time to go, we changed out of our wet bathing suits and our waiter called a taxi for us and within about two minutes we were back in the cab for another $17 taxi ride back to the port. A great, relaxing day.
Obviously, these are very different excursions. Nachi Cocum was very relaxing, but the snorkeling and beach day was also a fun, easy time. Tulum was probably the most rewarding, but not something you need to do more than once. My absolute favorite was the Amazing Race, though I will point out that it was already hot when we did it in April, so I probably wouldn’t make that choice if it was July.
I think the thing I love most about Cozumel, though, is the fact that I hope to try a new excursion when I go back. There seems to be an endless supply of things to do!
Have you been somewhere different in Cozumel? What do you recommend I try next time?
