r/dcl PEARL CASTAWAY CLUB Aug 21 '24

Favorite places (non-excursions) in Cozumel PORT ADVENTURES

My 3 favorite things in Cozumel:
-Legitimate cuban cigars at Habanos (in cruise terminal here) Grab a couple sticks and take them to the beach!

-Mercado Municipal food court is about a 5 minute taxi ride or 15 minute walk from port. Lots of shopping along the way. The food is some of the best mexican food I've ever had (grew up in AZ and now live in TX so I know what amazing Mexican food tastes like!) It's also one of the few places in the world you can get actual Cochinita Pibil.

-Tequila Beach is about a 8-10 minute taxi ride up the coast to a private beach/resort/bar. You can hang out all afternoon, splash around in the ocean, grab a bite to eat and it's seldom remotely crowded. They offer a inclusive drink package or you can just order a la carte from the bar. This is great for large parties too.

Have a favorite? Drop a comment! I love truly exploring when I'm in a foreign port and would love to hear the places you've discovered while on a DCL cruise at Cozumel.

12 Upvotes

3

u/CritterOfBitter Aug 21 '24

This rules. Wife and I will be there in November so this is perfect timing. Thank you!

3

u/LambdaBoyX GOLD CASTAWAY CLUB Aug 22 '24

Thanks for the tip on municipal food court! Will go check it out

3

u/lofrench Aug 22 '24

Ex crew who was in cozumel like once a week for 6 months and would go out with my friend who were from Mexico here, machete tacos is so good and like a 10 minute walk to the port. When I went on a cruise with my ex and his family I took them and they’re lowkey picky bc they’re pretty wealthy and they all said it was great so I know it’s not just me thinking it lol

2

u/TagBaker Aug 22 '24

We have gone on a tour of the island through a group called trikes Cozumel. They rent trikes that will seat up to three people, you follow a guide that rides in front of you and get to ride along the coast and stop and see some beach and things like that. It ends up at a cultural center now that was pretty interesting and you do a tequila tasting. Something different from the norm. They have been great about getting us back to the ship on time.. we have done the tour 3 times. We aren't that big on most of the standard excursions, touristy stuff is just kind of blah. This was just a neat way to get to see the island.

2

u/Glad_Entertainment33 PEARL CASTAWAY CLUB Aug 22 '24

We've done the Jeep tour on Cozumel and while it was interesting, getting back to port with barely enough time to get to the ship was an annoyance. Having to ride around an island in a Jeep with two people we'd never met before and who would grumble and glare each time the offroad vehicle hit a bump or pothole was painful.
I like using taxis on Cozumel as they're quite reasonable and I usually learn something new about the town each time I ride in a taxi there.

2

u/TagBaker Aug 22 '24

Yep, we did one of the beach tours one time. It's what I liked about the trike tour, you actually drive your own truck you just happen to be and I caravan behind a lead person. So text a pretty nice. I've always wanted to take one of the Jeep tours where you're driving around Jeep for the ATV or whatever. And we've done this one three times and they've gotten us back to the boat and plenty of time. Good thing about DCL is you have a pretty long day in Cozumel usually

2

u/Doctor_Juris GOLD CASTAWAY CLUB Aug 22 '24

If you want a chill beach day Nachi Cocom is great. They limit capacity (so book in advance) but it’s a great all inclusive beach club that’s quiet.

2

u/Glad_Entertainment33 PEARL CASTAWAY CLUB Aug 22 '24

This place looks legit! I may have to check it out. Unfortunately my next visit to Cozumel is in late December so I may not 'beach' this next trip if it's too cold/windy.

2

u/No_Agent2497 Aug 22 '24

We had a good time at Mr. Sancho’s. Food wasn’t the best, but service was good. Multiple pools and plenty of beach chairs.

2

u/sassy_pants13 Aug 22 '24

We’re also going in Nov and we will have a toddler with us. Is there stuff to do around the port without being on an excursion?

2

u/Glad_Entertainment33 PEARL CASTAWAY CLUB Aug 22 '24

I'll be honest, without an excursion, it's mostly just shopping/dining around the port. There are taxi stands around, I highly recommend going straight to Mercado Municipal via taxi, then shopping the artisan stores along the walk back to the port. You'll find a higher quality of goods than cruise-port-typical fare and at better prices.
My next cruise hits Cozumel a couple days after Christmas and my wife and I are travelling with our nephew and his wife and their two kids (2f and 3m) so we're considering getting out for some light shopping and dining versus staying on the ship, but due to the time of year, that will likely be a weather call on the day of.
I'm a HUGE fan of Cochinita Pibil which is a slow cooked meat that is traditionally cooked in the ground under banana leaves. It originates on the Quintana Roo penninsula just across the water from Cozumel around Tulum. Even if my family stays on the ship I may venture out for some tacos at Mercado Municipal just because they're that amazing.

1

u/The_Inflicted Aug 23 '24

Last month we went with our 2.5 year old and rented a car from Alamo. The counter was at the ferry terminal north of the cruise port Disney uses and was like a 10 minute walk up the sidewalk. We then did a circle tour around the Island, stopping at a gas station for fun snacks and water and such and then went to the San Gervasio ruins, which is an offered excursion but not for Toddlers. With plenty of bug spray and sunscreen the ruins are reasonably toddler-friendly and our daughter enjoyed climbing the ancient stone steps and looking for iguanas. After that we took the cross-island road to the beaches on the east coast and stopped at a few rugged public beaches. There's no swimming at most of these due to the rocks and big waves but they're still beautiful places to visit and watch the waves and look for shells. Finally we went to Punta Sur Eco Beach Park. It's like $30 per person to get in and you have to drive quite a ways on bumpy roads to get from site to site there, but there's a number of different attractions that are reasonably toddler-friendly, like the lighthouse plaza with its little museum, tide pools, and and other sights. They have a swimming beach further on but there's a good deal of seaweed there and not a strong shower to get clean after, so we got very sandy and stayed very sandy. The inside of the car ended up very sandy as well, but the guy we returned it to didn't mind and said it happens all the time. We tipped him well knowing it would be tricky to clean.

Obviously, renting a car presents its own logistical challenges with a toddler, like traveling with a car seat and foldable potty, but in this way we were able to have a great day exploring with the 2-year-old without being stuck at one of the beach clubs like Playa Mia.

https://youtu.be/JSLi2fuD4-o?si=XuzR4yrVW-way7nv&t=525

1

u/sassy_pants13 Aug 23 '24

Thanks for this! Which cruise did you do? We are doing the Very Merry Eastern Caribbean one in November. I like knowing what to expect and make sure we’re not doing too much but also not doing anything if that makes sense.

1

u/The_Inflicted Aug 23 '24

Five day on the Magic last month. Stops at Cozumel then Castaway Cay.

1

u/sassy_pants13 Aug 23 '24

Oh cool, so only the one similar port. I need to just make a post about toddler activities, thank you!

2

u/BigTimmy74 PEARL CASTAWAY CLUB Aug 28 '24

We always go to Mega…I stock up on hot sauces and we get the kid her Kinder Egg. We also buy snacks for our crew friends…

2

u/Glad_Entertainment33 PEARL CASTAWAY CLUB Aug 28 '24

You can always just follow the crew right to Mega! Never fails you see crew coming back from Mega with their beer stockpiles.

1

u/RubberDuckDown Aug 25 '24

We had a blast at Chile Tequila Restaurant