bguppies

No you are right I finally found the website and it does say 5 pm, but they stay open to 6;30 on late ship days. I guess we have always left before 3, so I never noticed how late they stayed open on regular days.

Im pretty sure Nachi has always closed at 3PM except on a couple of days with late arriving ships. I know they stay open till 5PM on days the Carnival Paradise is in port. (us in February) Not sure if there are other ships they stay open late for.

Yes, all the the prices had, had a new price, taped over the old price. The guy guiding people into the cabs apoligized for the price increase and I told him I was surprised it took this long to raise the prices. Unfortunately they got us into a cab and going before I could snap a pic.

Always gonna be cheaper than through the cruiseline. (with all the kickbaks they work into the price they charge you) Most of the local vendors will be waiting in the area where the tenders dock, waiting for the people who prebooked their private excursions, but usually they are looking for fill any available spots with walkups.

Thanks for such a well written review.

Its the oldest pier right in downtown that everybody used to use back in the day, but now Royal Caribbean Lines (RCCL, Celebrity, etc. ) have their own pier south of town at the International Pier and Carnival's lines (Carnival, Princess, HAL, etc.)have their own pier right next door at the Puerto Maya Pier. I know last week when we were there only Virgin was using Punta Langosta. I think NCL still might use it too. (and any other line that isn't owned by the big two companies.) Back to the OP's question. Roatan is definitely best for excurstions. I always like something (Monkey Farm, Iguana Farm, etc.) and West Bay beach. If docking in town in Cozumel, you will be able to easily walk around and shop and eat. But the variety of excursions in Cozumel will dwarf the little available in Costa Maya. The widest variety of beach/pool days available, bar hops, dolphin swims, sub rides, snorkling, etc. Costa Maya mainly has a smaller, but closer to the port area, set of Mayan Ruins, and alot of beach bars lining the Malecon in town. Which has alot of local wares that can be shopped all along the Malecon, for the cost of a very short cab ride into town. (Mahahual) Personally I would do excursions in Roatan and Cozumel and walk around town in Costa Maya. (Unless the Mayan Ruins sound interesting, then flip/flop Costa Maya and Cozumel)

Oh, and cabs were up to $20 each way from Puerto Maya (and I'd assume International next door) to Paradise, Playa Mia, Sanchos and Nachi now.

DW and I were back at Nachi last week and had yet another great time. One large group with alot of kids was a bit different than usual, but none of the kids were very loud, just the cacophony of so many. (but still didn't ruin the serene vibes) Food was food as always, hot tub was working better this year and the grounds and facilities were clean as always. Can't wait to return in February.

For the 6 and 1 year old I would say Playa Mia, the 17 year old should be fine anywhere, but as you seem to have eliminated everyone except Mr. Sanchos and Paradise Beach I would say Paradise Beach out of the two.

Most important thing about Nachi Cocum to DW and I, isn't the AI feature, but the limit of people each day at a facility with a nice pool, clean restrooms, hot tub and a friendly, helpful staff. It is much more important these days with all the smaller ships getting replaced by megaships since our early days at Nachi. (big difference between 8-9 megaships each day with 5-6,000 pax versus 10-15 years ago with 8-9 ships in port, with 2-3,000 pax) Paradise Beach looks to have equally nice infrastructure, but no limit to admissions and the spacing of the loungers throughout the facility looks much tighter and less comfortable than Nachi. Now I've always gotten Fajitas at Nachi on every one of our many visits there and have found it delicious each time and most times never make it to the desert. (I think only once) DW and I are not drinkers, so as to whether or not the drinks are watered down we couldn't speak to it. We take our opportunity at Nachi each year to buddy up with the pool bartender and try a wide variety of drinks we have never had before. That is the beauty of Cozumel, is the extreme variety of beach/pool days that can be had there. If getting drunk is your top priority, then another spot would probably be better. If loud music playing all day is a priority, then another club would be a better spot. If alot of waterslides, watertoys and kiddie pools are important, then another place would be the choice. I'm sorry smellywax had a bad time at Nachi, but on the good side, their review will steer some fence sitters away from a day at Nachi towards another beach day they might enjoy more and leave some people who will actually appreciate Nachi for what it does offer. a better chance at getting one of the 135 spots. (be there two weeks from today and I can't wait) Hopefully smart people reading the review will be able to realize Nachi, Mr.Sanchos, Playa Mia and Paradise Beach are all along the same stretch of beach and jungle, thus a snake at one would be a snake at any of the other facilities. (don't think you can animal proof any facility bordering a jungle)

Best turtle excursion we ever did was one in St.Martin if you ever take an Eastern Caribbean cruise. There was a small island off St. Martin, that they kept just for the turtles. Limited amount of people allowed in the area at any time. Lots of turtles to view. (DW even saw a bunch staying in the boat and not snorkeling)

Belize will have larger ruins depending on which set of ruins you visit. Chacchoben at Costa Maya is a shorter ride to arrive at the ruins but smaller set of ruins. Depends on what is more important to you. In my younger days it was more important for me to take a four hour busride to the larger Uxmal ruins in Mexico. Now in my older years a shorter ride with taking into consideration, terrain issues, for mobility reasons would take precidence. (if you have ANYONE in your group with any kind of walking issues make sure to check on that as all of these ruins are in the middle of the jungle with lots of stones and roots, etc. Very few have been Disney-fied, like Chitzen Itza)

I've only docked at Puerta Maya, but always assumed the price would be the same since they are literally right next door to each other. If they charge a penny more in the fares, that would be criminal for a 100 yards difference.

We have gotten there 15-30 minutes early a couple of times and they would let us in to claim our spot and get set up. (once I had to run back up to the front to pay our balance and get the wristbands for us) They'll be busy with finishing the morning set up, so it'll take a few minutes to take your first order and may take the person at the entrance a minute to take your balance and get your wristband. But if its feasible, and if you really want one of the first few palapas, don't be shy, just super nice and hopefully they let you in a few minutes early to get your spot. Like C-Leg5 said, they won't be serving food too early. (I think they come around a little while after getting opened and let you know when they start taking lunch orders.)

Thats what we do too. Usually the pool bartender and our waiter and if our waiter doesn't serve us in the restaurant area, we tip our server there too. (but usually our waiter handles it too)

Yeah our experiences at HMC, made me question whether it'll be active on board while we are anchored in Belize.

Thanks for all the responses. I think I must have read a bunch of posts about ships out of Galveston not allowing people to use it until the second day. Thats what made me question it. So basically if we go lite on the drinking until we depart we should be good on the extra taxes.

Perfectly put. Tulum I would only try through the cruiseline for sure. The ruins on the island are not what you are envisioning from documentaries. Definitely google some pictures first. Cozumel is a great beach day. Tulum is close enough but a long ferry to the mainland and then another decent drive down the coast to the site. Tough on a cruiseship timetable. Progresso gets you to Chitzen Itza and Uxmal ruins. (again, due to the long distances, only through the cruiseline, but Uxmal was fantastic) Costa Maya has ruins close enough to use independant tours (Native Choice seems highly recommended) Belize has 3 or 4 reachable from Belize city. Probably the best you can get on an average western Caribbean cruise, but again all but one of them are an extremely long drive to get to the sites.

Taxi - Las year it was still $17 from Puerto Maya (Carnival Pier) When you are ready to leave just let your waiter or one of the staff in the restaurant area know and they'll make sure to call a cab for you. Tipping - We tip based on how much we use our waiter each time. We spend alot of time in the pool, so we usually tip the bartender at the swim up bar more than our waiter, since we use his services more. (we usually eat in the restaurant too, rather than at a poolside table or palapa on the beach) Seating - You can ask for any available seat there, but its first come first served, and they usually seat the earliest arrivers at the first palapa (closest to the pool and restaurant) and then move down the beach in order unless asked for a specific palapa. If you arrive early you'll have no problem getting a palapa close to the pool. (our last few trips to Nachi, we spend so much time in the pool, we just get loungers poolside with a view of the beach.) If your ship arrives late or you do other activities before Nachi, then you'll just have to take the closest they have left and move closer after the early arrivers start to leave. (Usually decently early when people head back to the pier to shop before reboarding.) Hope that answers a bit of your questions.

This will DW's and My first time with the alcohol package on a cruise. We will be on the Pride out of Tampa in December. (If anybody has had the package out of Tampa specifically) I know it takes awhile to get out into the Gulf when leaving Tampa. 1) Does the alcohol package start when you board the ship or after you get out into the Gulf in open water? 2) Does the package work on port days if you stay onboard? (definitely not getting off in Belize) Thanks in advance for any answers.

No. I just found the most recent picture I could find. That was the rates last December still. Just wanted to show everybody what to look for at the taxi stand at the port with whatever the current rates are. I can post a current photo after I go again in December.

Here's what the board looks like at Puerto Maya pier. Playa Mia/Mr. Sanchos/Nachi Cocum is about halfway down under Club De Playa, Parques

Assuming Celebrity docks at International with the RCCL ships, it was $17 in December 22 (From Puerto Maya next door). I can report back after I go this December if the rates have gone up in the past year. (I just assume $20 to be on the safe side)

Nice little section of reef right there too if you like to snorkle from shore.

Thanks for the great pictures.