Time in Port??

[irishayes]

I am trying to plan excursions and I know I must not be reading this correctly.

 

We arrive in Cozumel at 10:00 a.m. and the ship departs at 6:00 p.m.

 

Along the left side of the itinerary, there is a notice that says disembarkation begins 2 hours after arrival, and all guests must be on board 2 hours before departure.

 

That means we are in Cozumel from 12:00 to 4:00?? That can't be right, can it?

[Starry Eyes]

I believe the note you are reading pertains to initial embarkation and final disembarkation.

 

The ship expects to be at the pier (or anchored) at Coz at ten am. port authorities there usually clear the ships quickly, as they already have the passenger manifest and they want you to come ashore to spend money:D. If you are docked (as most ships are in Coz), you will probably be able to take the gangway ashore at about 10:30 or so. Sometimes earlier, sometimes later, of course, depending on sea traffic, conditions, local events, etc. The ship will announce the all aboard time, but usually 1/2 hour before sailing. Do not cut that too close; you do not want to miss the ship. But estimate time ashore as 10:30 to 5:30. have a great time.

[irishayes]

OK, thanks for your reply. I knew I must have been misreading that!

[itravelalot]

We were just at Cozumel. We were able to get off the ship by 10:30 and we all had to be back on by 5pm... Plenty of time for excursions or exploring on your own.

[Ewoodspark]

We were just at Cozumel. We were able to get off the ship by 10:30 and we all had to be back on by 5pm... Plenty of time for excursions or exploring on your own.

Did you dock at TMM International Pier ? If so can you please advise the distance from there to the main shopping area and how long that takes walking. Or is it best to get a taxi? I am quite interested as on the day when we are scheduled there in 2 months time there will be 7 ships in port with over 21,000 passengers

[Sassy122]

Walking from international pier is a LONG walk. It's a 5 min cab ride and i wish I could remember how much it was but it was reasonable. I would not advise walking. The best pier is punts langosta which is across from one of the main plazas. Also at the international pier you will have to navigate a maze of shops etc to get out to the taxis. Don't waste time at these shops there's better stuff downtown. If you need to, pick up little things at the pier on the way back. But shopping at the pier I would compare to shopping at an airport. Don't waste your time there. Get out and go downtown. Enjoy!

[irishayes]

OK, one more question. We are planning an ATV tour which is supposed to last 4 hours. We would like to finish the day by going to a beach near the ship. Is there a nice beach we could go to which is near the pier?

 

Thanks!!

[3mouseketeers]

hopping on to see replys as well - we are wondering the same - however, we were looking at the tulum excursion which is much longer......was hoping to have a quick drink in Senor Frogs before getting back on board??

[sdmike]

You're really only in port for 6 hours, so if your tour is 4 you don't have time for getting to a beach since there's not one near the port. If you dock downtown (Punta Langosta) here are a few suggestions:

 

At the base of the long pier is a shopping area. There is a drug store if you need to pick up anything like toothpaste, shampoo, etc. There are lots of souvenir and liquor shops, but we generally stop to poke around only if we have time on the way back.

 

If you walk through the mall and down the stairs to street level, head to the left (northeast) along the frontage road. In a block or two you will pass the (in)famous Carlos & Charlies and Senior Frogs. It will be full of drunk cruise passengers, some of which will miss their ships. :p Be careful.

 

If you continue down that road you will come across a very large souvenir shop. That's where we got t-shirts, hats, etc. to bring home. They had good prices on most things, but not on their booze. Also, don't buy any vanilla there. I'll tell you where to get that in a second. There are all kinds of shops along that road, so it's important to note the following:

 

- You can often find ice cold beer sold out of coolers for $1. Heaven on a hot day

- I found booze and watches to be better priced on the ship. Plus you don't have to worry about fakes since NCL is an authorized seller

- Everyone takes dollars. In fact, that souvenir shop not only will take dollars, but will charge your credit card in them if you want

 

One place to stop on the way back to the ship... Los Cinco Sols. This is an upscale shop on the second level of the shopping mall at the base of the pier. Why to there? Because they sell natural pure mexican vanilla. Avoid all the vanilla you see all over the place. I won't get into details, but 98% of it is synthetic. The Orlando family out of PV makes natural vanilla, and they produce three brands: Orlando, Los Cinco Sols, and Reyna. The difference between pure vanilla and synthetic is amazing. Buy some. Either of these brands will do.

 

Here are a few pictures:

 

Punta Langosta pier:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ttnc4me]

Great Pics!

How would one know if the ship is scheduled to dock at International Pier or Punta Langosta?

[spacepotatoes]

NCL documentation doesn't tell you, I don't think, but you can try checking the website for each port. I know the International Pier has a schedule posted. Cozumel actually has three main port areas. The one not mentioned here, Puerta Maya, has a very large shopping complex but I think that port is mostly used by Carnival ships.

 

I second the recommendation for Los Cinqo Soles. We were just in Coz recently and they had beautiful souvenirs there. We also bought some vanilla, which smells incredible!

[nygvic1950]

Can you help with the website for Cozumel pier schedule ?? Cant find and would like to find out where we are docking. On the NVL Spirit in Febraury.

Thanks.

[spacepotatoes]

Can you help with the website for Cozumel pier schedule ?? Cant find and would like to find out where we are docking. On the NVL Spirit in Febraury.

Thanks.

 

You are right, I can't find the website I used back in the summer to find the International Pier schedule either. I did find these two sites that may be helpful:

 

Cozumel Insider Ship Schedule - currently only goes up to Jan. 21 but keep an eye on it. It has the Spirit using Punta Langosta this week.

http://www.cozumelinsider.com/Cruiseships

 

Info for Cozumel Cruise Passengers - describes each pier. According to this, NCL mostly uses International Pier but that can always vary.

http://www.cozumelmycozumel.com/Pages/CozumelCruisesBasics.htm