So Many Questions

[Razberryt]

Anybody out there who can answer some of these?

 

We are going on a cruise with 12 other people (so 14 guests total) in September. It is on the Carnival Sensation. We arrive in Costa Maya on September 12th and will be there from 10 am to 6 pm We are thinking we want to see some ruins on this day.

 

Then we hit Cozumel on Tuesday morning at 7:00 am and are there until 6 pm.

 

Here are the questions:

 

Will a tour of the ruins take up most of the day?

 

If not, what is good to do before/after the tour?

 

At Cozumel - what is recommended to do here?

 

My husband definitely wants to scuba dive sometime on this trip, when is the best time to do this?

 

Does anyone have recommendations about scuba diving tours/operators, specific dive shops, etc.?

 

Is it best to have these arrangements made prior to leaving home?

 

Thanks!

 

-Amanda

[bruce-r]

Will a tour of the ruins take up most of the day?

Yes, if you take a tour to the ruins on the mainland from Cozumel, plan on an all day adventure. There are some ruins on the island, but the ones on the mainland are much larger and more impressive.

 

My husband definitely wants to scuba dive sometime on this trip, when is the best time to do this?

Cozumel would be my choice for diving, no question about it.

 

Does anyone have recommendations about scuba diving tours/operators, specific dive shops, etc.?

As a matter of fact, I do. http://www.bluextseadiving.com is an excellent dive operator. I have used them and can easily recommend Christi's operation. I have also used http://liquidbluediving.com/indexx.html and recommend them as well. They tend to attract more advanced divers, but can accommodate most any level of diving ability. Roberto is an excellent dive master.

 

I have read very good things about Dive with Martin, Scuba with Allison, and Blue Angel as well.

http://scubawithalison.com/

http://www.divewithmartin.com/

http://www.cozumel-diving.net/BlueAngel/

 

The favorite scuba operator on the cruise critic message board is http://www.eagleraydiving.com

 

Is it best to have these arrangements made prior to leaving home?

Yes, absolutely. The sooner the better in fact. Many of the better dive operators fill up.

[SharleneinTexas]

if you see ruins in Costa Maya, it doesn't have to be an all day affair......we are booked for a tour there and plan on spending a little time on the beach in Mahahual afterwards - we are in port from 7-3

the tour we are taking is only 3.5-4hrs but there are longer tours offered as well....

http://www.chacchobenruins.com/

[spocruiser]

In Cozumel, we really enjoyed Chaankenaab National Park. Great snorkeling, swam with dolphins, a great time. We unexpectantly spent the night and had an extra half day there so we went to Carlos and Charlies & Senior Frogs for some nightlife and then went to Paradise Beach the next day, which was very nice.

[solita]

Mahahual (aka Costa Maya) is my new favorite place in Mexico. Reminds me of Puerto Escondido many ago. For sure, go to the ruins when you are there. That is just about all there is to do...Kohunlich, Dzibanche and Oxtankah are just fabulous! Chacchoben is pretty cool too but very crowded. Depending on which you choose to see, the tours will be from 4 to 8 hours long. If it was me, I would pick one of the longer ones and see some unique sites.

 

I would leave Cozumel as the place to hit the beach and your hubby to dive. The ruins you see from Cozumel can not compare to the others. And it is an all day tour from Coz. I can second the recommendation for Liquid Blue - good people, good reputation and like by many here. I can not recommend the others.