Costa Maya CANCELLED from our March 2013 out of Galveston????

[awhcruiser]

I will call my TA for confirmation that Costa Maya is cancelled..But its not a deal breaker for us.

[brentlym]

Just me...but I'll never go to Mexico ever again. At least as long as the drug cartels have control of the country. :eek: IMO, of course.

 

A sea day sounds like total bliss to me....sea air, cocktails, the sea spray in my face along the promenade deck. Ahhhhhh......

[lv2cruiseanywhere]

Your signature indicates you are on the 4-6-13 sailing; I suppose this means that Costa Maya is off more than just the March 9 sailing. Is it off all the itineraries, from December through April? (Despite the emails, the Primcess website is still showing the uncorrected itineraries on these sailings as of just a few minutes ago.)

 

Our B2B Cruises of January 26 and February 2, 2013 both show a sea day instead of Costa Maya. Must be cancelled on all of these cruises.

 

It's okay with us. We are on-board for the Piano Player in Crooner's Bar.

[bjkTX]

Our Feb cruise was also changed. We've been to Costa Maya before, and I'd prefer going there to being on the ship 4 out of 7 days again - we just did that. I'm not a sea day kind of person.

[Stevesan]

Called Princess. They have a darn good reason The rep said Majahual was cancelled due to a high rate of crime. Princess obviously couldn't state that in the confirmation notices.

[awhcruiser]

Better to be safe. My TA confirmed the cancellation of Costa Maya but didn't say why.

[Times Prince]

It would have been better to cancel Cozumel.

 

o Many people have been there multiple times.

o Seriously oriented towards tourists (no Diamonds International at Costa Maya)

o Main sightseeing attractions are on the mainland which requires a ferry ride that many find rough

Agree with the "been there", and we have used Cozumel as our shopping port for souveniers. The lack of Diamonds International is not an issue for us.

 

Sightseeing on the island includes the San Gervasio Mayan ruins, which we found fascinating, and there are ample snorkeling options.

 

I prefer an island to the mainland. There certainly are less escape routes for criminals, so they might think twice before accosting tourists. At least one can hope...

[RickEk]

Pure speculation:

 

Princess can save money by not having to cruise at the speed needed to get to Mahahual (Costa Maya) by 10 AM that day.

 

That would certainly be a possible "operational reason."

 

I would think this is the most likely reason for the cancellation of Costa Maya (and the ones in the Med...).

[Rosethorn40]

Can't disagree more. Most fascinating Mayan ruins we've seen. The populace can use the money, too.

 

When we were in Costa Maya we went to Bacalar Lagoon, one of the most beautiful spots I have ever been to. I had noticed that none of the cruise lines had been offering excursions there recently, and was wondering if crime was playing a part in the decision as it was about an hour away from the port.

[Island wannabe]

Just recieved this email: :(

 

IMPORTANT NOTICES

ITINERARY CHANGE

Please be advised that due to operational reasons, the call to Costa Maya on March 11 has been cancelled and replaced with a day at sea. The revised itinerary displays in full at the end of this notification

 

This is the March 11, 2013 on the Crown PRincess.

 

bummer! wonder what's up!? we were going because of 4 ports......anyone know anything??:confused:

 

Hmmmm, the much hated "operational issue" and dropping ports on the Crown has reared its ugly head again. All Crown med cruises for this summer have dropped either Monte Carlo or Rhodes. Exact same non-sensical reason was given to us as well. Still have no idea what "operational issues" is truly code for.

[caribill]

Available 7 day cruises from Galveston:

 

Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas: Visit Roatan, Belize City, Cozumel

 

Carnival Magic: Visit Roatan, Belize City, Cozumel

 

Crown Princess: Visit Costa Maya, Roatan, Belize City, Cozumel

 

If you are picking by itinerary and price, which would you pick now.

[05mak05]

We are Royal Caribbean loyalists. We were willing to give up perks, upgrades, double points, gifts, etc. so we could take our children and grandchildren to Mahahual for a Christmas get away. Maya Chan Beach Resort, the all-inclusive, is fabulous. The water is crystal clear, beaches are beautiful, food delicious, shopping is fun ... we love everything about this port. And, oh, yes, we've seen the ruins, too. We've been there with every age group - seniors, young adults, kids with each and every one of them having a fabulous time. It's only a short hop on the bus or taxi to Mahahual. I believe it's all of 2 miles down the road. I think we'll also cancel our 12/22 Crown Princess and switch to the 12/29 RCI Mariner. We really don't want 2 sea days but oh, well.

I don't think it's a matter of time as sometimes the cruise ships just go in circles to kill time on the Western Caribbean route. It can't be fuel as Costa Maya lies between Cozumel and Roatan. One of the locals speculates that it's a disagreement over port taxes which makes the most sense. (And, yes, there is a Diamond's International :-)

[lovevacadays]

You'll still get Cozumel and Honduras which I have read are great ports of call

 

Two of my favorites in the Caribbean:D

[beachseeker]

We are booked on the Dec 29th sailing and have not received an email. Chose the Crown over the Mariner out of Galveston even though it was more $$ because of 4 ports instead of 3. We loved Costa Maya on our last cruise. We went fly fishing at Mahahaul and really wanted to go back. Might be a deal breaker for us.

[05mak05]

We are booked on the Dec 29th sailing and have not received an email. Chose the Crown over the Mariner out of Galveston even though it was more $$ because of 4 ports instead of 3. We loved Costa Maya on our last cruise. We went fly fishing at Mahahaul and really wanted to go back. Might be a deal breaker for us.

You've said it much better in your post than I did in mine. We were willing to pay the higher price for the Crown and forgo our perks on the Mariner. I'd love to know what is really going on with Costa Maya. (We could sit on the beach in Mahahual letting the world go by for days on end ... ) For us, I feel fairly certain it's a deal breaker as it was all about the 4 ports rather than 3.

[beachseeker]

You've said it much better in your post than I did in mine. We were willing to pay the higher price for the Crown and forgo our perks on the Mariner. I'd love to know what is really going on with Costa Maya. (We could sit on the beach in Mahahual letting the world go by for days on end ... ) For us, I feel fairly certain it's a deal breaker as it was all about the 4 ports rather than 3.

 

Norwegian Dawn leaves on the 30th from Tampa and is going to Costa Maya. Much less $$ but requires flying. Will have to check on our Rapid Rewards points. Did see the message on My Princess but did not receive an email.

[caribill]

Called Princess. They have a darn good reason The rep said Majahual was cancelled due to a high rate of crime. Princess obviously couldn't state that in the confirmation notices.

 

 

Per US State Department:

Violent crime, especially in areas of Belize City, remains a serious concern.

 

Quintana Roo: Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya and Tulum are the major cities/travel destinations in Quintana Roo: No advisory is in effect.

 

So, no advisory for Costa Maya. A serious concern for Belize City.

[beachseeker]

Felt completely safe in Costa Maya in late December. Saw nothing that concerned us at all.

[satxdiver]

We are on the 4/2/13 Crown sailing and costa maya has been dropped from our itinerary. I have been there several times before. It is a port built for cruise ships with all the tshirt shops, DI, bars etc and is off limits to native Mexicans. The small town of Mahahual is 2 miles away. To me the port itself is a classic tourist trap with high prices completely controlled. No outside vendors allowed. It reminds me of Princess quays. I don't have a problem with not going there and given that the other ships out of Galveston are also not going there, it leaves no other choice. The given reason of security issues is bogus. The port is probably safer than Cancun, Cozumel and certainly Belize which does have a State Dept warning. Some day Princess is going to tell the truth but I am not holding my breath.

[Stevesan]

I seriously doubt the Princess rep was a lying when he told me that Princess canx'd Majuhal due to a high crime rate. Why would he make that up?

 

Hope springs eternal, and I suggest y'all join me in persuading Princess to add a replacement port. I sent a message to Alan Buckalew via his Facebook page. Couldn't find his actual e-mail addy.

 

http://www.facebook.com/people/Alan-Buckelew/610471191

 

I suggested either Grand Cayman or Playa del Carmen. Both are within the area. My preference is Grand Cayman, but Playa del Carmen offers Xel-Ha and Tulum.

 

http://www.xelha.com//images/slidehome/fly_12.jpg

 

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=tulum&qpvt=tulum&FORM=IGRE

[Infi]

Please. The town of Majahual is about as dangerous as a butter knife. It's all of about 4 blocks wide and populated primarily by beach clubs and restaurants.

 

If a Princess rep lied about the crime there, it wouldn't be the first time Princess has used scare tactics (i.e. only take Princess excursions, otherwise you'll never get back to the ship on time, etc.) to boost their bottom line.

[itzmered]

Costa Maya is just a shopping mall unless you get yourself a mile or so away to the true fishing village of Majahual. You aren't missing much to miss Costa Maya as a port, IMO.

 

We have been to the fishing village/beach and to the Mayan Ruins. That is just YOUR opinion. We loved this port the 2 times we have been there ;)

[cherylandtk]

Please. The town of Majahual is about as dangerous as a butter knife. It's all of about 4 blocks wide and populated primarily by beach clubs and restaurants.

 

If a Princess rep lied about the crime there, it wouldn't be the first time Princess has used scare tactics (i.e. only take Princess excursions, otherwise you'll never get back to the ship on time, etc.) to boost their bottom line.

I agree 100%. Same with 'only buy from our recommended shops' and 'if you buy your airfare independently you won't have the protections we can give you'.

 

Majahual is a charming, sleepy, beachside village. There is a probably a higher chance of running into a criminal onboard the ship.

[Coral]

I seriously doubt the Princess rep was a lying when he told me that Princess canx'd Majuhal due to a high crime rate. Why would he make that up?

 

 

Maybe it is a canned response for Mexican ports, especially when they dropped some of the Mexican Riveria ports. Maybe the rep just considered this in the same category.

[232271]

didnt know about Belize being on the state list of warnings....hmmm, should we be concerned about going there and just forget the whole cruise?:confused:

 

and as for the person saying Royal Caribbean is cheaper?? we find all 3 other lines for our same date at least $600 more and up!