Coz: Here are current taxi fares from the Punta Langosta pier

[Artemis]

Friday, December 13, 2013 - Cozumel Our Cozumel port day was 11 AM to 6:30 PM ship's time. Because it was the only port on our itinerary that was in the Central vs. Eastern time zone, our ship (NCL Pearl) didn't change the clocks. Be sure you know how your ship handles ship's time vs. local time so you can timely participate in excursions and also make it back before your ship leaves port!

 

The Pearl used the Punta Langosta dock, which is the dock nearest downtown (but not to be confused with the old ferry dock right in downtown). Farther out are the International and Puerto Maya piers. The staffer I talked to about Pearl docking said the Pearl *usually* uses Punta Langosta...but sometimes docks at one of the other piers. I wasn't able to locate an offical port schedule for Cozumel's three cruise docks, but you can Google "Cozumel cruise schedule" and come up with a fairly reliable prediction.

 

Here's a snap of the taxi rate board at the Punta Langosta terminal. The basic rate covers 1-4 people, so for our destination, Paradise Beach, it was $15 whether you were solo, a couple or a family of four. They will take your party in a small car, if you wish, or load you up in a large van of folks going to the same place. So obviously, if you want to wait for others and form a cooperative of sorts, you can lower the per person rate. The rates are one way.

 

 

This was probably our 10th time at Paradise Beach--we've been going for years. Every time we visit, there's some new feature; but the cleanliness and good service never change. This beach club is large enough to accommodate all takers, even when there are a lot of ships in port, but rarely feels crowded. And when it does, never fear...not many folks stay past lunch, so you'll practically have the place to yourself come 1 or 2 PM.

 

The cost is $2 per person for facilities use AND your beach chair and umbrella. They expect you to order a minimum of $10 food and drink per person, but your money goes a lot farther in Mexico than in some other Carib ports, e.g., the Caymans--to illustrate, domestic beers were $4.25, imports $4.75 and frozen drinks and cocktails $7.95. Food is similarly reasonable, and there's a wide variety of menu options. To play on the big floatables, tramps, use mats, kayak, snorkel with their gear, try stand up paddle, etc., it's $12 for the all-day activities wrist band. You can do things like a boat snorkel or parasail for extra, e.g., the parasailing was "on special" for a tandem parasail (2 up at a time) for $100. There's hair-braiding, beach massages, gift shops and the like. The wifi is free (open) and surprisingly strong and reliable even during peak crowds.

 

I'm a beach lover; my husband prefers a pool. I think this is his favorite pool anywhere! It is huge, beautifully blue-tiled and sparkling clean, features a semi-submerged deck so your lounger is halfway in the water, has a lovely swim-up bar and is surrounded by white stone deck dotted with palm trees and plenty of lounge chairs....

 

Here's a pool shot taken at 2:30 PM. See what I mean about everyone leaving? Thank you all for leaving early to go shopping! :p

 

 

At the end of the day, we grabbed a taxi (many were waiting) and returned to port. I couldn't resist having a Starbucks. And I was actually going to try to pick up some authentic Talavera pottery, but the reliable retailer, Los Cincos Soles, had recently closed its Punta Langosta location, and on quick glance around, it appeared no other stores at that cruise terminal seemed to sell anything better than the usual tourist fare. So we walked back down the long pier to the ship.

[JohninDC]

Thanks for the photos and review! :)