Ferry ride from Cozumel to Cancun - rough?

[macgirl]

Hi there,

 

We are booked on the Jewel for the week of Jan. 2 (getting married in Key West on the 3rd - woo hoo!).

 

One of the ports is Cozumel, and there is an excursion to visit Cancun via a 45 minute ferry ride. I've heard this ferry is very rough and lots of people get seasick. I'm not very prone to sea-sickness, have done lots of whale watching tours on the Atlantic Ocean in small boats, but just wondering if the Cancun ferry could be worse than that. The tour boats I've been on have gone pretty far out onto the ocean and the boats could hold about 50 - 100 people. I was also on the Navigator during the tail end of a hurricane last October and was fine. Have never taken seasick meds.

 

Any opinions would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[springtxbill]

The boats are pretty good size, but it can get rough at times on the crossing. The biggest problem is the exhaust fumes that circle back in from the back of the boat. Get forward and near an open window.:)

[Travelgrrl]

Usually I don't get too seasick, but we were praying for the sweet release of death on this ferry. The first clue was when they handed out little purple sick bags before it even started. It rolled something awful, don't know why, when regular tenders (or, as you pointed out, boats in Alaska) do not.

 

We went up on the open top deck and just barely managed to not urp. Just barely!

[xpcdoojk]

The last time I was in Cozumel for a week of scuba diving there was two people ferries. One is a hydrofoil and it was a little more stable. However, depending on the conditions they can be a nauseating ride. Be sure you take seasickness precautions.

 

jc

[Soxfan05]

We've spent a week in mid December in Mexico the last 2 years. Both years, we had considered taking the ferry from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel but the surf was just too rough. Those who stayed in our resort who did take the trip regretted it and said they were very seasick.

[nanfromatlanta]

I have never been as violently seasick as I was on that ferry. The first clue of things to come was when they handed out those little purple plastic bags when you boarded, and the large garbage pails in the aisles. It took me the greater part of 18 hours to fully recover.

 

We are glad that we took the ferry to Tulum, as it was a once-in-a-lifetime tour. Happier that we don't have to do it again.

[VacationNut]

We went on this ferry in March and yes it was choppy and much more so than Whale Watch boats I have been on. My daughter felt sick, so we sat up top all the time and that was much better. Take a piece (half) of a dramamine an hour before and sit on top. The visit to Tulum or Xel Ha or wherever is worth it. No one passed our sick bags on my trip and no-one was sick.

[Ericknow32]

That was the only time that I have ever felt nauseous on a boat/ship. The ride was pretty bad. I am not sure I would do it again, it all depends on how much I want to do an excursion on the mainland. I think if there is an excursion you want to do you should do it. I would just go to sleep then have your companion wake you up on the other end.

[love2vacation]

:eek: Well, after reading this I don't feel so bad. I thought this ferry ride was VERY rough, but then I thought it was also rough at sea in the evening when we got back to the ship - just for about three hours or so. Maybe it is just that area? DH had no problem with the ferry ride. I did not get sick but there was perhaps half a dozen or so that did get sick on our ferry trip. (The ferry itself was very nice.)

 

By all means - the previous posters are correct- if ever there was a day to take your bonine this would be it! Seeing Tulum and Zel-Ha were worth it though.

[basilh]

We stayed in Cozumel for two weeks a couple of years ago - and watched every day looking for it to be calm enough to take the ferry.

 

When it finally looked calm enough, I took my dramamine and off we went. It was so bad, even the locals were throwing up - In the garbage can!!! There were no bathrooms on the ferry we were on. I felt sick - so I took some more dramamine - and barely made it through!

 

It wasn't until we got back to the hotel that I realized I had taken 4 of the 24 hour dramamine!!!!!:eek: No wonder I didn't get sick........

 

Take bonine, sit on the top deck and you should be fine - good luck!

[joeyancho]

We took the tour to Tulum several years ago. The ruins were amazing. As for the tender, I never get sea sick and did not on the tender. My wife never gets sick and got sick as a dog. She still talks about it, years later. Several others were also ill. Bon Voyage

[lacruiser]

We were in Cozumel for 2 weeks this past summer. Took the one of the big ferries over to Playa with my husband and our two daughters. On the way over (about 10 a.m.), we sat up on the top deck in the open air. Everything was fine and we didn't see anyone get sick (no one handed out any kind of bag). We came back after dark, and went down on the main deck inside the cabin. Now, I can count on the fingers of one hand the times I've been motion sick (with 3 fingers held down), but if someone had offered to shoot me I'd have taken them up on it!! My older daughter and I managed barely not to vomit by keeping our eyes fixed on the lights of the horizon...what an awful trip! I really think that the main factors were (1) it being dark and you couldn't see the horizon, and (2) not being in the fresh air. Had we been outside I think it would have been better.

[TPKeller]

I would just go to sleep then have your companion wake you up on the other end.

I think you would have to be in a coma to not be awake during that ride! I rode it out by standing in the aisle and "riding the waves" while hanging on to the seats or whatever I could hold on to. Many people were uncomfortable, but I don't recall seeing anyone actually get sick which is a good thing. Very memorable ride.

 

Another surprisingly rough ride is the ferry between Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and Cruz Bay, St. John. The ferry between Red Hook and Cruz bay is fairly calm, but the one from Charlotte Amalie goes outside the protected area into the open ocean. Had to hold on very firmly to keep from being tossed around inside the boat!

 

Theron

[Ericknow32]

I think you would have to be in a coma to not be awake during that ride! I rode it out by standing in the aisle and "riding the waves" while hanging on to the seats or whatever I could hold on to. Many people were uncomfortable, but I don't recall seeing anyone actually get sick which is a good thing. Very memorable ride.

 

Theron

You are probably right.

 

I am not sure what excursion I plan on doing in Cozumel when I am on the Freedom of the Seas. If I end up choosing one on the mainland, I hope I can get through the fairy ride again.

[new2cruizin]

We did that ferry to mainland to see Cancun last year.....personally after we got back it was really a waste of time...it wasn't anything great....would have preferred to see Cozumel....anywho.....ferry was a ROLLING:eek: I was soooooo nauseous it wasn't funny and I was perfectly fine until I got on that thing.....when we got to Cancun I had to buy Dramamine b/c I hadn't taken anything before(didn't think I had to)took it but was still nauseous the rest of the day.....made the day miserable and b/c they only had the regular Dramamine I ended up sleeping the whole busride back to Playa to get back on that darn ferry to head back to the ship.....

 

Won't be doing that for again for a long time......

 

And thanks to the poster regarding the ferry between Charlotte Amalie and Cruz Bay....we're headed that way in a few weeks and I will deffinately be taking the other ferry and paying for taxi fare.....don't want to be sick the whole day in St John....that would stink!

[JTJ]

I don't book anything involving water at Coz. until I get there and see the conditions. I primarily dive on cruises and Coz is the best but it can get windy and all the water operators will still go out. You can tell the conditions easily when the ship makes its approach, and it will be 2X or 3X more windy by mid day as it is in the early morning.

[macgirl]

That must be some brutal ferry ride!!!!!!!!!! I'm really thinking about not doing it. I've already been to Xel Ha and Tulum, I just wanted to hang out in Cancun for the day and do some shopping. I guess I'll be hanging out in Cozumel instead.

 

Is the shopping any good in Cozumel? I'm sure it's not as good as it is in Cancun.

 

Thanks so much for all the replies!!

[xpcdoojk]

The shopping isn't bad in Cozumel. Since so many of the cruise ships go to Cozumel there are a lot of the typical jewelry shops and some local shops. Combined with a snorkeling or beach day there is plenty to do on Coz.

 

jc

[familycruzer]

The ferry ride to the main land of Mexico was the roughtest I have ever been on. Several people around me were losing their lunch, of course others were drinking beer like there was no tomorrow.

[TPKeller]

And thanks to the poster regarding the ferry between Charlotte Amalie and Cruz Bay....we're headed that way in a few weeks and I will deffinately be taking the other ferry and paying for taxi fare.....don't want to be sick the whole day in St John....that would stink!

I'm not sure if that was a "normal" day or not. Before you abandon the idea, I would check over on the St. Thomas board and ask over there. I did enjoy the ride, and it gives you a good perspective of the island from the water. We were on a land vacation at the time, and we went right by the condos and the beach where we were staying. Having said that, the taxi from Charlotte Amalie to Red Hook is also interesting, so I guess in a perfect world, I would go over one way and come back the other! :)

 

It's just good to be aware of the possibility, so you can prepare, or if you are especially prone to motion, then make other plans.

 

Theron

[vickiw0318]

It looks like some posters have referenced this, but the ferry does go from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen. When you get to Playa, you are still a good ways south of Cancun -maybe 45 minutes. Seems like the Cancun airport is north of Playa and we had a 30 minute bus ride from there to our hotel when we went in June for my stepdaughter's wedding. If Cancun, not Playa, is actually your destination, you need to figure in the additional travel time, look at bus and ferry schedules and see if this is feasible with the time you have in port.

 

There is very good shopping in Cozumel.

 

P.S. About seven of us took the ferry over to Playa in August of 2003. No one had any sort of problem with roughness or sea sickness. Sounds like we had a very good day!

[kenandlaura06]

Usually I don't get too seasick, but we were praying for the sweet release of death on this ferry. The first clue was when they handed out little purple sick bags before it even started. It rolled something awful, don't know why, when regular tenders (or, as you pointed out, boats in Alaska) do not.

 

We went up on the open top deck and just barely managed to not urp. Just barely!

 

Yikes!

[VernRDH]

the "Vomit Comet" for nothing. When we did VOS in 03 we were interested in the Tulum excursion. TA said, don't do it, the ferry is the worst. DH and I decided to do Eagle Ray Divers instead but DB and SIL did Tulum. Now it was also August and about as hot as the face of the sun, and SIL did not fare well. Rode the whole way back with her head between her knees. She still talks about how bad a ride that was. I would love to see the ruins, but I will wait until I can take a land vacation to do so. I prefer to keep all the great food from the ship and not "feed the fish".:eek: