Anybody know about this strike in Costa Maya?

[jkgourmet]

Reported on CC.   We're supposed to be docking there tomorrow. . .  

 

I can't find anything on a news source.   

 

[jkgourmet]

Yep. There's a problem.

 

From the official FB page of Costa Maya - dated Feb 18:

 

Costa Maya reports that this morning members of the Mahahual Taxi Union confronted the port staff, blocking entrances and exits of the port, an issue that affected the operation of the day and the thousands of tourists who arrived at the destination.
The conflict began when the taxi drivers questioned two employees of the port who conducted surveys on the activities and preferences of visitors, ensuring that this action was a work of sale.
This situation resulted in taxi drivers opening access, pushing and assaulting security personnel and the legal department of the Costa Maya, who tried to reconcile the situation in a respectful and controlled manner.
Oscar Hernández, the port director, went to the area to ask union members to remain calm and respect the terms and agreements, in which both groups are benefited by the economic spill.
Union leaders and drivers block exits, for which the tours could not operate regularly, affecting more than 11 thousand tourists from three cruises on February 18.
Costa Maya is working to solve the situation as soon as possible and not affect visitors or destination.

[Markanddonna]

We were there on Monday and didn't notice a problem, but didn't leave their fabricated port for cruisers. 

[jkgourmet]

1 hour ago, Markanddonna said:

We were there on Monday and didn't notice a problem, but didn't leave their fabricated port for cruisers. 

 

How long is the walk from the ship to that port area?  I hear it's quite a long walk.  Are there shuttles or golf carts or anything for those of us with old, aching joints?

[ODECCIT]

1 hour ago, jkgourmet said:

 

How long is the walk from the ship to that port area?  I hear it's quite a long walk.  Are there shuttles or golf carts or anything for those of us with old, aching joints?

5 minute walk thru shopping mall. No shuttle or golf carts . 

[tallyho8]

It's more of a 10 to 15 minute walk for many people. The pier is too small for the shuttle to operate when there are 3 ships in port but usually operates when there is only one ship in port.

[perakcruiser]

8 hours ago, jkgourmet said:

How long is the walk from the ship to that port area?  I hear it's quite a long walk.  Are there shuttles or golf carts or anything for those of us with old, aching joints?

It is only 50 meters. When you get off the ship you are almost inside already. The area itself is quite big, but honestly speaking, I found it totally horrible and would stay on board if I would dock there again.

 

Stopp, I forget, there is free Wi-Fi! Yes, Costa Maya was the only stopp with free Wi-Fi in the Carribean, OK, in this way it is a good place to leave the boat. 

[jkgourmet]

On the MSC Meraviglia which arrived at Costa Maya at 8am today.  At 9:30am they made an announcement that due to the strike, the downtown area has no electric power.  Everyone should plan their day accordingly.  

 

I find it nearly impossible to believe that they weren't aware of this earlier.  I'll be curious how other ships handled this.

 

Doesn't really matter to us as we hadn't planned on getting off.  But I cannot I imagine there are plenty of peeved passengers on what has already been a cruise with several technical glitches.

[c-leg5]

3 hours ago, jkgourmet said:

On the MSC Meraviglia which arrived at Costa Maya at 8am today.  At 9:30am they made an announcement that due to the strike, the downtown area has no electric power.  Everyone should plan their day accordingly.  

 

I find it nearly impossible to believe that they weren't aware of this earlier.  I'll be curious how other ships handled this.

 

Doesn't really matter to us as we hadn't planned on getting off.  But I cannot I imagine there are plenty of peeved passengers on what has already been a cruise with several technical glitches.

who is supposed to be actually striking?
 

I thought the problem was between the taxis and the port authority. Is it a bigger union problem? Does the port area have power?

[jkgourmet]

I've no idea.  Yes, the port area (a fake village) does have power, AFAIK.  It is a long walk for those with bad hips and knees and no shuttle buses or transport.  Which meant we couldn't even leave the ship.

[Homosassa]

What happened to the tram shuttle that has always been running when I have been to this port? And contrary to statements in a previous post, if there are numerous ships in port, there are more trams running that are designated for the various areas of the pier.

 

Have the trams been deleted?

[c-leg5]

16 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

It is only 50 meters. When you get off the ship you are almost inside already. The area itself is quite big, but honestly speaking, I found it totally horrible and would stay on board if I would dock there again.

 

Stopp, I forget, there is free Wi-Fi! Yes, Costa Maya was the only stopp with free Wi-Fi in the Carribean, OK, in this way it is a good place to leave the boat. 

Depending where you dock and where you get off the ship Google maps estimates more like up to 0.5 miles or 700 m.

 

There is some free WiFi in the port depending where you are but we manage to find free wifi somewhere in most ports ( well, maybe we purchase a drink but have to keep refreshed while browsing!)

 

I have always seen wheelchair assistance, if the trolley isn't running, but don't know if that is each individual ship or through the port authority. It is just for the length of the pier (as is the shuttle) but the only time we needed one we took our own so not really sure of how difficult it is to secure help.

[jkgourmet]

6 hours ago, Homosassa said:

What happened to the tram shuttle that has always been running when I have been to this port? And contrary to statements in a previous post, if there are numerous ships in port, there are more trams running that are designated for the various areas of the pier.

 

Have the trams been deleted?

 

We were told by multiple sources (ship staff, info offered here on CC, FB message to the specific port page) that when there were "multiple" ships, there was no shuttle.

 

At dinner tonight we found out that was incorrect. On This Date.  No idea what goes on other dates.

[Homosassa]

It could be that those that were stating there were no trams just didn't find one waiting for them when they wanted one.

 

They are on a set schedule for leaving from the land end of the pier and it is often faster to walk from the ship or back to the ship than waiting for a tram.

[jkgourmet]

Certainly, guest relations should have known that there WERE shuttles.  

 

As for "short walk" - not everyone considers that walk a short one.

[kjquilts]

We've been to Costa Maya several times.  We usually take the very inexpensive shuttle to Mahahual and hang out at one of the beach bars (Tropicante) for a few hours, then taxi back to the port area and wander there for a while.  Depending on where your ship docks it can be a very long walk on the pier.  Most times they had the little shuttles available.  However in April 2018 we cruised on the Norwegian Jade one week after having a coronary stent inserted.  We booked 10500 outright after lusting over the stateroom for years and there was no way I was staying home.  One of the conditions of me taking the cruise was limit of one block walk so Costa Maya was out.  We didn't see any shuttles and had the concierge check and answer was they weren't running that day.   We love the Jade and the suite so I was fine with staying onboard.

 

Here is a youtube video by Traveling Flamingo that gives you a very good look at length of the pier as well as the port area.  The port area is nice (beautiful pool that the video doesn't really show) but we recommend making the short trip to Mahahual assuming there isn't a transportation strike.

 

 

Edited February 21, 2020 by kjquilts