Docking on Costa Altantia

[dalibi]

In Cozumel which dock does the ship dock at? Can you walk to downtown or the beach? Also, car rentals are they near the pier? and....

has anyone rented a boat in key west? Can you walk to the rentals? Was it worth it? Thank you.

[Cruiselover77]

I was just on the Atlantica and we docked at the new section. It was beautiful. Lots of shops, very clean. The car rental place is right outside of the shopping area. I am not sure how far the beach is. SOmeone said if you follow the road around you will find a little beach and have it all to your self. You can't get lost because there is only one road!!

 

As so for the Boat in Key west... You might want to call up the key west tourist office to find out if they have any info on that.

 

Have a great cruise. I did!!

[Cruise4Andy]

Hey DJ:

 

Depending on how many ships are in Cozumel that day, but we docked at the Puerto Maya Pier / International Pier, which is in walking distance to the center of town. Not too far, maybe 10 minutes.

 

We rented a Jeep in Cozumel and made arrangements ahead of time. Booked it from Avis through the web. One day rental (incl. the optional insurance waiver - which I thought was a good idea for this location) came to approx. 90 USD. Fairly decent cars with manual transmission, no A/C, but canvas folding top. Enjoyed it a lot, as you can explore the island at your pace.

 

Make sure to stop at the southern most tip of Cozumel (South East corner of Island), where the road turns towards the north again. There is a nice little restaurant/bar on the right hand side, right on the beach. They don't have electricity, but they have excellent food and very good Margaritas (nice & strong). You can sit right at the beach and enjoy and relax.

 

A little further up the road (still on the east side of the island) there are beautiful beaches. There is not really anywhere a parking lot, but keep your eyes open and you can pull on the side of the road and park. Just a few steps down and you have georgeous beaches. When we stopped, we had the entire beach for ourselves. Stopped at a little store ahead of time where they had cold drinks and cold mexican beer and enjoyed those on the beach!

 

Had a great time. Don't miss out on the historic sites and the national park, where you can take a ride to the Punta Molas lighthouse, where you can climb up and have a beautiful view over the nature preserve and beaches. When you drive there, you will come to a little parking area, where you have to park your vehicle. Tickets were $6 per person and a van shuttles you along the trail where you make several stops for sightseeing, crocodile watch

and the lighthouse.

 

If you need any further info, e-mail me at PPPOWER96@aol.com

 

Enjoy and have fun!

 

Andy

[dalibi]

Thank you for your help. I read your detailed review as well. One more question; how much to rent in Jamica for the day? Sounds like fun.

[Cruise4Andy]

DJ:

 

We did not rent a car or Jeep in Jamaica (I certainly would not like to drive there, even if I grew up in Europe), but we hired a driver with his assitant right outside the cruise ship pier, where the taxis are located.

 

We negotiated a price of $80 for the entire day for 4 persons. I thought that was a pretty good deal, and after seeing Ocho Rios from the mini bus, I was very glad that we have hired them. We heard a lot of the pesky street vendors ahead of time. And there are plenty of them.

 

Our dinner table friends and neighbors decided to walk, which they admitted they would never do again. From street vendors selling "weed" and prostitutes, everybody wanted to sell their goods or services to them. They finally ended up with a taxi as well, but for them it was rather an annoying and scary adventure.

 

Our driver and his assitant first drove us to the Dunn's River Falls, an experience I would have not wanted to miss. Of course the admission to the park (National Park) was not included in our fare, but I really can't remember on how much it was. We strolled to the falls, the main attraction in the park and paid for the Falls Tour (which is optional and not included in the park admission). Make sure you get a locker for all your personal belongings, as you will get wet one way or the other. Even better if you have a water proof camera handy, but if you don't your guide will be happy to take some pics for you (make sure to tip him at the end! - Respect, Mon, No Problem, Mon).

 

After a few hours of falls and park, our driver picked us up at the parking lot in front of the park and asked us what we would like to do next, so we decided for the beach. They brought us to a private beach (no admission, but private property), where we could relax without any vendors trying to sell you something. Great beach with chair rentals, beach bar (Red Strip Beer and Jerk Chicken - yummy!)

 

After an additional few hours we decided to go on our shopping trip, so they picked us up (our guide always stayed with us) and drove us to a great shopping area (she knew best where to shop and what to pay). Bought some real Blue Mountain Coffee, Jamaican Rum and a few shirts before they dropped us back off at the pier.

 

Great experience for the money, as I would not like to just browse throught the streets by myself. Looks not too safe in my opinion...

 

Hope I could help....