We woke up this morning in the Port of Cozumel to fog, which was a bit of a bummer since we were hoping to spend our day exploring the city. We headed up to breakfast and as we were eating, the fog started burning off, and the sun started coming out. It's going to be a great day!
We watched a large European Cruise ship docked next to us. I was interested to see how they get the ropes from the ship onto the cleats on the docks. They have small blue guide ropes that are hooked to the ship and to the larger ropes, but even though we watched them do it, we’re still not sure we know exactly what they did. Maybe you can figure it out from the pictures.
After breakfast, we grabbed our stuff and headed to the gangway to exit the ship for our day, but a line was forming on the first floor to get down to the gangway. Word was that they closed the gangway while the other ship was docking for safety reasons. This total made sense. We waited for about a ½ hour, and then they started letting us off the boat.
There were four cruise ships docked, so there was a large crowd of people trying to make their way into town. As you exit and re-enter the ships, they force you through the duty free shop as your only route option. It is always really crowded, and hard to get through. When we finally made it through, we found ourselves in the port shops, which we fondly refer to as Cruise Ship Disney because it reminds us of the shops on the main street in Disney World. We took a left, then a right, and we eventually found ourselves on the streets of Cozumel. Whew! No excursion for us today. Since the Port of Cozumel is a convenient port to town, we are going to spend the day exploring the town and see what we can find.
We crossed the street and took a left, and started looking in an upscale mall that is near the port.
As we walked through the mall, it dawned on us....we have one day to explore Cozumel, what in the world are we doing in a mall? So we left the mall and went back across the road and started making our way down the street, walking along the sea wall and enjoying the views. The sea wall is about 4 feet high, and just beyond it is a small jungle, and then beautiful tide pools that would be so much fun to explore. The only problem is, if we jump down, how do we get back up. So we kept watching for an opportunity to make our way down.
And lucky for us, someone else had thought the same thing! As we passed a clearing in the jungle, we looked over the wall and saw where someone had stacked enough rock to make a convenient step, so we decided to take advantage of it.
When we finished exploring the tide pools, we climbed back up our rock stack and continued on our way down the sea wall.
There are a lot of horse drawn carriages near the port, and most of them were in use, but we saw a few that were taking a break. No driver in sight, and the horses would just stay where they were left. No ropes or anything!
We walked past the Naval Station where we saw a sign for swimming with the stingrays. We were wondering if they took people out in a boat, but then realized that they had the stingrays in a fenced off area of the ocean. It was $65 to swim with these captive sea rays. The people were all decked out in their snorkel gear and life vest (yes, they even had the straps between their legs), only to step into the ocean enclosure that was about 3 feet deep. We were shocked at how many people were doing it.
We were getting hungry, so we turned around and headed back to a little restaurant we had seen right next to the Navy Station call the Sunset Restaurant & Bar. They had an upper section on the street with a nice balcony overlooking the ocean, and a lower section on the beach.
We got ourselves a table down on the sand, where we could watch all kinds of activities. Right next to the restaurant (we think it was owned by the same people) was a dive and snorkel shop. They were taking people out onto the reef, which was just in front of the restaurant. Usually if you want to try scuba, you have to try it in a swimming pool, but they would take you out a little ways and let you try the scuba equipment in a safe ocean environment.
We weren’t able to get any pricing, but it might be worth looking into.
We ordered some drinks and an order of nachos that we all shared as we sat at the restaurant and took in the sights. While we were waiting for our nachos, they brought us out some chips and salsa. There was a green salsa that was really spicy. They said it was made from Aztec chilis, lime juice and salt and pepper, hand ground in a mortar and pastel. It had great flavor, but was really spicy! The other salsa was a chipotle dip, which was much milder and very tasty as well.
The nachos were also really good, the chicken was perfectly seasoned.
We were really enjoying our spot on the beach, so we just took our time and stayed awhile.
Later we ordered some fish tacos to share. We made sure that they were on corn tortillas so that our daughter could eat them, but when they came out, the fish was breaded and fried, so she couldn’t eat it anyway because of the gluten in the breading. We didn’t even think about the fish being fried, ughh. She said she was full from the nachos anyway, so Steve and I enjoyed the fish tacos. Next time we'll stick with the chicken tacos.
We managed to hit the restaurant at happy hour, so our beers were only $1.50 each for Mexican domestics. Our total bill came to $29 for a bottle of water, six beer, an order of nachos and an order of fish tacos.
From the Sunset Restaurant & Bar there was also a beach access. The beach wasn’t sandy, it was some sort of rock, maybe volcanic, and had a lot of tide pools in it. We enjoyed walking around the tide pools for a long time, just seeing what we could find. There were some small fish, lots of crabs and a few live corals. It’s so relaxing to watch the sea-life in the tide pools. Our daughter decided that she really likes pulling snails off the rocks. They hold on tight, so it takes a little effort, but she thought that was fun. It’s the small things in life that entertain us, like spending an afternoon at the tide pools.
Below is a link to a YouTube video we shot of the shoreline and waves as we played in the tidal pools. Included in the video is Dennis Conner’s 12-meter America’s Cup winning Stars & Strips and True North IV boats sailing just off shore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEAkzA5JxHY
We finally decided that it was time to head back to the ship. But of course we took our time and had a little more fun as we made our way back.
xx
As we walked through Cruise Port Disney, we saw a few more things of interest, that I thought I would share.
As we walked through the duty free shop (which they force you to walk through) on our way back to the ship, the crowds were still huge. It just takes a little patience to get through.
We stopped and took a few pictures with the many cruise ships that were in port. They make you feel so small when you are standing right next to them.
Getting back on the ship went very quickly, which was a relief. That is the one problem with the larger cruise ships, it can take some time to get people on and off, but you just have to be patient. At least today we were in port, and not waiting on tenders. It was a great day!
Our day in the port was beautiful! Cloud covered but warm, which was nice since we got a little sunburned yesterday, snorkeling in Belize. As we got back on the ship, it started to sprinkle, and by the time we got to our room, it was a torrential downpour! We all decided that it was perfect napping weather, so we laid down for a short snooze. As the ship left port the weather was getting rougher, and by the time we got ready for dinner the seas were quite rough.
Steve and I got ready first and headed up to the ninth deck while we waited for our daughter to get ready. Tonight is our second elegant night, so we are trying to walk around the very rough decks in heels (no Steve didn't have heels, just me). It’s comical to watch everyone, including ourselves. Our housekeeper said we had too much tequila!
Everyone was starting to feel a little bit seasick, including some of the staff as we waited for our 8:15 dinner time. We decided it would be better to head back to our room on the 1st floor, where it is much smoother. We all ate a lighter than usual portion of our filet mignon since our stomachs were a little unsettled and then went to the show. Instead of the usual singing and dancing show, the performers were all seated on the stage, and sang most of their songs from their chairs for safety reasons. After the evening show, we all headed back to our room for the night, in hopes that the seas would be calmer in the morning.
We watched a large European Cruise ship docked next to us. I was interested to see how they get the ropes from the ship onto the cleats on the docks. They have small blue guide ropes that are hooked to the ship and to the larger ropes, but even though we watched them do it, we’re still not sure we know exactly what they did. Maybe you can figure it out from the pictures.
After breakfast, we grabbed our stuff and headed to the gangway to exit the ship for our day, but a line was forming on the first floor to get down to the gangway. Word was that they closed the gangway while the other ship was docking for safety reasons. This total made sense. We waited for about a ½ hour, and then they started letting us off the boat.
There were four cruise ships docked, so there was a large crowd of people trying to make their way into town. As you exit and re-enter the ships, they force you through the duty free shop as your only route option. It is always really crowded, and hard to get through. When we finally made it through, we found ourselves in the port shops, which we fondly refer to as Cruise Ship Disney because it reminds us of the shops on the main street in Disney World. We took a left, then a right, and we eventually found ourselves on the streets of Cozumel. Whew! No excursion for us today. Since the Port of Cozumel is a convenient port to town, we are going to spend the day exploring the town and see what we can find.
 |
| The tourist sign as you leave Cruise Ship Disney |
 |
| The smallest bikini ever! I think she outgrew this years ago! |
 |
| The mall area is beautifully landscaped |
As we walked through the mall, it dawned on us....we have one day to explore Cozumel, what in the world are we doing in a mall? So we left the mall and went back across the road and started making our way down the street, walking along the sea wall and enjoying the views. The sea wall is about 4 feet high, and just beyond it is a small jungle, and then beautiful tide pools that would be so much fun to explore. The only problem is, if we jump down, how do we get back up. So we kept watching for an opportunity to make our way down.
And lucky for us, someone else had thought the same thing! As we passed a clearing in the jungle, we looked over the wall and saw where someone had stacked enough rock to make a convenient step, so we decided to take advantage of it.
 |
| Perfection! |
 |
| These birds are perfectly camouflaged in the tide pools |
There are a lot of horse drawn carriages near the port, and most of them were in use, but we saw a few that were taking a break. No driver in sight, and the horses would just stay where they were left. No ropes or anything!
We walked past the Naval Station where we saw a sign for swimming with the stingrays. We were wondering if they took people out in a boat, but then realized that they had the stingrays in a fenced off area of the ocean. It was $65 to swim with these captive sea rays. The people were all decked out in their snorkel gear and life vest (yes, they even had the straps between their legs), only to step into the ocean enclosure that was about 3 feet deep. We were shocked at how many people were doing it.
We were getting hungry, so we turned around and headed back to a little restaurant we had seen right next to the Navy Station call the Sunset Restaurant & Bar. They had an upper section on the street with a nice balcony overlooking the ocean, and a lower section on the beach.
We got ourselves a table down on the sand, where we could watch all kinds of activities. Right next to the restaurant (we think it was owned by the same people) was a dive and snorkel shop. They were taking people out onto the reef, which was just in front of the restaurant. Usually if you want to try scuba, you have to try it in a swimming pool, but they would take you out a little ways and let you try the scuba equipment in a safe ocean environment.
 |
| A group of divers getting ready to head out |
 |
| Snorkelers, right in front of the restaurant |
We weren’t able to get any pricing, but it might be worth looking into.
We ordered some drinks and an order of nachos that we all shared as we sat at the restaurant and took in the sights. While we were waiting for our nachos, they brought us out some chips and salsa. There was a green salsa that was really spicy. They said it was made from Aztec chilis, lime juice and salt and pepper, hand ground in a mortar and pastel. It had great flavor, but was really spicy! The other salsa was a chipotle dip, which was much milder and very tasty as well.
The nachos were also really good, the chicken was perfectly seasoned.
Later we ordered some fish tacos to share. We made sure that they were on corn tortillas so that our daughter could eat them, but when they came out, the fish was breaded and fried, so she couldn’t eat it anyway because of the gluten in the breading. We didn’t even think about the fish being fried, ughh. She said she was full from the nachos anyway, so Steve and I enjoyed the fish tacos. Next time we'll stick with the chicken tacos.
We managed to hit the restaurant at happy hour, so our beers were only $1.50 each for Mexican domestics. Our total bill came to $29 for a bottle of water, six beer, an order of nachos and an order of fish tacos.
From the Sunset Restaurant & Bar there was also a beach access. The beach wasn’t sandy, it was some sort of rock, maybe volcanic, and had a lot of tide pools in it. We enjoyed walking around the tide pools for a long time, just seeing what we could find. There were some small fish, lots of crabs and a few live corals. It’s so relaxing to watch the sea-life in the tide pools. Our daughter decided that she really likes pulling snails off the rocks. They hold on tight, so it takes a little effort, but she thought that was fun. It’s the small things in life that entertain us, like spending an afternoon at the tide pools.
Below is a link to a YouTube video we shot of the shoreline and waves as we played in the tidal pools. Included in the video is Dennis Conner’s 12-meter America’s Cup winning Stars & Strips and True North IV boats sailing just off shore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEAkzA5JxHY
We finally decided that it was time to head back to the ship. But of course we took our time and had a little more fun as we made our way back.
 |
| We walked out on a partially built, abandoned building on the beach for a closer look |
 |
| The Leaning Tower of Cozumel |
 |
| Looking back at the restaurant from the ruins, so maybe we can find it again some day |
 |
| Roofing is done a little differently here |
 |
| I always thought we were a tall family |
 |
| Total Tourists! |
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| And like any good tourist, our daughter found something she couldn't live without |
We stopped and took a few pictures with the many cruise ships that were in port. They make you feel so small when you are standing right next to them.
Getting back on the ship went very quickly, which was a relief. That is the one problem with the larger cruise ships, it can take some time to get people on and off, but you just have to be patient. At least today we were in port, and not waiting on tenders. It was a great day!
Our day in the port was beautiful! Cloud covered but warm, which was nice since we got a little sunburned yesterday, snorkeling in Belize. As we got back on the ship, it started to sprinkle, and by the time we got to our room, it was a torrential downpour! We all decided that it was perfect napping weather, so we laid down for a short snooze. As the ship left port the weather was getting rougher, and by the time we got ready for dinner the seas were quite rough.
Steve and I got ready first and headed up to the ninth deck while we waited for our daughter to get ready. Tonight is our second elegant night, so we are trying to walk around the very rough decks in heels (no Steve didn't have heels, just me). It’s comical to watch everyone, including ourselves. Our housekeeper said we had too much tequila!
Everyone was starting to feel a little bit seasick, including some of the staff as we waited for our 8:15 dinner time. We decided it would be better to head back to our room on the 1st floor, where it is much smoother. We all ate a lighter than usual portion of our filet mignon since our stomachs were a little unsettled and then went to the show. Instead of the usual singing and dancing show, the performers were all seated on the stage, and sang most of their songs from their chairs for safety reasons. After the evening show, we all headed back to our room for the night, in hopes that the seas would be calmer in the morning.
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