Bienvenidos a Cozumel!

Greetings faithful readers. This trip posting is one that makes you say; "Well it's about time!" Dave and I embarked on our very first cruise. We cut our teeth on Carnival Cruise lines and cruised to Cozumel, Mexico. This trip was booked by our friends at DocentTravel.com My girlfriend Molly is a docent at the San Antonio Museum of Art and last year formed her own travel agency. We confirmed the cruise last year as well and sadly missed out on the wedding of my cousin Samantha and her husband Josh who were married over the same dates we were gone.

Click on the vid to hear.

Let me just tell you when you stand in front of that bad boy ALL the teeny tiny hairs in your ear holes stand up and salute!

When the ship left dock on Thursday it traveled continuously until we reached port in Cozumel on Saturday morning. After the very first evening I quickly learned that I am a "patch" wearing cruiser. We stopped at a drug store in Galveston the day before to stock up and the pharmacist said that it's by prescription only and it is called Scopolamine or commonly known as the "Travel Patch". Note to self....GET....PRESCRIPTION....FOR....NEXT....CRUISE!! I bought a product called Sea-Bands and thankfully I was ill just that evening only and managed to keep my sea legs for the remainder of the journey. Dave of course was unfazed by it all and for the most part no other members of our group didn't appear to suffer either. We had heard from other cruisers and even staff persons that the cruise the week before was brutally choppy.

Cheers! Feeling good as we pull out of Galveston.


The ship we sailed upon was called the "Ecstasy". The ship had recently been refurbished and we were the second group to have been on board for the cruise to Cozumel. The rooms were nice and everyone was friendly and polite. Our steward was attentive and entertained us each evening with a towel animal on the bed at turn down time.

Here's our animals from our stay on board. Can you tell what they are?


We left Galveston on Thursday, October 22nd and returned on Monday, October 26th. Our group was called "Docents At Sea; Cruise to Cozumel". Our group was educated and entertained by Dr. Jennifer Mathews, an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Trinity University and an expert on the Maya culture. She instructed us with two one-hour lectures while on board as well as served as our guide to the San Gervasio ruins.

She is also the author of "Chicle: The Chewing Gum of the Americas, From the Ancient Maya to William Wrigley".

The name Cozumel (Isla Cozumel) means "Land of the Swallow" in Mayan, and was named so due to the indigenous, graceful birds that can be seen regularly patrolling Cozumel's beautiful beaches and coastline. Cozumel was settled roughly 2000 years ago by ancient Maya, a seafaring people, who saw Cozumel as a commercial trading stop as well as a sacred shrine.

The island of Cozumel was a mecca to Maya women who made the voyage from the mainland to Isla Cozumel in large dugout canoes to worship Ix Chel, the Goddess of fertility. Leaving the mainland from what is now Playa del Carmen and Tulum, Maya women crossed the treacherous channel in open canoes to give offerings at the alter site of Ix Chel. What remains now of the altar and ceremonial center of Ix Chel can be seen at the San Gervasio ruins site near the center of the island.

We arrived at the Puerta Maya pier and cruise center which is located on the southwestern part of Cozumel, approximately five miles south of San Miguel, the island’s largest city. When we pulled into dock we sat adjacent to the "Fantasy".

Colorful local photo opportunities when disembarking


And of course there are photographers on board as well as off for any and all photo ops


Looking back from the pier to the ships


After disembarking we walked through the cruise center to meet up with our tour guide, Miguel. Miguel escorted us on board the bus and gave us a brief overview of our day in Cozumel then proceeded to take us to the ruins.

Here's a photo op for unsuspecting shoppers as we made our way to the bus


Leaving the cruise center on the way to the San Gervasio ruins



Here are some shots of the ruins.




Miguel and Jennifer. I tried calling her Dr. Mathews but she insisted on us calling her Jennifer!


After the ruins we boarded the bus towards Hacienda Antiqua for a tequila tasting and tour! There are 162 types of Tequila, but they all fall under five main categories; Piña (Pineapple), Mescal, (which is the crudest form because of the plant), Blanco (first stage), Reposado (which is aged for 6 months), and Añejo (which is the best and is aged for 13 months). The three main types of Tequila plants are Pineapple, Mescal, and Blue Agave (this is the best one). Tequila can also be made out of Aloe Vera! The tour started on the grounds of the hacienda. I was fooled by the pineapple replicas in the fields.


Here's our guide extolling the virtues of the Piña plant!


Since our time was so limited; Miguel had the driver take us to the beach so we could at least take off our shoes and socks and get them wet. We stopped at Playa El Mirador Beach. It is loved because of the breath-taking view it gives of the Caribbean Sea.







It's known for its strong current so it's recommended to swim in this beach with extreme caution. Needless to say we didn't see many swimmers; a few but not many. It was a gorgeous day and perfect beach weather.

After dipping our toes in the ocean we then made our way towards El Cedral (The Cedar). Once the hub of Maya life on Cozumel, this was the first site found by Spanish explorers in 1518, and the first mass in Mexico was reportedly celebrated here. These days, there's little evidence of its past glory. All that remains is a small structure with an arch. Nearby is a cinder block church, decorated inside with crosses shrouded in embroidered lace. Every May there is a fair here, with dancing, music, bullfights, and a cattle show. There's really not a lot to see or do here. Our guide Miguel stopped here as one of the shop owners was a cousin or friend who had good deals on authentic coral jewelry.

"You know it's real coral when...."


Statue in the center of town


The Church


A colorful playground



After El Cedral we then had a late lunch at Tiki Tok Restaurant Bar. The restaurant is known for the set of three homemade salsas with chips they serve. I was enamored by outside decorative figures.




On the drive back to the pier the scenic route allowed me to snap a few pics of the surrounding area. There's some great people, architecture, monuments and colors in Cozumel!

Artistic roundabout


Woman carrying her things


Shots from the bus










Colorful chairs outside Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville


The Captain gave specific instructions that all passengers should be back on board by 4:30 pm. Of course there are always the last minute stragglers.




We left on Saturday evening and proceeded to cruise the whole night; all the next day and night and returned to Galveston on Monday. We used our last few days on board to take in all the ship activities we could including bingo, the Marriage game and a show. There's so much to see and do while on board it's difficult to manage your choices.

While I enjoyed our trip; I prefer my next cruise to sail at night and make a port stop each day. Some tell us to take smaller ships, larger ships and longer stays. Everyone's opinion varies but if you haven't had the chance to do so; I say take a cruise.

I'll close with some on board photos. Thanks again for following along!
Overlooking the pool


Mandatory muster drill!


When the boat's a rockin...it's hard to snap a photo!


Bye Bye Cozumel
Pin It Now!