Western Caribbean Cruise, December 2024

 I hadn't intended to blog about this cruise, as it repeats an itinerary we've done before, but I decided to record a few things as a memory aide for future cruises (or cruisers).

We were once again booked on a Royal Caribbean ship, Mariner of the Seas, out of Galveston, heading to Costa Maya and Cozumel, both in Mexico.  Our daughter Rachel's family was traveling with us, which added to the fun!  We booked the same driver we've had before, as he has a large car that could hold the six of us and our luggage. 

Shortly after we picked up Rachel's family, she (jokingly, she thought) asked me if I had my passport. Yikes! I hadn't remembered to put it into my bag! So the driver kindly turned around and went back to our condo, where I ran upstairs to retrieve it. Whew! Crisis averted!

Once at the port, the luggage guys took our bags, and we walked right into the terminal and were through Security (with no line) in a jiffy. We then checked right in (thanks to Rachel and Rob having a suite), and we were aboard the ship by 10:45. We had prebooked lunch at noon that day at Jamie's Italian, which we all enjoyed. Our cabins were ready for us by the time we finished lunch.  

This was our first time to stay in a regular balcony room (not a junior suite or suite), but it was totally adequate for the two of us. I was afraid the shower would be too tiny, but it was fine.  Rachel and Rob had a lovely suite, identical to one we had this past summer. They also enjoyed some of the suite guests' amenities, like access to a concierge and the suites lounge.  

The ship was beautifully decorated for Christmas, including displays at the entrance to the Windjammer and the Main Dining Room. 

That night for dinner was quite an experience! Rachel had booked us into the Izumi Hibachi experience, and we had a great chef who entertained us as he cooked. The food was really terrific!  HOWEVER, there was also a group of 10-12 sorority girls celebrating a birthday at a nearby table, and they shrieked and screamed the whole time. It was VERY annoying, as they were far too old to behave like that. I do recommend the Hibachi experience, and hopefully your fellow diners will be more considerate!

The first full day on board was a Sea Day, so Charlie took the grandkids (21 and 18) to the casino and gave them an allowance to start them off. They both ended up making money by the end of the cruise!  

The ship docked about noon at our first port,  Costa Maya, where we had prebooked the Maya Chan resort. We had been before and enjoyed it a lot. Getting TO the resort is an adventure, though.  First, there's a long walk down the pier and through the market area to the meeting spot. And then there's about a 30-minute, VERY bumpy ride in a van to get there. The final half of the trip is on unpaved roads.

Our group had a private palapa with plenty of chairs, and the service and food was excellent. We were greeted with a rum punch, then servers came around frequently so we could order other drinks and snacks. Here's a photo of our seating area. Behind us you can see a bit of the dining area.

Lunch was a buffet of various types of tacos, with all the fixings. The pork was especially good, cooked overnight in banana leaves. The staff couldn't have been nicer! They provide many kinds of beach fun, like pedal boats, kayaks, floating swim chairs, etc. The beach is pretty, and the water is shallow and warm in the swimming area. There was no trouble with seaweed this trip. They also have a small pool.  We returned to the ship in the late afternoon.  We had dinner reservations at Chops that evening and enjoyed that very much.

The next morning we docked in Cozumel, where we had booked day passes to the Paradise Beach resort.  Rachel had been before, several years ago.  It's about a 15-minute taxi ride from the port. The staff are very organized, checking us in immediately and ushering us to our preferred area, by the pool. You can also choose beach seating, and you can go back and forth during the day. The resort is beautiful, and service was outstanding. We ordered snacks and drinks from our assigned attendant, Tomas, and he did a great job keeping us happy. The first photo below was the view from my lounger.

A pretty pair!

The following day was another Sea Day. Charlie and I enjoyed a very nice lunch at Chops, the steakhouse, while Rachel's family had sushi at Izumi.  That evening we all had an especially good meal at Jamie's Italian. Highly recommend the beef shortribs!  

On the last morning, we had to be out of our cabin by 8:00 a.m., so we headed downstairs to meet Rachel's family. The elevators were all full of people, so we ended up lugging our (thankfully small) bags down five flights of stairs. Exiting the ship was expedited by the suites concierge, and we were outside, waiting for our driver, well before the appointed time of 9:00 a.m. Unfortunately, he was waiting for us in the wrong spot, so we finally got together about 9:15. The trip home went smoothly!

Charlie and I are booked on a similar itinerary in April (one of our free cruises), and I'm sure we'll go back to Paradise Beach in Cozumel!