Cozumel, Mexico

Our first port was Cozumel (8:00 to 5:00). On Sunday night (the 2nd day of the cruise) we were instructed to turn our watches back one hour before going to bed. That meant when we arrived in Cozumel we were on “port time”…the same as central daylight time in the U.S.

Rather than diving as he has on our previous 3 trips to Cozumel, Bob decided this should be a “relaxing, take-it-easy” sort of day. A couple of factors played into this decision. I’m not certified and although I have done discover dives with him a couple of times…diving is just not my thing. Also with the crazy baggage fees the airlines have imposed, bringing his scuba equipment has gotten quite costly. He could rent, but just prefers to have his own equipment.

Our last cruise in 2005 on the Victory was a family cruise…we brought 3 sons, a daughter-in-law, and my sister. While Bob and our oldest son were diving with Eagle Ray Divers, the rest of us took a cab to Dzul Ha Beach Club to snorkel. I had read that it had the best shore snorkeling on the island…and it wasn’t bad. We were there in August right between two major hurricanes…Emily and Wilma. Here is what Dzul Ha looked like at that time. You can see some damage from the first hurricane…after Wilma came through, nothing was left and the storm destroyed much of the reef close to shore.

Dzul Ha (Now The Money Bar) as it looked in 2005

In doing some research I found that the snorkeling at Dzul Ha has not recovered to where it was pre-hurricane, but it is still one of the better places to snorkel from shore. Since we didn’t want to be tied to a schedule, we chose to take our chances. We ate a leisurely breakfast and took our time getting off the ship. Also I was not feeling 100% that day…not sick…just a little “off”. I was glad we had not planned a tour.

Prior to Wilma, the pier at Cozumel was a series of enclosed, air conditioned shops that you walked through to get to shore.

Cozumel pier in 2005

The hurricane completely demolished the concrete pier and all of the shops and now it is just a dock…a very long dock.

Cozumel pier in 2009

Carnival has rebuilt the shopping area at the port (Puerta Maya) back to how it was on our last visit and you must walk completely through this area to get to the spot where you can get a taxi. Ordinarily I would have loved to take my time browsing through the shops but I wasn’t feeling great and the heat seemed unbearable.

Dzul Ha is not far from Puerta Maya and the fare was $8 each way. Only one other couple was at the beach when we arrived and we were able to get lounge chairs under the shade of a tree. There were tables & chairs with umbrellas, but most all of the lounge chairs were in full sun.

We had our own snorkel gear…I had also brought fins, but Bob did not. (I'm pretty sure you can rent snorkel equipment at the beach as well.) Cozumel is known for it’s strong currents and it was very noticeable. At one point we walked north along the beach with the idea that we would get in and float back…but when we did it seemed we were going against the current! We dove on our first trip to Cozumel and I remember them telling us that the current can change directions quickly…or perhaps the current is different closer to shore? Sand has been brought in for the area around the chairs, but the "beach" is actually very rocky. It is a bit tricky to get into the water...the rocks are jagged and slick...and it is easy to lose your balance when a wave comes in. Some people entered the water on the sloped area above...but it was VERY slick. Instead there was a small handrail on the opposite side of the seating area that we used.

The snorkeling was just “OK”…we have seen better. However throughout the morning, numerous boats showed up with snorkel tours so it must be one of the better sites on the island. I was glad that we just went on our own rather than going with one of these groups…we saved a lot of money and avoided snorkeling in a pack.

Bob did notice one of these snorkeling boats was from Eagle Ray Divers whom he has gone with a couple of times. He swam out to the boat and talked to them for a few minutes. (The little blob in the water is Bob!)

A couple of weeks before the cruise I had purchased a new Canon D-10 camera. This model had just been released and can be used underwater (down to 10 meters). I’m not the greatest photographer, but did have fun using it while we were snorkeling. It was a little scary putting a brand new digital camera in the water...but it worked great. Not being too familiar with the camera, I completely forgot that I can also take underwater videos. I’ll have to try that next time!

Numerous "reef balls" have been put in the water to attract fish back to the area. Bob also saw a starfish and a barracuda, but he refuses to use a camera.

In place of the damaged palapa that we saw on our last trip, a brand new restaurant/bar has been built…the Money Bar. What a difference!

The Money Bar at Dzul Ha. What a difference from when we were here in 2005!

We ordered a couple of diet Cokes during the morning and then later split a huge plate of nachos…even with two of us eating, we didn’t quite finish it! Our cruise was the first time that the Freedom has returned to Cozumel following the swine flu scare…and only the 3rd ship overall. I’m sure places like the Money Bar must be feeling the effects because the place was deserted. The staff at the Money Bar were very friendly…I had a lengthy conversation with one of the waiters.

A little after 1:30 we decided to head back to the ship. We had waited along the road for a taxi for a few minutes when a guy in a red car stopped. Using my bad Spanish to read the sign on the side of his car I figured out that he worked for the local transportation department. He called a taxi for us and it was there shortly. Another $8 fare and we were back at the port.

The plan was to drop off our stuff back in the cabin and then come ashore again to do some shopping. Again…the heat on that concrete dock was so intense that I decided to just stay on the ship. Bob did get off but wasn’t gone long…he isn’t much of a shopper anyway.

After getting cleaned up, we went outside on Deck 3 and watched as the rest of the cruisers returned. Everyone was to be back onboard by 4:30 for sail away at 5:00…but there were some stragglers still coming down the dock at 5:00. They were met with a combination of cheers and boos from the folks watching from their balconies.

At one point a dock employee took one of those bicycle taxis and went ashore. He came back with a guy and three pieces of luggage. We thought perhaps it was an entertainer who had flown in to meet the ship…if it was, we didn’t see him perform.

John Heald announced that night that a honeymoon couple had not made it back to the ship and were left. They had rented a jeep and were on the opposite side of the island. Their family was onboard but couldn’t get in contact with them…so had to sail away without them. Apparently they had gotten confused and thought they didn’t need to be back on the ship until 7:30 (rather than 4:30). John said that Carnival has representatives at each port to help make arrangements when someone does miss the ship. According to him they were to spend the night in Cozumel, fly to Mexico City, then San Jose, Costa Rica, spend the night there and then fly to meet up with the ship in Limon, Costa Rica two days later…all at their expense.

Next...Costa Rica.