From the currrent issue of Frommers newsletter:

By Matt Hannafin
August 22, 2007 Most Cruise Ports Spared Damage from Hurricane Dean


Hurricane Dean, the first major hurricane of the 2007 season, swept through the Caribbean earlier this week, killing at least 14 people and damaging homes, agriculture, and infrastructure from the Lesser Antilles to Mexico's Gulf coast. Many ships sailing the region altered their itineraries to keep clear of the storm, and the vast majority of cruise ports were spared damage.

Except Costa Maya. The purpose-built cruise destination, located on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, 100 miles south of Playa del Carmen and near the Mexico/Belize border, took a direct hit from the storm and suffered extensive damage. According to Costa Maya's director of sales and marketing, Cesar Lizarraga, damages run into the millions and affect approximately 50 percent of the port's infrastructure, including the cruise ship pier. Early estimates indicate the port will remain closed at least through the remainder of 2007, with reopening projected in early or mid-2008.

The Costa Maya complex opened in 2001 to be a self-contained stop for up to three large cruise ships at a time, with a lavish oceanfront shopping and restaurant complex, a 650-seat amphitheater for cultural performances, two saltwater pools, a pool bar, and daily entertainment right on site. The nearby Maya ruins of Kohunlich and Chacchoben are the big draw, along with silky white beaches and diving and snorkeling at the Chincorro, Mexico's largest coral atoll. Any damage to these sites is not yet known.

The storm spared the Yucatan's other major ports, Cozumel and Playa Del Carmen, which were heavily damaged in 2005 by Hurricane Wilma.


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