Thread: costa maya

Hey All,
I'm cruising for the first time on Carnival Valor September 2, 2007. My husband and I
will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary, my question is we haven't decided
on our shore excursion for Costa Maya. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Here is some from our Cruise places!! http://www.cruiselinefans.com/links/search.php?q=maya

When we went there we went to the Mayan Ruins. It was great!

Hi Teri here
I have been to Costa Maya about 2 years ago and I didn't like it. If I ever go back there I'll stay at the pool in the port area. I didn't see it till we came back from a beach we went to. And the ride to the beach well let me tell ya. never again. We got on a bus that you would see on a movie, OLD torn up bus driven by two natives. (people that live there.) There isn't much there but shacks with no windows or doors on them and clothes hanging in trees. I didn't think anyone lived there untill I was the clothes hanging in the tree's. We drove and drove into NO Where land . If someone wanted to kill us they would never find us. I was praying to God just get us back to the ship. I had two small kids with me. When we got back from the beach (after my daughter cut her foot on a shell and could hardly walk) I saw there was a Big Pool right there right at the pier. I wish I knew that I would have stayed right there. Hope someone else has had a better experience than I.

I loved Costa Maya and would go back in a heart beat! We did the tour to the Chacchoben Ruins with David and Ivan of The Native Choice http://www.chacchobenruins.com/

They were wonderful. Air-conditioned fairly new vans, great guides that have a ton of knowledge of the area. The Mayan Ruins were well worth the trip thru the extremely poor country side. Awesome day and would love to do it again.

We then spent some time in the little fishing village of Mahahual just 2.5 miles outside the port area. Had snacks at the Cat's Meow (owned by a Canadian) sitting at one of the tables in the sand by the beach. Visited the vendors ---they can be agressive so if you are not interested just say no firmly. Fabulous memories!

I love Costa Maya, the first time we were there it was a fairly new port w/not much to do, we did go to a beach to snorkel. It was very third world. I have been there twice since then and it has become one of my favorite ports. There is a pool in the center of town, there is free live entertainment. There is a beach break with an open bar all day for about 35PP, no need to book through the ship you can do it online. There are plenty of buses (new) and taxis just outside of town to take you anywhere you want to go. What ever you choose, have a great time.

Hi T Barker,

I like Costa Maya. There is free entertainment while you are in the compund, and several shops, mind you the vendors there, are not all really local. Personally I like to buy from the local people, and this is a very poor village. Well what little I buy, since I am really not much of a shopper. As for the pool in the center of the compound, well good luck. They do not have to clean their pools like we do here in the states. I have heard several people say that it was slimey on the sides of the pool and the bottom, the first time I ws there, the water in the pool was really murky looking. Yeeeucckkkk! Thanks but no thanks. Right at the exit of the compound as you head into town, you can rent a golf cart. It is fun, yes slow, but fun and a way to get to the town of Majuahual. There have several places that you can get drinks from, and massages or you can just lay on the beach if you like. The ships also have tours that you can take. I guess it just depends on whether you want a lazy beach day or want to take a bus trip to see the ruins, or a tour that will take you snorkeling. There are two places to eat there at the compound, do try either one, the food is tasty and authentic.

The local people at the beach were very nice and polite.

Happy Sailing.

Annieeee

tbarker

I see that you are new to CLF.

When we were in Costa Maya we loved the dancers in the square. Took pics on the way to the bus taking us to the ruins. Best souvenirs were at the ruins. Vendors there had things that were NOT at the pier. It was a shame the bus didn't leave us another 30 min to shop. FYI the shops that far from the pier did not like American Express travelers checks. That was a slight problem.

The stop at Costa Maya, IMO is TONS more interesting once you get the heck out of the plastic 'compound,' as one poster called it. I've been there three times... Did the Mayan ruins once, snorkeled once, and just hung out at Majahaul another time.

On all three occasions, I found the time getting through the port area the least interesting - EXCEPT for the dancers. They were neat.