Cozumel is a popular Mexican cruise port. It isn’t unusual to see 10 cruise ships in port at the same time. Adjacent to the port, you’ll find lots of shopping opportunities for Mexican handicrafts, souvenirs, T-shirts and even duty-free shopping.
Popular excursions in Cozumel include snorkeling, scuba diving, and other water related activities. It’s also possible to take the ferry to the mainland to go visit the archeological Mayan site of Tulum. But an excursion to Tulum with the cruise ship is recommended because if you are delayed the ship would wait for you. If you go on your own, don’t be late getting back because the cruise ship will leave without you!
Are Ship Shore Excursions Worth It or Are You Better off on Your Own?
We’ve been to Cozumel multiple times by cruise ship and our main objective was to go scuba diving. Drift diving over beautiful colorful reefs thriving with sea life was fantastic! We liked it so much that we ended up booking a one-week scuba diving vacation.
In only a few hours in port, it’s not possible to see all of what the island has to offer but we highly recommend that you venture out of the cruise port area. We once booked a shore excursion to Punta Sur, an eco-beach park located on the southern end of the island. Where we climbed up a lighthouse, snorkeled in pristine water, observed various bird species in the marshland and even saw a small Mayan ruin.
See our post: Fun Things to Do in Cozumel
We recently got back from a scuba diving vacation and are happy to have had the chance to explore the island further.
On the Reef
This is how our first dive in Cozumel went:
As soon as we submerged a beautiful Hawksbill turtle showed up, and as we got a bit deeper, a 6–foot nurse shark swam by. Then we spotted a stingray rising up from the sea floor and gracefully glide away. Next we noticed a green moray eel sticking its head out from its hiding place. Just as we couldn’t believe our luck, we saw a huge lobster crawling around without a care in the world – and why should he? After all, he was in a protected marine sanctuary… More specifically, on the Palancar Reef in the Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park. Realizing that scuba diving in Cozumel was amazing, we were already plotting to come back…
Latin America & The Caribbean – Mexico – Caribbean Ports of Call
Content updated November 20, 2019 (published March 10, 2015)