THE GEN X WANDERER / 7 Days Aboard the MSC World America Western Caribbean / Costa Maya Cruise Port

Day 1: Embarkation
Day 2: At Sea
Day 3: Roatan | Honduras
Day 4: Costa Maya | Mexico
Day 5: Cozumel | Mexico
Day 6: At Sea
Day 7: Ocean Cay Marine Reserve

And in case you missed it, see what we did on the MSC World America Eastern Caribbean

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Costa Maya Cruise Port Guide: Heat, History and Honesty

Today, we docked at the Costa Maya cruise port, and no, this isn’t going to be one of those posts where I pretend every port day is a magical sun soaked adventure. Because today, it was 40 C/104F and I know it’s a norm to my friends down south, but for me as a Canadian who’s use to subzero temps, I felt like I was being melted into an inferno.

Maybe it was the hormones, or maybe it was the 25k steps a day for the past week, but today I really wanted to just chill and relax.

The last time we were here, the beach was clean, but today, the sargassum was next level, the beach at the port smelled like a science experiment gone wrong, and my kid was one whiff away from a full meltdown. So…. that was our Costa Maya day. Let’s get into it.

New to Cruising? Don’t miss my informational articles below so you can get sailing!

• Ultimate Cruise Packing Guide + Itinerary! Free Download
• Fear of Cruising? You’re Fears are Probably all Wrong
• First Time Cruising? Let’s Put Your Mind at Ease
• Prone to Seasickness? Choosing the Right Cabin Matters!

Day 4: MSC World America
Costa Maya Cruise Port VLOG

Costa Maya isn’t an ancient city or a town that grew organically over centuries. This cruise port opened in 2001 specifically to give cruise lines a stop along the southern coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, close to the border with Belize. Before the port existed, this stretch of coastline near Mahahual was a sleepy fishing area.

A Brief History of the Costa Maya Cruise Port

The port took a serious hit in 2007 when Hurricane Dean flattened much of the original terminal. Rather than walk away, the operators rebuilt, and the Costa Maya cruise port reopened bigger and more resilient than before. Today it’s designed almost entirely around the cruise crowd, with the terminal itself functioning as a self contained resort style zone, pools, shops, restaurants, all fenced in and separate from the actual town of Mahahual down the road.

The name Costa Maya is a nod to the Mayan ruins scattered throughout the region, including Chacchoben and Kohunlich, both popular excursion stops for people who venture further out. But plenty of visitors, us included on this particular day, never make it past the terminal gates. And honestly, on a day like ours, that wasn’t really a choice, it was survival.

The Heat Was Not Playing Around ~ Be Warned

If you decide to come here in August, I’m here to warn you. I’ve been to some hot places, I was born in Macau, where July puts you into a whole other dimension of humidity, where you can’t even step outside without needing another shower.  The Costa Maya cruise port day hit 40 degrees, and it wasn’t the gentle kind of hot where you can still function like a normal human being.

I found myself doing math in my head, calculating exactly how many steps it would take to get from one air conditioned building to the next, but that never happened because there was no air condition anywhere except back on the cruise ship. And unless you are permanently parked in the salt water pool, there was no relief.

Ok. I’ll stop complaining about the heat now.

The Sargassum

If you’ve cruised the Caribbean or Mexican coastline any time in the last few years, you already know the word sargassum, because you are looking to see the levels it’s at right before your trip. Just check Instagram for all the reels on it. For anyone lucky enough not to know, sargassum is that brown seaweed that washes up in massive quantities and turns postcard perfect beaches into something closer to a compost pile.

The day we were at the Costa Maya cruise port, the sargassum surprised because the last time we were here, it was pristine. I’m talking thick mats of the stuff piled along the shoreline, and the smell that comes with it, that unmistakable rotten egg, sulfur like odour that happens as the seaweed decomposes in the heat, was everywhere. Combine 40 degree weather with decomposing seaweed…..

My nine year old was not having it at all. He kept asking why the beach smelled like rotten eggs, and no amount of explaining the science of decaying algae was going to make that any more pleasant for a kid who just wanted to get back on the ship.

And because we just spent the better part of the day yesterday in Honduras, we thought we would just relax here and enjoy the cruise port, even if it were just a little bit.

What We Actually Did: Stayed at the Costa Maya Cruise Port

So here’s the honest version of our day. Because of the heat, we made the call to stay inside the Costa Maya cruise port itself rather than venture out for excursions because most of them would take 4-5 hours. And look, some days that’s the right call.

The good news is the port isn’t just a strip of shops you power through to get to the ship. It’s built to keep people entertained for a full day if needed.

There’s a large salt water pool area right in the terminal. Loungers, a swim up bar for the adults, and enough space that you’re not fighting for a spot even on a busy port day. For a family trying to escape the heat and the smell drifting in from the beach, the pool was basically our saving grace.

There’s also a zip line that runs through the port, which is a nice option if your kids needs to burn off some restless energy after being cooped up on the ship. It’s not a massive adrenaline rush by any means, but it’s a fun ten minutes.

Shopping wise, the Costa Maya cruise port has the usual mix you’d expect at any Mexican cruise terminal, jewellery shops, tequila tastings, souvenir stalls selling everything from magnets to hand carved wooden masks. It’s touristy, sure, and that’s the point.

Food options inside the port cover the basics, tacos, burgers, the kind of casual fare that keeps everyone fed without needing a reservation. Nothing that’s going to end up on a foodie bucket list, but it does the job when you’re not in the mood to negotiate a taxi ride into town for lunch. There are also a handful of bars scattered through the complex.

Was It a Disappointing Port Day?

As mentioned in my video, the cruise ship IS the destination (at least for today). Here’s the thing about cruising, not every port is going to be your favourite, and not every day is going to go the way you pictured it when you booked the cruise. The Costa Maya cruise port on paper has a lot going for it, the Mayan ruins, beach clubs, a walkable local town. But weather can completely change the experience you get.

If your ship is stopping at the Costa Maya cruise port and you’re checking the forecast beforehand, my advice is simple. If it’s going to be brutally hot and the sargassum reports aren’t looking good, don’t feel bad about staying inside the terminal. The pool, the zip line, the shops and the food will keep you occupied, and you’ll save yourself the private taxi fare and the meltdown, kid or adult.

The Excursions I Would Have Done

I know some of you are here for the excursion recommendations, the ruins, the beach clubs, the adventure options that make Costa Maya worth the extra effort. Don’t worry, that post is coming. Today was about giving you the real picture of what a rough weather day at the Costa Maya cruise port actually looks like, because not every travel post needs a filter on it.

I did curate some things for you to do while at this port. If you google map, you will see that an excursion like the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins, is about an hour away, so just factor your timing in and the all aboard call as not everything is close to the cruise port.

Things to do in Costa Maya, Mexico

Read Next in the Series
MSC World America ~ Western Caribbean

Click here to see my Eastern Caribbean Itinerary!