Frommer's Caribbean Ports of Call by Christina Paulette Col?n

Author:Christina Paulette Col?n
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Published: 2012-10-01T16:00:00+00:00

Cozumel & the Yucatán Peninsula

The Yucatán’s Upper Caribbean Coast

On some days, up to 16 ships visit Cozumel simultaneously, making this the number-one cruise ship destination in the Caribbean. All that activity can make the port town of San Miguel seem more like Times Square than the sleepy, refreshingly gritty Mexican port it once was. Still, San Miguel retains its charm through its classic waterfront and unusually beautiful central square, the Plaza Del Sol, complete with stately trees, and surrounded by local shops and eateries. Cozumel’s allure remains its friendly inhabitants, its wild beaches and manicured parks, its spectacular diving, and its proximity to the ancient Mayan ruins such as Chichén-Itzá and Tulum on the mainland of the Yucatán Peninsula. Perched on the ocean, Tulum is well known and easily accessible, but there are numerous other Mayan sites up and down the peninsula, surrounded by jungle, and impressive enough to inspire a sense of awe. You can get to know the ancient Mayans here, and don’t be fooled; they did not say the world would end in 2012. Besides the ruins, you might be interested in shopping for silver jewelry and local handicrafts, and you can always sample some local tequila.

To see the ruins, you must take a rocky 45-minute ferry ride between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen, on the mainland. Details on Playa are included in this section. About 150km (90 miles) south of Playa del Carmen, is a relatively new port on the southern part of the peninsula; Costa Maya, near the sleepy fishing village of Mahajual. Costa Maya is covered in the next section. A few ships leaving from southern U.S. ports also call at Progreso, on the Gulf coast of the Yucatán, where the Mayan ruins and colonial architecture of nearby Mérida are the big draw.

Language Spanish is the tongue of the land, although English is spoken in most places that cater to tourists.

Currency The Mexican currency is the nuevo peso (new peso). Its symbol is the $ sign, but it’s hardly the equivalent of the U.S. dollar—the exchange rate is about $12.5 pesos to US$1 ($1 peso = about US7¢). The main tourist stores gladly accept U.S. dollars and credit cards. If you want to change money, you’ll find many banks within a block or so of the downtown tender and ferry pier. Prices in this section are given in U.S. dollars.

Calling from the U.S. When calling from the U.S., you need to dial the international access code (011) and the country code for Mexico (52) before the local numbers listed here.

Mayan Ruins & Other Mainland Attractions

Because all of the sites listed here are quite far from the cruise piers, most cruise passengers visit them as part of shore excursions. Admission to the sites is included in the excursion prices, which typically run from $100 to $130 for Chichén-Itzá and around $75 for Tulum or Cobá. Chichén-Itzá and Cobá are all-day excursions. Visits to smaller Tulum are often paired with a visit to the Xel-Ha Eco Park, making it a full-day trek ($99).

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