Costa Maya Port Day – Serenade of the Seas

On November 15, 2021, Serenade of the Seas brought us to Costa Maya, Mexico. Most of the port area was still closed because of COVID, but there was enough open for us to get off the ship, walk around, do some shopping, and see what we could find.

Arriving in Costa Maya

We watched Costa Maya come into view from the ship and then headed ashore. The morning was overcast, but we were in Mexico and we were getting off the ship, so I was not going to complain about the weather.

A Lot of the Port Was Still Closed

Because of COVID, quite a bit of the Costa Maya port was still closed. The places that were open gave us enough to wander around and look at, but many of the shops seemed to carry the same kinds of souvenirs.

We still found plenty of reasons to stop for pictures, including the flamingos. I do not normally run into those while walking around Sevier County.

Shopping, Suspenders, and Chocolate

One place I really wanted to visit was The Kakaw Chocolate Factory and Museum. I wanted to take the tour and, of course, sample the chocolate. I went inside twice, but both times I could not find an employee anywhere. There was chocolate around, but I could not tell what was supposed to be a sample and what was actually for sale. I considered trying one anyway, but decided against accidentally stealing chocolate in Mexico.

You can see in the photos that I was wearing suspenders. Apparently that did not stop me from looking like a potential leather-belt customer. At least twice I was asked if I wanted to buy a belt. I pointed at my suspenders and asked if they sold suspenders, since I clearly was not wearing a belt.

The girls had better luck shopping. They found dresses and purses, while I picked up a nifty ashtray made from peso coins and a Mayan calendar plaque.

The giant Costa Maya sign was my idea. If we were there, we were getting the picture.

Lunch? Not at Those Prices

We had planned to eat at the port until I saw the menu prices. I actually asked if the prices were in pesos or dollars. They were dollars. At that point the decision was easy: I was not paying tourist prices when the free food on Serenade of the Seas was only a short walk away.

Serenade of the Seas at the Pier

One of the things I like about port days is seeing the ship from shore. Serenade of the Seas is not one of Royal Caribbean’s giant newer ships, but from the pier she still looked plenty big.

What We Brought Home

These were my two Costa Maya finds: the ashtray made from peso coins and the Mayan calendar plaque. The girls came back with dresses and purses, so everybody managed to find something.

Costa Maya in a Nutshell

With so much of the port still closed, it was not a complicated day. We walked around, looked through the shops that were open, tried unsuccessfully to get a chocolate-factory tour, took a lot of pictures, bought some souvenirs, decided the ship’s included food beat the port prices, and headed back aboard.

And as I have said before, even a bad cruise is still better than a good day at work.

Continue the cruise diary: Tennessee to Tampa → Tampa Bay and Ybor City → Boarding Day → Room 4560 → Costa Maya → Cozumel → Full Review