Cruise Information
This cruise was our sixth cruise, and our second on Royal Caribbean.
- Dates: 2022 April 23-29
- Ship: Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas
- Cabin Number: 3568
- Itinerary
- Miami, FL
- Cozumel, Mexico
- Trolley Tour (Not through Royal Caribbean.)
- Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico
- Chacchoben Mayan Ruins
- Nassau, Bahamas
- Nassau by Land and Sea
- Notes
- First Cruise without the kids
Introduction
We had a wonderful time on our cruise. We got to meet many nice people on the cruise including staff and fellow passengers. This was the first cruise that we took without the kids or other friends and family members. It was also the first cruise that we took since covid-19 disrupted everyone's life in March 2020.
It was nice to travel alone as we interacted more with our fellow passengers. We met some nice folks such as Sam and Suzanne from Florida; Lourdes and Stacey from Florida; Lenord and Juaneta from Fredericksburg, Virginia; Jim and Caroline (may have wrong name) from Boston; and Charles and Charlotte from Georgia.
Captions from Back to Front and Left to Right
Bea, Rich, Suzzane, Sam, Charles, & Charlotte
Lenord, Rich, Bea, Juanetta
Rich, Nilesh, and
Caroline(?)
Bea and Suzzane
Lourdes and Bea
Rich and Stacey
Among the staff, we got to know Mariruth from the Philippines, who took care of our stateroom; Roberto and Nilesh from India, who were our waiters at dinner; and Neilbert from the Philippines, who always greeted us with a smile at the Windjammer buffet.
Captions from Back to Front and Left to Right
Bea and Neilbert
Roberto, Nilesh, Rich, and Bea
Cozumel, Mexico
We had planned to go on the Chichen Itza Ruins excursion at Cozumel but unfortunately, not enough people signed up for it and it was canceled. Somehow, we were not notified ahead of time, so we arrived for the excursion and did not see a sign for the excursion. We saw Francis from the Shore Excursion desk and asked him about it. He was able to get us on the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins at our next stop at Puerto Costa Maya.
Cozumel, Mexico in the morning
At the port, there is plenty to see and do but beware that the shopkeepers, particularly the jewelry shops, heckle you as you walk by. It is understandable since covid has adversely impacted the economy in Cozumel, but the shopkeepers were the worst in Cozumel. We may have stayed longer if they had not been so aggressive trying to get us into their shops.
Margaritaville
Señor Frog's
Bea with a statue of Señor Bandido
Trolley Tour
We were able to get on the Cozumel City Tour by Trolley through the stand at the port. We were fortunate that enough folks signed up with the tour company there, so we were able to take the tour. We had a great guide, who when by his nickname, Panda. On the tour, we saw many places including stops at San José del Mar Parroquia Catholic Church, Casa Mission Tequila, Monumento a la Hispanidad, and some shopping, where we had some ice cream at La Flor de Michoacan.
Our tour guide, Panda
San José del Mar Parroquia Catholic Church
During the tour of the San José del Mar Parroquia Catholic Church, our guide, Panda, explained how the Spainards brought Christianity to the Mayans at Cozumel and how the Mayans were given the choice to be slaves or leave and finally how the Mayans revolted and gained their freedom.
The new church
Interior of the new church - Painting of Jesus
Interior of the new church - Stained glass windows
Interior of the new church - Stained glass windows
Interior of the new church - The Sanctuary
Interior of the new church - The Alter
The old church
Sunday School
Close up of the sign in the Sunday School
Casa Mission Tequila
There were eight of us in the group and none of us drank alcohol or at least not very often, so there was not much interest in the tour, but it was informative. I think the tour may have been a bit rushed since none of us consume alcohol.
We were shown the agave plant and it was explained that tequila is like wine as it is named after the region that the agave plants are grown. The volcanic soil in the regions that it is grown gives the tequila a unique taste. It takes several years, 11 to 12 years if I recall correctly before an agave plant is ready to be harvested to make tequila then several more years for it to age properly. Some manufactures take shortcuts to make the shorten the time from planting to selling tequila, which results in an inferior product.
The guide at Casa Mission Tequila
Some agave plants
Panda explaining some of the differences of the types of tequila available
Monumento a la Hispanidad
We stopped at the Monumento a la Hispanidad, which had a replica of a Mayan pyramid and a statue of the Mayan goddess of fertility, Ix Chel.
Bea and Rich with the Trolley in the background
Statue of Ix Chel
Bea and Rich at the monument
Drink stand across the street from the monument
The coconut drinks are presented with a flower (These are not just coconut juice. They are very tasty and come leaded or unleaded. We had the unleaded version.)
Bea and Rich enjoying coconut drinks
Bea and Rich at standing on the rock beach behind the drink and souvenir stand near the monument
A view of the rock beach
Shopping and Ice Cream at La Flor de Michoacan
Our last stop before returning to the port was in a shopping area. While we were there, we bought some souvenirs and had some coconut ice cream.
Bea with an anchor and sign for Isla Cozumel, Mexico
Google Street view of La Flor de Michoacan (2014)
Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico
The port at Puerto Costa Maya has quite a bit available as well. There are shops and restaurants like Cozumel, but they were more enjoyable as the shopkeepers were not as aggressive as in Cozumel, so we were able to enjoy the area more.
Bea on the pier with the Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas in the background
Sign for the aviary
Pink flamingos at the aviary
Five frogs fountain and shops
Posing for pictures with the people in Mayan costumes
Costa Maya sign at the port
Chacchoben Mayan Ruins
The Chacchoben Mayan Ruins was the highlight of the trip. Ever since learning about the Mayans, Aztecs, Olmecs, and Incas, in high school, I wanted the opportunity to visit some ruins and see some of their history firsthand. This experience did not disappoint but it was rushed and way too short.
The bus ride from Puerto Costa Maya to Chacchiben is an hour each way. That left two hours for the tour but about half an hour was spent with 15 minutes at the start and end for shopping and restroom breaks. There was only about an hour and half of actual touring of Chacchoben.
On the bus ride, the tour guide does explain some things about what we will be seeing and about Mayan culture. Our tour guide was truly knowledgeable and was either extremely interested in history or just really liked his job. He had more materials than other guides that we saw on our visit. Too bad that he did not bring more of that energy to his presentation but perhaps he did not get much from us or was just having an off day. He did do an excellent job but there was something missing.
I would recommend the tour but keep in mind that this is a four-hour tour with only about an hour and a half of quality time on site.
Arrival at Chacchoben
The sign as you enter the site
A silk cotton tree. These trees were sacred to the Mayans
A temple in the living area
Rich and Bea on the steps of the temple
Rich at the temple
Another view of the temple
Some rooms near the base of the temple are visible
Another view of the temple
An area where houses were built around a plaza. A strangler fig stands in the plaza with the host palm rotted away
Another view from the plaza
A view of a raised portion. It is believed the elevation of the home denoted the status of the family
Steps to the plaza that was used for worship. It has 32 steps on this side and is worth the climb. The plaza at the top is larger than expected and has several temples
A view of a temple on the raised plaza
Another temple on the plaza
A closer view of the temple
Nassau, Bahamas
The port at Nassau had a lot of construction going on to improve the port area. The construction did not get in the way of the experience of visiting the port.
The Atlantis Resort
A view from the ship
A map of the Bahamas
A bike to honor the Duke, John Wayne
Nassau by Land and Sea
There were two options for the Nassau by Land and Sea excursion. Both were the same but one includes an open bar for $6 more. If you like to drink, then it may be worth it. If you purchase the open bar option, you are given a wrist strap so the crew on the catamaran knows that you have purchased that option.
The first portion of the excursion is the sea portion, which lasted about 45 minutes and took us past several celebrity homes. Our guide pointed out several places of interest and made several jokes. One example is he told us of a beach that was once his favorite as it was a nude beach. The government had to ban the nude beach though as it was causing congestion in the harbor as all the boats would slow down as they passed by.
The Atlantis as viewed from the catamaran
Some of the homes of the rich and famous
Feeding the fish
Returning to the pier
Carnival Dream, Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas and Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas
The land portion was on a small, air-conditioned bus and stopped at Fort Fincastle & Queen Victoria Staircase, and a shop, which sold rum cakes. Along the way, our guide and driver, King Richard, pointed out several sites such as the parliament buildings, the two hospitals, the Governor’s Mansion, and other points of interest as well as some history. Our tour did not include the Atlantis resort, but we were not interested in the Atlantis as we had visited it on our prior visits to the Bahamas.
The Discover Nassau Bahamas sign on the bus
This building was built around a Lignum Vitae tree, which is the national tree of the Bahamas
Canon with the recently vandalized Columbus statue under wraps. A leg and arm were damaged on the statue and our guide commented that it cost Christopher Columbus an arm and a leg to come to the Bahamas.
Stop at the Bahamas Rum Cake Factory
Guests viewing the Rum Cakes available
Bea with the Atlantis in the background as viewed from the hill at Fort Fincastle
The water tower at the top of the hill near Queen Victoria Staircase
Rich and one of the friendly shopkeepers at Fort Fincastle
A silk cotton tree with pods on the hill at Fort Fincastle
The parliament buildings with Queen Victoria's statue
Conch Fritters at Sharkeez Bar and Grill
Before returning to the ship, we did a little shopping and stopped at Sharkeez Bar and Grill to try some Conch Fritters. We bought six fritters for around $13 including tax. They were very good but not too much flavor from the conch. They tasted like plain fritters so I was not too impressed.
A view of the interior of Sharkeez
