The next port of call on this 7-day western Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Celebration keeps us in Mexico, making a short run from Cozumel to our current stop: Costa Maya. The day began with an early wake-up, as a ship-wide announcement was made at 4:50 a.m., requesting passengers with O-negative blood to report to Guest Services for a passenger in need of a transfusion.
At that point, we were only three hours from our arrival in Costa Maya, so it’s safe to assume the guest needing medical attention was taken care of both onboard and quickly ashore without requiring an evacuation before reaching land.
Walking Around the Port in Costa Maya
Costa Maya isn’t one of the Caribbean’s largest ports, but today three of the largest ships afloat are here. Along with the Celebration, which accommodates 6,000 passengers, Carnival’s third Excel-class ship, Jubilee, is in port with another 6,000 passengers, and Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas is here, bringing 4,500 more.
As soon as I stepped off the ship, I was greeted by a sea of humanity, walking shoulder-to-shoulder toward the shopping area, which has a handful of shops, local merchants selling their wares, and spots to grab a margarita or two. Just beyond the marketplace, there’s a saltwater pool with a swim-up bar where people can drink (and perhaps pee) in the pool simultaneously, along with plenty of lounge chairs for sunbathing. There’s also a dolphin swim experience, a flamingo display, and some climbing activities for kids and adults alike.
If you’re looking to venture outside the port, shore excursions are available to visit the Chacchoben and Kohunlich Mayan ruins, or for snorkeling or scuba diving on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, or ziplining.
With close to 15,000 people from the three ships here, the port area was packed. People were everywhere. It was hot and humid, and everyone was sweaty and miserable. It was hard to navigate, and the whole area simply isn’t designed to handle this many visitors.
I’ve been here several times before and have never seen it this crowded. As ships keep getting bigger, they either need to invest in expanding the port or reduce the number of ships docked here in a single day—it was just a miserable experience.
In a moment of absent-mindedness, I tried to capture a walk-through video of the port, but just as I exited and hit the stop button, I realized I was on “photo” mode, not video. No way was I going back through that crowd to retake the video tour! That’ll have to wait until my next visit.
What’s Up with Bolt – the Roller Coaster?
Back on board, I wandered around the ship before heading up to maybe catch a ride on Bolt—the ship’s not-so-thrilling roller coaster. At $15 a ride, this electric-powered coaster is fun for kids and adults, but serious thrill-seekers won’t find much excitement here. It’s fun to ride, though!
But… it hasn’t been running on this cruise. Every time I’ve tried, it’s been listed as open, but isn’t. There’s been maintenance on the deck it’s located on, which may be the reason, but even as I’m writing this on Friday, it remains closed. The coaster is manufactured by Mauer Rides and features on all three Excel-class ships—Mardi Gras, Celebration, and Jubilee—and it will be on Carnival’s future Excel-class ships. When it debuted on Mardi Gras, it was the first roller coaster ever on a cruise ship.
For now, these three Carnival ships are the only cruises offering a roller coaster. However, Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, Disney Adventure, will have the same Mauer Rides coaster, though a bit longer, allowing Disney to boast the longest coaster at sea.
Marvel Comes to Disney Adventure Along with a Roller Coaster
Peek at Evening Entertainment
Tonight’s entertainment included several comedy shows in the Punchliner Comedy Club and the main stage production, What’s Age Got to Do With It, a game where adults and kids answer questions and interact with the cruise director and the audience. Over at Center Stage, there was a repeat performance of The Most Magnificent Circus. Of course, all the bars and lounges featured live music, from soloists to a violin trio, to the full Backyard Band, which always puts on a fantastic show.
Main Dining Room Menu
For those dining in the main dining room, here’s a look at tonight’s menu:
Dinner at Cucina del Capitano Chibang!
When it was time to eat, I had booked dinner at Cucina del Capitano, the Italian restaurant, using the Carnival HUB app. I had a 50-minute wait time, but after about 40 minutes, I was notified that my table was ready.
I was seated at a two-top in the middle of two six-tops with only a few inches between them. Sitting alone in the middle of a dozen people didn’t appeal to me, so I asked for a different table, but they couldn’t accommodate my request. So, I left.
I didn’t feel like I was missing much, since Cucina del Capitano is pretty much like Olive Garden—uninspired Italian food for those craving chicken parm.
I then went to Chibang, a unique restaurant offering both Asian and Mexican dishes on separate menus, like a mix of Pei Wei and Chipotle. Not the best of either, but satisfying.
Without a reservation, I explained what happened at Cucina, and they seated me right away—at a window table, no less. As I browsed the menu, I overheard the table next to me arguing with their server about how unacceptable it was that they’d “run out of duck.” The server explained they only prepare three Peking ducks daily, as it’s rarely ordered. Given the $20 per-person upcharge, that’s understandable. Once sold, there aren’t any more until the following day. They continued to argue and then asked to reserve a duck for next time. The server agreed, asking, “What day are you returning?” to which she replied, “Our next cruise on this ship is in August.”
I started with a combination of appetizers: Spring Rolls from the Asian menu and Super Loaded Nachos from the Mexican. The Spring Rolls were standard, similar to ones from a supermarket’s frozen section, while the nachos were just okay. They weren’t spectacular but passable.
For the main course, I ordered Pollo en Mole (roasted chicken with mole sauce) and Pork Lomito (roast pork with red beans). Both dishes were tasty but cold—not warm or even lukewarm, just cold. I skipped dessert.
Both Chibang and Cucina are free on the first visit; subsequent visits have an $8 per-person charge. Additionally, Chibang now offers four “upsell” dishes on its menu, in addition to the duck.
Before heading to bed, I stopped at the Golden Jubilee lounge where the Backyard Band was performing, since their main venue – Guy’s Pig and Anchor Smokehouse – was showing the World Series. They knocked it out of the park with their music and the crow went wild for the entirety of their sets.
We’re currently cruising to our final port of call, Roatan, Honduras, where we’ll visit a Carnival-built destination called Mahogany Bay. More on that tomorrow…along with a video walk-through—if I remember to record it correctly.
FunTimes for Day 4:
The Fun Times for October 30, 2024 can also be downloaded as a PDF by clicking here.
Personal Day-By-Day Carnival Celebration Cruise Review: