The final port of call for this 6-day Western Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Horizon finds us visiting a familiar spot: Cozumel, Mexico. I lost count of how many times I’ve been here over the years, but one thing is for certain—not much ever changes around here.
Cozumel is regarded as a pretty safe area to visit. Since it’s on an island isolated from the mainland, it’s far enough removed from the country to avoid the gangs and violence we often hear about concerning Mexico.
I’ve walked in many areas of Cozumel, both around the port area and a few blocks into some of the residential areas, and I’ve never encountered anything that made me feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
Which cruise line you’re on will determine where in Cozumel you’ll dock. Carnival Cruise Line has its own terminal, the Puerto Maya terminal, that’s used for most of its ships that fall under the Carnival Corporation umbrella. This terminal is the furthest away from the downtown area, which would take you about 45 minutes to reach on foot.
This is the largest and most modern of the three terminals and has a great number of the usual stores you’ll see in every Caribbean port (Effy, Diamonds International, Cariloha, etc.), along with dozens of local merchants selling souvenirs, bars, and restaurants—including Pancho’s Backyard, a favorite Mexican restaurant that always gets great reviews.
However, there are still plenty of shops, restaurants, and bars in the port and just outside because this terminal is in close proximity to the International Cruise Terminal, which is mainly used by Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. This terminal is a bit smaller and older, with fewer shops and souvenir stores.
Both of these terminals have plenty of taxis available to hitch a ride downtown. There are also a few beach clubs within walking distance that don’t charge much to use their facilities for the day and allow you to be right on the beach close to your ship. Plus, there are a good number of restaurants and a small mall just a short walk across the street.
The third terminal, Puerto Langosta, is my personal favorite when visiting Cozumel, as it is right in the downtown area where there’s more to see and do. Connected to the terminal is a large two-story mall, and there are plenty of places within walking distance to grab a few drinks, enjoy lunch, or do some more shopping.
The Puerto Langosta terminal is also preferred by crew members, as just a short walk away is the Mega store, which is similar to a Walmart or Target in the United States. Crew and passengers alike often stop by to grab snacks to take back to the ship or pick up essentials that may have been forgotten during the rush of packing.
Carnival Horizon docked around 10:30 a.m., and once the all-clear was given, guests were allowed to go ashore. Since it was a port day, the main dining room was offering an Express Breakfast, while more options were available at the Lido buffet.
For lunch, in addition to the buffet, the usual places were open: Guy’s Burgers, Seafood Shack, the pizzeria, Blue Iguana for tacos and burritos, the Italian restaurant for a create-your-own pasta bowl, and the Asian restaurant for a Mongolian Wok menu.
Since we had a late all-aboard time of 6:00 p.m., I wasn’t in a hurry to get off and do some walking around, so I didn’t head out until after 1 p.m. In addition to the Horizon, our terminal was also hosting Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam, while just down the street Royal Caribbean had two ships in port—Enchantment of the Seas and Brilliance of the Seas. The immediate area surrounding the two terminals was very busy with people wandering around.
As expected, the locals were out in full force trying to get you to stop and check out what they were selling. While they’re not nearly as pushy as they are in Jamaica, a friendly “no thanks” is all you need to say if you’re not interested.
Walking around, you’ll get hit up on a continual basis for taxis, tours, and scooter rentals. There are dozens and dozens of scooters lining the main street, and people are always trying to get you to rent one. Of course, none of them look very safe to ride, but if you’re willing to take the risk… that’s on you!
Then there are the pharmacies. Lots and lots of pharmacies where you can get Mexican versions of U.S. drugs on the cheap—again, if you’re willing to take the risk.
Counterfeit goods are also popular, including everything from fake Cuban cigars to fake designer purses. Oh, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention there are plenty of people on the street who will offer to sell you a Rolex watch. After all, there’s no better place to buy a Rolex off some guy on the street in Mexico, right?
As I mentioned, the all-aboard time was 6:00 p.m., and the Carnival Horizon departed with her sights set on Miami about a half-hour later.
Evening Entertainment
Entertainment for the evening included an R&B show in the ship’s main theater, movies on the big screen by the pool on the Lido deck, several musical acts scattered around the ship, and, of course, several stand-up comedy shows.
After losing money in the casino all week, I decided to give it one more shot and dropped some more cash. I had some small wins that kept me playing for a short amount of time but ended up losing overall. The casino was a bit disappointing, as the machines were quite tight. With the amount of money I gambled, my points were about half of what I normally would accumulate.
Since I set a limit on how much to spend per cruise, I can pretty much tell which ships have tight casinos and which don’t. Based on my cash spend being about the same as previous cruises but my points being lower, this casino was TIGHT.
With my money spent for this cruise, I bid the casino a not-so-fond farewell and hoped others had better luck than I did!
Main Dining Room & Fahrenheit 555 Dinner
For dinner, those looking to dine in the main dining room had a peek at the evening’s menu.
For me and my travel companion, we booked dinner at Fahrenheit 555, the ship’s steakhouse. At $49 per person on Carnival Horizon, this is the ship’s most expensive specialty restaurant and always delivers.
With a meat-centric menu, there are also a few seafood options and chicken.
We started off with appetizers that included French Onion Soup, Tuna Tartare, and Shrimp Cocktail, all of which were good. Although, for steakhouse shrimp, these crustaceans were a bit on the small side.
For our mains, I went with the 18 oz Spice-Rubbed Ribeye, and my friend chose the 9 oz Filet Mignon. As expected, the steaks were prepared perfectly and seasoned just right. The accompanying sides rounded out what I would consider a perfect meal.
Of course, after all that, there wasn’t much room for dessert, but when in Rome… we ordered the Apple Torte and the Cheesecake, which combined had more calories than the entire meal. At this point in the trip, who’s counting?
Service throughout the entire meal was flawless, with a team taking care of delivering food, clearing plates, crumbing the table, and ensuring drinks and stomachs were full. The chef made his rounds to all the tables, ensuring everyone dining had a meal worthy of five stars.
A quick nightcap, and it was back to my room, where the neighboring Havana Bar once again provided my in-room entertainment for the evening. I counted down the minutes until the clock hit 11:45 p.m., and the band called it quits for the night.
Considering the cost of the rooms in the Havana section of the ship, it’s crazy they would put a loud club just on the other side of my bed’s headboard.
One other thing I’ve failed to mention about my room is the doors. The door to my stateroom doesn’t lock unless you apply extreme force to align it just right from the inside or slam it from the outside to make sure it “clicks.”
I asked for someone to come and check the door and fix it because there are times when I just can’t get it to lock. Someone came up and told me, “All the doors on this side are like this because the ship is listing.” So, the door wasn’t fixed.
The door in the bathroom also has alignment issues, as it won’t close completely or lock. It swings open and shut on its own when the ship experiences extra motion.
Not sure what exactly is going on, but to me, it appears as if the cabin itself shifted somehow, and things just aren’t lining up the way they should be. This is probably why I hear all my neighbors slamming their doors multiple times as well, presumably because they can’t get theirs to lock either.
Anyway, doors and the band aside, the next day will be spent at sea as we head back to Miami for a 7 a.m. arrival on Saturday. As always, thanks for following along!
FunTimes for Day 5:
The Fun Times for December 5, 2024 can also be downloaded as a PDF by clicking here.