Cozumel: cruise ship traffic

[Catito]

We are heading to Cozumel. Alarmed at the number of cruise ships arriving each day with up to 3000 passengers on each ship. For those of you who are in Cozumel, now, do the cruise passengers swamp the area? Do you notice the hoardes or are they more confined to specific areas? Thank you.

 

[brsnow]

If you dive you are usually underwater while they are there. If you are super concerned take a slow dive boat.

 

[Dan G]

For the most part, the people getting off the cruise ships are either walking around downtown or at one of the paid beaches, such as Paradise Beach. By late afternoon/early evening or so, they're back on their ships. It is easy to avoid crowds since it is not that big of a window when they are around.

 

[ggunn]

We are heading to Cozumel. Alarmed at the number of cruise ships arriving each day with up to 3000 passengers on each ship. For those of you who are in Cozumel, now, do the cruise passengers swamp the area? Do you notice the hoardes or are they more confined to specific areas? Thank you.

I have been going to Cozumel for a couple of weeks every year since 1987, and I made a few trips there before that. The cruseros have never bothered me that much. During the day the streets in town within a block or two of the water are full of them but I am usually not there at that time. Most of them don't go to restaurants since the ships provide all the food they want. They don't populate the hotels at all for the same reason. Not that many of them dive, and those who do either go out on boats hired by the cruise lines or later departing boats because they aren't off the ships in time for the early boats. Some of the popular beach clubs get invaded by them, but I don't go to them much if at all.

The most obvious signs of their presence on the island are the ships themselves. YMMV, but they don't make much of a difference to my Cozumel experience.

 

[Kimela]

When we're staying at Casa del Mar I hear the morning rush of dune buggies zooming toward downtown; then the folks walking along, maybe toward the beach club across the street from Papa Hogs? When we drive down to Fonatur we go past the shopping area with Señor Frogs and Hard Rock Cafe, and that place is absolutely swamped with cruisers. But truly, they don't impact our trip. When we go into town for dinner they're back on the boat.

 

[Dan G]

I would add that the cruise ships are fun to look at while watching them arrive pre-dawn, exit after sunset, or cruise by in a little panga boat on the way to a dive site. They are incredible feats of engineering.

 

[jonhall]

with up to 3000 passengers on each ship

Interesting to think about, especially when there could be up to 8 ships in on a given day! Keep in mind that the ships come into three different terminals (although 2 of them are pretty close together.) This spreads things out a little - and I agree with what others have posted above as to where the cruisers go and what they do.

Have stayed at El Cid La Ceiba a couple of times which is very close to the International Terminal. Other than more people being on the street, only a few came in with day passes for the ECLC beach area, no restaurants were packed, and no one followed me into Roberta's Scuba Shack or came into ECLC to dive. So chances are that the possible high number of cruisers are not going to be a factor during your stay.

 

[Doc Harry]

As a side note, I went to Cozumel four times during the pandemic. During one of those trips, my dive buddy and I were the only tourists that we could see on the main street along the water. The place was empty.

 

[Catito]

If you dive you are usually underwater while they are there. If you are super concerned take a slow dive boat.

Haha

 

[Catito]

As a side note, I went to Cozumel four times during the pandemic. During one of those trips, my dive buddy and I were the only tourists that we could see on the main street along the water. The place was empty.

Sounds lovely