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CRUISING TO THE CARIBBEAN:
COZUMEL |
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CRUISE PORT
Cruise ships calling at Cozumel dock in three places. Sometimes during the height of the cruising season (November to March), ships will also anchor offshore and tender passengers to one of the three cruise terminals. It is not uncommon to have eight cruise ships in Cozumel on a given day.
All three cruise terminals are on the western side of the island. All three terminals have access to taxis, nearby shopping and nearby bars and restaurants. Thus, there is no particular disadvantage to docking at any particular terminal.
All three cruise terminals are on the western side of the island. All three terminals have access to taxis, nearby shopping and nearby bars and restaurants. Thus, there is no particular disadvantage to docking at any particular terminal.
Punta Langosta
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Located in downtown San Miguel, Cozumel's main town, is Punta Langosta Cruise Terminal. It consists of a single pier that juts straight out from the shore and then bends at roughly a 90 degree angle so that the ships are docked parallel to the shore.
At the shore end of the pier, guests go over a sheltered overpass to get into San Miguel. The overpass goes into the Punta Langosta Mall, which has numerous shops including shops by the better known merchants that are in the larger Caribbean cruise ports. From the mall, it is about a five minute walk to San Miguel's town square. Between the mall and the square, depending upon which street you follow, are shops by major name retailers and local shops geared to tourists. Across from the town square is the passenger ferry terminal in San Miguel. It has a regular service to Playa del Carmen. Punta Langosta is open to all cruise lines. Norwegian Cruise Lines and Disney Cruise Line make frequent use of this terminal. 
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Above: The pier at Punta Langosta puts straight out from the shore but then bends.
Left: Passengers enter and exit through a mall that is connected to the pier by an overpass. |
International Cruise Terminal
About three miles south of San Miguel is the International Cruise Terminal Like Punta Langosta, the International Terminal has a single pier that bends off at an angle so that the cruise ships are docked nearly parallel to the shoreline.
The shoreside end of the pier leads to a cruise village that includes shops, bars and restaurants. This facility is for the use of cruise ship passengers and is closed when there are no cruise ships docked at the pier. Outside the entrance to this facility is a parking area for shore excursion vehicles and taxis. San Miguel is about a five minute taxi ride from the International Terminal. It is also possible to walk into San Miguel as there is a sidewalk running along the shore road. However, Cozumel can be very hot and the sidewalk tends to be sparsely populated. The International Terminal is used primarily by ships from Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises. However, as seen in the photos on our Cozumel cruise ships page, occasionally, ships from other lines will dock here and sometimes Royal Caribbean and Celebrity ships dock elsewhere. |
Above: The entrance to the cruise terminal.
Below: The pier and shopping area at the International Terminal. 
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Puerta Maya
Less than a half mile north of the International Terminal is Puerta Maya. This is the most extensive of Cozumel's three terminals. Its pier has branches and can accommodate three ships.
Like at the International Terminal, Puerta Maya has a purpose-built cruise village at the landward end of the pier. It has some 50 different shops inclining a pharmacy and a convenience shop. Puerta Maya is primarily used by Carnival Corporation ships, especially the ships of Carnival Cruise Line. However, ships from other lines occasionally use this facility and Carnival ships sometimes dock at one of the other terminals (See our Cozumel cruise ships page). 
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Above: At the end of the pier is a combination security check point and store.
Below: A shoreside cafe in the Puerta Maya cruise village. 
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Tendering
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Sometimes all of the berths at Cozumel's cruise terminals are full and so ships sometimes have to tender passengers to and from shore in boats. However, Cozumel is surrounded by deep water (about 200 feet) Therefore, in order for a ship to anchor, it needs to get in close to shore. As a result, tender rides in Cozumel are not usually very long.
Cruise ships tendering in Cozumel tend to tender their passengers to the cruise terminal that that line's ships usually dock at. Thus a Royal Caribbean ship will usually tender to the International Terminal and a Carnival Cruise Line's ship will tender to Puerta Maya. However, there can be exceptions. |
Vision of the Seas tendering to the International Terminal.
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Cruise destination - Cozumel - Cruise port