Trip log, day four. Costa Maya, Mexico.
7-Night Western Caribbean Royal Caribbean Cruise from Miami, Florida
March 18, 2025
Cruise Compass – Day 4
Icon of the Seas Deck Plan
I tried a new spot this morning, one of the pods in the AquaDome. It was cool, but not comfortable, so I made my way back to the same booth in Playmakers to set up my office of the morning. We had plans for the day, so morning office hours were shortened as I made my way up to join the family to gather day bags and grab a some more coffee and a bagel from the Park Café before heading ashore. The cafe in Central Park was not busy considering the ship was full and it was still in that window of time where folks were just getting ready to head ashore. Nice alternative spot out of the way to get a cup of coffee (drip only, no made to order coffee at this spot) or a quick bite.
The morning was lovely and we were docked near the Carnival Jubilee, which was in the berth we docked at last March when sailing the Wonder of the Seas. The wind was calm compared to last year when we almost skipped the stop.
You could say today is our first big day off the ship following our brief walk around the port in Honduras. We booked an independent beach experience for the day which meant we had to get to the meeting spot on the other side and outside of the port property.
Back in November, we reserved spots at Maya Chan Beach Resort. Booking was done directly at costamayabeachresort.com.
Costa Maya’s All-Inclusive Beach Break
We received an email confirmation and options to pay via PayPal or Venmo. At the time of our sailing, the prices were as follows:
- Ages 18 and over – $79 USD
- Ages 0-3 – $19 USD
- Ages 4-7 – $49 USD
- Ages 8-17 – $59 USD
The email and website also featured a reassurance that if our ship cancels the stop for any reason, we will receive a full refund. I haven’t even reviewed the day yet, and I can tell you this is a fantastic price, but there is some leg work involved to get to the beach.
The email also included some important instructions such as a map to the meeting point and a reminder to bring towels from the ship. There was also an important message relayed in the email, “We have two dogs and two cats. They are our pets and very friendly and love people. If you cannot or don’t want to be around pets, please email me and I will refund you in full.” Awesome there are CATS!!!! In my book this is more of a “what’s included” than a disclaimer/warning, but I understand not everyone is not like me.
The provided map to the Maya Chan Beach Resort meeting spot was digital, but depending on your cellular service, save a screenshot or print out the map ahead of time. Basically, don’t depend on sketchy port WiFi or cellular data ashore to lookup the walking directions. There are actually 2 routes provided. Route 1 in red is ideal, but the exit door from the port may not be accessible (read as closed, but it doesn’t lock so…) Route 2 in Yellow is the Port’s preferred route as it takes you past all the shops in the port. Making the executive decision, we opted for the shortest option, route 1 since we had somewhat of an excuse with the knee scooter if anyone said anything. On this day, the door was open and closed as this was the route tours from the ships were taking to the buses parked out back. Anyway, choose the path that you feel most comfortable with and don’t break any rules if signs get posted not to use the exit door under the tower. We did take route 2 back at the end of the day past the shops.
I highly recommend looking over the map ahead of time so you do not become frustrated, as the Port is encouraging everyone walk by all of the shops to exit via the yellow route. That part isn’t important; focus on getting to the back parking lot the proceed towards the port’s guard shack and continue down the road towards a pyramid around a traffic circle.
It is not a bad walk, it’s probably the equivalent of walking the pier at Lookout Cay. Even with a knee scooter, it was not a bad/far walk to get to the meeting point which is outside the port (aside from the uneven pavement).
We arrived at the check-in spot and signed waivers. One by one, taxi vans were filled with fellow vacationers and we were off to Maya Chan Beach Resort. Remember, they take care of the taxi fare as part of the overall cost of the booking!
The taxi ride is about 20- to 30-minutes and at time it can be bumpy, so be prepared if you are susceptible to motion sickness. I knew we picked the right spot when we arrived and were greeted by a cat!
Once the taxis were unloaded and we gathered at the entrance, we were welcomed by the proprietors and given an overview and tour of the property.
There were multiple waves of guests arriving in taxis and the warm welcome was repeated with group as they arrived, which was a nice personalized touch.
After the introduction, each party was escorted to a reserved spot on the beach where there were chairs with an umbrella and a covered daybed. Welcome drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic punch) and a basket of chips with guacamole and pico de Gallo appeared out of nowhere!
Check out this sink with a faucet made from conch shell surrounded by other conch shells. Just cool and for that very reason, I am placing it in this trip report right here to show we washed our hands before enjoying the chips and salsa.
Isabelle spotted one of the dogs enjoying the pleasant day on the beach.
For those that are not big fans of swimming in the ocean, there is a small pool area tucked away in a little alcove.
From the Maya Chan Beach, you can see the Costa Maya cruise port and more importantly, the ships.
There is a spacious covered seating area that I imagine is great for days when liquid sunshine shows up with little warning, or you need a break from the sun.
It was still early and I had a little more work I needed to get done. I am happy to report Maya Chan Beach Resort has pretty good WiFi, and even a unique amenity found in my home office, a CAT!!!!
Every single staff member was friendly and went above and beyond to make sure everyone was having a good time. For example, I was sitting in the back of the seating area working and one of the owners stopped over with a basket of chips and salsa and offered to get me a drink from the bar. I felt bad saying no to a drink other than water – he wanted to ensure work was not going to negatively impact the enjoyment of my day (which it was not).
I eventually flipped the switch back to vacation mode when I heard my name called. Maya Chan Beach Resort includes a massage area, and for the first time in my life, I decided to indulge in a massage. This is a cash-only service, with rates of $25 per half hour and $45 for a full hour. You pay directly to the masseuse and tip accordingly. Not sure what to expect, I picked a 30-minute session, while Emily wisely chose the full 1-hour option.
Afterwards, I was so relaxed that I headed over the covered area to join Isabelle for an amazing lunch prepared fresh onsite.
The food was delicious and afternoon conversation and libations with Matt from the Royal Caribbean Blog made for a perfect day… oops, excellent day – Perfect Day Mexico is coming soon to Costa Maya.
Not only was the food fantastic, the open bar was one of the best we’ve encountered in the various beach day options we’ve tried while cruising in the Caribbean and Bahamas. There was wine available, as well as various beers. They served brand name spirits, not some mystery off label well-spirits or a huge jug of pre-made “special cocktail” that will only result in a nasty hangover. The bartender even made a from scratch spicy margarita for Emily – held the simple syrup, used Tajin for the rim and it was delightful.
Happy to report, when served quality beverages in moderation along with plenty of water and food, you do not get drunk and subsequently do not get hungover.
This was our third or fourth time stopping in Costa Maya and our first time heading out of the port area. Our family would make Maya Chan our go-to option when we are booked on a cruise which stops in Costa Maya. The weather and ocean water temps made this more of a beach reading & relaxing sort of day, which was perfect. Overall, the experience was great and well worth the price we paid. We highly recommend Maya Chan Beach Resort.
All aboard today is 4:30 PM and when we book third party excursions or explore on our own, we build in extra time to get back to the ship, today more than ever as the knee scooter is a new wrinkle in our touring experience. At lunch, we arranged a 2:30 PM taxi back to the ship, giving us more than enough time to make it back and take the long route back to stop in and possibly buy a souvenir or two at the port before reboarding the ship.
This was our first time seeing the Icon of the Seas next to another cruise ship and while she is not winning any beauty contests, I cannot believe how well she holds so many passengers.
Back on board, we had plenty of time to casually clean up and get ready for the evening.
We are heading back to the main dining room for dinner tonight where they are serving the “A Taste of the Caribbean” menu.
The service and food are still impressive. Emily loved the Tofu and Avocado salad, and I am continuing to enjoy the Indian dishes. We also enjoy that like DCL, baked potatoes are available.
Since we will be eating elsewhere tomorrow, our serving team brought a surprise at the end for Isabelle commemorating her final day as a kid.
After dinner, we went to back-to-back trivia sessions and I browsed the certified pre-owned selection of Rolex watches.
Thankfully, I did not see a Rolex that I fell in love with because it would still be there; I have a kid going to college and I do not “need” a Rolex. If anyone has one they no longer wear let me know, I’ll pay you the cost to ship it me. Just kidding (but not really).
As we were winding down in our stateroom, I was going to stream a movie to our stateroom TV just like we did last March on the Wonder of the Seas….or so we thought!
Well, think again. Streaming to the stateroom TVs on the Icon of the Seas is ONLY available in the suites as I later discovered via a chat with guest services. Speaking of, the Guest Service chat is a great offering for small questions. I wish Disney didn’t scuttle this offering. I never noticed crazy lines at the guest service area like we frequently encounter with DCL, either. The chat option seems like it would offset the need to visit the desk for simple questions. Anyway, life finds a way… Movie time and a 16” laptop screen will suffice.
I’m enjoying your Icon Blog!! thanks for taking the time to take us along.
We visited Maya Chan in March while sailing on the Harmony of the Seas and immediately fell in love!! So much so that I would try to book another cruise that stops in Costa Maya purely to visit Maya Chan again!! Friends have been multiple times and they did not over-sell it. It truly is a little slice of heaven with the kindest and most caring staff! Highly recommended and so glad you liked it too!!