The last time I was here, Cozumel was had recently been destroyed by a hurricane, and I said that I may not ever come back. But after booking a trip on the Dream, I said well, I may go back just to see what had become of it since; and boy was I glad I did!!! The port has been rebuilt, and the island is very clean. Our group booked a CCL sponsored excursion (the Adventure Park, Zip Line and Beach Snorkel Combo) The Zip line course was small but very well kept and operated. Very good safety instruction, equipment, and guides. For someone who is scared of heights and wants to take their first plunge into zip lining or repelling, its great, but for me who would like to zip line for several hundred feet at a time, I was looking for more, but the excursion itself was very well operated and maintained. The Snorkeling was incredible. Carlos who was our snorkel guide was very informative and did an incredible job of baiting the fish and creating a great swim for us. I have snorkeled in other ports of call and did not see as much off a boat as I did just off the beach here in Cozumel. After snorkeling we stayed at the resort and relaxed by the pool until we were ready to return to the ship. (All transportation was included). I would highly recommend this excursion. 


Cozumel

This is a small beach front community that happens to have a port. If you are looking for a wonderful beach, then this is the spot for you. But shopping is limited. Within 30 minutes I walked the entire set of stores. We spent the afternoon at Fat Tuesdays and went back to the ship, but the beach really is nice. I can't comment on any excursions as we did not book any for this port. 


Roatan

This was not a great stop. Not only is it difficult to get here (you are tendered to shore) but when you get there, there is not much to see. The shopping that is there is low quality and each shop is pretty repetitive. For those who have cruised before, unless you are shopping for something specific, not a whole lot here. I heard that the some the excursions to the zoo were good, something about interacting with monkeys, but I don't really know. We just shopped a little and returned to the ship. This is one of those ports that if I ever returned to, I would probably stay on the ship unless I already had an excursion booked. 


Belize City

This was supposed to be the day that we did our other planned excursion. We had booked a beginner scuba excursion on board through CCL. However, when we got to the meeting site for our excursion, we were asked to fill out a medical info form. Seems pretty standard right... Wrong!!! Upon completion of the form we were informed that everyone in our group was going to be denied going on the trip. One person is deaf in one ear and would was denied because he needed a release from a doctor saying his ears were suitable for diving. Another was denied for having had leg pain as a result of surgery after a car accident 7 years ago, and I was denied because I have MILD allergies that I take OTC medication for. I have never even been to an allergist, nor was I on any medication at the time, and I too was denied. This was were having a CCL sponsored excursion paid off. CCL did refund our money, so we went through the day with the disappointment of not getting to go, but we were all happy knowing that we all got our $135 back too. So we spent the day shopping and sat by a very nice pool that had an in-water bar. After returning to the ship we talked with some other people who did do the excursion and was told that the trip was pretty boring. He said that he had seen more tropical fish/reefs/etc on beach snorkeling than he did on a 40ft dive. He said that he was greatly disappointed, and that we were actually lucky to have not gone and gotten our money back. But lesson learned- ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS read your excursion ticket and dive policy of ANY activity that you may book. I would have never thought OTC allergy medicine would keep me from diving, but it did, so do look ahead, because if you book independently, you may not be so luck as to get a refund. But we did enjoy the day shopping and laying by the pool. 


Costa Maya

Somewhat noisy. At night around 10-12pm you can hear the band that is on deck 5 mid-ship. You really can't "hear" but you can hear the rumble of the base from the drums and sound system. Probably not the quietest place on the ship, but it was never anything that made it hard for me to sleep. Often times the noise/vibration from the ships engines was worse than they music/bass. But I did notice it. Those who are extremely light sleepers may consider another location.

If you are one that is interested in the inner workings of the ship, the Behind the Fun tour is great.I knew that I was not able to board the ship until 12:30, but I had waited too late to book my excursions online, so my group and I decided that we would arrive early so we could be the first group on board.

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