🌧️ Cloudy Skies & Cruise Walls: Our Rainy Day in Costa Maya

Costa Maya was the final stop on our week-long Caribbean cruise aboard the Norwegian Getaway, and while we had high hopes for relaxing on sun-drenched beaches and enjoying spontaneous exploration… reality had other plans.

⛅ “Let’s Decide When We Get There…”

This was the only port where we didn’t pre-book an excursion. We figured we’d go with the flow—check out the scene, talk to some locals, maybe hit the beach or snorkel. But as soon as we docked, it became clear: Mother Nature wasn’t on our side. Rain came in waves (literally), and the skies looked moody all day.

From the ship, we could see the promise of white sandy beaches, but something else caught our attention: a massive wall dividing the ship-docked tourist complex from the open beach beyond. That seemed… odd.

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🧱 The Wall, the Gates, and the Tourist Bubble

We started with a walk around the catered tourist area—colorful shops, restaurants, photo ops, and even a dolphin experience enclosure (yep, you can pay to play and swim with dolphins right there). It was polished, busy, and clearly built to entertain cruise passengers.

But we wanted the real beach, the actual town—so we tried to find a way out.

That wall? It’s no joke. Endless gates, guards, and barriers made it very clear they didn’t want cruise guests straying too far. We finally made it out of the gated complex and headed down the main road, hoping to walk to a more natural beach or local town.

🥾 Wandering the Muddy Streets

What we found outside the gates was a world apart: dirt roads, closed shops, puddles big enough to swim in, and overflowing sewers. It was quiet. Deserted. A few taxi drivers asked if we needed a ride somewhere, but we didn’t even know where we could go.

We wandered a bit but eventually turned back. If the weather had been better, maybe we’d have made the trek to Mahahual (downtown Costa Maya), but with the rain and time constraints, it didn’t feel worth the gamble.

We did bump into a family we met earlier during beach volleyball on the cruise, and they had taken a $5 taxi (per person) to a nearby beach about 10 minutes away. They said it looked nice, but the water was too cold to swim, so they just went for the view.

🐬 Back to the Bubble

Back inside the dock complex, we wandered some more. They had:

• Several restaurants and bars

• A pool and wading area (cold!)

• A fake beach with rentable cabanas

• And of course, the dolphin viewing area

We watched the dolphins for a bit and then headed back to the ship, a bit damp and underwhelmed—but still glad we explored.

🌴 Reflections on Costa Maya

Costa Maya looks like a dreamy Mexican beach town on Google Maps, but in reality, the good stuff is just too spread out to explore on foot—especially in bad weather. January cruise prices might be low, but it comes with the risk of rain and cooler temps.

That said, we didn’t mind. We’ve always been the type to enjoy the ship just as much as the destinations, and Norwegian Getaway had so many onboard activities that it didn’t matter that Costa Maya was a washout.

Would we go back? Maybe—with better weather and a planned excursion to Mahahual or the Chacchoben Ruins. But for now, we’ll remember Costa Maya as the place where the wall was higher than our beach hopes… and that’s okay. That’s the unpredictability of travel—and we wouldn’t have it any other way.