COZUMEL, Mexico — This might be the hottest cruising port in the Caribbean, and it has nothing to do with the temperature. Everybody comes to Cozumel. This week alone, 20 cruise ships stopped at this island off the Yucatan Peninsula. By Christmas, that number will be up to 29.
When Carnival’s Ecstasy (above) arrived, with us among the 3,119 passengers and crew, another Carnival ship was already here – the Legend. Hot on our heels was a third one, the Triumph. So for seven hours, almost 15% of the entire Carnival fleet was moored in Cozumel.
That’s a lot of visitors, probably close to 50,000 a week right now.
In some instances, visitors bring more visitors. Such was the case with us. Our intention had been to arrive, catch a ferry to the mainland and meet friends from California, Guy and Barbra Bishop, who happened to be near Playa del Carmen, about a 45-minute ferry ride away. Our homes are 20 minutes apart and we travel about 4,000 miles to see each other!
The Ecstasy’s stay was seven hours. We figured by disembarking immediately, we could be in Playa del Carman by 10 a.m. That means we had to allow at least two hours to get back, and our deadline was 3 p.m. So if timing was perfect, we’d have about three hours with the Bishops.
We forgot one important item cruise visitors to Cozumel must always remember. There’s a time change. 
The 9 o’clock ferry we planned to catch was really a 10 o’clock ferry. Now we’re down to a two-hour visit, and then only if there were no bumps in the road, and in Mexico there are always bumps in the road. And, as cruisers readily know, if you are late getting back, the ship leaves…and have a good time.
Fortunately, our good friends decided they would be the ones to take the ferry so we could spend more time together. Just like that, two more visitors in Cozumel than expected!
Remembering there’s a time change (if you’re boat docks at 8 a.m., that’s 7 a.m. for the locals, so not much is open) is one of the important things things about taking a cruise to Cozumel.
Here’s a couple of others:
• Free Internet is available at Starbucks and Senior Frog’s. Yesterday, we watched — or heard — an American conducting business deals on a headset, and in a loud voice, while sitting in Starbucks, which has no limit on your time online even if you only buy a bottle of water (as he did).
• There are three piers for cruise ships. The three Carnival ships were at two piers that sit side by side, but it’s a long walk if the cabbie lets you off at the wrong one. The third pier, and most of the tourist district, is an $8 cab ride away. These things are important if your time is tight.
The cruise ships coming to Cozumel include all the heavyweights, like Oasis of the Seas and Norwegian’s Epic and, starting in December, the new Allure of the Seas. In a year, it probably means more than a million people from cruise ships…plus however many come from Playa del Carmen to see friends from ships!