We slept late on day five, mostly because the clocks were set an hour later from the time change, so we lost that hour. It didn’t really matter because we were at the Costa Maya cruise port, we’ve been there a few times before, and we didn’t have any plans there.
Breakfast
We went to breakfast at the Marketplace buffet again. There is some variety at the buffet, but it seems to be the same variety of food every day without a lot of changes in the menu. I had scrambled eggs this time, a baked apple, and a slice of French Toast. The French Toast looked so good. I’d been eyeing it since the first breakfast, but it was nothing special.
Getting ready for Costa Maya
After breakfast we headed back to the cabin to apply sunscreen and get some money out of the safe. We always bring a lot of dollar and five dollar bills with us to shop with. We don’t want to get any change in foreign currency. The safe is small, but it will fit small things like wallets and passports. It wouldn’t hold something like a tablet or laptop. It uses a four number passcode to lock and unlock the safe. Use the pound sign after the number.
A really crowded port day
There were four large ships total docked at the port at the same time, so the crowds trying to get off of the ship and down the pier were huge. And the port area was extremely crowded and really hot. You could barely move out there.
I normally really like the port area of Costa Maya, it’s a really nice port. Every time we visit, it has more built on to see and do. It has the normal cruise shops like Diamonds International and smaller local souvenir type shops. There is one larger souvenir shop to the left a ways as you get to the end of the pier. It has a pretty good selection and the prices are good. There are also bars and restaurants and a Margaritaville, plus shops, two pools, and even a dolphin encounter.
Costa Mayan Flyers
What I really enjoyed in the port were the Costa Mayan flyers. They seemed to have the show a number of times while we were there. The Mayan flyers, dressed in costumes, climb to the top of a tall pole with ropes, then wrap the rope around the top of the pole. There is a drummer at the very top, then after a prayer the flyers slow unwind the rope as they twirl around the pole while dangling from the rope upside down. It’s really thrilling. They do accept donations after the show.
It was REALLY hot
This was the hottest and most crowded port that we visited on this cruise. It was incredibly hot and humid, and we’re from South Carolina so you’d think we’d be used to it. We bought a few small souvenirs, then hunted for something cold to drink. We found Diet Coke at a small pharmacy at the port. It tasted so good. You can buy a lot of things at the pharmacy that you cannot buy over the counter in the US, such as anti-depressants, antibiotics, and Retin-A. And then we’d had enough of trying to navigate the crowds, so we headed back to the ship.
Lunch
We went to the Marketplace buffet again for lunch. I had a hot dog and fries again, but the hot dogs and fries are really good. There wasn’t a lot of food that looked good to me. I’m not really that picky of an eater either. I did try a ball of the fresh mozzerella cheese that’s freshly made on the ship, and it was pretty good. I may eat a lot of hot dogs on the ship, but I didn’t starve, so it’s all good.
Waterslides
We had been wanting to try out the waterslides, and since a lot of people were in port, and it was so hot outside, we went back to the cabin after lunch and changed into our swimsuits. This ship has multiple different waterslides, and they all looked like fun. The one we wanted to particularly try was the one with the innertubes. You sit on them and slide down the waterslide. They have single or double tubes.
We found out that the tubes opened at 2:00 pm, at that time we went to the back area behind the tubes and signed a waiver and got a wrist band. The whole area was pretty empty, and there was no wait for the waterslides. We did the double tube together, and it was a lot of fun. However, since I had forgotten my Dramamine, this was the first time I felt motion sickness. The cruise was so smooth I had no problems, but the waterslide was so twisty that it made me slightly nauseous. Crazy, huh? So, he went on all the waterslides, and I sat them out and watched our stuff.
Leave all of your jewelry in your cabin when you go on the waterslides, you can’t wear any onto the slide. I did get away with leaving on my wedding band. You’ll have to leave your towel, sea card, glasses, water shoes, phones, etc. unattended if everything goes onto the slide at the same time. The ship does provide beach towels. If you get them wet, leave them on the floor of the bathroom and the Steward will replace it that evening with clean towels.
Kids area
The slides are by the kiddie pool area on top of the ship. The kid’s area is a really fun area, with a shallow pool and lots of water features that spray and pour water on your head. It’s very colorful, and has a lot of cute sculptures of different animals. It was almost empty every time I was up there. There are deck chairs up there, and it’s a good place to find some quiet.
Snack time
After the slides, we went to find a green apple for my motion sickness, and we passed the ice cream area, so of course I had to have some chocolate ice cream to go with the apple. The ice cream area is by the main pool. They had soft serve machines which weren’t working, but they were scooping real ice cream into cones or bowls for you.
Dinner
We went to the cabin to write, relax, and shower before dinner. One of the regular couples joined us at our table for dinner, along with a German family who didn’t seem to speak English. It was a bit awkward.
My appetizer was an Asian salad with a very little dressing. I mean…it was almost dry. I requested more dressing and he brought out some to me. That’s one thing that I noticed at a number of dinners. They don’t use very much dressing or sauce. Maybe the American taste requires extra flavoring. We’re so used to it.
My entree was Duck a L’Orange with red cabbage and potatoes, which was pretty good. Dessert was Key Lime pie, which was also very good. I love Key Lime pie. The German couple had both ordered the New York Strip steak, which we’d found less than flavorful the first night. They both sent them back. I would recommend skipping the New York Strip steak, we saw a number of them sent back during the course of the cruise. I don’t know if it was just a bad batch, or if they overcooked them during this cruise.
Entertainment
After dinner we went to a Magic Show in the Broadway Theater. The Magician was Italian, the regular nightly entertainers were also included in the show. The Magician started out with some small card and ball tricks, the kind you’d see on America’s Got Talent. He kind of lost me when he lit a cigarette “magically” and then proceeded to light and smoke cigarette after cigarette. I’m allergic to cigarette smoke, and I don’t like that kids were in the audience watching that. He also did some bigger tricks, the standard stuff, nothing exciting or special. One of our dinner mates the next night said he could tell how he was doing the tricks, it was that obvious.
Promenade Dome show
After the show we walked out into the Promenade area, found a place to stand away from the crowds, and watched the Dome show. Every so often every night the LED dome atop the Promenade deck does a light show, sort of like the show on Fremont Street in Las Vegas. There are different shows every night. I think that the Promenade dome is the most special part of the Meraviglia. This show was an aquarium with mermaids and fish. Really cool.
Shopping
Next we went to the MSC Logo Store. I’ve gotten a ship model Christmas ornament from almost every ship that I’ve sailed for my Christmas tree. The Meraviglia doesn’t have a similar ornament, but they do have a tiny ship model that I can make into an ornament. It will do.
And that was the end of our fifth day on the Meraviglia. We were told to switch our clocks back an hour yet again before we went to bed. I’ve never ever had to do that on any ship, no matter where we’ve sailed to. Must be a European thing. And tomorrow is Roatan and Daniel Johnson’s Monkey and Sloth Hangout day! I’ve been waiting a long time for that excursion and I can’t wait!
The Quiet Cruiser 