Essential Tips For Enjoying a Day in the Cozumel Cruise Port With Your Family

If you happen to be so lucky to have the cruise port of Cozumel on your upcoming itinerary and you haven’t been before, know you are in for a good time. Cozumel is a beautiful island located just 12 miles east of mainland of Mexico (Cancun). It’s a versatile cruise destination with things to do for everyone in the family regardless of their interests. There are historic sights, beautiful beaches, boating, sailing and snorkeling excursions, amazing beaches, shopping, and delicious food.

We had so much fun visiting Cozumel on our recent Carnival Cruise with our family. We were a little concerned at first because we felt Cozumel had a party reputation but we were put at ease and realized what an amazing family friendly destination it can be. 

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Things You Should Know Before Taking Your Family to Cozumel

• You still shouldn’t drink the tap water in Cozumel, but if you go to any of the restaurants and resorts you will be fine getting ice and drinking water. They typically use purified water. If it still makes you nervous you can ask for bottles or you can skip it.
• Always plan on being back at the cruise port (and on the ship) 30 minutes before you have to leave. This is of course so you can ensure that the boat doesn’t leave you. It also gives you time to watch the runners and the cruisers who spent a little too much time at the bar.
• Cozumel is a Caribbean island and the sun will be stronger than you may be used to. Remember sunscreen, sun shirts, and hats. You’ll want to reapply sunscreen more often than you probably do at home.

• Make sure to pack a beach bag when you get off the ship. Don’t forget to bring your cruise beach towels that are provided for you in your stateroom if you plan on soaking up some sun. Pool chair clips, beach bag, and aloe will be helpful.

• While the taxi rates may appear to be set to your destinations there is a little wiggle room. We were able to negotiate our taxi rates to out of port quite a bit out but not very much on the way back. You may just need to be a little patient. 
• The official currency in Mexico is the Peso but they widely accept the  American dollar. There is no reason to make an exchange prior.
• Also, something to note is that if you came from another time zone rather than Eastern time zone your cruise departure time will go off your ship’s time not local port time. That can get confusing so keep your eye on the time, you may need to adjust for your cruise time.

Family Friendly Excursions in Cozumel

There are so many great options to choose from for family friendly Cozumel shore excursions. We have four kids ages 9,7,5 and 3 so we were really looking for a laid back option where we could enjoy family time and relax. Preferably on a beautiful beach so we started searching beaches in Cozumel near cruise port. Other families we know enjoyed dune buggies, snorkeling, and other great adventures.

You can book directly excursions with your cruise line or you can book with a local operator directly. We love booking with Viator as we feel they are a trustworthy tour company and always provide great experiences for a value price. Check out some of our favorite Cozumel excursions with Viator.

After a lot of research, we decided we wanted to check out Paradise Beach which is a private beach club open to the public. There are many beach clubs that cater specifically to cruise passengers. They offer showers, changing facilities, food and drink service and of course access to a great beach and a large pool. Some of these Beach clubs looked like they were geared more towards adults or young adults and we definitely wanted to stick with something with more of a family vibe. 

Paradise Beach Club is a great option for an easy and fun family shore excursion in Cozumel!

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How about a day in Paradise? If you ask my kids what their favorite cruise port was on our recent #carnivalcruise they will hands down say Cozumel. We spent the majority of the day enjoying the beautiful beach and pool amenities at @paradisebeachcozumel the food, the pool, the view… I don’t think you could ask for a better day. We loved it because it’s easily accessible from the port with a quick taxi ride and there is so much to do there. By far the most affordable and family friendly beach club on Cozumel. We will be back! ❤️ #hosted . . . . . . . #cozumel #cruising #cruisingcarnival #choosefun #cruise #cruiselife #travelingfamily #familytravel #familytraveltribe #familytravelblogger #nomad #digitalnomad #laptoplifestyle #parentswhowander #carribbean #beach #instabeach #lpkids #vacay #vacationmode #kidswhotravel #alwaysonthego #nomadfamily #digitalnomadfamily

A post shared by Reid and Hilarye Fuller (@dottingthemap) on Nov 26, 2018 at 1:30pm PST

We love that to get to Paradise Beach Club it was only a 12-minute taxi ride from the cruise port. Once you depart your cruise ship and walk through a decorated shopping area you will find the taxi line. Here you can line up and hosts will match you with a taxi driver. It was not crowded when we went and we were able to negotiate a fair price for our family of six. 

A short taxi ride later and we stepped foot in Paradise Beach. Another thing I love about this Cozumel family-friendly beach club is that it’s easy on the budget. They only charge $3 a person for the use of their facilities which include a lounge chair, umbrella, pool access, beach access, and free wi-fi. A $10 minimum food or drink purchase is required during your visit which was easy to accomplish as we sampled delicious nachos, street tacos, quesadillas, and burritos. They also have bar drinks and of course virgin drinks for those not drinking and the kiddos. Mexican food plus a beach equals the perfect day in my book.

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Unfortunately, the day we went to Paradise Beach it was really windy. On a normal basis, Paradise Beach offers a Fun-Pass for an additional $15 fee that allows access to a bunch of fun inflatables. These including a multi-tiered climbing structure, blast bag, water trampolines, slides, and so much more. These probably wouldn’t have been appropriate for younger kids but my 9-year-old and 7-year old would have loved climbing all over them. You also get full access to kayaks, snorkel gear, stand up paddle boards too. This is a steal compared to other beach clubs on the island.

When I think about the term budget-friendly beach club, I was a little concerned even though the pictures looked gorgeous. When I arrived, I was blown away. The facilities were clean and well taken care of and the property exceeded my expectations. All of the wait staff was friendly and attentive. I really felt like I was at a resort on vacation. Although we spent a good amount of time by the beach and playing in the sand we loved the heated pool and sipping frozen fruit drinks while dancing to music and lounging.

Before we knew it, it was time to pack up and leave. We were sad to go but grateful for the fun relaxing day we had. After picking up a taxi right out front we were quickly shuttled back to the port. Speaking of taxis, there are always plenty waiting to take people back so you don’t have to worry. We even had extra time so we did some souvenir shopping before we headed back to the ship.

Cozumel is a beautiful island and if you have the opportunity to cruise there someday I highly recommend it. It’s great for families to enjoy time together in a beautiful place.

Our visit to Paradise Beach Club was hosted, as always our opinions are our own.

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