March 11, 2025 Costa Maya, Mexico

Costa Maya is a small tourist region in the municipality of Othón P. Blanco in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, the only state bounded by the Caribbean Sea to its east. Constellation was moored by 7:30 a.m. Today is the 5th anniversary of the declaration of the world wide COVID-19 pandemic.

The sky was clear, the temperature 24°C at 9 a.m. and a NNW wind 15 km per hour.

We looked out of our window after the announcement was made, before 8 a.m., that people could leave the ship. We could see the gangways for our ship and the Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas (double capacity 3,603) moored beside us, disgorging a continuous line of passengers for at least ten minutes. The pier is just seven meters wide but 384 meters long so people could easily walk five or six across as they headed to land.

We joined Zegrid in the Qsine restaurant for a leisurely continental breakfast. We started with Mimosas and lingered over our second cappuccinos. The Captain’s Club manager was today’s host. She told us that on this cruise there are 151 passengers who are either Elite (300 to 750 points) or Elite Plus (700 to 2,999 points), compared to over 600 last week. There was a crew Emergency Lifeboat Drill this morning, while we walked on Decks 4, 10, 11 and 12 for about 4,500 steps.

Most passengers were off the ship. There were a few sunbathers by the outdoor pool and around the Deck 11 jogging track. From the higher decks we could see two other ships moored - the Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas (double capacity 2,543) and Norwegian Getaway which was the largest ship here with a double capacity 3,964. On all of the ships there are probably 3rd and 4th passengers in the stterooms, since a lot of families are travelling this week.

The meeting time for our excursion was 12:15 p.m. at the end of the pier, where excursions for the other three ships were also assembling. This afternoon’s excursion is to a Mayan ruin. It is called Mayan Culture through the Ages. Our driver was David and our guide was Ximena. Malo Kin means Good Day in Mayan. Picante is spicy.

The Maya people lived in the Yucatán peninsula before the Spanish arrived. The indigenous peoples of modern-day Mexico and the United States had zero natural immunity to smallpox. The virus cut them down by the tens of millions from 1492 to 1600 and over 90% of indigenous population had died. In the late 1700s Dr. Edward Jenner discovered that milkmaid's cowpox protected against smallpox and a vaccine was created.

We started by stopping for a Tequila tasting. As we entered we were given small sheets of a fruit tree. The young fruit had been hollowed out and the remaining sheet of the “nut” was boiled then dried in the sun. It served as our cup for the tequila tasting.

All Tequila in Mexico is made on the western coast around Puerto Vallarta and in that Mexican State. There are 37 states in Mexico. Most tequila is made from the Blue Agave female plant. Tequila aged ten months in a whisky barrel is good in a cocktail. Seven year tequila is good in cocktails and as a shot. Tequila is 80% proof. Tequila aged ten years is clear as water, aged 12 years there is a slight yellow tint. For sipping Tequila wait for the 18 year old spirit aged in a bourbon barrel and has a dark colour like amber rum, not bad. The 24 year old tequila aged in a French Cognac barrel is as dark as dark rum and very smooth. When we departed the temperature was close to 28°C with a light breeze. The paved highway was so rough that our phones registered over 9,000 steps for the whole journey. The bumpiness reminded us of the 40 km stretch of south bound Manitoba highway 75 just north of the Emerson border crossing.

We passed many trees from which the gum was used in the original Chiclets.

Next it was a 30 minute drive to the Mayan town of Limones, where the ancient Mayan traditions are still practiced. The Mayan temple ruins are located in the town centre. The temple was built around 1075 A.D. This was a temple where 16 year old virgins were sacrificed. There are 13 steps to the sacrifice table.

A short drive away, we were treated to Mayan hospitality at a local home. In an enclosed area there were free range chickens, turkeys and peacocks. The roosters was crowding frequently. There was even a young tabby cat. We were served Chicken Pibil and guacamole paired with salsas, wrapped in homemade tortillas.The chicken was cooked in a pit fuelled by charcoal for more than two hours. It was covered with palm like leaves to keep in the heat before being removed and shredded for the tacos. There were three salsas ranging from mild to spicy. The habanero salsa was spicier here than in Mérida because roasted peppers were used. We were given two tacos to start and could go back for more. To drink there was a choice of bottles water, a 255 ml can of Coca-cola or a 355 ml beer. David, the driver, brought the drinks in a cooler which he placed in a wheelbarrow to bring to the eating area.

The buildings on the two acre site were for separate purposes. The kitchen area was where meals are cooked over a wood fire. A covered area for washing dishes and probably laundry. There was a limestone block bedroom where people slept in hammocks and a wooden building that was also a bedroom. There was a pink exterior plastered modern home with the doors open to allow a breeze to circulate. There was a spiritual building like a small family chapel. There was a garden area that featured a bougainvillea in full bloom.

With our meal finished it was time to return to the town of Mahahual and the nearby Puerto Costa Maya. We arrived shortly after 4 p.m. All aboard was 4:30 p.m. We were directed to use the entrance to the covered shops to get to the pier entrance so it took about 15 minutes to reach the ship. The distance from where the bus let us off to the ship’s gangway was 812 meters.

Once onboard we changed for the Music and Mixology event at 5:15 p.m. in Reflections Lounge. The captain’s message just before we departed Puerto Costa Maya advised that tonight’s overnight low would be 26°C. The island of Roátan, Honduras was 159 nautical miles away. The ship would be maintaining a speed of 12 knots (20 km per hour). Constellation left just before 5 p.m. with Norwegian Getaway still moored.

At the Music and Mixology event, there were about 50 attendees, a far cry from last week’s full house, probably 400 people. The cocktails were the same, but served faster to the smaller audience. We still liked the Spicy Pimms with Pimms gin (or vodka) the best. We took the Mai Tai down to dinner in the deck 5 San Marco Dining Room. We finished our three course dinner in time to watch the 7 p.m. show in the Celebrity Theatre which featured Cheaza and her tunes remembering Whitney Houston.

We even had time to squeeze in a Happy Hour cocktail to take to the theatre.

Actual Steps today: 7,027