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Cozumel Voted Best Cruise Destination In Mexico

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The island paradise of Cozumel has been voted the best cruise destination in Mexico, according to Porthole Cruise Magazine. The accolade comes at a time when cruising is quickly gaining popularity after struggling to regain market share in the wake of the COVID pandemic. Together with Mahahual, Cozumel is the largest cruise port in the Mexican Caribbean. 

Cozumel cruises

Cozumel has been crowned the best cruise destination in Mexico in this year’s Porthole Cruises’ Readers’ Choice Awards. Cozumel continues to stand out as one of the most popular destinations in the Mexican Caribbean. This is especially true for cruising, thanks to the island’s excellent port infrastructure, which handles thousands of arriving cruise ship passengers daily. 

Cozumel beach

Readers and travelers chose the island as the best cruise destination in Mexico due to its stunning tropical beaches, excellent all-inclusive resorts, and diversity of attractions. Cozumel is also home to San Gervasio, one of the most impressive Mayan archeological sites in the Mexican Caribbean 

Cruising is seeing a resurgence in the Mexican Caribbean, with companies like Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean setting their sights on the region. According to Aguilar Torres, a spokesperson for the island’s tourism promotion agency, “We are in the process of reactivating the cruising industry, and the announcement of this week’s award opens the door for more cruise ships to arrive on our island,” the official said in a statement. 

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Cozumel sign

The island, which is located some 27 kilometers off the mainland coast, is popular not only as a cruise port but also for mainland travelers. The island is easily reached from Playa del Carmen by boat, and the short journey only takes around 45 minutes, with ferries running nearly every hour. 

Although most travelers that visit the Mexican Caribbean each year do so by plane, a growing number of tourists opt for cruise ships. These large floating resorts were one of the most popular ways to travel before the COVID pandemic but have struggled to regain market share since then. This year, the trend appears to be changing, and people are once again slowly warming up to the idea of island hopping aboard these large vessels.

Ferry passengers

Cozumel regularly welcomes massive cruise ships carrying thousands of passengers. Next week, Celebrity Beyond, one of Celebrity Cruises’ newest vessels, will dock on the island, carrying more than 3800 travelers. Some of the world’s largest ships – whose itinerary includes plenty of stops around the Caribbean –  have been known to visit the tropical island, where travelers can enjoy one of the top island destinations in the world. 

Diving

Alongside Mahahual, Cozumel is home to the largest cruise ship port in the Mexican Caribbean. Altogether, the two ports have already welcomed over two million cruise ship passengers, a number which will continue to grow sharply over the winter travel season.

In-flight view of American Airlines Boeing 777 Commercial Passenger Aircraft Flying High Up in the sky above the clouds.

The Mexican Caribbean remains by far the most popular region in Mexico for cruise ship passengers, beating other heavyweights like Cabo San Lucas or Ensenada. Travelers chose the area for its unparalleled Blue-Flag-certified beaches, year-round warm tropical weather, and diversity of attractions. Cozumel lovers will be pleased to know that several North American airlines have launched new flights to the destination, making it a great alternative to Cancun airport’s long lines. Cozumel is widely regarded as one of the best diving destinations in the world thanks to its pristine and crystal-clear waters as well as its expansive coral reef system.

Cozumel cruise

Travelers in the island destination can book a range of tours, from diving and snorkeling to visiting the local archaeological site. Despite its small size, visitors can spend days exploring everything Cozumel has to offer.

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