The Colors of Cozumel
This post is sponsored by Princess Cruises.
What was the best part of our final port day with Princess Cruises? It could have been the exclusive and indescribably delightful Chef’s Table dinner we enjoyed that evening—I mean, a four-course meal including a tour of the galley and special cocktail hour with the executive chef himself? In fact, let’s stop here and take a moment to appreciate it.
Mai Tai sorbet, to-die-for mushroom risotto and a world-class dessert…I’m no food writer, so I can honestly say that I can’t even begin to describe the level of quality this dinner was at. With so many elements involved, Chef’s Table is not an event you want to be late for…and Michele and I very nearly were! Although we’d been sailing a few days, it was only our second trip to this dining room. If it hadn’t been for the OceanCompass app guiding us directly from starting point A to ending point B, who knows how long we may have been wandering from deck 5 to 6 to 7 and back? OceanCompass quickly became one of my go-to apps on this MedallionClass Caribbean cruise. It’s the fastest way to get to know your home at sea.
Back to our final day in port. Like I said, we had a delightful dinner, but before that, the best part of our day could have been when Michele and I enjoyed a stunning sunset on the Lido Deck overlooking Puerta Maya’s colorful vista. And before that, we devoured a couple of ice cream treats from Coffee & Cones, and the ice cream cones are free, y’all—the ice cream cones are free. Even before that, we raced our Tagalong avatars in a cutthroat (not at all cutthroat) game of TagalongSprint on the portal right outside the café. Any of these things could have been my favorite part of the day—but let’s not forget the colorful, multisensory experience that is the beautiful port of Puerta Maya in Cozumel, Mexico.
If you’ve followed this or any of my other past Princess trips, you know that one of my favorite things about the brand is their close tie to one of my favorite television shows, The Love Boat. An Aaron Spelling classic from the 1970s, The Love Boat is a hilarious hour-long comedic, romantic, silly drama set on the Pacific Princess and full of glamorous and dreamy colors and tones. Walking through the Cozumel port felt like being placed right in an episode along with Julie, Isaac, Doc, and all the other characters. While it didn’t necessarily feel like a step back in time, there was just something about the brightly painted walls, embossed leather souvenir bags, dreamy shadows and rustic fountains that made me half expect to see Patty Duke walk around the corner.
Enjoying a chill day shopping, snapping photos, and lazing in the Mexican sunshine was the perfect way to end the land portion of our trip before relaxing at sea on our way back to Fort Lauderdale. Although this was my second time in Cozumel, it was my first time getting to explore the port, and I’m so glad I finally got a taste of it. And, of course, a taste of a tangy, salty, frozen margarita right in the middle of its homeland. You know what they say….the lower the latitude, the better the attitude.