Cozumel’s Puerta Maya Cruise Terminal Gets a Third Berth

Owned by Carnival Corporation, Puerta Maya, one of three cruise terminals in Cozumel, has expanded with a third berth added to the company’s pier. With an investment of more than $20 million, the all-new “arm” was added to the company’s existing pier to allow three ships to be moored at the terminal at the same time. To mark the occasion, three of the company’s ships—Carnival Breeze, Carnival Freedom, and Carnival Triumph—became the first trio of ships to use the new three-berth pier. The pier will accommodate any ship across Carnival Corporation’s 10 brands, including its next-generation ships.

With 3.3 million cruise guests annually, Cozumel is the busiest cruise destination in the Caribbean, the world’s largest global cruise market. Carnival Corporation’s extra capacity with the expanded pier will allow more ships to call on Cozumel, increasing the number of guests who can visit the destination while also providing a significant economic boost to the local economy. In 2014, about 1.5 million Carnival Corporation guests visited Puerta Maya on 25 different ships originating from eight homeports and two countries across six of the company’s brands, and the company expects this to grow over the years with the added capacity at the port.

“Cozumel is the Caribbean’s most visited cruise ship destination and consistently receives high ratings from our guests,” said Giora Israel, senior vice president of global port and destination development for Carnival Corporation. “So the destination is in demand by our guests, and we are excited about officially opening the third berth to our pier, since it gives our brands greater flexibility for visiting Cozumel and more of our guests the opportunity to enjoy the island.”

While the new berth has been in the planning stages since 2005, work started on the new pier in May 2014. The existing two-berth pier was re-opened in October 2008, following an extensive $50 million reconstruction to repair the damage caused by Hurricane Wilma in 2005 which included destruction of the original pier. The rebuilt two-berth pier and the all-new arm providing a third berth at the pier have been constructed to withstand a threshold category 5 hurricane, in addition to being able to accommodate any ship in Carnival Corporation’s fleet.

The Puerta Maya pier and welcome cruise center is located on the southwestern part of Cozumel, approximately five miles south of San Miguel, the island's largest city. The cruise center houses over 50 different retail outlets, 15 stand-alone carts where local merchants market souvenirs, and a number of popular bars and restaurants. The shore excursion pier, separate from the main pier, allows for quick and convenient access to water-bound excursions serving both the mainland of the state of Quintana Roo and island of Cozumel.

Image Courtesy Carnival Cruise Line