Costa Maya Rebounds

It was July 2007, less than a year ago when Hurricane Dean decimated Costa Maya, the made-for-cruisers stop on Mexico's Yucatan coast, and left the nearby fishing village of Majahual in ruins. Initial reports estimated it would take until early-2009 before repairs could be made.

The word at Seatrade last month was that reconstruction was ahead of schedule and it appeared that Costa Maya would beat its ambitious Sept 2008 target date for reopening. A press release this week confirmed that the port will be ready to welcome cruise ships in July. That's a display of ambition in a good way. Work on the pier will be complete enough in July to berth two ships and the third berthing spot will be ready in late-2008. The new piers will accommodate even the largest cruise ships--Royal Caribbean's Genesis-class and NCL's F-3 ships.

Reports are that all the major cruise lines are returning, so watch for Western Caribbean itineraries to begin including Costa Maya again soon. In the meantime, Cruise Diva's Carnival Glory, Grand Princess and Carnival Fantasy reviews offer looks at different ways to spend your day in Costa Maya.