There is something special about college road trips and flights—especially when they land you on the western coast of Mexico. In the early 2000s, my friends and stayed at a timeshare in Mazatlán. It was a refreshing alternative to Cancún, offering a more authentic, laid-back vibe.

Because the drinking age there is 18, I got to experience the simple joy of buying a Coronita at the local market before I was even legal in the States. Our itinerary was wonderfully simple: relax on the beach, chat with the local vendors selling handmade trinkets, and say “yes” to random adventures—like a slippery foam party that left us entirely sticky on the open-air taxi ride back. We ate well (even if the specific spots are lost to time) and soaked in the culture, leaving me with distinct memories of the beautiful, bronze Continuity of Life dolphin monument glittering in the sun.

Our original cruise was postponed due to COVID pandemic, but we finally went in Jan 2026. We took a 5-day trip on the Mariner of the Seas. It was bigger than our first Carnival cruise to the Bahamas. We decided to book a windows overlooking the interior promenade. The holiday sale helped save some money but we also bought it 1+ year prior to departure date! I recommend buying a parking spot at the port ahead of time if you are driving there.

Day 1 –  Embarkation

It was our 2nd time to Galveston, but it was the total opposite of an August sunny day. January turned out to be a very cold and rainy departure day. They also switched port departure the day prior and so we got dropped off. But, our parking spot was at the other port so there was a delay of catching a shuttle back to the port. We had to wait some more at the security line, and then our check-in was smooth. We were ushered upstairs to another waiting area. We took our seats because the staff stated no one was boarding the cruise due to the customs doing a sweep. We missed lunch so started to eat food in our backpack, while we watched folks buying food out of the vending machines.

After a 2-hr wait, we were finally allowed onboard and did our mandatory muster drill at our assigned location. We went to check in our room, but our luggage haven’t made it yet. We met our steward, Guru, and scheduled our daily cleaning time frame. We decided to grab food at the Windjammer (buffet-style) and when we returned, one of our luggage got delivered and it was soaked from the rain. We hung dry our clothes and luckily the other luggage was hard-cased and our content was dry.

We signed up for an early 6pm dinner at the dining room with our family and friends. We weren’t able to all sit together that first night but we made arrangement to eat together at the 8pm slot for the rest of the cruise. We tried a bunch of dishes at dinner, but we were still full from the last meal.

Day 2 – Day at Sea

We woke up early and grabbed breakfast at Windjammer by ourselves. We checked out the top decks where the sun was shining and the weather was very blamy. It was quite windy as we walked across the deck so we held on to our hats. We began to collect these free colored charms to put into the keychain at the jewelry store. 

We went to hang out with the kids who wanted to try rock climbing, while we watched people played pickleball. It was windy everywhere! We didn’t buy the beverage package as it wasn’t worth drinking unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Each guest can bring a bottle of wine onboard so we drank that first. We napped and chilled before the “formal” dinner at 730 pm. After dinner, we captured some group pictures and rested early.

Day 3 – Costa Maya port

We ate a early breakfast and got ready for the Chacchoben Mayan ruins excursion. Our friends and us exited the cruise, then walked the long pier to the tour bus. The bus ride was an hour to the ruins, I took a nap until the rain pouring on the windows woke me up as we got closer. We all took a bathroom break and started on our tour with the guide. After the first ruins, it started to rain again so we hid under the trees. By the time we walked to the second ruins, it was straight pouring so no one was dry anymore unless you packed a rain poncho. We did not hike up to the top of the second one since the water was rushing down the steep steps. We all huddled under the rest huts and then headed back to the bus. It was a very uncomfortable ride back to the cruise in wet clothes!

We changed into our “tropical” outfit and grabbed quick bites at Windjammer (they had oxtail and goat curry too). I wanted to catch the magic show with Chris Dugadale, it was amazing! Then ate a second dinner with our family at the dining room.

Day 4 – Cozumel port

Grabbed a Cozumel sunset drink of the day before we disembarked to go shopping at the port with the kids. We bought some cheap bottles of beer ($1.50) and souvenirs at the store. Some stayed to lunch on land but we decided to return and eat at the Windjammer before they closed for the afternoon. I didn’t feel good from mixing drinks so I napped as we left port to return back to Texas. We went back to the Windjammer for dinner as I was still feeling queasy so we skipped the dining room with family.

Day 5 – Day at Sea

I was getting tired of eating the buffet food by now. The cruise app doesn’t always work efficiently so I’ll miss messages through the spotty WiFi. I didn’t buy a Wifi package this time as the cruise was small so it wasn’t hard to find each other sometimes. It was the last day to collect final charms to complete the keychain set. We also got a free Effy bag in a previous day when they were doing a presentation.

We caught the last ice skate show in the lower deck, very impressive for a small rink and lots of people/props. I grabbed a sausage from the Dog House before eating more at the Windjammer for late lunch. Everyone rushed back to their rooms to pack up their suitcases for pick-up tomorrow at disembarkment. I wanted to catch the Harry Potter trivia (since they canceled the Friends trivia earlier on the cruise) but I didn’t do so good! We attended our last dining room with family and didn’t end up finishing all the wine we bought on board.

Day 6 – Disembarkment

It was a less eventful and smooth process to leave the cruise and pick up our luggage at port. At least we were able to walk to our car easily at the right port. After we said our goodbyes and parted ways, we drove home without any traffic issues.