Cruisers share opinions on Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day Mexico
Building upon the success of its private island in The Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean has big plans for its next Perfect Day destination in Mexico.
Billed as a 'game-changing destination for thrill and chill,' Perfect Day Mexico is a more than 200-acre destination adjacent to Mexico's Costa Maya cruise port in Mahahual, Quintana Roo. It's slated to open in fall 2027.The huge new cruise destination will feature seven locally inspired neighborhoods that promise never-before-seen thrills and record-breaking experiences like the tallest waterslides in the Americas and the first sombrero slide. Perfect Day Mexico will also debut the world's longest lazy river — an hour-long float with float-up bars and an optional crazy section with rapids.
Although many "loyal to Royal' cruisers are stoked about Perfect Day Mexico and all the thrills and chills it will offer, others worry about what this and the growing focus on resort-like port experiences means for the future of cruising.
Reddit discussions show that some Royal Caribbean passengers are concerned that the cruise line is leaning too much into manufactured travel experiences in cruise ports and away from authentic destinations.'This might be an unpopular opinion but I'm not a fan of the private islands. I'd rather take a cruise to a port with access to cool excursions or the ability to wander off on your own for the day. Going to a private island is too much of a manufactured experience, and if I wanted that, I would just stay at an all-inclusive resort,' Fatty_Boombalattie wrote in a thread discussing Perfect Day Mexico in the Royal Caribbean community on Reddit.
A number of cruisers agreed with the sentiment. Others noted that it's a valid opinion, even though it's not the popular one among Royal Caribbean cruisers.
'It's unpopular, but it's a 100% valid way to feel. The original purpose of cruising was to experience new places,' brokentr0jan pointed out. 'With that being said, I think Royal is catering to people who want these all-inclusive feeling beach resort experiences and obviously it is working because it has been incredibly popular.'Perfect Day Mexico isn't the only resort-like experience Royal Caribbean has in the works, either. The cruise line is also adding exclusive beach clubs in The Bahamas and Cozumel, Mexico, as well as an exclusive island cruise destination in the South Pacific — Lelepa in Vanuatu.
'Honestly, this is the opposite of what I want to see. They are moving towards having every stop be a company-owned spot just like CocoCay,' Joe4mofo added in the thread. 'If this is the direction things are headed, I will end up passing on cruising when it gets there in the future.'To be fair, Royal Caribbean doesn't plan to completely transform these beach destinations entirely into Royal Caribbean-branded resorts and waterparks. Much like Labadee, its exclusive destination on Haiti's lush northern coast, Lelepa will offer a locally inspired experience highlighting the natural beauty of the destination with beaches, nature trails, and water activities.
'Why does Lelepa look the best? Probably because it looks more authentic, relaxed and less of a theme park! Take me there please,' ArissP added in the Reddit thread.Although Perfect Day Mexico is heavy on attractions like CocoCay, Royal Caribbean is partnering with the local community to infuse authenticity into the destination and celebrate Mexican culture throughout. The brightly colored Costa Maya getaway spot will offer regionally inspired dining, showcase local artisans, and employ local workers.
Royal Caribbean is collaborating with Mexico's state of Quintana Roo to develop the destination sustainably and is investing in local infrastructure projects as well.
The Costa Maya cruise port will remain open — and open to all cruise lines — during all phases of the Perfect Day project and beyond. Royal Caribbean is building a new cruise port welcome center to familiarize passengers from all cruise lines with landmark attractions in the Mahahual area and provide transportation throughout the region.
(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)
, or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
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She initially found some of the cultural differences, such as the clothing styles, particularly for women, difficult to get used to. 'There's full makeup and stiletto heels in the grocery store at eight in the morning,' she says, stressing that this might not be the case in the rest of the country. 'And coming from hippie Santa Cruz, that was really weird for me.' Dating in Mexico also proved to be 'a whole different thing' for her, as the relationship dynamics were not what she was used to. 'The relationships with their families, that was expected to be part of the relationship with the boyfriend,' she says. 'So that was challenging to say the least.' Janet says she's learned to stop worrying about time so much and no longer panics if she's running late, as 'it's just not a big deal' there. 'The joke is, 'mañana' doesn't mean tomorrow. It's just a suggestion,' she says. Within two years of arriving, Janet had published the first issue of her magazine, aimed at foreigners living in the area, and went on to found the city's first organic farmer's market. Perhaps most importantly, she felt much happier and more valued. 'I don't want to say I've been depressed in Santa Cruz,' she says. 'But I've been stressed about having work and being able to pay the bills. 'And what was I going to do? And I was 50. And I didn't have those worries down here.' Janet was able to attain a permanent resident visa, known as an FM 3 at the time, relatively easily. 'The process and requirements have changed significantly since I got mine 19 years ago,' she notes. 'Now the financial requirements are much, much higher than they used to be.' Reflecting on her final years in California, Janet says that she had felt a lot of pressure due to 'the consumerism that's so much a part of American culture' and worried about things like not having a new car. 'In the States, I always felt like I didn't have enough and I wasn't succeeding,' she says. 'And I feel like I succeeded here, I was able to succeed. I started the business. I started the farmers market, which is still going on, and I've given myself a wonderful life.' Janet returns to the US to see her children and grandchildren regularly, but admits that she feels 'nervous' there now. 'My granddaughters have active shooter drills in their elementary school…' she says. 'I don't even know what to say about that.' The US State Department currently advises against traveling to six of Mexico's 32 states, with crime and kidnapping listed as the cause for advisories for several. While she's certainly aware of the crime issues in the country, Janet says that she's always felt safe there, and takes 'normal precautions for a single woman living in a big state.' 'Do I worry about random violence? No, it just doesn't happen here,' she says, adding that she feels that the issues on the 'border towns' are 'not indicative of the rest of the gigantic country that is Mexico.' 'People don't want to have guns. And that's a very different mindset than in the US… 'I don't worry when I go to Walmart that somebody's going to shoot me. I don't worry when I go to a street festival that someone's going to run a car through the people. 'I worry about that stuff when I'm in the US. And what do you do? I don't know how people live there.' However, Janet admits that she misses her family and would love to be able to spend more time in the US. 'In my perfect world, I would have a base in Mazatlán and be able to visit each of my three kids in the US for a month or so each year,' she adds, pointing out that she's also keen to spend more time in Italy after a recent vacation to the European country. 'I don't feel comfortable or at ease going back and forth to the US anymore,' she adds. Janet, who supports herself mainly through her social security benefits, says that she'd advise anyone considering moving to Mexico, to make sure that they have 'all their ducks in a row' before taking the plunge. 'We have this saying here that people often leave their brains at the border,' she says. 'So don't do that… 'Listen to your heart. As airy fairy as that sounds, Listen to your heart and you can create a life.' She published her first book, 'Why We Left: An Anthology of American Women Expats,' in 2019 and is currently working on a series about Americans living in other countries. When questioned about the impact of the growing number of foreigners who've flocked to Mexico in recent years, Janet notes that real estate prices in the country have likely risen as a result. 'Whether we like it or not, we're kind of glorified tourists, and our presence affects the local lifestyle in both positive and negative ways,' she says. Janet sometimes wonders about where she would have likely ended up if she hadn't taken that vacation to Mazatlán two decades ago, and says she has no idea. 'Where would I be? What would I be doing? I can't even imagine,' she says. 'I don't even know. I mean, would I be living with my son and his wife in Santa Cruz?… Would I have found work I could do?' Around four years ago, Janet decided to leave Mazatlán after becoming frustrated by the huge amount of development taking place in the city, moving to an inland mountain area in San Antonio Tlayacapan on the north shore of Lake Chapala, near Ajijic. 'Now there are 25 and 30 story condo towers with 300 condos just lined along the ocean,' she says. 'And I watched that happening, and it broke my heart.' However, less than a year later she realized that she'd made a mistake, and returned 'home.' 'Each time, I followed my heart. What can I say?' she explains. 'And when I moved, after six months, I was like, 'What am I doing here? What was I thinking? Where is the ocean? Where are my friends?'' Now happily back in Mazatlán, Janet currently lives in a studio apartment with a balcony, and an ocean view, paying around $550 a month in rent, including utilities. 'Nowhere is perfect, but Mazatlán has this heart,' she says. 'They call it the 'Corazón' (Spanish for 'heart.') 'And there is a warmth and a sense of community here. That is what originally attracted me to it… There's a heart here and that is still beating, even in the midst of all this development. 'There's still these really nice people. There's still family-owned restaurants and businesses. 'So I just figure I need to focus on that part of it and try not to look up at those big condos. And if I could afford to, I would buy one too.'
