We snapped this shot as we were walking toward the main drag in Cozumel. The Coral Princess is accompanied by Holland America’s Oosterdam. We were using the Punta Langosta pier, the same pier we used in 2001 when we sailed aboard the Norwegian Sun.

Here’s a shot of Oosterdam’s stern with the coast of Cozumel lurking just beyond. It was very hot in the middle of the day, and some of Oosterdam’s guests exercised good judgment in hanging loose near the pool.

Not much changed in the three years since we last used this pier. The sign welcoming tourists to the port looked dilapidated, but everything else was the same.

We didn’t book any excursions in Cozumel. Instead, we rented a little moped and planned on riding around the whole island. Unfortunately, about two miles beyond town the main road turned into a dirt one, and we turned around and turned in our moped.

Very near the end of the paved portion of our expedition lay the Cozumel Country Club. We didn’t venture into it, but it looked like a nice-enough place from the entrance.

We enjoyed this cruise. It wasn’t our favorite—we don’t know if anything can ever top our Alaska cruise—but will always be special because this was our first ten-day cruise. This was also our first time sailing with Princess. There wasn’t anything wrong with Princess, but we believe that Royal Caribbean is the best cruiseline we’ve experienced. The service and splendor of our two Royal Caribbean cruises (first aboard Voyager of the Seas, then aboard Radiance of the Seas) set Royal Caribbean apart from its competitors. We wouldn’t hesitate to sail with Princess or any of the other cruiselines again, though.