Cruise #12 was a Western Caribbean cruise out of Miami onboard the Royal Caribbean Empress of the Seas. At that time the Empress OTS was the oldest and smallest ship in Royal’s fleet. She entered service with then-Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in 1990, transferred to Pullmantur Cruises in 2008, and then returned to Royal Caribbean International in 2016. In December 2020, she was retired from the Royal Caribbean fleet and sold to Cordelia Cruises. Yes, Empress was small and she showed her age but the crew was fantastic and made the trip very memorable.

Our first stop after leaving Miami was Cozumel. Cozumel is an island and municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. It is separated from the mainland by Cozumel Channel and is close to the Yucatán Channel. The municipality is part of the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. We had been to Cozumel before and you read about it in an earlier blog here.

This time we decided to spend a peaceful and relaxing day at a local beach resort Mr Sanchos Beach Club.  Mr. Sanchos is a quick cab ride away from the port and there are always cabs available to bring you back to the ship whenever you desire.