Our 3rd stop on this cruise was Costa Maya. We had breakfast in the dining room, then spent a couple of hours in the hot tubs. Most of the people had gotten off the ship so the tubs were pretty empty. We did have a nice conversation with a couple from Canada, before going to lunch in Savor, one of the main dining rooms. After lunch we made our way off the ship. We had been to Costa Maya before and had not found any excursions we were interested in doing. Seems like the last time we were in Costa Maya we tendered, took a small boat, to shore. This time a brand new and very long pier stretched out along the water. We could walk or be transported via a complimentary shuttle, to a new entrance into the shopping area. We took the shuttle.

Once off the shuttle, a friendly person took a group picture of us in front of the new sign. Right by the sign an old truck loaded with supplies had been added. As we continued on we reached the entrance. They were working on a new replica Mayan Village entrance and after we entered the port area there were all new buildings. Many shops and restaurants had been added.

The focal point the plaza was a saltwater pool with a ‘swim-up’ style bar. The pool is free to use as well as cabanas and chairs at the beach area.  The 70,000 square feet plaza was like going to a totally new place.

We did come upon the old part of the plaza where we had watched performers on our first visit. This is where we stopped to watch pre-Hispanic shows, street circus performances and Traditional Dancers from the different regions of Mexico.

The Mayan pole dancers showed off the famous Mayan pole dance. The dance is called Danza de los Voladores (Dance of the Flyers) and is a ritual performed by Mayans in both Mexico and Guatemala. This dance is said to be used to stop droughts in ancient times, but is now a recognized historical and cultural dance. The Dance of the Flyers was named an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in order to help the ritual survive and thrive in today’s world.