Xcaret Proposes New Mainland Cruise Dock to Ease Cozumel Crowds

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Grupo Xcaret president Miguel Quintana Pali has once again proposed the construction of a cruise ship dock on Mexico’s mainland, arguing the need to alleviate congestion at Cozumel’s oversaturated cruise terminals. The proposal—originally floated nearly two decades ago—was recently revived in an interview shared on social media.

“The Cozumel cruise market is already saturated,” said Quintana. “We need to expand it here on the mainland.”

The proposed project would accommodate the latest generation of mega cruise ships capable of transporting up to 7,000 passengers and crew. According to Quintana, a mainland dock would not only ease strain on Cozumel but also create direct access to Grupo Xcaret’s theme parks—including Xcaret, Xel-Há, and others—eliminating the need for ferry and bus transfers currently required of cruise visitors.

Today, most cruise passengers disembark in Cozumel and are ferried to Playa del Carmen before boarding buses to reach their final destinations. A cruise terminal on the mainland, said Quintana, would streamline access to major tourist attractions across the Riviera Maya and Yucatán, including Chichén Itzá, Tulum, and Puerto Morelos.

Historical Resistance and Renewed Momentum

This is not the first time the idea has been floated. In the early 2000s and again in the 2010s, Quintana proposed a similar dock, but the plan faced staunch opposition—particularly from former Governor Roberto Borge, who sought to protect Cozumel’s cruise economy. Hotel groups from Cancún and the Riviera Maya also rejected the idea, citing concerns about overdevelopment, traffic congestion, and environmental degradation.

Environmental advocates raised red flags about reef damage and coastal erosion, particularly if a terminal were built near the Playa del Carmen ferry dock, an area already under pressure from urban growth. No formal location for the proposed dock has been announced in the revived plan.

But with cruise tourism rapidly expanding and 68 new ships expected to launch globally over the next five years—including 15 in 2025 alone—Quintana believes the time is right to revisit the idea. Royal Caribbean’s $821 million investment in an 80-hectare theme park in Mahahual, further south along the coast, has already been approved, though plans for a new dock there are still awaiting federal authorization.

Targeting Global Cruise Operators

Grupo Xcaret is positioning itself to attract top cruise lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC, Norwegian, Celebrity, and Disney. A mainland terminal would reduce transit times for passengers and give cruise operators direct access to one of Mexico’s most popular tourism brands.

Quintana emphasized that the proposal is about logistics and long-term strategy: “We want to offer a better experience to visitors and spread tourism across more of the state.”

The plan, however, is still in the proposal stage. It remains to be seen whether the federal government and environmental authorities will greenlight such a project, especially given heightened awareness of ecological vulnerabilities along the Riviera Maya coast.

As cruise ship capacities grow and tourism evolves, Quintana’s vision—once dismissed—may find new traction. But any forward movement will depend on balancing infrastructure needs with environmental protection and community consensus.

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