Being a purpose-built cruise ship port-of-call, Puerto Costa Maya exists mainly to cater for shore excursions, and there is a huge range of around 20 of these available for passengers. Excursions range from bus tours to the Chacchoben Mayan ruins, bike and kayak trips, a catamaran snorkelling expedition, trips to the historic Bakalar lagoon, 4x4 drives through the jungle and thrilling airboat rides. Alternatively visitors can just enjoy some souvenir shopping, laze on the beach, or stroll into the nearby sleepy fishing village of Majahual.

Spanish is the official language in Mexico. Some English is spoken in tourist regions.

Mexican currency is the New Peso (MXN) divided into 100 centavos. Credit cards are widely accepted, particularly Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Travellers cheques are generally accepted, but cannot be cashed on Sundays. ATMs are available in most cities and towns and are the most convenient way to get money, but for safety reasons they should only be used during business hours. Although most businesses will accept foreign currency it is best to use pesos. Foreign currency can be exchanged at one of many casas de cambio(exchange houses), which have longer hours and offer a quicker service than the banks.

Puerto Costa Maya can sometimes experience hurricanes and tropical storms. Hurricane season runs from June to November and visitors to the region during this time should take care to check weather and storm forecasts.

Being mainly a cruise destination, visitors to Puerto Costa Maya tend to be day-trippers who do not spend evenings at the port. Those who find themselves overnighting will no doubt be staying in a beach cabana in Majahual, where the only entertainment is to sip margaritas in an unsophisticated open-air beach bar under the stars.

The Puerto Costa Maya port complex contains some fast food outlets and eateries, but visitors docking here who want to enjoy a leisurely local meal can take a stroll into the fishing village of Majahual, where there are several small, rustic restaurants along the beach serving up Mexican favourites, as well as delicious lobster and fresh fish. Mamacita's has chain-restaurant quality food with a fun and festive atmosphere, while El Faro serves delicious homestyle local food.

Passengers alighting from cruise ships in Puerto Costa Maya are carried by shuttle to the Mayan-inspired port complex, which boasts 70, 000 square feet (6, 503sq m) of shops and a bazaar. On offer are a wide variety of typical Mexican holiday souvenirs, especially local crafts, as well as designer perfumes, leather goods, and jewellery. The bazaar stallholders expect bartering to take place.