Lost in Translation and GPS: My Cozumel Adventure Gone Beautifully Wrong

The moment our Symphony of the Seas pulled into Cozumel that Tuesday morning, I was already buzzing with anticipation. Through the cabin porthole, I could see the turquoise water and white sand beaches that made my Instagram feed come alive the night before. My husband Mike was still snoring in the other bed, but I'd been up since 6 AM checking my phone for the "perfect" excursion plan. I'd spent weeks researching, and I'd decided we were going to skip the crowded ship-sponsored tours and do something more authentic. We were going to find "real" Cozumel, the kind tourists never see. Spoiler alert: we definitely found something real. It just wasn't what I expected. By 8:30 AM, Mike and I were walking down the gangway with our small backpacks, sunscreen already smeared on our faces like we were heading into battle. The disembarkation process from Symphony had been smooth as always—I love how Royal Caribbean has it down to a science. We grabbed our Royal Band (those waterproof wristbands that basically become your wallet on the ship), and I clutched my phone like it held the secrets of the universe. It did, technically. Google Maps was going to be my guide. "Okay, so according to thi…