Cozumel: Chankanaab National Park?

[surfer_ed]

In Cozumel has anyone done Chankanaab National Park on thier own? Is it easy to get to by cab and back to the terminal? Was it worth it? Is it safe?

Previously in Cozumel I went to Paradise beach and looking for a beach but want to try another one. I was also thinking about Nachi Cocom but I did not really want to make reservations ahead of time.

Ed

 

[True Romance]

In Cozumel has anyone done Chankanaab National Park on thier own? Is it easy to get to by cab and back to the terminal? Was it worth it? Is it safe?

Previously in Cozumel I went to Paradise beach and looking for a beach but want to try another one. I was also thinking about Nachi Cocom but I did not really want to make reservations ahead of time.

Ed

I did this on my own in Oct. 2009. Myself, senior mother, 4 and 6 year olds. It was super easy to get to and from by taxi, maybe a 20 minute ride. We went up and bought tickets right at the booth. We brought our own snorkel gear, but we did get life vests there, forgot if they were free or we paid a nominal fee. There were restaurants, but we did not eat there. There were some small gift stores, and vendors selling pics with birds & iguanas.

There were several areas with beaches, lounge chairs, and umbrellas that were nice. The snorkeling was okay, but the sea was rough because of the bad weather. I did take my 4 year old out and we watched snorkel guides feeding the fish which was cool.

It was not very crowded, but it was also pouring rain on and off during our visit. I would go again.

Oh, there were plenty of taxis waiting at the exit when we wanted to return to the ship.

 

[simbasmom2]

This was one of our favorite excursions. We went there 11/2008 and booked a dolphin swim (booked on our own). We easily got a cab to and from, felt safe. It was probably 15-20.00. It is beautiful there. There was a 2 tier pool with a swim up bar near where we snorkeled before we swam with the dolphins. They had lockers near the snorkel area. We didn't eat there. Everyone we had an encounter with spoke English (including the taxi driver).

 

[Puggs]

We just did Chankanaab last week. We loved it. There were 6 cruise ships in port that day and Chankanaab was basically empty. We got chairs and an umbrella at the end of the beach area and there were only about 20 people total.
The taxi ride is $10 each way. The entrance fee is $21 but there is a $2 coupon on CozumelInsider, I think that's the website.
The lockers at the restaurant were $3 with a $2 key deposit. So $5 total with $2 given back when you turn the key.
We did eat lunch at the restaurant. It was OK. Not very pricey.
Everyone was nice and spoke English very good. You should have no problems.
We did not snorkel because of equipment issues but the snorkel vests are free, at the lifeguard station, if you bring your own equipment. They do require an ID such as Drivers License which they keep until you return the vests.
There is not really a beach area with sand, except for a small area. Since we just wanted to lay in the shade on the beach this was not a big deal for us. There was a nice looking pool but we did not use it.
We just loved that it was quiet not like Royal Palms in Grand Cayman.

 

[kgoldenh]

second and third other comments. way easy to do on your own and way fun. we sat on the beach and snorkled with kids. We got discount coupons on line that we took with us. a neat place to see.

have heard nachi cocom is even better for a "beach" getaway and again easy to get to on your own.

Kate

 

[sayhello]

Everyone was nice and spoke English very good.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But I just could NOT ignore the irony of that comment!

Sayhello

 

[staffieri]

We loved this. Did it in September and booked it through their website. We booked the Royal Swim. It the one that is the longest time with the dolphins. When I booked it came with a voucher for the taxi. This was easy, just walked up to a taxi, in the taxi line and they took us there. No money given to them. When we got there here was what we saw and did..
!. Bird pics and entrance. This was fun and only $5.
2. Got our Dolphin swim time. Since we were not booke through cruise boat we only had 2 other people in our family group.
3. Time with dolphins priceless!! We took our own pictures.
4. There is a pool, nature walking area, lizards roaming freely, and big beach area.
5. Food just ok.
6. There are places to rent snorkel equipment. Do not rent from first both. Cheaper as you go down the beach. Also, share your equipment.
7. They have seats, umberlla, and shade.
8. The beach is pretty and snorkeling goo, but you have to take stair. Its a small cliff
8. But they have a nice toddler beach where kids can walk in and nice shade. My daughter napped there for over an hour.

I would go back to this place again. I thought it was wonderful and a good price.

 

[Puggs]

I knew I should have reread that post!
I was typing very quickly from work, oops!

 

[bklwashere]

Yes, we just did this on our own and it was super easy. I'll echo everyone else's good comments. We loved the park; the facilities and the people were all very nice.

One other note- if you are interested in doing a dolphin swim, you can definitely book it yourself online directly with the park ahead of time, despite what their website would have you believe. We paid 40% less than DCL was charging for this activity. The funny part was that folks from the official DCL excursion were in the exact same group we were.

Also, if you book a dolphin swim, the park entrance fee is included in the cost.

 

[HappyPeach]

I just wanted to add that I've done Nachi Cocom and my husband and I really enjoyed it.

 

[Travelbee]

We also went there on our own in November 2009. Taxi was waiting right off the terminal and dropped us off at the front entrance of park. We printed out coupons from their website and got a few dollars off the entrance fee. DD and I booked the Dolphins Swim on the internet ahead of time and not only was it cheaper than DCL excursion, but we got an additional 25% discount for booking in advance. We even got to touch a manatee. There's a dive shop in the park as well. DH scheduled a dive in advance and paid $30 or something ridiculously cheap for a guided dive with a dive master with all equipment rental included. He said it was one of the best dives ever and he was take through underwater caves. If I recall correctly, there were a couple of swimming pools too.


Kristi (TrueRomance) - looks like we missed you on that trip by 4 weeks!

 

[shenaniganzz]

We did Chakanaab in 2010 on our own. We couldn't book a dolphin encounter through Disney due to our DD's age at that time, but were able to do it through Chakanaab directly. The cabs were readily available when we arrived in port, short ride.. no problems.

The kids pretty well had the pool to themselves which they LOVED given the pool on the ship tended to be so crowded.

We ate some soft tacos there and they were fantastic.

The dolphin swim was great. The sales pitch for the memory DVD is hokey but we had a great time overall and I wouldn't hesitate to go back.

 

[lmb]

We did it for the dolphin swim but the beach area wasn't that great. We had 2 toddlers and couldn't go in the water. I'd go for the dolphin experience again for not for a beach/water experience.