Cozumel Port Adventure Recommendations

[AlyxAugustine]

.

 

[Stitch'sCousin]

Our family has done the cooking class in Cozumel twice and really enjoyed it both times. It is definitely one of our favourite excursions. Mexican Cooking Class and Tasting | Disney Cruise Line (go.com)

 

[AlyxAugustine]

.

 

[mevelandry]

Hi all! My family (all 4 of us adults, only I have cruised in the past) and I are taking a Western Caribbean cruise aboard the Fantasy in May '22 but we are trying to get settled on port adventures early so we have a better idea of how much $$$ to save.

We mostly can't seem to decide on excursions in Cozumel. We are trying to do something cultural/sightseeing. We will most likely do a lot of snorkeling in our other ports of call, however we are willing to do beach/snorkeling if its part of another excursion. We have looked at Chichen Itza and Tulum ruins tours however we aren't sure if the travel time is worth it, I've seen a lot of feedback on here that everyone says "it was cool to see but I don't ever plan to do it again."

Do you have any suggestions of excursions you've enjoyed or your own experiences at the ruins? Has anyone done the caves/underwater river?

I should add that we are open to suggestions of all types of excursions, even snorkeling only ones.

Thank you!!

Save a Sea Turtle Experience.

They brought us to El Mirador, then to a beach where we were dug in turtles nests to get the remaining baby turtles and we released them to the sea.

Here‘s our short video:

(They also brought us to visit a mayan village replica where we participated to a mayan ceremony At the end of the day).

It’s still —to this day— our favorite excursion.

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Following

 

[nolatravelgirl]

I have done this cooking class on two different cruises. Your class may or may not just have Disney cruise people since it is done by a third party all inclusive. I am generally not a fan of repeating excursions but I can honestly say I loved this class. The class is geared at adults (14 and up) so you won't be surrounded by kids. The food is tasty, they serve you adult beverages while cooking and the instructors are entertaining. My only complaint was I thought the return bus was way too early considering you have access to the all inclusive after the class. We decided to not take the cruise sponsored bus for the return and enjoyed some additional time hanging by the beach and enjoying a few more beers. The taxi return was less than 20USD and they did accept USD so no need to exchange cash.

 

[Minnie1222]

If you like Mayan history, archaeological digs, etc..then the ruins would be a great place to visit. Chichen Itza is larger and more famous, while Tulum, in my opinion, is located at a more beautiful area, overlooking the Caribbean sea. We stayed at local hotels during the trip so the traveling time wasn't bad. Coming from Cozumel would definitely take a lot longer.

 

[Intr3pid]

For the sheer number of activities you can do in the Cancun region, it's a shame that the ship only spends a day in Cozumel. Here are some of my suggestions.

Culture/Sightseeing:

- Chichen Itza is by far the best of them all - one of the 7 new wonders, as you may know. It's a full day experience, and you will have to do it with Disney to not risk missing the ship. The site is absolutely worth it - but if you do plan to visit Cancun on your own at another time, you could save it till then. There are a couple of other amazing stops on this trip - the town of Valladolid and the Suytun cenote - that the ship excursion won't have time for.

- Tulum is tiny in comparison - doable in one hour - but it's much more accessible. The Tulum beach is also known for its powdery white sand. There are a few other minor ruins as well - Coba, Uxmal, Ek Balam, and El Rey - if you want to split your day with something else.

Water Activities:

- Yucatan peninsula has an amazing array of underground rivers and swimming holes called cenotes. The best way to experience them is to go for a swim at the Xcaret Park. I will let you google the details on your own, but Disney does run an Xcaret excursion. The park is an adventure of its own.

- Xcaret has other sister parks too - check out Xel Ha, Xplor, and Xavage.

- Our own favorite water activity in the Cancun area is a walk on the sea floor (!!!). It's called SeaTrek, and you can experience it right there in Cozumel. (Disney also offers an excursion.) Or, you can do it at the Xcaret Park. The activity doesn't take long, and you can easily combine it with the river swim.

- If you are after a waterpark, check out Jungala Aqua Experience near Vidanta resorts. And if you want to combine a few water activities in one day, look up Aquaworld Cancun.

- If you are after snorkeling, do it in Cozumel. Cozumel has some of the best reef in all of the Caribbeans. Disney offers a few excursions that include the activity. If you can swim underwater, the Snuba activity (= a cross between snorkeling and scuba) is a lot of fun.

Resort/Beach Day:

- Book a (day) room at any of the resorts in the Hotel Zone. JW Marriott IMO has the best pool complex, while Ritz the best service. As a bonus, there is a lot of shopping and dining nearby at the Isla mall and surrounding markets. You can also do parasailing, jet ski, speedboat, and a bunch of other activities right at their beaches.

- Get a day pass at the Moon Palace. The pool complex is the largest in the area, and they have a waterpark on site. The resort is outside the Hotel Zone though, so the beach is very modest.

- Disney offers plenty of beach-day excursions in and around Cozumel. Look them up.

Other:

- A very unique way to spend you day is to visit Isla Mujeres - just north of Cancun. Buzzing with laid-back vibes, this small island has an archaeological site at its southern tip, and a world-top-20 beach (Playa Norte) at the northern one. What's really cool though is that the island hardly has any cars, and pretty much everyone gets around on golf carts - which you can rent too!

- If you don't want to get wet but still want to explore the reef around Cozumel, do the Atlantis submarine expedition. It doesn't take long, and you can combine it with something else.

 

[Quellman]

As far as the Large off island ruins, most people are of the opinion, if you want to actually see them, then don't do it from Cozumel. Do it from somewhere much closer.

We didn't do anything at Cozumel, but this looked interesting: https://www.cozumelpearlfarm.mx/

 

[AlyxAugustine]

For some reason I'm not able to directly reply to any of the responses but thank you everyone for the input!

 

[lisareniff]

We didn't do anything at Cozumel, but this looked interesting: https://www.cozumelpearlfarm.mx/

We went to the Cozumel Pearl Farm and it was a wonderful day/excursion. We walked to the town peer for the small boat ride to the Pearl Farm. It was a lovely ride and part of the enjoyable day. The owner talked about the the farm and the pearl process and we went speed snorkeling in the pearl farm "fields". We had an enjoyable lunch and time on the beach. I highly recommend this excursion.

Our cruise went to Costa Maya and we saw Mayan ruins and cultural experience there.

 

[alieila]

We did this one:

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/...ghts-ruins-and-discover-mexico-cultural-park/
We liked the tour, but the bus speaker was broken and we could not hear the tour guide when he described things as we drove by places.

 

[starvenger]

i think that everyone should see Chichen Itza at least once in their lifetime... but not as a port tour. Because of travel you won't get a lot of time at the ruins plus you will likely get back around departure time - which if you book through the ship is not a big deal. So I'd say that if you are in Cancun you go for it.

Tulum is definitely doable from Cozumel. I'd do this tour if you're looking to see some Mayan ruins.

 

[Sun_soakin]

We took a Tulum tour from Cozumel (combined w/ Xel Ha, I think). We really enjoyed it and thought it was manageable when booked through the cruise line. We’ve also been to Chichen Itza, which is great, but I wouldn’t do it on a cruise stop.

 

[daedelus]

We've done the cooking class - it was a lot of fun and you get to eat the results! Definitely a good choice.

We did Xcaret too, but were a little disappointed in it - takes a long time to get there and back, so you don't get as much time there. But a nice facility.

But our absolute favorite was Trikes Cozumel! You have to book it through Viator, DCL doesn't offer it. But they meet you at the port, take you to the office where you get paper work done and a tutorial, then you mount up and ride! It's 2 or 3 people to a trike although they try to keep it to 2. It's basically a 3 wheel motorcycle, very easy to drive, very safe. We had an absolute blast! They take you all around the island, and there are slower roads and also a couple where you can really open it up! Highly recommended.