Cozumel ruins

[Chyvalri]

Hi everyone,

We are gearing up for cruise #4 and after two Bahamians and an eastern Caribbean, I've finally convinced the wife to go western Caribbean including a stop in Cozumel.

I've started researching the excursion options and I know she really wants to do ruins in MX.

I would really love to hear people's opinions of either CZ86 (Chichen Itza)
or of CZ06 (Tulum) as an excursion where we are really looking to take in the culture of the area. If anyone has done both and has a comparative that would be incredible!

See you on the ocean!
4 months to go!

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

We did Tulum (CZ06) on our recent W. Carib. Fantastic! We've not done CZ86, but can most heartily recommend Tulum. The beach at the bottom of the Cliffside was a nice bonus (hot day and hot kids), for the end of the day. The ruins look in fantastic shape. The DCL tour docent was a local gent with a wealth of information both cultural and social.

The ferry from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen was about 30-ish minutes. If you get seasick, go to the topside seats! The subsequent muster and bus transfer was smooth and seemingly quick. Again, the guide was chatting at us the whole way with history of the area, peoples and whatnot. When we arrived, he issued to all of us headphones that received his narrative of the area as we walked. Kind of like the Smithsonian, but not pre-recorded. We toured for about an 1.5 hour to 2 hours, then an hour for self guided exploration/beach/shopping. The bus drops and picks you up at the proto-typical bazaar type shopping area. Good touristy stuff (T-Shirt!) and lots of tequila. Our kids got their desires (our son always purchases a souvenir pocket knife in all our ports). We got our pretty decent sub sandwich box lunch upon reboarding the bus. The shopping area has a subway, starbux and other 7-11 type food available if you're starving.

One of the highlights of our W. Carib cruise; a neck-and-neck dead heat with the Stingray City Snorkling (G09) in Grand Cayman. Just as amazing, but in a totally different way. Was *very* underwhelmed with the Good Hope Estate tour (FA28), though the lunch provided was yummy.

Enjoy your cruise!!!!

Edit: Forgot to mention that we arrived back at the ship a 4:50 PM an all aboard was 4:45. Nice to have the ship wait for us as it was the DCL port adventure (which is why we picked it in the first place!)

 

[Kesohio63]

We did the Tulum excursion in February 2016, and it was great. However, the beach was closed that day due to high tide; the water was right up to the base of the cliff, so the steps were roped off, and you couldn't go down. The rest of the excursion was wonderful, but just be aware that you may not be able to go on the beach. A lot of people were disappointed they couldn't swim.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Chichen Itza is an unbelievable destination. It makes for a long day but well worth it. I've been there twice. Tulum has an outstanding view but the ruins do not compare at all to Chichen Itza. If it were me, I would go to Chichen Itza if ruins are most important to her. Kesohio63, with you going in Feb, I would assume by your description that a Norte (weather front) affected your visit.

 

[Kesohio63]

Possibly, I am not a weather expert at all! It was very breezy, which was nice, as it kept the bugs away and kept it from being too hot.

 

[Kesohio63]

We also arrived back on the ship just before the all-aboard time, so I was glad we had booked this through DCL, or I would have been watching the time and getting very nervous!

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

I can echo a lot of what @dad of 3 addicted to DCL said. We did Tulum and have not done Chichen Itza, though we were tempted.


Tulum was a great trip. So glad we did it. I was afraid the ruins wouldn’t be “big enough” and sure, they weren’t as big as Chichen Itza, but that would have been another hour on the bus in each direction. As it was the Ferry was ½ hour on the actually water (plus 15 minutes of loading) and about 45 minutes on the bus ride (plus 15 minutes of loading), giving us about 4 hours at the ruins. The tour started on the bus, with our Mexican guide of Mayan decent telling us about the Mayan culture. He said he was a Mayan descendant and actually lived in a town about 4 hours away, which he goes back to on the weekends.

We were allowed to leave things locked up on the bus with the driver as guards. At the ruins, the guided tour lasted about an hour, giving us plenty of time to explore the ruins (and the local iguana) on our own, and do some shopping on site. The tour guide gave out headsets, which were great so you could hear him without having to keep right on top of him. There was a small beach at the bottom of some stairs. We didn’t swim, but many people did. I went down the stairs and enjoyed the ocean views. Some of the best beach pictures of the whole cruise. The shopping wasn’t huge, but big enough for us. We mostly stayed at the biggest store, since the smaller vendors were pushier. We got some souvenirs, and I got a bottle of Tequila at a very good price, which Disney held on board until the end of our cruise. Lunch was a ham and cheese sandwich and some snacks (which was a little skimpy IMO) and two bottles of water (which were much appreciated!) We got back to the cruise ship dock later than scheduled (a theme that would recur everywhere), about 4 PM.

 

[jlemieu1]

Tulum is great place to visit for a first time ruins visit. Chichen Itza is great for a full day trip and the ruins are much larger.

On a side note, I wish Disney would do one Copa. They are about in between size. The last time I when there they still allow to climb the pyramid. Great cultural visit and cool cenota(a cool sink hole).

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

I can echo a lot of what @dad of 3 addicted to DCL said. We did Tulum and have not done Chichen Itza, though we were tempted.


Tulum was a great trip. So glad we did it. I was afraid the ruins wouldn’t be “big enough” and sure, they weren’t as big as Chichen Itza, but that would have been another hour on the bus in each direction. As it was the Ferry was ½ hour on the actually water (plus 15 minutes of loading) and about 45 minutes on the bus ride (plus 15 minutes of loading), giving us about 4 hours at the ruins. The tour started on the bus, with our Mexican guide of Mayan decent telling us about the Mayan culture. He said he was a Mayan descendant and actually lived in a town about 4 hours away, which he goes back to on the weekends.

We were allowed to leave things locked up on the bus with the driver as guards. At the ruins, the guided tour lasted about an hour, giving us plenty of time to explore the ruins (and the local iguana) on our own, and do some shopping on site. The tour guide gave out headsets, which were great so you could hear him without having to keep right on top of him. There was a small beach at the bottom of some stairs. We didn’t swim, but many people did. I went down the stairs and enjoyed the ocean views. Some of the best beach pictures of the whole cruise. The shopping wasn’t huge, but big enough for us. We mostly stayed at the biggest store, since the smaller vendors were pushier. We got some souvenirs, and I got a bottle of Tequila at a very good price, which Disney held on board until the end of our cruise. Lunch was a ham and cheese sandwich and some snacks (which was a little skimpy IMO) and two bottles of water (which were much appreciated!) We got back to the cruise ship dock later than scheduled (a theme that would recur everywhere), about 4 PM.

Was your tour guide Felipe? sounds just like him. Lots of fun