Cozumel...The Secret River or Xel-Ha Park??? Trying to decide.

[postesf]

Cozumel... I think we are debating between the The Secret River (caverns) and Xel-Ha Park & River Tubing Excursions. Has anyone done these? Is one better over the other? Also, DH wants to swim with the Dolphins. From what I see on the DCL site, the ones in Cozumel look the best! Go figure. I was thinking that they all may be about the same or similar so we may go with the one in Grand Cayman and see the Turtle Farm too. Can anyone speak to this as well?

We are going on a 7 night Western Caribbean. Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Costa Maya... We leave in 28 days!!!

Thanks!!!
Stacie

 

[NurseNash]

Can only speak to The Secret River excursion. We just did this on the April 14th sailing and LOVED it! Excellent excursion and one we would do again. We are an adventurous family (me, hubby and two boys ages 10 and 8) and it was full of adventure and beauty... definately an awesome experience. Have to say that we drove by the Xel Ha Park and it looked fun too. Can't help with the Dolphin Swim... we were booked to do this in Costa Maya but it got canceled due to high winds.

 

[postesf]

Thanks! I've read good reviews on The Secret River but havent seen much on Xel-ha. Anyone else?

 

[nunzia]

We've done Xel Ha and really enjoyed it. The brave had a very long snorkeling time and thought is was fabulous. The unbrave (me) explored the resort and also really enjoyed it..gorgeous place. Last year we did Xcaret and in comparison..yuck...I'd go back to Xel Ha though.

 

[jlwhitney]

We have done Xcaret (similar to Xel-HA) and also did the Secret River excursion on the April 14th cruise and it was amazing. Personally I found it way better than Xcaret.

It was Xplor we drove by not Xel-Ha, Xel-Ha is even further down the road another 15 mins.

I can't say enough good things about the Secret River, go for it it is awesome and so beautiful.

 

[SharonLowe]

We have done Xcaret (similar to Xel-HA)

Xcaret and Xel-Ha are totally different experiences. Xel-Ha is all about the water - nice snorkeling, fun tube ride down a river, places to do rope swings and jump into the water, dolphin swims if that appeals to you, etc. Xcaret is a more "cultural" experience with its Mayan Village replica, the Mayan ball court, the Mexican Cemetery (which is incredible BTW!), a small aquarium where they also have tanks where they raise sea turtles to be released in the wild, etc. They also have a river you can snorkel/tube that goes through some caves. They do have other water activities but those cost extra. Xcaret also felt like the hottest place on earth both times we went.

Both have their appeal but I think most people end up saying they like Xel-Ha better, especially if they like water activities. We've done both and like both for different reasons. If I had to choose just one, I would probably lean toward Xel-Ha because we love to snorkel.

I've not done the Secret River experience so I can't comment on it.

 

[jlwhitney]

Xcaret and Xel-Ha are totally different experiences. Xel-Ha is all about the water - nice snorkeling, fun tube ride down a river, places to do rope swings and jump into the water, dolphin swims if that appeals to you, etc. Xcaret is a more "cultural" experience with its Mayan Village replica, the Mayan ball court, the Mexican Cemetery (which is incredible BTW!), a small aquarium where they also have tanks where they raise sea turtles to be released in the wild, etc. They also have a river you can snorkel/tube that goes through some caves. They do have other water activities but those cost extra. Xcaret also felt like the hottest place on earth both times we went.

Both have their appeal but I think most people end up saying they like Xel-Ha better, especially if they like water activities. We've done both and like both for different reasons. If I had to choose just one, I would probably lean toward Xel-Ha because we love to snorkel.

I've not done the Secret River experience so I can't comment on it.

I said similar in the sense they are both more like a natural theme park then the Secret River is just pure nature. The secret river is great since you actually have enough time for it, the other places are hard to do everything in the allotted time.

 

[havaneselover]

If you do the Secret River, you have to wear a wetsuit, right? I really want to do this with my 8 and 9 year old but I highly doubt my mom who will be keeping me company on the cruise will want to wear a wetsuit. I guess I may tell her what we're doing and if she wants to do something else on her own or stay onboard she can.

 

[algae]

We did the secret river on the 14Apr sailing also. Amazing excursion. I'd do it again. Here are some tips:

- get your own rock shoes. The ones we got were ill fitting and I ended up getting major blisters by the end of the excursion
- my helmet was, um, not well sanitized and had a bad odor. I also ended up with a rash afterwards where the straps and pads were against my head. So, make sure the helmet is relatively clean when you are given one. At least the rock shoes, wet suits and life jackets are sanitized...

The Xel-Ha place sounds like the vanilla company. Maybe I should've taken that excursion to get some good vanilla?

 

[postesf]

Awesome! Thanks so much!!! Anyone else with these experiences?? Not to keen on about the helmet not being well sanitized! I would hate to get rash (ugly pictures!!!)

 

[jlwhitney]

Awesome! Thanks so much!!! Anyone else with these experiences?? Not to keen on about the helmet not being well sanitized! I would hate to get rash (ugly pictures!!!)

We had no problems with the helmets and they looked fine. The water shoes were fine too. Honestly some people are alot more pickey and its hard to know what gross means to them.


Nothing about the place seemed gross or dirty

 

[jlwhitney]

If you do the Secret River, you have to wear a wetsuit, right? I really want to do this with my 8 and 9 year old but I highly doubt my mom who will be keeping me company on the cruise will want to wear a wetsuit. I guess I may tell her what we're doing and if she wants to do something else on her own or stay onboard she can.

They told us you didnt have to, but everyone did, they arent that bad. Its not like getting a real one that you would buy. They were all too big on most of the people and with the life jacket it was fine. The water is cold but not freezing, I have been in colder water. Honestly she would be fine even in a short sleever rash guard and swim shorts

 

[algae]

We had no problems with the helmets and they looked fine. The water shoes were fine too. Honestly some people are alot more pickey and its hard to know what gross means to them.

Good for you that you did not have any problems. I'm not all the picky. But when other members of our group remark that I smell funny and we track it down to the helmet, I can tell you it wasn't me being picky. Unfortunately, we were too far along in the hike to the cavern to turn back. Just grin and bear it. I didn't realize that the rash would follow me for about a week after the excursion. Oh, and the blisters were not me being picky. They happened on their own.

Nothing about the place seemed gross or dirty

I agree with that. Other than the helmet, the trip is great--including the lunch. You _must_ try the lime soup. I had 3 bowls of that stuff. I also saw all the other tour guides skip all the other food and head straight for the soup.

 

[postesf]

Thanks again! I went ahead and booked the The Secret River for Cozumel and also Dolphin Swim/Turtle Farm in Grand Cayman. Nothing yet for Costa Maya.

Question though... Will they let you wear your own water shoes? Are these the regular/cheap ones from say...Walmart that you wear? or are they more extravagant, say Merrell? I don't mind bringing water shoes for us.

They say to bring a dry set of clothes, so we will have a bag/backpack anyway... Did you guys change clothes???

Thanks again!

 

[jlwhitney]

Thanks again! I went ahead and booked the The Secret River for Cozumel and also Dolphin Swim/Turtle Farm in Grand Cayman. Nothing yet for Costa Maya.

Question though... Will they let you wear your own water shoes? Are these the regular/cheap ones from say...Walmart that you wear? or are they more extravagant, say Merrell? I don't mind bringing water shoes for us.

They say to bring a dry set of clothes, so we will have a bag/backpack anyway... Did you guys change clothes???

Thanks again!

Yes you can wear your own water shoes.

They give you a locker with a key and you keep the key on you. Some people changed and others didn't.

Basically for us wore our bathing suits under clothes and brought underwear/etc. so we didnt have to wear our bathing suits all day. Brought reg shorts for hubby also.

 

[algae]

Yup, we basically did the same thing jlwhitney did: wear swimsuits under our regular clothes (and bring underwear in a bag); ditch the regular clothes in the lockers; put their stuff over our swimsuits; afterwards, change into the dry clothes and shoes from the lockers. It's actually a long trip since you take a ferry to Playa del Carmen and then a van to the site. Going back, there's only 1 ferry at 3PM so you'll be in wet clothes for a while if you don't bring something dry to wear.

Oh, for those shopping types, they also sell the blue logo'd shirts all the tour guides wear. They don't tell anyone, but just ask at the photo cashier counter and they'll sell you some. We paid $17 each. Not bad for those water-sports-type shirts. Seems that you can also negotiate the price down if you buy more stuff from them

 

[jlwhitney]

Yup, we basically did the same thing jlwhitney did: wear swimsuits under our regular clothes (and bring underwear in a bag); ditch the regular clothes in the lockers; put their stuff over our swimsuits; afterwards, change into the dry clothes and shoes from the lockers. It's actually a long trip since you take a ferry to Playa del Carmen and then a van to the site. Going back, there's only 1 ferry at 3PM so you'll be in wet clothes for a while if you don't bring something dry to wear.

Oh, for those shopping types, they also sell the blue logo'd shirts all the tour guides wear. They don't tell anyone, but just ask at the photo cashier counter and they'll sell you some. We paid $17 each. Not bad for those water-sports-type shirts. Seems that you can also negotiate the price down if you buy more stuff from them

Did you skip on buying pictures?

If you buy pictures it was 70 for a cd with all your groups pictures, plus about 40 they have taken over the years.

For 100 you get the cd plus three souveniers (either the shirts or this liqour that is only found in the yucutan *****ula) any combination

Can't remember what individual pictures where...still on a cd

You can't take your own camera in due to safety and them not wanting it to bang on the rocks when dangling from peoples wrists. You really need your hands free.

 

[algae]

Did you skip on buying pictures?

If you buy pictures it was 70 for a cd with all your groups pictures, plus about 40 they have taken over the years.

For 100 you get the cd plus three souveniers (either the shirts or this liqour that is only found in the yucutan *****ula) any combination

We did get the cd with the pictures plus three souvenirs. When we were first told about the package, we were only told about the three bottles of liquor. When I went to pick up the cd, they asked which souvenir was with the package. I told them I didn't know there were different choices. Turns out they have the bottles of liquor, shirts, or USB Flash drives. They did tell me the liquor costs more than the other stuff at $25 per bottle, though.

 

[jlwhitney]

We did get the cd with the pictures plus three souvenirs. When we were first told about the package, we were only told about the three bottles of liquor. When I went to pick up the cd, they asked which souvenir was with the package. I told them I didn't know there were different choices. Turns out they have the bottles of liquor, shirts, or USB Flash drives. They did tell me the liquor costs more than the other stuff at $25 per bottle, though.

My hubby wanted a bottle of the liquor and was pretty confident he could find it in Playa Del Carmen for cheaper and yup he did. It was 11 bucks in this giant souvenier shop in Playa. We didn't want the shirts, or 3 bottles of it, so just bought the CD. They told us about the shirts and the liquor not the flash drives.

 

[JoeSchmieg]

My wife and I are looking in to theis for Christmas cruise this year. Can anyone tell me if there are any really tight spots? While not really claustrophic, ie handle elevators fine etc, a really tight spot with water and ceiling close togather might freak me out a bit. Any info would be great! Thanks! Joe