Cozumel, Tulum and Xel-Ha

[Joe & Joanne]

Hi Folks
Although DCL has not been to Cozumel as yet, perhaps someone may be able to answer this??? While looking at a map of Cozumel it would seem that once at Cozumel you would have to take a ferry from Cozumel to the mainland then rent a car if we want to go to Tulum and Xel-Ha.

Has anyone on another cruise been able to do this? The itinerary shows 10:30 Am -11 PM for Cozumel. Do you think it would be
wise to get a ferry then a car and return ferry? Any ideas on the cost of the ferry? From the looks of some of the web sites, it would appear that DCL would have this as some sort of excursion, however is it possible to do on our own?

 

[stormkrow]

Our family is looking forward to turing the ancient ruins (I gather that's what you're talking about) when w go on our July 6th cruise.

I wouldn't dream of organizing this excursion on my own. It's too far away to take a chance of getting some shoddy tour group or a broken-down car. I assume (hopefully I'm right) that if we purchase the excursion through DCL, they guarantee that we get back in time (or make some other arrangements if something goes wrong).

btw, we're at exit 3, just down the road from you!

 

[Werner Weiss]

Back in 1993, we cruised on the Celebrity Zenith. In those days, the Zenith spent a day in port at the island of Cozumel follwed by a partial day in port at Playa del Carmen on the Yucatan mainland.

We booked an excursion to Tulum and Xel-Ha through the cruise line. We weren't the only ones. A fleet of comfortable, air conditioned busses waited as we got off the ship at Playa del Carmen. We had an excellent guide on our bus. It was obvious that he was well educated about history of the region and the Mayan people. He spoke a half dozen languages fluently. Our guide got off the bus with his passengers in Tulum and provided a thorough and informative guided walking tour of the Tulum site. Then it was off to the clear waters of Xel-Ha for skorkeling.

I'm really glad we didn't try to do this on our own -- and I'm someone who typically prefers to avoid bus tours in favor of independent exploration.

I'm sure DCL will offer similar excursions, except that they'll include transportation across the channel from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen. I can't promise you'll get the same guide. But I really think this is a place where it's worth signing up for a shore excursion with the cruise line.

 

[albiats]

In February of 2001 we were on a Carnival cruise specifically because my DW wanted to see the Mayan Ruins at Tulum. We enjoyed it, but even in February, the humidity was oppressive.

Our ship made a short stop at Playa del Carmen and a tender ship came out to meet those of us with shore excursions on the mainland.

There were two separate shore excursions for the Mayan Ruins. The one we took involved a bus ride of about 60 minutes each direction to the ruins and was the lower priced one. There was another one that involved a short ride on a small plane to a site that had older ruins and was much more expensive. In all fairness, I do remember reading about a fatal plane crash last year involving 14 or 16 people from a Holland America cruise and all of them perished tragically on their way to the ruins that were farthest away.

After those of us with shore excursions were on the tender, the Carnival ship proceeded on to Cozumel and they docked there.

Included in the cost of our shore excursion was a ticket on a water taxi that took us back to the cruise pier in Cozumel where we walked a short distance to the ship.

 

[Werner Weiss]

Unlike the itineraries of some other cruise lines, DCL's itinerary does not seem to include a short stop at Playa del Carmen:

7-Night Western Caribbean Cruise
Beginning May 11, 2002, sail to Key West, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Disney's own island in The Bahamas, Castaway Cay. Check rates and dates for this itinerary.

Sat -- Travel to Port Canaveral to depart at 5 p.m.
Sun -- Arrive in Key West at 12 p.m., depart at 10 p.m.
Mon -- Enjoy relaxation and fun at sea
Tue -- Arrive in Grand Cayman at 7 a.m., depart at 5:45 p.m.
Wed -- Arrive in Cozumel 11 a.m., depart at midnight
Thu -- The magic of a day at sea
Fri -- Arrive at Castaway Cay at 7 a.m., depart at 5 p.m.
Sat -- Arrive at Port Canaveral at 6 a.m., debark the ship at 8:30 a.m.

In comparison, an itinerary for the Carnival Pride includes:

Wednesday -- Playa del Carmen*, arrive 8:00 am, depart 8:30 am
Wednesday -- Cozumel, arrive 9:30 am, depart 4:00 pm

*Operational stop for Tulum tour debarkation only.

 

[Joe & Joanne]

Hi Again
While not much different from the times above, here is what our confirmation sheet shows as far as times in Port.

For the 11 May 02 Western the confirmation sheet shows the following:

Depart Port Canaveral 5PM
Key West 12:30 PM - 10 PM
Sea Day
Grand Cayman 7:30AM - 5:45 PM
Cozumel 10:30Am - 11:00 PM
Sea Day
Castaway Cay 9Am - 5PM
Port Canaveral 8:30 AM

BTW: Werner, you have a great site!