COZUMEL: Tulum ruins VS San Gervasio ruins

[SeaSpray]

Ever since booking our Disney western caribbean cruise several weeks ago, I've been researching excursions for each island. DH and I are VERY interested in seeing Mayan ruins while in Cozumel. Initially I wasn't too sure about the Tulum ruins excursion because it's an ALL day excursion and while most people said they really enjoyed it and they'd do it again, they said it was very HOT. It's 2 hours to get there (boat and then bus) and then 2 hours back. I thought that was kind of a waste of time. I started leaning towards the San Gervasio ruins excursion because not only was it a shorter excursion, 4 hours long, but it also included a beach stop!

BUT!!

Just a few minutes ago I did a web search on both sets of ruins and I have to say, there is absolutely NO comparison!!! Here's the web site where I saw many pictures of the Tulum ruins:
http://externe.net/photos/ll2-mexico-tulum-mayan-ruins/aligned_with_the_stars
You can scroll through 46 gorgeous pictures that this person has on their site.

In comparison, here's a site with some pictures of the San Gervasio ruins: http://cozumelparks.com.mx/eng/gervasio/manitas/nuevo.htm
These are ruins are quite unimpressive, in comparison. In all honesty, I wouldn't bother to take his excursion to see those ruins. (Just MY opinion).

If anyone has seen the San Gervasio ruins and enjoyed it, please don't take offense at my comparison, I am just surprised at what a difference there is!

I now have decided that it would indeed be worth an all-day excursion to see the ruins in Tulum...and I hate to say, DH was RIGHT about this one!

Anyway I just thought I'd share my research on this, in case anyone else was trying to decide which ruins they want to see while in Cozumel.

 

[WDWLVR]

You are very right in that there is no comparison in what the two sites have to offer. We did take the San Gervasio tour and the first thing the guide asked was if anyone had been to Tulum. When we all said no he laughed and said "Good then you won't be disappointed.

The big thing for us was the time frame. We just didn't want a 7 hour excursion. We also didn't want to face the boat ride over to the mainland.

The excrusion to San Gervasio was very nice, we got to learn a lot about the islands history, got so see some beautiful sights (after the ruins tour took a wonderful ride along the coast0 and got the beach break as well. For us it was worth it.

That's the really nice thing about DCL is that you do have some wonderful choices.

 

[TnRobin]

Like Mary, it was a time thing for us. Matthew was barely 7. I really could not see spending all day in buses and boat (which maybe or maybe not air conditioned) to see Tulum. While the temple at Tulum is beautiful, I hear that the charge to take pictures.

We did the San Gervasio ruins and had a great time. It was a good compromise for me who wanted ruins and DH and DS who wanted beach/play time.

 

[Doctor P]

They do NOT charge to take pictures at Tulum. They charge a fee for a license to use a video camera. Tulum is well worth the trip. The bus ride is comfortable and goes fast. I can't deny that the boat ride is a rough one, but seeing the ruins is spectacular. There is some shade at the ruins (though it does not look like it and I had heard that there was not shade) and the time in the direct sun is actually quite limited if you want it to be. The excursion is extremely well run and the length is not tiring because of the transportation time but also is not particularly rushed--we spent close to two hours at the ruins themselves and close to 2.5 hours at Tulum.

 

[BamaCruiser]

In May, DH and I visited Tulum when we went on a trip to Cancun. The ruins are beautiful. There is shade around the perimeter of the ruins. There is a small beach area where you can cool off. Also, if you stand by the cliff, you can usually get a very nice ocean breeze. They do have a small gift shop that sells water. Hopefully your tour will include the trolley ride to the entrance (ours didn't). There are a few vendors around the parking area where you can get souveniers and snacks, but that is quite a ways from the entrance to the ruins.

I do recommend seeing the ruins, but it isn't a tour I would want to repeat.

 

[NYGiantsRule!]

We just did the Tulum ruins on our August 16th trip. WHile it is a long day, the boat is air conditioned and so is the bus. You have to walk about three blocks from the boat to the bus in Playa de Carmen, but the guide keeps everyone together. We had about a 45 minute guided tour at the ruins including some time in the shade and under some tents. You are then free to roam around the area for about an hour - hour and a half. We did go down to the beach area. The bus ride back was actually faster because we did not have a potty break like on the way to the ruins. We arrived back in Playa de Carmen on time and were back on the Magic by 5PM. This still gives you almost 5 hours to see Cozumel.
THey give you a bag lunch on the bus on your way back along with water, soda or beer. Overall, it was a very good tour, although it is pricey ($90 per adult).

 

[TnRobin]

Thanks for the info about pictures Doctor P. That is good to know. My information was from our church missionary who lives nearby. I am guessing that she meant video pictures when she said pictures

 

[SeaSpray]

Thanks for the comments, everyone. I just want to restate that for MY family, with older children (they'll be 16 and 13 on the cruise), there is no comparison between choosing between these two Mayan ruins tours. I know I wouldn't bring very young children on a long excursion like that.

They charge just a few dollars if you want to video tape the ruins, which we definitely will. There is no charge to bring a still camera and take pictures.

DH and I are going on a caribbean cruise in 2005 but it doesn't include a stop in Cozumel, so we don't want to miss this chance to see these beautiful ruins, and we want DSs to see them too.

When we get back to the pier after this excursion, is there anything right there within walking distance to see or do? I went to Sally's Cozumel mini-golf web page and I've never seen such a nice mini golf course before, it's so green and lush, and I'm hoping we can fit in a visit there. We have late dining, so I'm hoping there will be a little time between the ruins and getting ready for dinner to see a little bit of Cozumel. Any suggestions??

 

[Doctor P]

There is tons of stuff within walking distance of the pier. There's a Hard Rock Cafe, museums, Carlos N' Charlies, a modern mall, an old town square shopping area--though there are a lot of hawkers, DW and I enjoyed walking around Cozumel near the pier.

 

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by Doctor P
There is tons of stuff within walking distance of the pier. There's a Hard Rock Cafe, museums, Carlos N' Charlies, a modern mall, an old town square shopping area--though there are a lot of hawkers, DW and I enjoyed walking around Cozumel near the pier.

Thanks DoctorP! I love collecting t-shirts from various Hard Rock Cafes that I've been to, so now that I know there's one nearby in Cozumel I am going to plan a stop in there! I'm glad there's a shopping area too because after Tulum, I'd like to walk around a little before going back to the ship to get ready for dinner. I've read that on this night they have "Mexicali-" night....at least I won't have to worry about getting all dressed up for a formal night

 

[GinaDice]

We did the Western route in May - it was our 3rd Disney Cruise. I really wanted to go to the Ruins when we stopped in Mexico- but was hestitant to do the Tulum tour because it was so long. So we opted for San Gervasio. While the ruins were interesting - it was a big disappointment to only be there for about an hour. We then had to head to the beach club. Which the time at the beach club felt very rushed. We would have rather spent a bit longer at the ruins and skipped the beach. Or spent longer at the beach and skipped the ruins. Doing both just did not work.

Our tour guide on the bus was very informative and we did learn a great deal on the drive out to the ruins.

Have a great time which ever tour you go on. This was all just my opinion.

 

[tonyg]

Thanks for starting this thread, as we're sailing away on our first Disney cruise in October, and have selected the Tulum ruins as one of our excursions.
My DGF noticed right away upon beginning our research that the Tulum ruins were "actual" ruins, while the other excursion provided 'replicated' ruins (is this true). She decided for us that if we were going to look at ruins, we should look at real ones! Plus, we're big fans of the movie "The Road To El Dorado" and couldn't help but notice the similarity between the photos of the Tulum ruins and the setting of the animated Dreamworks movie.

I'm pretty excited about this stop, as I think we will need a chance to stretch our legs and walk a bit during a week's stay aboard a ship.

About the buses - are these big -- 'Partridge Family' style buses, or small little mini-buses. I hope they're not too cramped! And are there, indeed, restroom stops?

Thanks!

 

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by tonyg
Thanks for starting this thread, as we're sailing away on our first Disney cruise in October, and have selected the Tulum ruins as one of our excursions.
My DGF noticed right away upon beginning our research that the Tulum ruins were "actual" ruins, while the other excursion provided 'replicated' ruins (is this true). She decided for us that if we were going to look at ruins, we should look at real ones! Plus, we're big fans of the movie "The Road To El Dorado" and couldn't help but notice the similarity between the photos of the Tulum ruins and the setting of the animated Dreamworks movie.

I'm pretty excited about this stop, as I think we will need a chance to stretch our legs and walk a bit during a week's stay aboard a ship.

About the buses - are these big -- 'Partridge Family' style buses, or small little mini-buses. I hope they're not too cramped! And are there, indeed, restroom stops?

Thanks!

Hi Tony:

From what I've read, the ruins at San Gervasio are REAL ruins. There are some excursions which do have RECREATED ruins, so it's always a good idea to read the descriptions carefully. We decided on the Tulum ruins simply because the ruins themselves as well as their location, are QUITE impressive. I think the buses that Disney uses for this excursion are probably a decent size, considering they are air conditioned.

Have you ever been on a cruise before? I'm asking this because of your comment about stretching your legs after being on a ship for a week. We took our first cruise this summer and couldn't believe all the walking you do ONBOARD the ship There are always a ton of activities to do and often they are SPREAD out on the ship We also took the stairs instead of the elevators if we were only going up or down a couple of decks.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[NYGiantsRule!]

The buses to Tulum are full size (seat about 45-50), but there are no bathrooms on board. That is why they make a stop on the way to the ruins.

 

[tonyg]

Originally posted by SeaSpray
Have you ever been on a cruise before? I'm asking this because of your comment about stretching your legs after being on a ship for a week. Enjoy your cruise!

Hey there SeaSpray,
Yes, I was on a 5 day cruise to the Bahamas via Carnival 5 years ago, but this is her first time aboard. At the time I remembered really enjoying the Day at Sea as the highlight of the cruise, because what I mostly did was walk around a few times.
The length of this trip sounded to me as if you need time to go ashore and just get away for a bit.

Thanks again for the info and the great links to those pics.Looking forward to taking my own!

 

[Mom323]

Bumping this up for more current info and opinions.

 

[tinkmom2]

The Tulum Ruin tour was good. The ruins were smaller than I expected but we leared the Mayans were only about 4 feet tall. It really didn't seem very long to travel to the site. Yes, it was very hot out! The guide talked the majority of the time there too. Tons of people were getting sick on the jet boat ride so if you do it take your sea sick meds. We had a really good guide too that was very knowledgeable. We had a small amount of time to swim if we wanted but the waters were too choppy. Lunch was a 6in. hoggie, muffin, apple, and chips with water.

When we got back to Cozumel we were able to do a bit of shopping before getting back on the ship. There was a small store when you enter and leave the ruins at which we purchased Tequilla and some other merchandise. When you get back to Cozumel there is a "commercial de central" or shopping mall and a store called Mega which was like a Wal-mart. We purchased a dress and some decorated skulls from a street vendor and were able to bargain down the prices.

 

[ayz75]

We've been to Tulum on a previous cruise and it was quite amazing. But this time we're doing the San Gervasio + beach combo because we'll have a 2 year old with us, and frankly I'm not that crazy about taking her on a long bus ride. In fact, my first excursion pick was the beach break but it's already sold out We are not planning to do an excursion in Grand Cayman nor Falmouth (none of the excursion really seemed too interesting with a toddler.. and we're so limited as a lot of them have age restrictions. Anything involving water activity is almost always a no!) so this ruin + beach seems to be our best option.

 

[cmhguy]

We took our first cruise ever on the Wonder a year ago about this time. I had the same conundrum, and I really wanted to go to Tulum. Let me add we are 2 adults only. I had a REALLY hard time finding a lot of information about either excursion through DCL, but with persistent googling, I found a few opinions that helped. My findings and thoughts follow if you find any of it helpful....

For Tulum - my partner gets 'hangry' (hungry + angry when in need of food) - and QUICK. So, I knew with the long hours involved he would need a decent lunch. From the reports I could find, I couldn't decipher if it was a quick sack lunch of packaged tuna and crackers or a 4+ hours old nonrefrigerated subway 6" sandwiches (for which you could not control what you received). Either way - I knew my partner wouldn't be happy, and for that matter, neither would I. I allowed this to be my guide. (some of the reports I read I couldn't tell if they were on RCL or DCL...thus I couldn't confirm which 'lunch' to anticipate).

The above was the ONLY factor that turned me against going to Tulum. Everything else I read made me want to go. In the end, I chose San Gervasio - more on that in a sec.... BUT - I eased my mind in knowing I would likely return to Cozumel on another cruise line, and I found RCL offers the excursion with a beach lunch that is much more appealing for us. So, I pacified myself with with this thought.

For, San Gervasio - I don't regret it for a second!!!! LOVED it - even thought it's no Tulum, these now ruins played a KEY role in Mayan culture, and our guide detailed the history of the ruins wonderfully! I was in awe with the cultural significance of this place - and how the Mayans made there way to the island. It should not be missed nor discredited because it isn't as visually impressive.

In my excursion research, I read that mosquito repellent is a must and it must contains deet - I read skin-so-soft or other earth friendly measures are no match for the mosquitoes there. (There are some heated threads out there on this topic.) I read this is because it's in the center of the island and can be warm and no breeze - thus mosquitoes. It was easy to find at my local big box retailer, and I took a can just in case. Turns out, it was VERY breezy on our visit, and it was not needed. ...which I was glad, because the deet stuff bothers my asthma.

We took an 'adults only' excursion, and it didn't stop at a beach. Instead, we went to a tequila factory (think display and a store vs. a place of production) and a Mexican history center. The later were enjoyable but not the highlight - and the group on our excursion made it all the more fun. I also liked that it was only 4 hours, and we had the rest of the day to relax and enjoy it - take in other things around the pier and on the ship.

I was very happy with my choice and am looking forward to visiting Tulum in the future.

Extra tidbit...I just started reading "Caribbean" by James Michener....and the story begins where else.....but with San Gervasio - SOOOO glad I was there!

 

[my2princessgirls]

We did the Tulum Ruins in May of 2013 with our then 8 & 10 year olds. It was a long excursion, but completely worth it. Our girls still talk about it.