Discover Mexico Cultural Park - on your own?

[lorenni]

Has anyone visited this place on your own? As far as I can see, DCL has a $40/pp markup over booking direct, and taxis appear to cost $10-15 each way. So I can’t see the rationale for the markup...

 

[Marc D]

All DCL port excursions include a markup and it can often be significant. It covers DCL profits and cost of coordinating the excursion (ticket emission, bus transportation, port circulation, port adventure desk salaries, CM’s managing trafic on port day, web site maintenance, publicity material, etc.).

It saves you the effort of doing research, provides a safer means of transportation or the need to exchange money one-on-one, and offers somewhat of a guarantee that you will not miss the ship.

Plenty of guests book things on their own. Many only book onboard, knowing they are paying more. It all has to do with your comfort level vs costs.

 

[lorenni]

Thanks - I’ve done a number of DCL cruises and mostly book port activities outside of DCL so am aware of the general pros and cons of booking thru DCL or on my own.

I’m curious about this location specifically because given that the only thing additional provided by DCL is the transportation to and from the location, the markup seems particularly steep. Booking direct is $65 versus $99 for kids, $75 versus $109 for adults. That’s why I was hoping someone with first hand experience could provide some insight as to whether there is a reason in this instance. Cozumel is pretty safe (not like mainland Mexico these days) and taxis are not expensive...

 

[iloveeeyore]

DH and I are both just off the Fantasy, sitting in MCO as I type. I advise doing something else in Cozumel. The place was a pretty cheezy tourist trap. We had a great cruise and aren't really sorry we did this excursion...live and learn...but we will be writing Disney to ask them what they are thinking offering this tour at that price! Do the tequila tasting on the ship instead!

 

[lorenni]

DH and I are both just off the Fantasy, sitting in MCO as I type. I advise doing something else in Cozumel. The place was a pretty cheezy tourist trap. We had a great cruise and aren't really sorry we did this excursion...live and learn...but we will be writing Disney to ask them what they are thinking offering this tour at that price! Do the tequila tasting on the ship instead!

Thanks for the heads up! My kiddo is a huge Coco fan and wants to do the Alebrije painting offered there. I’m sure it’s still expensive for what you get booking direct but perhaps bearable .

 

[Marc D]

I’m curious about this location specifically because given that the only thing additional provided by DCL is the transportation to and from the location, the markup seems particularly steep. Booking direct is $65 versus $99 for kids, $75 versus $109 for adults. That’s why I was hoping someone with first hand experience could provide some insight as to whether there is a reason in this instance. Cozumel is pretty safe (not like mainland Mexico these days) and taxis are not expensive...

Their costs are fix and they pass them on to you. They get charged by the tour operator a cost per person that includes the bus rental for a day, a driver, a guide and the park tickets. They then add their own internal costs and profit margin. They do not adjust the prices based on what it would cost you to do the same thing on your own using a taxi.

In some rare instances - early entry in museums in St-Petersburgh, Russia, the chocolate factory tour in Nassau with the hands-on experience, the farm visits in Norway that include a snack - cruise tours have exclusive add-ons, but most of the time, the transportation and guide are the only thing that differentiates the cruise tour from doing things on your own.

In this instance, reading the description of the tour on both the DCL and park’s website, it seems the wooden Coco alebrije they provide during the workshop is exclusive to tours operated through Disney. Someone who went on their own might be able to tell you if they still provide them then.

 

[Qbie]

I agree with others about this place. Save yourself the money and do something else. It's a big tourist trap place and really isn't worth it.

 

[lorenni]

I agree with others about this place. Save yourself the money and do something else. It's a big tourist trap place and really isn't worth it.

Thanks. I suspect I’ll end up telling him the tour wasn’t available and just hitting up the beach instead I lived in southern Mexico for a year so I’m OK with folks trying to make an living on tourists, but if the feedback is so bad I don’t want to spend $150-200 visiting this place.

 

[tlprice]

I do often wonder what DCL is charging for. When we were in Livorno it was $194 per person to climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa through DCL. My daughter and I did it on our own (including transportation) for $40 per person. In Cobh, Ireland DCL was charging $150 per person for the Titanic Experience and we did it for $48 per person on our own.