Mayan ruins/cozumel beach break?

[AnnMorin]

Has anyone done this excursion (disney's) I would like to have our son see some type of history on the trip. (since he has to report back to his teacher) I had heard from some people that the cozumel ruins were a waste of time? Should we just skip it and go to the beach? thanks Ann

 

[floridaminnie]

I thought the Mayan ruins were a waste of time and I like the educational stuff. They are basically just a pile of rocks and our guide did not communicate well with our tour group. He went into too much depth on the Mayans mathmatical system and he tried teaching us to speak the language. We could not leave until we spoke it. I wasn't impressed with the beach and I'm also a beach person. Maybe someone had a good experience with this excursion.

 

[Buckaroo's Dad]

Hi Ann. The following is an excerp from a previous posting. Perhaps it will prove helpful...

The Intermar travel agency was a recommended shore excursion specialist in Froemmer's Guide to Cozumel. After attempting unsuccessfully to schedule a private trip to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, I opted for an ATV tour they offered for my DS9 and I. It turns out that the tour itself is provided - directly - by a company called Wild Tours. They are terrific. I am grateful The Intermar travel agency advised us of this particular tour, but you can save money by booking direct with Wild Tours. Still in all, the adventure was well worth the price.

We were driven to their less-than-impressive "headquarters" along Punta Chiquero Beach (approximately 9 miles from downtown San Miguel) by Intermar. Wild Tours will also provide transportation. When we arrived, my son and I needed to make use of their facilities. A young man working on one of the ATVs smiled at us and said, in broken English, that the bathroom was located behind the building and "any tree" would suffice. He was joking, as we turned the corner to find a porta-potty. This was my son's first exposure to an "open-air" toilet. His response was swift and true, "Phew, Daddy, this stinks!" I said something akin to "Welcome to Mexico, son." Needing to sit to complete my requirement, I elected to stroll - quickly - over to the outdoor restaurant diagonally across the road. They had an enclosed toilet but without any paper. Upon request yours truly was handed a roll of tissue paper and then I proceeded to read the sign over the sink as nature screamed. A warning was posted to not flush ANY paper down the toilet. Violaters will be fined. Ok. It was an interesting dilema, yes, but I will allow everyone reading this to draw their own conclusion to this living parable. Just make sure all family members, including yourself, attend to personal matters aboard ship prior to disembarking in Mexico.

We were scheduled to take a four-hour ATV tour. Long, but stops were included. The ATVs were in good working order and easy to maneuver. Two guides accompanied our group, which was comprised of approximately 12 guests. My son and I were the only cruisers as everyone else was staying at local resorts. One guide rode in the front ATV and a second followed behind the last ATV in a Jeep. The trail was smooth and sandy in some parts, rocky and high-flying in other parts and fun all over. My son and I were laughing and yelling and yahooing along with everyone else. We had one rest stop and then eventually came to a shaded bit of sandy trail where the guides requested we park just off the trail itself. I was under the impression that we were going to share in some refreshments and then return to their less-than-impressive headquarters again. The ride had been wonderful and the ocean views were breathtaking. But "my impression" of our tour segment proved incorrect.

You see, the guides walked us over a crest and onto the beach. Waiting there was a rustic table shaded by a single large umbrella. Underneath were bottles of ice-cold bottled water and Coke. A cooler also rested in the shade, filled with even more bottled water and Coke. It was so darn hot that I think I downed a half-liter bottle of water by merely pouring it down my throat. No, I wasn't the only guest to do just that. And no, I didn't let my son see either. If he exhibited such uncouth mannerisms there would be hell to pay. Then I noticed several offerings in the distance: kayaks. It turns out that The Intermar travel agency failed to advise me of the complete tour package. I was under the impression it was simply an ATV tour. Well, this wasn't the case. Our entire group ventured into one and two-person kayaks after donning snorkeling gear. I took my son out in the kayak but we waited while the others snorkeled. One of the guides waited with us in his kayak. The snorkeling area was a roped off section of ocean, approximately 300 feet from shore, just inside a barrier reef. The others seemed to enjoy the snorkeling.

Upon our return to the shore, the guides walked us back to the ATVs. They made certain each vehicle was working properly and then we began the return trip. Along the way, they stopped at a local Mayan temple ruin. One of the guides provided us with a brief history of the Mayan culture and related the ruins we visited to those found at Chichen Itza. Our group was advised that this Mayan temple possessed a strong influence over the wishes of all humans. So we individually cast a personal hope to these Mayan forces. Meanwhile, the other ATV guide was scrutenizing the sky. He told us it was going to rain and started counting backwards from 10. By the time he reached zero, the skies darkened and a downpour ensued. There was no place to seek shelter. Within 30 seconds we were all completely drenched. A minute later the rain stopped. As we looked at each other in amused astonishment, my son called out to the group, "Ok, who wished for rain?" He has never before been so outgoing but you'd never know it the way everyone laughed. It was a good closing remark to a most wonderful tour.

When we finally reached Wild Tours' less-than-impressive "headquarters," my son and I noticed that the Intermar van driver was waiting to return us to the Disney Magic. It was then we learned that our Wild Tours ATV tour ALSO included a late lunch at the same outdoor restaurant which had lacked toilet paper. The food looked terrific and smelled even better than it looked, but my son and I opted to return to the Magic for our regularly scheduled dinner. The guides informed me that their meal included liquor at no additional charge. I thanked them for their hospitality, tipped them for their marvelous efforts and promised them we would most certainly return if possible.

This is a not-to-be-missed tour! Kids and adults alike will love it. Their web site can be viewed at www.Cozumel.to/Tours/wildtours/wildtours.html. Go. And enjoy.

 

[TeensMom]

We did the Tulum Ruins tour and enjoyed it very much. We left the Magic on a speedy catamaran for the Mexican coast (I'm at work now and don't remember name of town - Playa del something (Carmen?)). A short hike through town to a large tour bus. From there about a one hour drive down to Tulum (with one 15 minute stop at a roadside market).

Our guide was a gentleman of Mayan descent. He was wonderful. He was very proud of his people and shared with us some of their history. The ruins at Tulum are in much better shape than any of them on Cozumel (which the literature we received from Disney confirms). Once there, our guide explained to us how they arranged their buildings and the windows in the buildings so that the sun shone through windows in successive buildings to hit particular bricks, thus indicating to the royals the start of seasons, etc. I'm not explaining it as well as he did - but he actually had us lined up so that we could see through all the windows.

As we walked around he explained different carvings, writings, etc. to us. He was an excellent "storyteller" and made the history come alive (He would make a good teacher).

After the approximately 1 hour tour/lecture, he told us how to get down to the beach and we had maybe an hour before we had to be back at the busses. The beach there was beautiful and not very crowded because its only access was through the ruins.

It was a wonderful trip. My only comment would be that young children who do not have significant stamina (walking on hills, rocks, etc.) or attention span to listen for 1 hours should not go. There were a couple of kids who whined throughout our presentation to the point that our guide pointed out the beach to their parents very early on and suggested they might enjoy it better.

This was probably our best excursion.

 

[Tay N Evie's Mom]

If you are talking about the Cozumel Ruins and Beach Tour Excursion, we did it on the May 11 cruise. It was the worst excursion that we've been on and I've been on DCL 3 times and have taken all my excursions through DCL. Can't go in depth now (have to get the kids off to school) but I was so upset about the quality of the excursion that I called the excursion desk before I even put my bag down.

 

[AnnMorin]

Tay n Evie's mom, please email me with the details of why the excursion was so bad. Thanks! Ann

 

[Debbie in Townsville]

When you get a chance, would you post the details here, please?

Thanks!

 

[AnnMorin]

Hi Debbie, from the email that Tay n Evie's mom sent me the gyst I got was it was a very long and expensive excursion.. She has four year old twins and they had to leave at 10:30 and did not return until 5pm with no food. This is different that what disney says as it was suppossed to be if I am correct only a four hour or so excursion. My son is nine and a half -almost ten by the time we go so it may not be as hard on him. I would love to hear from someone else with older children who have done this. I will say that I would pack some food as that seems to be a big issue with this excursion-and water. Ann

 

[MrsG]

We were on the 7/6 Tulum excursion and we really enjoyed it and would do it again. We had the same great experience as Teensmom (see above). I also think we had the same guide. Keep it mind, this excursion has been tweeked since it started in May. They had just added the beach break about a week before we went so there was still confusion about what to wear, where to change, but it all worked out.

I don't think this excursion is for young children (under 10 or so) although some younger children may enjoy it. It was a beautiful setting and very interesting. We had a subway lunch and got back in time to enjoy Cozumel before our late dinner.

Keep in mind, you have to like this kind of historical stuff. It can also be VERY hot in the summer.