Secret River vs Xcaret vs Xel-ha?

[Joel 67]

We are booked on our first cruise to the western Caribbean departing 3/29/15.

Looking into excursion for Cozumel for me and my 2 kids aged 8 and 9. Both can swim and are generally adventurous. For those who have been to any 2 of these 3, which do think my kids would prefer: Secret River, Xcaret, or Xel-ha?

As far as I can tell, they are all on the mainland and require a ferry plus a bus ride.

 

[gavakie]

We did a trip to Play del Carmen last year and did Xel-Ha one day. It was really fun and the free buffet for lunch and breakfast was a nice touch. We had a lot of fun doing it. One thing I might recommend is when we signed up there was also a option with Xel-Ha to do half a day at Tulum. Tulum was gorgeous and well worth the visit.

 

[Heard02]

Done both and I think Xel-Ha was better.

 

[algae]

I've only done the Secret River, so not 2 of the 3 as you queried. To me, the Xcaret and Xel-Ha parks look pretty cool and fun, but they seem to be similar to parks or attractions you can experience elsewhere. The Secret River is a very unique experience that would be tough to find elsewhere unless you are really into spelunking. That's why we opted for that excursion and are glad that we did. I'm sure you will enjoy any of those options, but I recommend the Secret River for something truly special.

 

[sippican]

Between Xel ha and Xcaret, Xel Ha is my favorite.
We have been to a number of destinations, and have never encountered a water park like Xel Ha. We love it so much we''ve been twice.
Secret River looks like a very unique experience. I do recall that some reviewers mentioned being cold, but don't know if it depends on time of year or other factors. They do provide wetsuits.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...aya_del_Carmen_Yucatan_Peninsula.html#REVIEWS

 

[CT Mom of 3]

I've only done the secret river but it was AWESOME!! My kids wanted to do it again last year when we were in Cozumel again. So fun.

The ferry ride is a doozy though.

 

[Samar]

Anyone pooh sized been to Rio Secreto? It looks amazing but me in a wet suit? lol Gah! Same for Xcaret?

Also for religious reasons, I have to be covered head to toe. Will I still be allowed?

 

[mom4fun]

Bumping this for more replies. Surely someone has been to 2 out of 3?

 

[algae]

Anyone pooh sized been to Rio Secreto? It looks amazing but me in a wet suit? lol Gah! Same for Xcaret?

Also for religious reasons, I have to be covered head to toe. Will I still be allowed?

The Rio Secreto people do have some really large wet suits, but I'd contact them to make sure. You have to wear a full-body wet suit, rock shoes and a helmet. Does that count? You can always bring your own wet suit and stuff if you really want/need to. Best to just contact the destinations directly and ask.

 

[Samar]

The Rio Secreto people do have some really large wet suits, but I'd contact them to make sure. You have to wear a full-body wet suit, rock shoes and a helmet. Does that count? You can always bring your own wet suit and stuff if you really want/need to. Best to just contact the destinations directly and ask.

As long as it's full arms and legs then I'm good I don't own a wet suit nor considered owning one

 

[Kittylover513]

We went to both rio Secreto and xcaret on a vacation a couple of years ago (ie not on a cruise). Rio secreto was an amazing experience. I personally though XCaret was not worth it at all.

Rio secreto has wetsuits for all sizes but they are "shorties" ie not full leg

 

[98slowbra]

We did the Xel-ha, the only bad thing about it was the traffic, the excursion should have taken 4 hours but took 11 hours, we were on the bus to go back and that was a 6 hour drive, traffic there is the worst I have ever seen I will never go back there again.

 

[mom4fun]

It was really fun and the free buffet for lunch and breakfast was a nice touch.

What was really fun?

 

[mom4fun]

We did the Xel-ha, the only bad thing about it was the traffic, the excursion should have taken 4 hours but took 11 hours, we were on the bus to go back and that was a 6 hour drive, traffic there is the worst I have ever seen I will never go back there again.

When did you go?

 

[98slowbra]

When did you go?

We did this in Dec of 2013, I will never forget it. It took us over 2 hours to get there and like 6 hrs to get back. There was 2 ships at dock and not our ship but the other one had to wait for the people to get back since the ship was supposed to take off at a certain time and it sat there waiting on the people that took that tour for hours. The traffic there is the worst I have seen in the world. On the way back from Xel-ha there were road blocks with the cops out stopping everyone every mile. This took us the whole day and should have taken 4 hours. I will never step foot in Playa del Carmen again. The ferry Ride over was about a hour also.
By the time we made it back to the ship I was not in a very good mood, I wanted to see other things and did not get to do any of that. Was Xel-ha fun, yes it was fun but the ride there and back was the worst I have ever done.

 

[nunzia]

Done both and I think Xel-Ha was better.

Agree..haven't done Secret River, but I thought Xcaret was much more in trying to get you to spend more and not as much to offer. Xel-Ha was great

 

[nunzia]

We did this in Dec of 2013, I will never forget it. It took us over 2 hours to get there and like 6 hrs to get back. There was 2 ships at dock and not our ship but the other one had to wait for the people to get back since the ship was supposed to take off at a certain time and it sat there waiting on the people that took that tour for hours. The traffic there is the worst I have seen in the world. On the way back from Xel-ha there were road blocks with the cops out stopping everyone every mile. This took us the whole day and should have taken 4 hours. I will never step foot in Playa del Carmen again. The ferry Ride over was about a hour also.
By the time we made it back to the ship I was not in a very good mood, I wanted to see other things and did not get to do any of that. Was Xel-ha fun, yes it was fun but the ride there and back was the worst I have ever done.

Wow, what an awful experience. I did Xel-Ha and Tulum as a combo tour while staying at a resort in Playa Del Carmen so the ride was no big deal..very modern nice bus, traffic ok, no stopping. Now, if I was docked at Cozumel and needed to take a ferry? I dunno. Sitting on the beach looking toward Cozumel and seeing the cruise ships, it looked like a long way away.

 

[mom4fun]

It sounds like you went at a bad time. We were at xcaret in april and had none of these problems. It was enough time to get a feel for the park and we had a really great time.

 

[JEJ]

We did both Xcaret and Xel-Ha when our kids were roughly those ages. We all preferred Xel-Ha.

 

[dektolia]

I did a day trip to Xel-ha and Tulum in 2003 while staying in Cancun (not a cruise).

I wished I had more time at Xel-ha and, while the Tulum area was beautiful, I was disappointed in the Tulum portion of the trip. At least at the time, the guides kept the groups outside/off the structures to protect the structures. One guide even held up a national geographic magazine with a picture of a beautifully preserved mural just inside the ruins. We weren't actually allowed to see the mural (so that it wouldn't be damaged). I left disappointed that others had damaged the site in the past and that the measures they need to take to protect the site take away from the unique experience of actually being there. I could have looked at national geographic pictures at home.

There were definitely beautiful areas, very scenic, and one of my favorite photos from that vacation was taken at Tulum. Overall I felt like I would have had a better experience skipping the Tulum portion, spending in the whole day at Xel-ha and visiting ruins in another trip (rather than trying to fit both in one day).