Tolum Not Recommended for Children Under 8?

[Poly Pal]

I just read on the DCL website that the Tolum Ruins Excursion is not recommended for children under age 8 (but they do offer pricing for ages 5 - 9). They do not give a reason for this recommendation. Does anybody know why this might be?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[max123]

Hi, we just returned from the 8/16 Western Cruise and were originally going to take the Tulum ruins tour, but changed our minds and did the San Gervasio ruins and beach break.

Our table mates did the Tulum ruins and thought it was very nice, but their children were over 11 yrs old. Very hot, but interesting and that they were well cared for by their guides. They did not think that the walking at the ruins was strenuous and could have been handled easily by our 11 yr old DD.

We changed our minds due to the length of the trip 7 - 8 hrs and the anticipated heat for August.

If we were to take the Western Cruise in the Fall, I would probably give this excursion a try.

thanks

 

[TootyJane]

Originally posted by Poly Pal
I just read on the DCL website that the Tolum Ruins Excursion is not recommended for children under age 8 (but they do offer pricing for ages 5 - 9). They do not give a reason for this recommendation. Does anybody know why this might be?

My guess is that the Tulum excursion makes for a long day plus it is extremely hot and many children, especially under 8, wouldn't appreciate what they're seeing. We just returned from the Voyager. My Mom, SIL and niece (12) did the Tulum excursion we and my brother opted to do the Jungle Jeep Tour. Mom said it was extremely hot and said even my niece complained how hot it was. HTH

 

[Doctor P]

We did Tulum last month. The terrain you walk on is very uneven and rugged, but a child of 8 with supervision should be able to handle it. Yes, it is hot, but it was not as hot as we expected frankly. There was a nice breeze and there was shade that you could get some relief. The tour goes quickly as there is about 4 hours of transit time in the 7 hours (actually a little less in our experience) from the time you assemble in the Walt Disney Theater to the time you return to the dock. I would suggest that you bring lots of cold water and wear your swimsuits in case you want to swim (there is time to swim at the Tulum Beach if you wish to cool off or not walk around any more--lots of people chose to do this when we were there).

 

[saturday97]

We did Tulum in the end of April with our DS 5. As the other posters have said, it was HOT! Friends who have visited in November say it's always that hot.

Our DS had no trouble walking around the ruins (it's really not that rough but there's alot of ground to cover) but it was a really long day: a nauseating ferry ride, a long, boring bus ride, and frankly, nothing much to interest kids when we got there except a small beach (the beach is nice and looked very clean, but it was crowded and there isn't much of a place to rinse off and change, and doing the ferry and bus again in a sandy suit wasn't appealing). My kid was a trooper but had I realized how grueling it was going to be for him, I would have sent DH on his own.

My DH insisted we do this excursion because ruins are his "thing" but I wouldn't recommend it for kids unless they are teens or budding archeologists!

 

[jlawall]

I did this daytrip years ago when my DDs were young and it was a very long day. Our commute time was only about 2 hours round trip. It was hot. My kids enjoyed going thru the old ruins. I thought it was really cool to be in a place so ancient. I think it was good for them to see but it was more educational than recreational. Keep that in mind as you are planning.

 

[Poly Pal]

Thanks for the info everyone. Now I am torn!

2 hours on a bus - yikes! I think my kids (6 and 11) could handle it with their Gameboys for entertainment, but I think my wife would kill me!

I would like to see the ruins, but it seems like a long, hot day (we're going in August '04).

Does anybody have opinions on alternatives? I don't mind that we mix in some education with recreation.

 

[max123]

Hi again,

on the 8/16 western we did the San Gervasio ruin tour and beach break.

we saw ruins and were guided and given lots of history. This was about 2 - 2 1/2 hrs then we went to Playa De Sol beach for swimming etc....

DD and DH enjoyed this. I thought the ruins were hot, but at least it wasn't for 8 hrs.

 

[rsschneck]

We took our daughter last September. DD was 5 1/2 at that time. She was a trooper. Did fine but I wouldn't recommend it for young ones. Very hot! 110' with 85% humidity. Yes bumpy ferry ride. Walk back and forth to the tour buses. Long day! My DD was tired and hot so we did go to the beach which was VERY nice. Thank goodness for the beach really. DH finished the tour and we all got back on the bus together. I don't think my DD was very impressed. We thought it was amazing. Wouldn't do it again with young child. Just my 2 cents.