Xel-Ha or Xcaret in Cozumel???

[DisneyGyrl]

I'm trying to decide which place I'd rather visit. It will be my 7 year old son and myself. I'd really appreciate any feedback from either or both of these locations!

Thanks!

 

[ontariomonkey]

they seem similar in so many ways, I found it hard to decide which one to go to. we chose xel-ha. the food was included and there was lots of selection, my super picky DH ate well. for some reason I thought there was a lazy river where you leasurely float on a tube. in actual fact, the current will carry you for a bit but you end up in this huge lake and you really have to swim for it to get to shore. the cool thing is that they take your shoes etc and lock it in a bag for you and it meets you at the end of the river.

I was pretty underwhelmed by the quality of the snorkelling, it was nothing like "a living aquarium". But oh well, maybe I went to the wrong spot. The current was quite strong too.

My sister when to excaret and really enjoyed the underground river, said it was gorgeous.

I don't really suppose that you can make a bad choice, regardless you'll have a great day I'm sure.

 

[kutchyone]

Just visited Tulum and Xel-Ha August when we did an AI in the Riviera Maya. See comments in red:

"We chose xel-ha. The food was included and there was lots of selection, my super picky DH ate well." The food on the buffet was wonderful, better then the food at are AI buffet. Very large variety, always hot and the dining area and buffet area were spotless. Enjoyed the adult beverages too, they are included in the price. for some reason I thought there was a lazy river where you leasurely float on a tube. in actual fact, the current will carry you for a bit but you end up in this huge lake and you really have to swim for it to get to shore. the cool thing is that they take your shoes etc and lock it in a bag for you and it meets you at the end of the river. Didn't bother with the floats, we did snorkel the river and had a blast.
I was pretty underwhelmed by the quality of the snorkelling, it was nothing like "a living aquarium". But oh well, maybe I went to the wrong spot. The current was quite strong too. Would have to agree about the snorkelling, nothing like Castaway Cay. It was a really good location for me to instruct my sister on how to snorkel since she had never done it. She is now hooked. We did see rays and many different types of fish but not in the quantity that "a living aquarium" led me to believe although I suppose one fish is "a living aquarium." We had no issues witht he current.

Swimming in the cave was no big deal and Cenotes were a disappointment too.

If you are going to snorkel I think you can find a better location just off of Cozumel.

 

[pearljammer]

I'd definately choose Xel-Ha. It was a lot of fun. We went prior to having kids and loved it. They have cenotes which when you look up, they'll take you're picture down below. I would suggest it. I don't know if you can do Tulum, been there as well (not from cruising though - from AI resort) and Tulum was BEAUTIFUL! Stunning really. It will be fun either way. Enjoy!

 

[DisneyGyrl]

It's settled. After loads of research and the DIS boards input, I booked a spot for Xel-Ha. Thanks for the info!!! Now that my ressies are complete, the cruise is beginning to feel a little more real!!! I'm really excited

 

[DisneyGyrl]

For those of you who have done Xel-Ha through Disney, around what time were you back onboard the ship?

 

[Zeppelin]

wanted to bump this thread as we are taking the Fantasy in August....anyone been to either of these places recently???

 

[TivoQueen]

Xel-Ha hands down. We did it back in 2010 and loved it. We weren't on a cruise, but staying at an All Inclusive Resort. It was the best day of our vacation by far. The food was better than at our resort and it was included and unlimited. And so were the drinks. The snorkeling in the lagoon was ok, nothing great. For my 3 kids it was great. We ride the tubes through the freshwater mangrove into the river and into the lagoon. My husband and 2 older kids (age 6 and 9) actually just swan and snorkeled the whole way while me and my 2 year old floated on a tube. There are trails through the jungle that take you to cenotes and caves. We truely enjoyed all of it. They have all kinds of animals to get your pictures with (birds, monkey;s , iguanas) too. I would only caution that they have people everywhere taking your picture as you do things. Sometime we knew we were getting our photo taken and sometimes we did not. They display them all at the entrance of the park so you can view and purchase on your way out. The photos were so good I bought them all (around 20 or so) and they are not cheap nor did they offer a package deal of any type. That may of changed now. I think I spent over $200 on photos, but couldn't help myself.

 

[Jaybear]

Not to complicate things for you, but we spent Thanksgiving in Playa del Carmen, and we spent a day at Xcaret. It was fabulous -- clean, well organized, beautiful and lots of great animals to see. I haven't been to Xel-Ha, but I have trouble imagining a better day.

Xcaret is a lot closer -- I think Xel-Ha requires a bit of additional travel as it's almost all the way down to Tulum.