Cheaper way to get to Tulum (from Cozumel)

Me and a friend have a cruise booked on the Carnival Fantasy on Oct 26-30th. The day that we will port at Cozumel is on Oct 28th at 8am. Question, I see two different excursions to Tulum, one being 109$ and the other about 90$ via Carnival . Would it be too difficult or not recommended for us to try and get to Tulum outside of the cruise line for a cheaper price for the both of us? Neither one of us speak Spanish and did not know if this was feasible or not.

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Given the distance to the ruins, I wouldn't do it without a Carnival excursion.

Me and a friend have a cruise booked on the Carnival Fantasy on Oct 26-30th. The day that we will port at Cozumel is on Oct 28th at 8am. Question, I see two different excursions to Tulum, one being 109$ and the other about 90$ via Carnival . Would it be too difficult or not recommended for us to try and get to Tulum outside of the cruise line for a cheaper price for the both of us? Neither one of us speak Spanish and did not know if this was feasible or not.

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We did that excursion a couple of years ago. It is a long trip, would not recommend doing any of it on your own. We were on the last possible ferry going back to Cozumel from Playa del Carmen. The ship was supposed to leave at 4 pm. We were still on the ferry at 4. The ship waited for us, as the entire excursion was on the same ferry. This is one time you really NEED to book an excursion thru Carnival.

Yep, agree with everyone else on this -- the timing on a trip to Tulum is too tight to risk taking an outside excursion. Paying a bit more is well-worth it for your peace of mind.

Also, $90 and $109 aren't too bad for prices to Tulum, considering that it (presumably) includes ferry fares each way and transportation to and from the ruins down the coast from Playa del Carmen.

This is one of the few excursions that ppl recommend you go with carnival so that if you are late getting back, the ship will wait for you.

 

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Oh, bull, I have said this many times, they are many reputable companies on Trip Adviser. This is what they do for a living. You will not miss the boat. I personally think Cozumel to Tulum is a HUGE day. I'm exhausted think about ferries and buses. BTW, be prepared Tulum is hot as Hades.

Oh, bull, I have said this many times, they are many reputable companies on Trip Adviser. This is what they do for a living. You will not miss the boat. I personally think Cozumel to Tulum is a HUGE day. I'm exhausted think about ferries and buses. BTW, be prepared Tulum is hot as Hades.

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recommend is the key word, only because of Carnival's fear factor. Book with us, pay way too much, but we will wait for you. Some people would not get in a taxi if Carnival did not approve it

Oh, bull, I have said this many times, they are many reputable companies on Trip Adviser. This is what they do for a living. You will not miss the boat. I personally think Cozumel to Tulum is a HUGE day. I'm exhausted think about ferries and buses. BTW, be prepared Tulum is hot as Hades.

????? :confused::confused::confused:

I am confused?..... On which cruise did you have this experience?

We have done Tulum, and yes, IT is an ENTIRE day of travel, both on the water and on the bus. But well worth it!:D

We went in mid summer, yes it was hot, but not any hotter than the ship's sun decks...:)

I am confused, what experience are you talking about

"but not any hotter than the ship's sun decks" without the 20 mph winds

The one reason I would book through Carnival for this one is the ferry from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen. That ferry says it has a schedule - HaHaHa. Maybe on paper but it kinda runs on island time, and the weather and water conditions hold it up sometimes too. We were 20 minutes late leaving PdC on a clear sunny day. Just made it on board in time.

We book everything else with local companies or just grab a cab and head to a beach.

Go with carnival, it will probably be as cheap as a taxi,

And very hot, it was a little over 100 degrees in January of last year. We were there the same day Justin bieber was.... don't let angel, the tour guide recommend food places, they rip you off.

The ferry from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen is about 45 minutes, the bus ride from Play del Carmen to Tulum is about 45 minutes. That is 4 hours not counting the time you spend at the ruins. Tulum is one of the larger ruins and in my opinion you need at least 2 hours. That adds up to 6 hours and that is if there are no hiccups or issues during travel, like weather and traffic. Most of the site is in the sun and it is very hot and humid so make sure to bring water with you and keep drinking even if not thirsty.

Personally if I am going to leave the island of Cozumel for the mainland I would do it through the cruise line excursion so that if there are any delays getting back to the ship I would have a better chance of the ship still waiting and not sailing off into the sunset without me.

I do recommend seeing Tulum if you have never been and may never go back, they are breathtaking!

recommend is the key word, only because of Carnival's fear factor. Book with us, pay way too much, but we will wait for you. Some people would not get in a taxi if Carnival did not approve it

If it gives them peace of mine and allows them to enjoy the entire excursion without checking their watch every 10 minutes and the excursion is winding down, then the extra money they spend vs a private tour company is a tremendous value and money well spent.

If you book with Carnival, you will leave for Tulum directly from the ship. Your meeting place will be either on the ship, or right outside of it on the pier. They will WALK YOU over to the ferry, which leaves from an adjacent pier.

If you book on your own, you will have to get off the ship, find a taxi, ride to town (10 minutes), find the place to purchase your ferry ticket, purchase the ticket, then find & board your ferry. When you get to the mainland (about 45 minutes later), you will have to find ground transportation to Tulum (another 45 minutes to an hour away). And all of this with, as you say, not speaking Spanish. Reverse the whole process to get back to the ship, hoping there's no delay, and you get back on time. (Back to TOWN, that is... where you'll have to find a taxi to get back to the ship.)

If you book with Carnival, at the end of THEIR excursion, the ferry will drop you off within walking distance (adjacent pier) of your Carnival ship. This convenience factor is worth the extra $$ they charge, in my opinion. To use your word, it's simply more feasible to do it through Carnival.

Good luck to you! Tulum is wonderful. Enjoy your day there.

I've done it, but we were in port from 8 to 6:30, that made a difference. We took a taxi to the pier and ferried over to Playa del Carmen. We walked around, grabbed a Starbucks, and found Dollar on one of the side streets. We paid $47 for a bare to the bones (but still brand new) Nissan Manual Sedan and it came with the highest insurance package. We didn't even have a reservation. We drove down to Tulum and walked around the shopping mall. We took the little bus from the area to the entrance of Tulum and walked around. Very pretty place, but I prefer other ruin sites to Tulum. I think we took an hour in the park itself. We didn't pay for a guide, so if that's what you are looking for, I would find an excursion. At the exit, we bought some fresh paletas and took the shuttle back to the parking lot. We drove back to Playa Del Carmen and turned in the car. We walked around Playa Del Carmen again and dipped our feet in the water. Bought some things and took the ferry back. We walked around Downtown San Miguel, walked to the big grocery store, and took a taxi back to the ship, twice as we had to go back to the store as we forgot to get our driver's license that the store made my mother give up to use the scooter ($27 in taxis right there). The whole day besides the $27 taxi fare for the mess was around $100 (taxi, ferry, car, admission, parking, a taco that we reached over the fence of the back of some restaurant, some paletas) for the two of us. I think RCL was charging $300 at the time for the two of us. I think we got back at around 4:30/5 to the ship. We honestly were not worried about missing the ship as Costa Maya was only a three hour drive away on ADO in the worse case scenario, but still wouldn't have wanted to miss the ship. WE had a great day and we just felt like were just going out for a day trip at home. Would I recommend doing this? Probably not. We speak Spanish and not sure what would have happened if we could only speak English. It saved a lot of money though ;).

My two cents. Cozumel has so much to offer. Why not enjoy your time on the island and take another trip to the Riviera Maya when you have the time to enjoy all that is available to you there. Tulum is great (and the beach is beautiful!) but if you like ruins, you must see Chichen Itza! It's Tulum times 10! I love Tulum and the near by beaches of Akumal. I would hate to be rushed back to the ship instead of having the time to enjoy the local beauty. I think 2 separate trips are in order.

Given the distance to the ruins, I wouldn't do it without a Carnival excursion.

I agree.