Caverns by jeep and beach combo? Whatcha think?

[Splatt]

:DHoping for some info from anyone that has done this excursion in Cozumel. This sounds like a lot of fun. What were the highlights of this trip, what were the caverns like, how much beach time did you have, etc. Any information would be great! We will be there in April

[ChiBearsSuperFan]

We did this excursion a couple of years ago. We loved it! Its not on the island of Cozumel. You take a ferry to the mainland, into Playa del Carmen. It was 7 hours long in Jeep Saharas with the tops off. Manual transmission. 4 to a Jeep. The beach stop was nice. White sand with a buffet lunch provided. Palapas and plenty of chairs. Dont remember how long we were there but im sure it was at least an hour. The caverns were pretty neat. Put on your hardhat and head into the big rock! Look out for the bats! Very humid in there from what I remember. Didnt do the cavern swimming ourselves but plenty of people did. They seemed to enjoy it. Thats all I can remember about it right now. Let me look at my pics and see if anything else jogs my memory that I think you might want to know.

[rrraydon]

my husband and 10yr old daughter did it a few years ago. we had a great time. the water in the caverns was a bit chilly. the lunch procived was great mexican food. they have wave runners there you can rent too. the beach stay was a couple of hours.

[Splatt]

Thanks for the great info! This is sounding like a great excursion. Does anyone have more information? We love the beach and hoping that a decent amount of time will be spent there. PLEASE....tell us more!! :) LOL!!

[rrraydon]

We went in March 2008 on the Fascination. If my memory serves I remember it being a little rough in the waters due to a recent storm. Also due to the storm there were alot of rocks in the water until you got out over your waist. I remember wishing I had brought water shoes.

 

After arriving in Cozumel we were taken to another boat/ferry and brought to another port. We walked a few blocks to an area where they had the jeeps. Once in the jeeps people came around trying to sell straw hats. Once you said no to one person a new one came up. I'll bet we were asked at least 6x before we got out of there. We drove in a line, one guide leading and one guide in the rear. We driove about 20 min to the caverns first. Walked from the entrance through small jungle..lol..with a guide as he gave a history of the place. I remember there being a couple of small shops..and i mean small. They take pics throughout, we bought a couple. I expected it to be a pretty, serene alcove with pretty flowers and trees at the caves. Nope, it's rugged..lol. But we still enjoyed it. After staying for a couple of hrs we drove about 20 min to the beach area. hopped out of the jeeps and walked over to the area they had set out for the lunch. my husband and i love mexican and were thrilled with the nice lunch they had prepared. there were round wood tables with umbrellas where you sat to eat. Also some wave runners to rent. not many people there just our tour. we didn't get much time at the beach, maybe an hour, as there was a delay when we ported in cozumel of us getting off the ship by an hour and a half. so our excursion was cut short. after we returned to the jeep parking it was dark and we were all running the few blocks back to the ferry cause the Fascination was ready to leave and they were holding the ship for us. there was about 30-40 of us.

 

Happy cruising!

[Splatt]

I am liking this trip more and more! Keep that information coming if anyone has some! We are trying to decide between this jeep/cavern day or just a day at a beach. Nachi com is booked up for the day that we will be in port. We are very bummed about this and trying to find something else.

[misssea]

I would highly recommend this excursion. It is pretty much what the last posts said. The water in the cavern is a little cool (they will tell you it is not cool but refreshing), however, I am a wimp when it comes to swimming in cool water and it wasn't that cool. You won't need sgoes for the caverns as there is soft limestone on the bottom. Defininitely take some kind of shoes if you plan on going in the ocean, though. The beach is very nice but there are tons of sharp rocks in the water. There was plenty of time to eat lunch and lounge around. The only problem I had was that the jeep I drove didn't have a rear view mirror like all of the others. Made it interesting!

[crisrn2003]

We did this excursion a few years ago and absolutely LOVED it! My father would go and stay in the cave for hours if they would have let him.

We had to take the ferry over to the mainland. As a group, we had a briefing about riding in a caravan in the 4x4 (4 seat) Jeeps. The rotten thing was there were 6 of us, so my parents had to ride with another couple. My parents are a bit older and it was a little difficult for them to climb into the back of the jeep. And my dad didn't get to drive, which he loves to do.

We traveled about 30 minutes to the caves. There is no air conditioning in the jeep so they gave us the option of top of the jeep up or down. We chose down. I got sunburned. Just FYI---I didn't even realize it was happening. There was a tour and info about the cave before we actually went in. I wore flip flops and they were fine. The water is cold. About 65 degrees (I think). I hyperventilated a little when I got in but adjusted in about 3-4 minutes and then was fine. They asked us not to dive in and to not stir up the bottom due to the ecological system in there. We had to wear life vests to keep us up off the bottom. There is a seperate "room" you can swim into but we were warned it was a tight fit to get in there. The men in my family went and saw a preserved animal at the bottom of the cave. They said it was tight going in, but not the way they came out. The water is very refreshing and removes all the natural oils off your skin. Interesting feeling when we got out. Then we walked up a trail, got a free soda/water. Then out to the jeeps. There is a small shop there and people carrying handcrafted jewelry. They are a bit assertive, but not aggressive.

We then drove about 30 minutes or so to the beach. There was alot of limestone on the beach, especially in the shallow water. My father wore his crocs in and out and carried my daughter since she only had tennis shoes. They food was good---chicken, chips, lettuce/tomato, fresh made salsa, guacamole, fresh fruit, sodas/water. Some people raved about it. I thought it was okay. Various tastes and whatnot. We were in the cave about 45 minutes and on the beach 1 hour (give or take a little.)

Then it was back into the jeeps and back to the pier. I got to see areas away from the pier area, so that was an awakening for me and the kids. Poverty was an understatement in some of the areas.

We had a great time. Loved the cave! We've seen better beaches, but it wasn't terrible. Fun was had by us all. Hope this helps!

[Kimbere]

I am so glad I found this thread! :D We just booked for December and this excursion caught my eye. Thought it sounded like a great time for us....hubby, me, daughter 11 and son 8. I think we would all enjoy it a lot. Keep those ideas coming!! :)

[misssea]

There is a platform for diving in and they actually encouraged us to dive in. I generally inch in when I know the water is cold but went for the big dive since I was on vacation and didn't want to look like a wimp! It probably was the best way to get in!

[c5robdean]

we are going on the dream in march and looking at this excursion .it sounds great.was there anytime for shopping when you got back to cozumel?

[gaham_gr]

I'm actually thinking of doing this excursion but am a little worried about the swimming part in the cavern since i don't know how to swim.. How deep is it? I know they give life vests but they aren't floats! Do they do the trick? Any info would be appreciated.

[crisrn2003]

I'm actually thinking of doing this excursion but am a little worried about the swimming part in the cavern since i don't know how to swim.. How deep is it? I know they give life vests but they aren't floats! Do they do the trick? Any info would be appreciated.

 

They actually do keep you afloat. My daughter couldn't swim and they did fine for her. It's really not about swimming. It's more about floating and bobbing about and taking in the experience of floating in a cave. I don't remember about the shopping but it doesn't seem like there was too much time left over. Just some there at the pier, I think.

[rthling]

Is there any way to book this without going through Carnival? On our first cruise (only cruise!) we booked excursions independently of the cruise line. We had such great experiences! We are trying to find something comparable to the Caverns by Jeep and Beach Combo, without paying $99 per person.

[justlaff69]

Web sites:

Chaak-Tun Caverns ~ http://www.sac-be.com/chaak_tun.shtml

LaPlaya Beach Club ~ http://www.laplayaxpuha.com (need to translate)

 

We went this year and lunch wasn't provide but it's still the best excursion we've done.

We like swimming in cold water, it cools the core and keeps you cool for the rest of the day. :D

They had showers to rinse off.

The beach was great, they had a nice coral formation, I saw tons of fish including a trumphet fish and an eel.

 

The jeeps were newer and our radio worked. We had a blast bouncing around town with classic rock blaring through the speakers.

It was so much more personal driving/riding in the open air car than being carted around in a luxury bus.

 

Is there any way to book this without going through Carnival? ... comparable to the Caverns by Jeep and Beach Combo, without paying $99 per person.

I wouldn't recommend it with Carnival's port time. The excursion is 7 hrs long and they take you from the pier, you don't have to taxi downtown nd wait for the ferry schedule. You need a full 8 or more, just so you wouldn't be rushed.

Time/Cash break down:

10 min from pier to downtown ferry ($6eaRT)

??? time for Ferry to depart (runs every other hour)

45 min Ferry ride ($34ea RT)

20 cab ride to Caverns (est 14ea RT) (Add 15-20/hour to wait)

I didn't see a ticket booth.

So that's a minimum of 2 hrs transportation time leaving you about less than 5 hrs.

 

You're at a bare minimum of 64/person and that's with a low estimate on the cabs fares.

[rthling]

Thanks for the breakdown! We shall just do it through Carnival. I appreciate the reply.

 

 

Diane

Sailing on Carnival Elation 1/21/2013