Questions ~ Xcaret / Xel Ha

[xo101]

I have read for hours searching for these answers and I can't seem to find them (or I am missing it!). Or the post is from 2006 :)

 

Was hoping someone could help me out with this. I am trying to decide between Xcaret & Xel Ha, and I think the price/availability of Taxi's could be a determining factor. Xel Ha seems to be the cheapest AI option, but I know it is the fartherest and figured taxi fare might put it up close to the same price as Xcaret.

 

1. How much is a taxi from Calica (port) to Xcaret & then how much to Xel Ha? (for 3 people)

 

2. Are taxis readily available at either location for my return trip, since we are only in port until 5pm I don't want to risk not being able to find a taxi back.

 

3. (Non-taxi question) If I purchase the PLUS package for Xcaret, how much is the deposit for the towels, snorkel equipment, and the locker? Do they actually put a hold on your card at that time? If so, how long does it take it to fall off? Has anyone had problems with them NOT returning the deposit? I read on some (very old) messages that a few people complained they didn't get the entire deposit returned.

 

4. How far is the Underground River at Xcaret? If we leave our camera in the locker, I would like to know how far it is of a walk back to get it so as to not miss any "important shots." :)

 

Thanks!!!

Katrina

[dyson]

Personally, I am going to Xcartet from what I have read its bigger.

 

I also like the idea of being able to book directly through carnival, It costs about 6 bucks per person more but if you cant port in because of weather you get a refund or if the bus breaks down they will wait for you

[jerrypepe]

we were just there and we reserved a rental and we picked it up right at the Calica Pier. Total cost was 33 USD plus gas. A great deal and you can drive where ever you want.

[dyson]

Not sure if this is to late for you but we just got back yesterday,

Xcaret was incredible, You honestly can not see everything in one full day unless you are running.

 

We loved it and would love to go again if we could.

We booked through the cruise line because they provided transportation there. And the bus was great it looked like one from the old movies with chickens and fruit and baggage on the top all plastic of coarse

 

The only downside about Xcaret and I mean ONLY is they dont warn you about the cost of food.

there are 4 options 3 are buffet and are 30.00 per person US very expensive even for a park

the other option is a beach-side bar/restaurant Their prices were okish 10.00 for a hamburger and 2.00 for 1/2 can of soda but the food wasnt great wife got sick from the sausage dog they advertised as a hot dog.

and the seagulls were real bad I saw several people loose their meals and the staff didnt care. I mean they literally flooded a table to the point that the people had to run away and the staff watched and made them buy more

 

So as much as I hate to say it go to the buffet......

 

The lazy river was COLD but incredible not sure if it was natural or not honestly...< meaning the walls and such >

there are several spots you can get off the river. and if you are not a strong swimmer. get off when you see the ropes on the wall.

at one point I was pulling 4 people behind me<g> got my workout for the day

 

We went off to the side caverns and saw allot of extra stuff...

 

Please dont rent a locker you really don't need one. the only area you will is the lazy river and they give you bags that lock for free you load everything up and keep the key. they drive it to the end of the river.

 

Lastly they will take your pic everywhere but they take 3 hours to process, so more than likely you wont get them all or even any we lucked out and got one

the dolphins are great there is a tunnel with a glass viewing wall one swam right up to the wall with a small sick and played with us with it then another cam over and they played with us rubbing their snouts against the glass like they were nuzzling us they payed together and swam in circles.

 

it was incredible i just cant explain it properly i got some amazing pictures .

 

the sea turtles were incredible, I never realized how big they were and they had hundreds in all stages of life i was inches from ones head he raised up and looked at me sorta burped and swam away

 

it is a wonderful park

[xo101]

Dyson, thanks for that wonderful detailed post!!! I would be interested in seeing your pics if you decide to post them online anywhere!

 

Your post was very helpful and I am very glad to know about the locker / food options. Does the cruise line offer the all inclusive option? On the site it says the AI option is only $30 more and I believe that includes a drink, so it might be a little bit of savings to go ahead and just book that option. I called Carnival and she said that they have not posted the schedule beyond May (at that point) ... my cruise is not till August, so I just have to wait a couple more months before they will actually get the schedule posted for my ship (that's why it looks like its not available right now.)

 

Based on the recommendations from several of you, I will plan to book direct through the cruise lines, which is what I wanted to do originally but it just wasn't showing up as an available option on my excursion list. (Still too far out!)

 

Thanks again! Can't wait to go Xcaret!

Katrina

[dyson]

Hiya again,

to my knowledge carnival did not offer a Ai package only the basic. I booked it online and got it cheaper than I would have n the boat.

your friends were right there were taxis everywhere and PDC is only about 10 min away. We had full intentions of going there to the wal mart to get souvenirs.

So the plan was leave at 2 and go to PDC but it didn't happen there was so much to do. before we realized it it was 345 and the last buss leaves at 4pm

they have one at 2-3-4 the ship leaves at 4:30

 

I will try to figure out a way to post some pics, Wife has them on her facebook page already and I'm not a facebook person :)

 

trust me you want to go to the buffet even if its more the otehr option is scary

 

Make sure you get all natural sunblock they check it at the door. if its not they take it from you and give you a sample of one that is. they will give you a number so you can get it when you leave. I was the only one on the tour with a all natural had the whole neiner neiner thing going :)

 

they will show you some options of extra things to do there but unless it is something you just are dieing to do just enjoy the park.

I think they offer swim with the dolphins, sharks, snorkel and scuba

 

the beach chairs rafts and floats are free

 

if you drink corona they have a HUGE bottle for like 6 bucks I wanted one just for the bottle

 

all in all it was amazing any more questions just ask

[dyson]

I think I did this right

http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x118/mcdlnwright/Xcaret/

[xo101]

Nice pics!!! Thanks for posting!

 

So you said you booked it online , did you mean through Carnival's website /excursions? Or the Xcaret website? I saw that I can get the All-Inclusive on the Xcaret website for $89.10 I believe it was (10% discount) for booking online. The excursion is still not showing available to me to book on carnival yet. Perhaps it might be worth it for me to buy the AI thru the Xcaret directly and take a taxi. (since they are offering the discount). I don't recall ever having put this much thought into an excursion before, LOL.... but I just want to make sure that it goes smoothly.

 

Where did you find sunblock? I sometimes think about it when I am in the store, and I haven't yet been able to find anything bio-degradable. However, I am very stocked up on sunblock from previous trips and then I bought 4 spray sunblocks at the end of season last year, so if I took each one of us a bottle, we could trade each for biodegradable samples? How big are the samples, did you notice? And you get your sunblock back when you leave right? I kinda would rather not spend more money on sunblock since I have so many.. .LOL.

 

Sorry for all the questions! I'm just excited to find someone who just went there recently :)

 

K

[dyson]

ok,

 

Well I booked through carnival, because if your bus breaks dwn or taxi they will wait for you.

but directly through the park they will not.

and that's for any excursion. If you book through them they wait if you dont and your late your walking......

 

and yes they give you a number and when you leave they give it back to you. but they also give you a small pouch of bio degradable.

 

i found Mine through mexitan its rather expensive I will warn you 20.00 for 5.6 oz of spf50

 

depending on when you are leaving wally world may get some in but they check the label thoroughly, I will tell you this it is a very densely packed wooded area so unless you plan on uing the free beach area you may be ok depending on the weather.

Mind you I wen in march I goy sun but not a burn..

 

the cave area itself takes up about 45min to 1 hour of your time, there is also a underground cave for bats as well but thats a small area.

 

dont forget if you want to go shopping playa del carmen is about 10 min from the park and they have a wally world there great place for discount souvenirs

I can see the Ai packing being sorta worth it but for me the 10.00 you save isnt worth it. unless you get to ride on the same bus as everyone else for free.

 

the park is very close to the dock but you would pay 10.00 for cab fare

[NoGvmnt]

i found Mine through mexitan its rather expensive I will warn you 20.00 for 5.6 oz of spf50

 

 

You can get the 5 oz bottle of biodegradable sunblock for $10.00 here:

 

http://www.cancun-discounts.com/biodegradable-sunscreen.htm

 

And, you don't have to go to Walmart for your souvenirs, just learn to haggle. I went to Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and Cozumel in February of this year and haggled everything I bought down to 25-35% of the asking price (that is I paid 25-35% of what they were asking not 25-35% off).

 

When you get off the Cruise ship in Cozumel you can go to the ferry dock (just north of the Cruise dock) and there is a guy there that sells bracelets, pipes, necklaces, shot glasses, bottle openers and a plethora of other souvenirs for $1US each or 6/$5US. He even gave my Mom a neat necklace made out of leather, silver and COFFEE BEANS:eek::D

 

Jim

[NancyChgo]

Is it possible to do Xcaret in a mobility scooter? How about the transportation? Any suggestions? TIA!

[MrCo9]

Is it possible to do Xcaret in a mobility scooter? How about the transportation? Any suggestions? TIA!

I want to say yes, you'd be able to see 75% of the park. I don't think a scooter would make it on the beaches and I think the bat cave and a few other exhibits have steps. You'll get a faster answer by going to their website and sending them a message.

[dcikon2]

I have visited both Xcaret and Xel-Ha. My preference is Xel-Hal. We did enjoy the underground river and night performance. We got to Xcaret the moment it opened and stayed until it closed. It was too crowded for us to really enjoy the park. I will say that the best rates for ATM transactions were at Xcaret. Also the food was good at both places. If you are not planning on seeing the night performance then I think you get the more bang for your buck at Xel-Ha.