Cancun City & Shopping Tour/ Anyone done this?

[ashnac]

I was wondering if anyone has done the Cancun city and shopping tour through Carnival at the Calica port. If so was it worth it? ONce you got to Cancun what do you do? Do you stay in the bus and they take you around or do you get a taxi? Or are you just right there in the middle of all this stuff.

 

This is the description from Carnival. I am posting this thread on Calica and Cancun so that hopefully I can get plenty of good responses since Calica boards usually arent too busy.

 

Take the 45-minute air-conditioned bus ride along the eastern shore of the Yucatan Peninsula to Cancun. Over 2 million people a year come to enjoy the sun, surf and culture.

On this excursion you will:

• Arrive in Cancun and explore the open-air market atmosphere of “Mercado 23" and "Mercado 28".
  
• Find artisans, butchers, bakers and jewelers.
  
• Stop and shop at Pancho Villa flea market.
  
• See Cancun’s true natural wonder, the beach.
  
• Discover the wonderful restaurants, resort hotels, shops and other sites that make Cancun so popular.
  
• See plenty of sites on your trip back to Playa Del Carmen, Calica and your ship.
  

Any good infor will be greatly appriceated. Photos, good or bad reviews, anything. Thanks in advance for all the help

[mnbruce]

Of course this is just my opinion but I think it's a waste of your time and money to pay the cruise line to bus you to Cancun for shopping. You are only about eight miles from Playa del Carmen which offers you many of the things that Cancun offers just in a more compact area. Playa has a street called Quinto Avenida(5th Avenue) that offers Jewelry stores,clothing stores, souvenier shops,restaurants,bars and all the people watching you want. Playa has beaches as nice as Cancun also. I also think the drive between Playa and Cancun is rather boring. If visiting Cancun is something you have wanted to do then go for it but I don't really think you would enjoy it more than Playa.

[ashnac]

Thanks so much for the info. I really wondered if that would not be the case. So how nice is the beaches accross from 5th Ave. We really just thought about doing that instead of spending money on an excursion. Do you maybe have pics of 5th Ave and beach right accross from it? Thanks again

[mnbruce]

I'm sorry that I don't have much for photos of the beach or the town. We have vacationed 6 or 7 times in Playa but stay in the resort community called Playacar which is connected to the south part of town and I usually don't bring my camera with me when we head into town. The beach is very nice and usually very wide,it's about two blocks off 5th. Swimming conditions can vary,sometimes calm water sometimes great for body surfing.

The first picture is the beach where we stay but the towns beach is similar as far as width except it does not have as many palm trees.

 

 

This is what most of 5th avenue looks like. Cobblestone road,no cars allowed. Most of the action on 5th is in about a 6 or 7 block stretch.

 

 

our favorite place to have a couple and people watch. The Tequila Barrel.

 

 

another nice establishment.

 

[ashnac]

Thanks so much for the info and the pictures. How far is town from Playacar.

[mnbruce]

It's actually right to the south of town,somewhat connected but sort of a gated community, but the entrance next to town can be accessed by most people . Access to the beach is a bit hard from the steets though if you are not staying at one of the resorts.

[ashnac]

Sounds great. I am thinking we will excursion in Cozumel (still unsure what to do there to) but I am thinking we will just hang out on 5th and the beach there close to it. That had been my thoughts for a while till we considered the cancun thing. Thanks so much for your help

[mnbruce]

You're very welcome. Have a wonderful cruise!

 

We've been home 3 weeks from our Southern Caribbean cruise and I'm still remembering what a great time we had.

[BigDfromTN]

We did the bus tour a few years ago to Cancun. In 3 words....DONT DO IT.

 

They do drop you off and let you shop around a bit, and ride you around town. Not worth the money etc. to me. We have had a much better time just going to PDC 5th Ave. and then down to the beach. Find a bar/restaurant with tables, maybe a band, and hang out and enjoy!!!

 

Just my .02

[tbay13]

Ditto, stay in PDC -- La Quinta (5th Ave) is one short block off of the beach. Lots of neat places to eat, if you choose to eat off the ship. You can also visit w w w playa.info and get tons of info and pics, check out the "Trip Reports" section on the forums. You'll have 2 less hours sitting on a bus as well. Enjoy your trip !!

[liddybugg]

We just got back from the Elation and did this tour...It was the trip from Hell. We had to change buses 3 times...stopped at a market for one hour, then off to a mall for 2.5 hours..I can go to a mall at home. There was a outlet mall across the street but none in my group dared trying to cross the street, those people are crazy drivers. It said something about a beach, the driver made a uturn and gave us about 5 mins to get off and take pictures..Didn't tell us anything about Cancun on the way there or back..The AC didnt work, blowing warm air.. Don't waste your money..We complained to Shore Excursion desk and they gave us $7.99 back...Other than this Excursion we had a great cruise..Oh by the way, be careful, if you try to buy things at shops, most will tell you they don't have american dollars for change, only pesos..They are lieing, they want to rip you off.