Tulum Ruins On Your Own?

[Rmunson72906]

Hi all,

 

4 of us are going on the Freedom of the Seas on 5/16/10. Our last port of Call is Cozumel, Mexico. All of us would like to see some culture especially the mayan ruins, Our 1 friend really wanted to see Cichen Itza but that is out of the question as it is too far and we dont have enough time, so we opted to try tulum.

 

We don't want to book through the ship as the prices are either ridiculous or combine with something else. Also we looked into taking a private tour, the prices are better than the ships,

 

however we just discovered that we could do it on our own for aprox. $20/pp. By taking the ferry to PDC then a colectivo to Tulum. We are in port from 10am to 7pm, I figure we could grab the 11am ferry, and allow 1hr. for transport on ferry to and from cozumel, and allow for 2hr. bus ride from PDC to tulum and Back and still have 2hr. in Tulum. So we would be gone 5 hrs and would make it back to cozumel by 4pm. maybe 5pm, at the latest.

 

Has anyone done this on their own? does the time frame seem right. I guess our biggest worry is missing the ship but we don't leave till 7. Has anyone traveled in a colectivo and is it safe? How many of you have been to tulum is 2 hrs. enough (we will not be getting a tour guide) and is it worth it? any and all advice appreciated!!

 

Thanks!

[bruce-r]

The only advice I can offer is to buy a one way ticket when going to the mainland. That way you won't be tied to a specific company when you return like you would if you bought a round trip ticket. There are 2 ferry companies and they run on alternating schedules.

[sunandsnow]

Just returned from Liberty of the Seas - every day in port was a different time than listed on the original itinerary. We stayed on Miami time (I think they did change because of Daylight Savings Time which was to our benefit) Anyway, keep in mind that your time may change and the 11:00 ferry time is Cozumel time which may not be the same time you are on. Tulum is beautiful. We had tried to visit Tulum with a cruise and do it on our own but it didn't work out - so have a Plan B. We went to Tulum when staying at an AI near Tulum. The collectivo's are easy to use. They are white vans. You will have to walk from the ferry to the bus station in Playa to get on the collectivo. They fill up fast - so you will not be guaranteed to always get on the first one you see (both directions). If I remember, the collectivos drop you off on the highway so you will need to walk a little ways to the ruins. Then walk back out to the highway on your return to catch the next one. You can always take a taxi which will be more expensive. I would suggest hiring a guide at the ruins for a tour. You will get a lot more out of it with a little more information than just wandering around. If you go, take drinking water with you and wear your swimsuits if you want to go for a dip in the ocean. You can swim right beside the ruins that sit on the cliff. Keep in mind that you will need to be back on board 1/2 before your ship leaves. It is a long trip with some unseen variables. Only you can decide if it is worth it to take the chance of getting back in time. There are lots of fun things to do in Cozumel. IMHO I would do it with the ship or not at all.

[guxu]

From the parking lot to actual ruin's gate, there will be a 15-20 minutes walk or ride, one way. Also, you did not count any waiting time for ferry, bus, tickets ...

 

We took the tour 2 weeks ago. We left the ship around 10:15 am and came back around 6:30 pm. I would say if we did it on our own, we would probably save 30 minutes. That's about it. Our ship waited us since we booked the tour through the ship.

[clackey]

Personally I wouldn't do this one on my own, and I usually will try anything. If I wanted to see Tulum I would book a cruise to Calica and go from there. The collectivos are a good way to travel this area, but you can't always catch the first or second one that comes by. We went to Akumal from Calica once via taxi ($30) and caught a collectivo back to PDC for $2 or $3@.

[kwbound]

I have never booked an excursion through the cruiselines, but this is the one time I would. We went to Tulum from Cozumel last year while we were on a land vacation and it was an all day trip. There are too many different modes of transportation, any of which could have some sort of malfunction, causing a delay that could prevent you from making it make to the ship on time. You could get to the mainland and a storm could blow through that might delay the ferry just a little bit, but enough to make you miss the ship. The ferry captain might get sick and another one have to be called in...etc, etc.

 

Tulum is awesome, but I would advise saving it for a land vacation, or a cruise that stops in Calica. If you absolutely want to do it on this trip, I would really strongly advise you to book it through the ship.

[rlse9]

Tulum is definitely worth visiting. If you are going to visit on your own, make sure you have the times for the ferry straight. During the slow season they only go across every other hour. I'm not sure whether mid-May would qualify as busy season or not. Even so it may work but you'd need to make sure they're going at the right times and that you have the time correct since Cozumel is one hour behind ship time. I'd be nervous about doing it myself because the last thing you want is to see your ship sailing away without you on it but Tulum is definitely a very good destination.

[crewsweeper]

Just returned from Liberty of the Seas - every day in port was a different time than listed on the original itinerary. We stayed on Miami time (I think they did change because of Daylight Savings Time which was to our benefit) Anyway, keep in mind that your time may change and the 11:00 ferry time is Cozumel time which may not be the same time you are on. Tulum is beautiful. We had tried to visit Tulum with a cruise and do it on our own but it didn't work out - so have a Plan B. .

Looks like you got caught in the period of time when US dyalight savings time occurred earlier thna the rest of the world. Cozumel went on DST yesterday. Their time is now the same as US Central DST, one hour earlier than Miami time. Good advice on the Plan B and info on the colectivos.

[Rmunson72906]

Thanks to everyone for their advice. We have decided unfortunately to not go to Tulum at all. :mad: Going on our own poses to much of a risk, there are just too many unknowns and I don't want to get left in Mexico!! Also the ships price is ridiculous, we could all do something else for $90/pp so I guess we will shop and hang out and probably go to playa uvas,Paradise Beach or Playa mia. The playa mia site has been under construction forever any ideas on how to get information on it? Anyone been to playa uvas/playa mia/ or paradise beach before and what one is the best to go to? Any pictures would be great

[Jade13]

Thanks to everyone for their advice. We have decided unfortunately to not go to Tulum at all. :mad: Going on our own poses to much of a risk, there are just too many unknowns and I don't want to get left in Mexico!! Also the ships price is ridiculous, we could all do something else for $90/pp so I guess we will shop and hang out and probably go to playa uvas,Paradise Beach or Playa mia. The playa mia site has been under construction forever any ideas on how to get information on it? Anyone been to playa uvas/playa mia/ or paradise beach before and what one is the best to go to? Any pictures would be great

 

What is the price that is ridiculous? $90.00pp? I thought Celebrity (owned by RCCL) is pretty reasonable at $99.00pp with beach break. We have a group of 4. I looked on line and one driver would meet us after the ferry for $175.00 with a mini-van. I thought I read the ferry was $11.00 (maybe someone can confirm), plus entrance, plus entrance to a beach club, buffet and drinks. Maybe we could save $100.00 on our own ($25.00 each)? It didn't seem worth it and Century does not dock until 11:30am. How much would we save with a private driver?

 

On Celebrity it does seem a better value for the excursion with lunch as the express is only $10.00 less and we would have to spend money to take two teenagers to eat at some point. The cost includes a guide but we will likely leave them.

[guxu]

We paid about $80 pp I think. It's one of the longest and one of the cheapest excursion offered by cruise line (Costa).

[cawagner]

Thanks to everyone for their advice. We have decided unfortunately to not go to Tulum at all. :mad: Going on our own poses to much of a risk, there are just too many unknowns and I don't want to get left in Mexico!! Also the ships price is ridiculous, we could all do something else for $90/pp so I guess we will shop and hang out and probably go to playa uvas,Paradise Beach or Playa mia. The playa mia site has been under construction forever any ideas on how to get information on it? Anyone been to playa uvas/playa mia/ or paradise beach before and what one is the best to go to? Any pictures would be great

 

IMO I dont think the ship's prices are rediculous at all, especially when you have the security of knowing the ship WILL wait for you if there is any delay in you getting back, especially on the all day excursions.

[shellgoodman]

My husband and I enjoyed Tulum but we nearly dropped dead there! We went in April and it was so hot, I thought we'd pass out. BTW, I love the heat and the sun. Need to bring a bathing suit to Tulum!!!