Calica Question

[cruiserkelly]

Our cruise stops in Cozumel and Calica. I actually have never heard of Calica before. Anyone know of anything fun to do there?

[webzila]

Our cruise stops in Cozumel and Calica. I actually have never heard of Calica before. Anyone know of anything fun to do there?

 

Cozumel and Calica are really close. Cozumel is pretty much the island on the other side of Calica and Calica is about 15-20 minutes away from Playa Del Carmen.

 

There are a lot of Mayan ruins in this area such as Chichen Itza and Tulum.

If you are into that those are good places to visit.

[hawaiibound24]

Calica is about 5 miles from Playa del Carmen...... we have never been there before but have heard lots of good things about it (Beach, shopping, etc.)

 

There is really nothing at the dock (Calica), you must take transportation to the town. Taxi's will be out in full force.

 

BTW, we will be there in about 2 weeks.

[cruiserkelly]

Calica is about 5 miles from Playa del Carmen...... we have never been there before but have heard lots of good things about it (Beach, shopping, etc.)

 

There is really nothing at the dock (Calica), you must take transportation to the town. Taxi's will be out in full force.

 

BTW, we will be there in about 2 weeks.

 

Would love to hear all about it when you get back! :-)

[Rena921]

Take a Taxi to Playa Del Carmen (15 minutes away) or got to one of the ruins. Chichen Itza is really breath taking....if you go there, make sure to take a dip in the cenotes. Also in Chichen Itza, there is an open air restaurant that is really, really good. I would go back just for the chicken tacos and cervesa.... they also had like 30 different varities of tequila. we are going to one of the beaches at Playa Del Carmen this trip.

[vanityfur]

As said above, Calica is simply a docking area to get you to the mainland of the Quintana Roo area.

 

It's a big gravel pit leased by Carnival. It's a means to an end (only meant to get you closer to the ruins or to Playa del Carmen.) It is not meant to be a destination on its own.

 

I would go to Playa and spend the day in town walking 5th and maybe going to a beach club. Mamitas and Kool clubs are said to be excellent. Try the restaurants: El Fogon or Yaxche (a Mayan restaurant.) For dessert, visit Ah, Cacao! You can easily catch a quick cab from there to WalMart if you need to pick up anything before heading back to Calica.

 

Fifth Avenue is awesome. It's a place my husband and I love. The vendors WILL talk to you/approach you to come in their stores, though. So, don't be shocked. You can do tequila tastings for FREE at some of the bigger t-shirt/souvenir shops.

 

And, the ferry dock/terminal area, near the square, offers some additional shopping/tourist sites. (Harley Davidson shop/Carlos and Charlies/Senor Frog, etc.)

[h_blond2]

It's my understanding the Calica is just a place where the ship can dock. It's very close to Playa del Carmen and that's where we plan on going when we are there in June!

[k2excursion]

Some people are Calica haters, because they want the port itself to be spectacular. I'm not one of those. I love that there are so many great things to do from Calica. Tulum is only a 5-hour excursion, instead of an 8-hour from Cozumel. I had plenty of time afterwards to go to Playa del Carman and enjoy their beach. There are other ruins that can easily be done, plus Xel-Ha and Xcaret. So many great options! I wish that they would go back to the 12-hour day in Cozumel, followed by Calica the next day. They did that out of Galveston before 2005. Galveston never goes to Calica now.:(

[papilliontraveler]

When we went to Calica, we took a taxi and went to Cancun for the day($45-$50 for 6). Swam in the sea(outside of Hard Rock), ate some lunch, shopped and headed back to the dock.

[snedecor]

Our first experience with cruising was on the Carnival Jubilee out of Galveston. We went to Calica, which as people say, is only a big gravel pit. However the water is deep enough to allow Cruise ships to dock.

 

The Jubilee stayed at Calica until midnight, which allowed us a full day/evening at Xcaret. It is an ecological/historical/theme type park. It has ruins, dolphins, wildlife, an underground river that you can float, and a large amphitheater for day and evening shows. The evening show is a spectacular affair, with ball court demonstrations, dancing, singing, a historical display, and a finale with a fairly large cast of characters. We enjoyed it immensely. Sadly, most cruise ships don't dock at night, so you miss this extravaganza.

 

Ships that stop at Playa del Carmen will have to tender, so the ability to dock at Calica and take a short taxi ride is better for many, especially those with accessibility problems.

[jetskier]

Here are a couple of photos I took of the Holiday in 2006 docked at Calica.

 

 

 

 

Now you are probably wondering how I was able to take those photos from those angles. Simple......rent an airplane. Go to http://www.aerosaab.com

 

It cost $200 to rent the plane but you can take up four people for a 30 minute flight.

Dave

[gtalum]

The port itself is nothing to look at. It's an old rock quarry. The two best options are to go to Playa del Carmen, which is a short taxi ride away or to go to the ruins of Tulum, which is best reached with a car rental or on a Carnival tour. Tulum is fantastic if you haven't seen it, and PdC is a fun little town with shopping, dining, bars, and beaches. :)

[Purplesaurus]

When we went to Calica, we took a taxi and went to Cancun for the day($45-$50 for 6). Swam in the sea(outside of Hard Rock), ate some lunch, shopped and headed back to the dock.

 

We are going in March. Will it be carnival time there?

[papilliontraveler]

We are going in March. Will it be carnival time there?

 

We went in October. However, we have been going to AI's the past few years when visiting Cancun. I am pretty sure the carnival is in the month of February.

[pammat]

When we went to Calica, we took a taxi and went to Cancun for the day($45-$50 for 6). Swam in the sea(outside of Hard Rock), ate some lunch, shopped and headed back to the dock.

 

Could you please tell me more about this (the taxi part, I'm concerned about 5 I usually see people posting about up to 4 people). We will be in Calica on June 27th and there will be 5 of us. What I "think" we'd like to do is take a taxi from Calica to Akumal Bay (I have 3 teenage girls that would like to swim with turtles), then taxi from there to Playa del Carmen (5th street) for a little shopping then back to the ship. We're in port 7am - 5pm. Thank you and hopefully this will also help the OP.

[Mystkl1]

We pre-booked with a tour group called Edventures when we docked in Calica last November. It was a wonderful day! They met us at the ship, transferred us via mini van/bus to Tulum (where their office is located), we toured the ruins at our leisure, then when we were ready we were taken (just the two of us) by our own tour guide to snorkel a cenote, then went to Akumal Bay to snorkel/swim with sea turtles, had a late lunch at a beach restaurant, then went to an area where the fresh and salt water mix to snorkel. It was like swimming in an aquarium! The fish there were amazing!

 

Edventures provided all snorkel gear and wetsuits (nice since it was November and the cenote was cool), beverages (including as much beer as we cared to drink), a wonderful guide, and safe transportation from and to the port.

 

Calica doesn't have much going for it in the way of looks, but our day there was thoroughly enjoyable and Edventures will get our business again.

[mnsawyer]

We were there on the Fascination a few years ago. It is truly a rock quarry and very interesting to see the captain back into the port! Take a tour here whether ship sponsored or not. Lots to do and plenty of options. Xcaret seems to be a favorite as well as the ruins. We were there from 1-10 pm and many tours did not get back until after dinner so the Lido deck dining was packed around 7. We went into Playa Del Carmen which is very rustic but enjoyable. Have fun and research some tours of interest!