Oasis of the Seas - Cozumel - Chichen Itza review

[Aussie cruizing]

Hi,

 

I see that for my cruise next May on Oasis of the Seas. That there is a tour from the ships port - Cozumel to Chichen Itza.

 

Has anyone done this tour through RC, good bad / tips?? A long day, but I think really worth it (will be towing a 10 & 7 yr old)

 

Cheers

[louthebowler]

I haven't done the trip from cruise, but we did it while staying in cancun a few years ago, it was a fantastic day and a wonderful experience BUT it was a very tiring and long day by coach. I cant imagine how its done from cruise to Cozumel unless its by plane, as you need quite a few hours at chichen itza to do it any justice. I like doing own tours, but that's one I would have to use ships excursion- Its a long way from Cozumel to chichen itza !!

[xpcdoojk]

We were in Cozumel about 16 years ago on a scuba vacation for 10 days. We booked a flight from Cozumel to and from Chichen Itza. The flight was a dual engine prop plane, we stopped in Playa Del Carmin and picked up a few people. We circled the site and took aerial photos, and we were back on the plane before the buses started showing up. It is a great trip. There is no way I would do it on a very long both ways bus trip.

 

jc

[Sky616]

It's a long day just going to Tulum from Cozumel. Can't imagine Chitchen Itza and back. Tulum was very beautiful though, glad we went once.

[back2tampa]

We did it through Carnival back in 2005 and they had a rodeo also( casa bonita)-I know spelling probably wrong but one of my favorite excursions we have taken.We got pushed up to Progresso thanks to Hurican Wilma and booked this excursion last minute..It was a bad and very long and rough bus ride that scared the crap out of my wife so I really would not advise it but really a good place to see the ruins.

[canuckcruiselover]

I wouldn't recommend Chichen Itza for a cruise excursion and I don't think young kids would appreciate it at all. Tulum is closer but in my opinion is not worth the drive. Tulum has a great view but is tiny compared to other Mayan ruins. You may want to check on a private tour of a Mayan village where they still "make" chiclets. That was really interesting and would probably be a lot more fun for the kids.

[DonTreadOnMe]

We did Tulum/Xel Ha tour on our first cruise. It was fantastic. Plenty of time at Tulum, could have used a few more hours at Xel Ha. If you want to see ruins but not spend the whole day at a smaller site, that might be a good way to go.

[39august]

I honestly don't see how the ship could even offer a Chichin Itza tour from Cozumel. The bus ride must be at least 3 or 4 hours each way and then there is the time for the ferry from Coz to Playa del Carmen on the mainland to catch a bus to the site. Sounds like you would have very little time at the ruins...and they are extensive, needing several hours to really see. I also believe children would be quite bored. Now if the tour is via a plane ride, it would be doable.

[cruisintwinsmom]

I did the Chichen Itza tour with the ship. The day went like this:

 

- got off the ship as soon as it was cleared, around 8am

- ferry over to Playa del Carmen - about 30 min.

- walked to buses, was given a bag lunch (not prepared by ship) and bottle of water

- bus ride to Chichen Itza - a tour guide gave a brief history of the area and Chichen Itza - about 2 1/2 hours

- tickets distributed, divided into Spanish speaking and English speaking group

- one hour guided tour of the ruins, then one hour on our own.

- back to bus (gave out soft drinks), ferry, then boarded ship right when it was time to depart

 

It was extremely hot and to get the most out of the site more than 2 hours is probably needed, but it was enough time for me with the heat. For me it was worth the trip, as I wanted to see one of the 7 wonders of the world and do not believe I will ever take a Mexican land trip to see the site.

[usckatieh]

Not Chichen Itza, but we booked a ship excursion to Coba (close by Chichen) in Cozemel and we got a phone call the night before port (after the excursion desk closed) that our excursion had been canceled due to low participation, so just FYI, you may want to have a backup excursion planned just in case you end up in the same situation.

[EmpressofPurple]

I did the Chichen Itza tour with the ship. The day went like this:

 

- got off the ship as soon as it was cleared, around 8am

- ferry over to Playa del Carmen - about 30 min.

- walked to buses, was given a bag lunch (not prepared by ship) and bottle of water

- bus ride to Chichen Itza - a tour guide gave a brief history of the area and Chichen Itza - about 2 1/2 hours

- tickets distributed, divided into Spanish speaking and English speaking group

- one hour guided tour of the ruins, then one hour on our own.

- back to bus (gave out soft drinks), ferry, then boarded ship right when it was time to depart

 

It was extremely hot and to get the most out of the site more than 2 hours is probably needed, but it was enough time for me with the heat. For me it was worth the trip, as I wanted to see one of the 7 wonders of the world and do not believe I will ever take a Mexican land trip to see the site.

 

This was the most helpful response as it was by someone who actually did this tour!

 

I did the Tulum/Xel-Ha tour and agree with the comments about that by the other poster... and Tulum was HOT HOT HOT... my kids were in their late teens and it was a HARD trip, can't imagine doing it with under-10s... Xel-Ha was amazing, would love to do it for a full day some time...

[JuanL]

I did the Chichen Itza tour with the ship. The day went like this:

 

- got off the ship as soon as it was cleared, around 8am

- ferry over to Playa del Carmen - about 30 min.

- walked to buses, was given a bag lunch (not prepared by ship) and bottle of water

 

We want to do the Chichen Itza tour from the ship, even if it is very long. We know we won't see everything, but if we don't go, we see nothing of it! My Mom really, really wants to see it.

 

My questions are these:

Do you walk from the Royal Caribbean ship to the ferry dock? How far is it?

How far is the walk to the tour bus once you get OFF the ferry in Playa del Carmen?

 

Mom will do fine AT the ruins because she does not have to go walk to each individual ruin if she doesn't want to and it is all pretty flat. I think the worse walking will be getting to the tour bus from the ship! She walks fine, but if the group is rushing for a distance, that could be a challenge. Any input here?

[sasha96]

I honestly don't see how the ship could even offer a Chichin Itza tour from Cozumel. The bus ride must be at least 3 or 4 hours each way and then there is the time for the ferry from Coz to Playa del Carmen on the mainland to catch a bus to the site. Sounds like you would have very little time at the ruins...and they are extensive, needing several hours to really see. I also believe children would be quite bored. Now if the tour is via a plane ride, it would be doable.

 

ITA! Did Chichen Itza from the Mayan Riviera years ago. That was a long trip. Can't imagine it from the Cozumel port!