COZUMEL Mayan tours?? which one?

[dee21]

We would like to do one of the Mayan ruin tours but need some help choosing which one! can you help us out--which one have you done and what did you like or not like about it?

thanks SO MUCH!

[MermaidWatcher]

Check out the Ports of Call posts for some opinions.

We have done Tulum from Cozumel, it is a long day. A 45 minute ferry ride to the main land, than a long (over an an hour if I remember correctly) bus ride. The ruins are small, not the large temples many people envision from the generic advertising pictures, and it is hot. There are some nice photo spots with the brilliant Caribbean in the background of the best preserved structure, and there are iguanas everywhere. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the site, and since we had never seen any of the ruins, we enjoyed it. Just be prepared for the heat and sun.

Edited December 11, 2013 by MermaidWatcher

[Ourusualbeach]

We did the San Gervasio ruins tour which is actually on the island itself so the tour was only about 4 hours in length. It was just OK. The ruins were just that, ruins and not as spectacular as the other tours that are on the mainland although those tours can be 8 hours long with long travel times to and from the ruins.

[luvscruising2007]

We also did the Tulum ruins. We booked through the cruise line because of the length of the tour and the distance. We did the all day, Tulum ruins and Beach Break. Our tour guide was very informative and we had some time to stroll the ruins on our own.

The beach break was nice; it was at a beach club with a small beach and a buffet lunch. You could buy beer and I think other alcoholic beverages.

The ferry ride was a little rough and some people were sick.

I am glad we did it but not sure if we would do it again.

Another thing we didn't have any time for shopping so if that is your thing you would be disappointed.

[MrsPete]

I suggest the ATVs in the jungle excursion. It's active and you see three minor Mayan sites. Small groups. Affordable. You won't be sorry, especially since it doesn't require a trip to the mainland.

[shaggyofwv]

We loved Coba. It took the entire time we were in port but it was worth it. Climbing Nohoch Mul (138 feet high)was a lot of fun. You cannot climb anything at Tulum.

 

Our tour guide was great and we got to eat at a restaurant inside a cavern before the tour ended.

[Betho]

My DH and I did Coba in December 2012..the ruins and the tour of the ruins were wonderful. Many folks climbed the Pyramid, all ages. I chickened out...it was not the going up...it was the coming down...but it was great to watch and take pictures. The bus trip there and back was not wonderful. Coba was very large..clean and impressive. I recommend Coba.

[seaofwonder]

We did Tulum and were horribly disappointed.

 

 

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[AeroBaldness]

We did the San Gervasio ruins tour which is actually on the island itself so the tour was only about 4 hours in length. It was just OK. The ruins were just that, ruins and not as spectacular as the other tours that are on the mainland although those tours can be 8 hours long with long travel times to and from the ruins.

 

We did Tulum pre-kids and just did San Gervasio with our kids in April (16 & 15 yo). Tulum was a loooooooong day as I recall and, as cool as it was, I think the kids would have lost interest after a while. We had a GREAT guide at San Gervasio that made the quick stop great. He brought the history to life, which my geeky daughter loved and there were HUGE lizards and a beach break after (if you do the combo) which my son liked. To the OP, if you and your group can take an 8-hour day and want the big ruins and a ton of history, I'd say do Tulum. If you want a take of the ruins and a few hours at the the beach, them the San Gervasio visit and beach break probably would be a better option.

[britty1]

I wanted to go to Tulum but was disappointed that you were on your own for getting the ferry back to Cozumel. I didn't like it that the cruise line sort of stopped taking care of you once you returned to the ferry on the mainland. If the sea is rough, which I understand it can be, then the ferry could stop running. So we opted for San Gervaise. It was an acceptable tour with a very interesting guide. We both enjoyed the San Gervaise tour.

[jkskrap]

Here is our review of the Tulum Express tour through RCI we did last year (edited :D but still long winded).

 

Tulum Express

 

 

TULUM EXPRESS – Through RCI

 

 

We met in the Arcadia Theater at 9:15 am. There were a lot of us. Any person that booked a mainland excursion was here. The idea is to get us off the ship first and walk us directly to the waiting ferry. It pretty much worked well.

 

The ferry is run by Mexico Waterjets and is very nice. You are inside in the a/c. TIP: sit on the left side or middle (as you face the front) both ways to stay out of the hot sun. The ferry ride is only 30 minutes once you get going. We were blessed with very calm seas our whole trip, and the ride was great. You still feel the motion, though, so make sure you take your pills if you get seasick. There are good bathrooms in the back of the boat for a quick stop before you get ashore.

 

At the port in Playa del Carmen we got out and noticed Mexican Marines standing around with machine guns. We have seen this before but our kids hadn’t and it was a bit unsettling for them at first. You follow the group into town and look for someone with the “Tulum Express” sign. We didn’t get any instructions before we left, but I figured it out when I saw the first sign.

 

A guy came up to us with a lion cub in his hands – YES, a real, live lion cub – and wanted us to take a picture with it. He was obnoxious but finally went away. We felt terrible for that poor cub. He looked drugged and sad.

 

We all got into a line and then each family posed for the obligatory “pre-excursion photo.” The photographer was nice and she was very efficient, so it only took a second. You walk a bit more and then get on the bus. Right before you get on the bus there are young guys selling water and cokes for $1.00 each. I don’t know WHY I did it, but all of a sudden a cold Coke sounded good (I am a diet pepsi man), so I gave the kid a buck and boarded the bus. As soon as I sat down I opened the bottle and it exploded all over me! Literally 1/3 of the coke gushed out. Sticky Coke all over me. This was the only time this trip my girls said, “Dad looked really mad!” I got over it.

 

The bus was comfortable but the a/c was not the greatest. Don’t sit below the TV’s because you will only have one air vent instead of two. They will ask you to use these same seats on the way back.

 

We had 2 guides and a bus driver. Tamo was the guide who spoke to us on the bus and Philipe was the guide at Tulum. Both were very nice and seemed to be very interested in Tulum and the Mayans (especially Philipe). The problem was they really didn’t tell us much. A little history, but it could have been so much better. At the ruins themselves Philipe seemed to focus on the minutia and wasn’t too good at telling “the story.” It was very disappointing. I wonder if the other guides were any better?

 

It is a quick 45 minute drive to Tulum from the port, but they stop for a “restroom break” on the way. What a crock! They pulled the bus into the parking lot of this big gift shop and Tamo spends 5 or 10 minutes telling us how good all the merchandise is and how it is made by real Mayans. So much better than the stuff we will see at Tulum. On and on. He says we are only going to stay 15 minutes but I bet it was 40 minutes. It’s a nice shop, but we have so little time at the ruins that it is a complete waste IMHO. I did write this on my comment card. There are nice restrooms 15 minutes away in Tulum. My girls looked at the blankets and were quoted (by different people) $50, then $60 and finally $85. If you find something you really want, have the guide negotiate the price for you. I am sure they are all in cahoots, but they do try to get you the best deal. We spent much of the time feeding the skinny doggies Ritz crackers. I also tried the free tequila – the almond flavored one was great. Kind of scary though because they were pouring it from old soda bottles. I didn’t see it for sale.

 

Finally to Tulum . . .

 

After parking the bus, we grouped together and were told that our meeting spot was the Dairy Queen by the parking lot at 3:05 pm. You walk through a series of shops to a road that leads to the ruins. The vendors are fairly pushy, but a firm “no thank you” works. It is a pretty good walk to the ruins. Probably 10 or 15 minutes. There is a tram available, but our guides told us not to use it because you may wait 20 minutes for the tram to leave. When you get to the gate they give you tickets to have punched and then collect them again. The girls later said they wish they had been able to keep the tickets, but I didn’t think to ask for them when the tour ended. Philipe showed us a few spots at the ruins and told us a little about each. Like I said, it wasn’t the best info – but he is VERY motivated and probably has a vast amount of knowledge. He then sets us free to explore on our own.

 

TIP: Buy a map of the ruins and/or a guide before you go. Why didn’t I do that? There aren’t any signs, so you have no idea what you are looking at. The ruins are amazing. They are built on a cliff overlooking the water. Just imagining what it was like hundreds of years ago is so fascinating. Make sure and walk to the highest point to see the beautiful beach.

 

They give you small radios with ear phones to listen to the guide at Tulum. They work very well. The ruins are roped off, so no more climbing around.

 

All in all we had fun and the kids were glad to see the ruins. I can’t really recommend the tour, though. If they get rid of the “restroom stop” and if the guides were more informative, then YES – it would be worth every penny.

 

I blame myself for some of our disappointment. I should have ordered a book, map and/or guide about the ruins before the trip. If I had been prepared I could have made it much better for all of us.

 

We walked back to the Dairy Queen and didn’t see anyone yet so . . . we got ice cream! They give you change in Pesos, so don’t use too large of a bill. The girls working were very nice and very quick.

 

I saw a little store right next door and we decided to grab a few snacks. I asked how much the Corona’s were and was told $3. Not bad. I put my Corona, 2 cans of soda, 2 small bags of chips, bag of combos and a little package of cookies on the counter and was told it was $36 US. Not sure how that happened. I put the combos and bag of chips back but still ended up paying $22. Oh well!

 

When we got back to the bus they gave us a little snack that included a starkist tuna salad “kit,” nuts, a muffin and a Capri sun. I thought it was very nice actually. In the description of the tour it says a snack will be provided but not lunch. Can’t complain about that!

 

On the way back to Playa del Carmen our bus pulled over on the side of the road across the highway from or “restroom break” gift shop. We all wondered what was going on. Philipe got out with a big hammock under his arm and ran through 4 lanes of crazy traffic to the shop. He came back with a smaller hammock. We later found out someone bought a hammock that was too large and wanted to exchange it! Holy Cow!

 

Unfortunately Tamo didn’t speak to us on the bus on the way back. Not one word from either guide. That seemed strange. I expected him to ask us about what we saw and to answer any questions.

 

We got out of the bus, walked by an even more tired lion cub and got back on the ferry. It was great to not have to worry about a specific time to catch the ferry! We were pretty tired when we got back to Cozumel so we just caught a cab ($7) and went back to the ship.

[Aquahound]

We would like to do one of the Mayan ruin tours but need some help choosing which one! can you help us out--which one have you done and what did you like or not like about it?

thanks SO MUCH!

 

From Cozumel, I've been to San Gervasio, Tulum and Chichen Itza. By faaaaar, the best was Chichen Itza. Unfortunately, it's the longest travel time of the 3, but well worth it once you get there. The pyramid is the model used for Mayan souvenirs. It's a huge property and the Observatory and Cenote are must sees.

[usckatieh]

For those that went to Coba, was that the ship's excursion? We signed up in July but ours was canceled at last minute due to low participation. If you pick that tour through RC, you may want to keep a backup in mind. I do want to try again though next time we're in Mexico. It looks beautiful!

[DonTreadOnMe]

We did a Tulum/Xelha combo tour through RCL. It was fantastic. Jus enough time at Tulum to explore around a bit. Had @ 2-5 hrs at Xelha. Could have used more time here, but sufficient. Only down side was the 30 min souveneir shop stop where prices were just plain STUPID!

[fletch1027]

We would like to do one of the Mayan ruin tours but need some help choosing which one! can you help us out--which one have you done and what did you like or not like about it?

thanks SO MUCH!

 

In March we did the Tulum + Lunch / Beach stop tour through RCI. I would have preferred a smaller private tour, but we did it through RCI because it was our 1st visit to Cozumel and we liked the guarantee of not being left behind. There is a link to my trip report below. There are a lot of pictures & observations from the excursion on there.

 

The advantage was using the docks for the jet boat right next to where the FOS docked, so no cab or bus ride to the other port.

 

We are going again in a couple of months and we are going to do a private tour this time (Alma Tours - geared towards LDS folks).

 

I'm confident we will have plenty of time this next time going private for a few reasons:

 

• Becasue I have been there and can "visualize" everything (getting from ship to jet boat docks, navigating Playa del Carmen, drive time to Tulum, etc) my comfort level is much higher.
  

 

• Last time we ran into some fellow FOS cruisers @ Tulum we recognized from the ship using Alma Tours, and they had no issues.
  

 

• There is a lot of fluff time built in (slower bus, slower to herd 60 people than 6, 2 hour lunch / beach break) that we can cut out to either spend a little more time at the ruins, go to check out a local cenote, or just get back to Playa del Carmen with a lot of time to spare)
  

 

• As long as the RCI tour to Coba is happening, there will be plenty of time. For as long as our tour took, we waited on the jet boat for 30 minutes for the Coba folks to arrive (due to the longer distance out to Coba) to take us back to Cozumel.
  

 

Anyway, that's my $.02... :)

[joyride21]

As another poster previously noted, the allure of Coba is that you can still climb one of the structures. We did this tour last month, and while the ability to climb was the draw for us, the actual time spent at Coba was very short. Ferry ride plus long bus ride (about two hours or so) to get there, and then we only visited about three structures before getting to the one you can climb. And you pretty much only have to climb up, take a few pictures, and then go back down. I would have liked some more time to sit at the top and enjoy the view, but oh well. (Also, our tour guide left us at the site and told us to be back at the bus at a certain time. I'm really surprised he didn't wait there and have us all walk back as a group.) Anyway, my point is, it's a cool experience, but bear in mind that the time actually spent at Coba is very short.

[JimAOk1945]

We did the Tulum Express tour through RCI last December. It was a long day but we thought it was well worth it. We had calm seas for the ferry ride both going over and back to the ship.

 

If you're interested in seeing pictures, you might like to take a look at the slide show my wife made from the pictures she took. The link below will take you to it.

 

Cozumel ~ RCI Tulum Express Excursion