Maya Ruins Excursions!!

[hc2016]

So.. our family is trying to choose ONE excursion only between the ports of Cozumel, Mexico and Costa Maya, Mexico.

 

Our main goal is to explore and visit the Mayan ruins!

 

After lots of searching, we found three major spots that could be visited: Tulum Ruins, Coba Ruins, and Chichen Itza. We really have never been to any of these places before so we were wondering if anyone that has been there could tell us a bit about each place and the differences and Pros/Cons?

 

Which ruin is the best experience? Most suitable for a family of four? Most worth your money (very important because they are very expensive!!) ?

 

If anyone wants to go even further, it would be a big help if anyone would recommend a Royal Caribbean excursion to these places that they enjoyed!

 

Thanks guys!

Edited December 14, 2016 by hc2016

[N41EF]

You might check in the Mexican port call area for more info. We did the Tulum excursion last year was pretty neat, going next week and have booked Chichen Itza this time.

 

From Cozumel it's a 45 minute ferry ride to the mainland, then a bus ride to the ruins and back. Last year the tour made it back from the buses on time, but the ferry from the mainland to Cozumel was late. We got off the ferry, walked through the security check point, and walked on board through the only gangplank, and the ship was underway within minutes. We booked these through RCCL for that reason, they waited for us.

[Lionesss]

Please make sure you realize that the ruins are far away from port.

 

I have read so many great reviews about going, but many wish they could stay longer and felt so rushed.

 

Be prepared for a long travel day.

 

Good luck.

[Agavegirl1]

Check the times for the tour. Agreed that the times will be important. Tulum might be a shorter trip but Chichen Itza may be more dramatic.

 

For ruins, I prefer Belize and Guatemala. But that is land not sea based.

Edited December 14, 2016 by Agavegirl1

[Fouremco]

Similar experience last year with a great HAL excursion to Tulum. On the ferry ride back, we sat with a couple who had chosen Chichen Itza, and the only negative comment was that the bus ride there and back was very long compared to the time spent at the ruins. The scenery at Tulum is spectacular, and even if the ruins aren't as extensive as those at Chichen Itza, they are truly impressive and well worth seeing. That would be my recommendation.

 

We seldom take ship's excursions, but I agree with N41EF that this is one you should book with RCI. Late ferry returns are not uncommon.

[Slopoke15]

So.. our family is trying to choose ONE excursion only between the ports of Cozumel, Mexico and Costa Maya, Mexico.

 

Our main goal is to explore and visit the Mayan ruins!

 

After lots of searching, we found three major spots that could be visited: Tulum Ruins, Coba Ruins, and Chichen Itza. We really have never been to any of these places before so we were wondering if anyone that has been there could tell us a bit about each place and the differences and Pros/Cons?

 

Which ruin is the best experience? Most suitable for a family of four? Most worth your money (very important because they are very expensive!!) ?

 

If anyone wants to go even further, it would be a big help if anyone would recommend a Royal Caribbean excursion to these places that they enjoyed!

 

Thanks guys!

 

if you haven't already, research the Chacchoben ruins from your Costa Maya stop. The ruins may not be as spectacular as some of the ones you mention, but the tour was impressive, informative and might not take as long to get to, and back ... I did the Chacchoben tour using The Native Choice tours and it was very well done ... reasonably priced as well

[Merion_Mom]

if you haven't already, research the Chacchoben ruins from your Costa Maya stop. The ruins may not be as spectacular as some of the ones you mention, but the tour was impressive, informative and might not take as long to get to, and back ... I did the Chacchoben tour using The Native Choice tours and it was very well done ... reasonably priced as well

 

I agree with this advice 1,000,000%. :)

[cruisinfromtampa]

We did the Tulum Ruins and Beachbreak on our first cruise a few years ago. My entire family really enjoyed it. The ruins were great. We got wonderful photos out of it. And having lunch on the beach was very nice. We had enough time to walk around the port when we got back.

 

We leave Saturday on Rhapsody, and are doing Chichen Itza through RC. The history buff in me is giddy with excitement to be able to go.

[SPacificbound]

Chichen Itza is probably the most famous, however it is further from Playa del Carmen. If you choose to do the tour to Chichen Itza you might want to book RC's tour just in case it runs late. When depending on the ferry to get you back to Cozumel, better safe than sorry. It's about 2 1/2 hour drive each way.

 

Tulum is about 45 minutes from Playa del Carmen. I like Tulum because it is right on the coast.

 

Chankanaab is a national park with some ruins, not to the extent of the two above, but the plus side is it is on Cozumel, so no ferry to take, and if you are interested in snorkeling or the beach you can do that also.

 

http://www.visitmexico.com/en/chankanaab-park-in-cozumel-quintana-roo-mexico

Edited December 14, 2016 by SPacificbound

[rubyjpi]

So.. our family is trying to choose ONE excursion only between the ports of Cozumel, Mexico and Costa Maya, Mexico.

 

Our main goal is to explore and visit the Mayan ruins!

 

After lots of searching, we found three major spots that could be visited: Tulum Ruins, Coba Ruins, and Chichen Itza. We really have never been to any of these places before so we were wondering if anyone that has been there could tell us a bit about each place and the differences and Pros/Cons?

 

Which ruin is the best experience? Most suitable for a family of four? Most worth your money (very important because they are very expensive!!) ?

 

If anyone wants to go even further, it would be a big help if anyone would recommend a Royal Caribbean excursion to these places that they enjoyed!

 

Thanks guys!

 

We just did the Chichen Itza from Cozumel in October. Was really disappointing. We got to spend 41 minutes at the ruins. Yes that was 41 minutes on the 7 1/2 excursion. And we had to rush while there. They pointed at a lot of things in the distance. I have never complained about an excursion to the cruise line before but I did on this one. They refunded out money. But it was a hard time to get it refunded. There was 4 of us in our group.

I would suggest from Costa Maya if possible to do the Dzibilchaltun Ruins.

They were amazing.

Then in Cozumel rent scooters and ride around the whole Island You have plenty of time to. And you will get to see a lot. If not excited about scooters, pay a cab driver and they will tour you all over.

Edited December 14, 2016 by rubyjpi

[CanobieFan]

You can add me to the list of people saying Chichen Itza isn't really worth it. Of the five sets of Mayan ruins I've visited. It was probably the most lackluster. Outside of the one giant pyramid there isn't much else to see and there are far too many stalls selling generic crap all around the site and it cheapens the experience. It was also super crowded.

 

I've done the Coba tour with RCCL a few years back. It was very impressive, and you can still climb the pyramid there. I believe it's the tallest one you can still climb in all of Mexico.

 

This past February we had a day at Costa Maya where I did a tour through Royal Caribbean that visited both Kohunlich and Dzibanche.(tour CM41) it was pretty spectacular. The tour only had maybe 8 or 9 people on it and both sites were rather deserted, we pretty much had them to ourselves. At both sites you can still climb on the structures. Dzibanche is probably my absolute favorite site I've visited. Outside of our tour I don't think we saw a single other person there. It's still very lush and jungle like too, a good number of the structures have yet to be on earth. And it's one of the "newer" discovered site. We even saw a group of monkeys in a tree at one of the structures. Was pretty awesome and if I were to be in that Port again I would not hesitate in taking the same tour again.

[jamesboat]

Chichenis the most famous, but furthest.

 

I completely disagree with CanobieFan...I am assuming he or she only got a couple of hours there and could see everything.

 

Tulum is the smallest but closest.

 

Coba is a good mix. Very tall pyramid you can climb, and it is also set up as multiple cities - make sure you rent the bikes for the day! Also some very good cenotes nearby to swim in

[secrui]

We've been to Tulum and Chichen Itza. Comparing Tulum to Chichen Itza is like comparing a 7-11 store to WALMART.

 

Having said that, I do agree with an earlier post re the long distance/time to/from Chichen Itza.

 

We took a tour of Tulum from a cruise, but went to Chichen Itza when we were staying at an all inclusive resort south of Cancun. Starting from the resort shaved at least an hour each way off the travel time and we didn't have to be back at the resort at a particular time, unlike with a tour from a cruise ship, so we had several hours at Chichen Itza.

 

My suggestion would be to see Tulum if you're cruising, and save Chichen Itza for another time, when you're staying at a resort.

 

By the way, since Chichen Itza is inland, i.e. no ocean breeze, it is beastly hot there a good portion of the year.

[cruiseguy1016]

Here's another vote for the Chacchoben Ruins with The Native Choice while in Costa Maya. It was one of the most informative and enjoyable excursions we have ever been on.

[Bailey & Sophie]

We did Tulum several years ago. Due to the distance and time involved, we chose to take the excursion through the cruise ship.

Tulum was fabulous. We had a guided tour, which was a good thing. We had never been to ruins before and it was nice to know what was what.

Please note that you will NOT be allowed to climb on any of the formations, unlike some others that we have toured since.

It was a long day and glad the ship waited for us!

[Merion_Mom]

To me, the distance and time involved and the ferry are deciding factors.

 

That's the reason that I recommend Costa Maya and Chacchoben and Native Choice. You will be in both Cozumel and Costa Maya, so you can choose not to spend all day on a bus or vomit comet. (many people have problems on the ferry!)

 

I have done Tulum, and loved it, but I did it on my one cruise that was diverted from Costa Maya to Playa del Carmen because of hurricane damage. Playa del Carmen is on the mainland, eliminating A LOT of the negatives of time and distance.

[bluecookies]

Check the times for the tour. Agreed that the times will be important. Tulum might be a shorter trip but Chichen Itza may be more dramatic.

 

For ruins, I prefer Belize and Guatemala. But that is land not sea based.

 

We did an RCL excursion to Xunantunich in Belize. Two hour bus ride each way, plus the hand-cranked pedestrian ferry and then another shuttle van. Loved it!

[39august]

Native Choice at Costa Maya will give you the best bang for your buck. The ruins are only about an hour away and the guides with Native Choice are great. I would never book a tour of Chichin Itza from a cruise ship at Cozumel. Way too long on a bus, and waaay to little time to see these ruins. My second choice would be Tulum from the ship tour. I have been to both Tulum and Chichin Itza. Certainly Chichin is larger, but Tulum is quite a lot to see. And the view is spectacular. By the way, someone posted that Chankanaab park on Cozumel has ruins. That is incorrect. There are a few models of ruins that are NOT to scale and man-made.

[LeesSummitCruiser1]

So.. our family is trying to choose ONE excursion only between the ports of Cozumel, Mexico and Costa Maya, Mexico.

 

Our main goal is to explore and visit the Mayan ruins!

 

After lots of searching, we found three major spots that could be visited: Tulum Ruins, Coba Ruins, and Chichen Itza. We really have never been to any of these places before so we were wondering if anyone that has been there could tell us a bit about each place and the differences and Pros/Cons?

 

Which ruin is the best experience? Most suitable for a family of four? Most worth your money (very important because they are very expensive!!) ?

 

If anyone wants to go even further, it would be a big help if anyone would recommend a Royal Caribbean excursion to these places that they enjoyed!

 

Thanks guys!

 

My daughter and I did the Tulum ruins from Cozumel when we were on the Vision 2 years ago. It was a good tour. Pretty fast but we both enjoyed it other than it was very hot in August and there are not a lot of trees to stand under while the guide explains things. Also the "snack" provided by RCL was a tuna pouch, crackers, and water. There are food outlets at the shopping area at Tulum where you can grab a bite to eat after the tour before you get on the bus back to Playa and the ferry. I would do this tour again, Tulum is amazing.

Chichen Itza is just to far away don't even try it from Cozumel, you would only get about 30 minutes there an a 6 hour bus ride plus ferry. Chichen deserves a whole day just to itself.

[FLSteve11]

So.. our family is trying to choose ONE excursion only between the ports of Cozumel, Mexico and Costa Maya, Mexico.

 

Our main goal is to explore and visit the Mayan ruins!

 

After lots of searching, we found three major spots that could be visited: Tulum Ruins, Coba Ruins, and Chichen Itza. We really have never been to any of these places before so we were wondering if anyone that has been there could tell us a bit about each place and the differences and Pros/Cons?

 

Which ruin is the best experience? Most suitable for a family of four? Most worth your money (very important because they are very expensive!!) ?

 

If anyone wants to go even further, it would be a big help if anyone would recommend a Royal Caribbean excursion to these places that they enjoyed!

 

Thanks guys!

 

I've done the 3. I would go between Chichen Itza or Coba. Tulum is nice, and it's on the coast, and it's closer, but it's basically Chichen Itza's little sister in terms of experience there.

 

For Chichen Itza, you need to get a tour that's long though. I finally did it just this year off Empress, and we got a full 2 hours at the ruins (9 hour tour) A lot of the tours do under an hour there, and it's just not enough time. They give you a 45-minute walk through with headphones to hear the tour guide (a nice touch, you can look around and still hear them), and then we got over an hour to explore on our own. It's obviously the most famous ruin so everyone will know what you're talking about when you tell them where you went. (Bucket list...check)

 

Coba, it's pretty far as well, but you can climb it. And who doesn't want to climb the ruins. It's also really tall, taller then Chichen Itza. It's in a much more run down state though, so it's not as pretty (and it's about a mile walk through the woods to get to it. Nice walk, and shaded, on dirt path. Though you can rent bikes and a driver if it's too far).

 

I also agree, look at the Costa Maya ruins. Dzibanche is really cool, as well as the others.

[Bailey & Sophie]

To me, the distance and time involved and the ferry are deciding factors.

(many people have problems on the ferry!)

 

Yes, that ferry ride can be very rough!!

[Agavegirl1]

I've also done Xunatunich, as well as Lamanii and Altun Ha in Belize. I am still trying to get to Tikal in Guatemala. The river ride to Lamanii is really cool.

[Jan_In_Maine]

if you haven't already, research the Chacchoben ruins from your Costa Maya stop. The ruins may not be as spectacular as some of the ones you mention, but the tour was impressive, informative and might not take as long to get to, and back ... I did the Chacchoben tour using The Native Choice tours and it was very well done ... reasonably priced as well

 

We also did this tour with Native Choice in the past ... one of my favorite tours. What ever tour you decide on I hope you have a wonderful time! Jan

[Rogueperson]

Chitchen Itza is the farthest. Do not attempt this EVEN with a cruise excursion if you have less than 10 hours at port. Simple math. It takes about 45 minutes to traverse to the main land. Thats 1.5 hours roundtrip. Its 2.5 - 3 hours, 6 hours roundtrip. 7.5 hours lost in traveling. Add about 30 minutes of gathering together. That leaves you 2 hours MAX to do anything with a 10 hour stay, and 3 hours, with an 11 hour stay. I do not know Chitchen Itza, so i don't know how long it takes to get from the parking lot to the main pyramid.

 

I've been to Tulum and Coba. I personally love Coba. Coba, I would NOT recommend if you have less than 10 hours in port either. There is a mile and a half walk from the parking lot to the main complex. You can easily spend 45 minutes just walking from the parking lot to the complex. It can be mitigated by the bike taxis there. The last time we were there, it felt rushed. We made it to the central plaza. Had just enough time to climb up, back down, and then back to the bus. It pissed my wife off a little because she felt rushed, however, I had been there before.

 

Tulum is a great place. Its much "nicer" than Coba. I found the ruins to be better kept. The fact that its right next to the beach is nice too. There is also a walk from the parking lot to the complex as well, but not nearly as far as Coba. Its more walking around the wall until you get to the entrance. Its also the place I got the best fish tacos ever.

 

If you haven't been to any of them, Tulum is the easiest to get to and you will spend the most time there. All three of these are accessible from Cozumel only, though I've never seen Chitchen Itza offered. Costa Maya is way too far south, though there maybe other ruins to visit there.

[Slopoke15]

Costa Maya is way too far south, though there maybe other ruins to visit there.

 

I believe the OP has port stops in both Cozumel and Costa Maya, and they are considering one tour to some Mayan ruins between the two stops. I realize that the ruins available from Cozumel might be more extensive, but I suggested checking out the Chacchoben ruins out of Costa Maya because the ruins are only about 45 minutes to an hour from the port, and there is no ferry ride to get to port. I also suggested The Native Choice because their web reviews are very good, and the tour I went on was very well done. Price of the private tour was about half the cost of the ship tour, and we were back to the port area in plenty of time. In fact, when our tour was done, and we were about to board our air conditioned bus back to port (around noon), the RCI tour was just arriving in the parking lot.

 

I also note the OP mentioned this being a family excursion ... so depending on the number of people, and the ages, the long travel times, and lengthy tours might be a bit much. Not to mention that infamous ferry ride from/to Cozumel :)

Edited December 14, 2016 by Slopoke15