Celebrity Tulum and Shopping Tour Questions

[cleobella]

We are looking at the Tulum and "5th Avenue" Shopping Experience via Celebrity.  This sounds like a great day.  However I am thinking that the travel time round trip with Ferry and Driving will be about 2.5 hours, then we spend 2 hours at the Ruins.  So, that means 4-5 hours shopping in Playa del Carmen?  This seems like too much shopping time for us.  Maybe I am underestimating the travel time? Has anyone done this tour and can advise if this is correct, and if there may be other stuff to do on this shopping street besides eating and shopping? Thanks

[crewsweeper]

This will help with shopping and things to do along 5th Avenue.

https://www.playadelcarmen.com/blog/things-to-do-5th-avenue-playa-del-carmen/

 

It takes just over an hour to get to Tulum from the ferry terminal.  Ferry ride is 45 minutes.  If you have to take the public ferry from Cozumel, there's a 5-10 minute taxi ride from the International Pier. So that's closer to 3.5 hours total RT.  With a public ferry you're also limited to their schedule.  If Celebrity is organizing the ferry from the pier, you'll be told what time to be back to catch it.   Most Tulum excursions are around 8 hours total.

 

 

[c-leg5]

1 hour ago, crewsweeper said:

This will help with shopping and things to do along 5th Avenue.

https://www.playadelcarmen.com/blog/things-to-do-5th-avenue-playa-del-carmen/

 

It takes just over an hour to get to Tulum from the ferry terminal.  Ferry ride is 45 minutes.  If you have to take the public ferry from Cozumel, there's a 5-10 minute taxi ride from the International Pier. So that's closer to 3.5 hours total RT.  With a public ferry you're also limited to their schedule.  If Celebrity is organizing the ferry from the pier, you'll be told what time to be back to catch it.   Most Tulum excursions are around 8 hours total.

 

 

I would never take a cruise line excursion to the mainland as I don’t feel the time generally justifies how much time you get at the actual excursion. I would do mainland excursions while staying on the mainland and  Cozumel excursions from a ship day. However I realize not everyone wants, or is able, to do that. 
 

My question to those that have taken the ship excursions - is there usually one dedicated ferry to and from the mainland which means whatever excursion you are on you fit in with other excursions?

 

I have seen enough delayed sailings waiting for the mainland ferry to return and do know that, IF I ever took a mainland excursion while on a ship, I would only use the cruise line chartered ferry.

[crewsweeper]

@c-leg5  I've seen it both ways.  Chartered ferry and ship excursion using public ferry.  Chartered ferries do take all ship excursions.  If ship excursion uses public ferry ship will wait for the excursion to return.

[c-leg5]

42 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

@c-leg5  I've seen it both ways.  Chartered ferry and ship excursion using public ferry.  Chartered ferries do take all ship excursions.  If ship excursion uses public ferry ship will wait for the excursion to return.

Thanks, my point was some excursions are longer than others so I wondered if everyone traveled on the one ferry so they used fillers (like shopping) so everyone traveled together.

[in2up2]

We did this tour last April.  It was a chartered ferry as there were royal ships in port as well.  Not sure how they come up with the timing, but I would say not worth it.  By the time everyone boards ferry, you land on mainland, have to walk a bit to the tour busses, get everyone off the busses and then you have a decent walk to the entrance of the ruins which some do slower than other and you will be waiting for the slow pokes, they then make a bathroom stop at the tourist shops, etc.  By the time you actually get into the ruins, you have barely enough time to take their guided tour and take some photos, then walk back out and pick up lunch to eat on the bus back to Playa del Carmen and catch the ferry.  You will NOT have shopping time.  I think we had 30 minutes of free time max in Playa del Carmen.  So much wasted time.

[blue_water]

I know this goes against the grain, but we would do this on our own utilizing a reputable tour guide group based in Playa. The benefit is, of course, as in2up2 correctly noted, you are not waiting idly for others to join the group at the ferry and bus queues. We would actually go on our own (if taking friends visiting for the first time, for example) since we lived near there for some time. But there are excellent tour outfits and drivers who are very trustworthy and reliable.

You are ultimately responsible for being BOB on time, but on a 10-hour port stop that is not a problem.

Cleobella I would actually recommend choosing another excursion option like the ruins/beach, or ruins/cenote if you have those choices. PDC and 5th Ave are just so much like the square in San Miguel that it’s not really worth stopping for, Just my opinion, mind you, but the cenote would be a nicer experience. And if you choose the beach it is probably the beach at the ruins, and you would have more time there..

Just a thought! You can find more info on the ruins in this post -