Xcaret excursion from Cozumel cruise port?

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

Can anybody recommend a tour guide to take us to Xcaret from our cruise port?

 

We will be arriving on December 27 aboard the Celebrity Ascent and will be there from 8am - 7pm.

 

Based on my research, this should give us enough time to enjoy a day at the park but Celebrity doesn't seem to offer this excursion themselves.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated... Thank you!

[ABQrobin]

Xcaret is on the Mainland, across the water from the island of Cozumel.  You will need to take a ferry over, downtown pier, and they run approx every half hour to hour, but sometimes not... From there you will have to take transportation down the coast to Xcaret.  

Personally, I wouldn't do it... too many variables that can go wrong.

[mamaneedsavacay]

Highly recommend a land trip to do Xcaret. 

Have seen cruiseline excursions offered to Xenses, which might be worthwhile for a Day trip. We really enjoyed Xenses, and it can all be done in a short day. I would still only do it through the cruiseline because of all the travel variables. Definitely a different experience than the main park, but so fun. 

Edited December 9, 2023 by mamaneedsavacay
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[c-leg5]

I also highly recommend land visit. We stayed at the hotel next door and had a 2-day pass and had a wonderful time. 
 

I can never understand how the short cruise excursion could ever do the park justice, unless you have been before and just want to revisit highlights. The park is quite confusing at first so for a few limited hours you would need a definite plan of attack  mapped out in advance to make the visit worthwhile, some events are scheduled. It certainly isn’t something I would do independently from Cozumel from a cruise ship.

[jean87510]

I second this via a land trip.  We did this years ago when staying in Cancun with our kids along with Xel Ha on 2 separate days.  If doing through the ship it's the same as doing Disney World on a port stop at Port Canaveral.  You don't get your monies worth.  Visiting cenotes, ruins, Playa del Carmen are different and can be done either private or ship (although I HIGHLY recommend ship).  I'd also read current reviews as I think it's gone downhill a bit at least since we were there.

[blue_water]

On 12/3/2023 at 9:34 PM, CruisematicVA said:

Can anybody recommend a tour guide to take us to Xcaret from our cruise port?

 

We will be arriving on December 27 aboard the Celebrity Ascent and will be there from 8am - 7pm.

 

Based on my research, this should give us enough time to enjoy a day at the park but Celebrity doesn't seem to offer this excursion themselves.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated... Thank you!

I agree, you can very easily do Xcaret with you 11-hour port time. You’d need to taxi to the Ultramar/Winjet ferry terminal, take the 45-minute ferry to Playa Del Carmen, then hook up with a guide or just take a 20-minute taxi to Xcaret.

 

There are reputable tour outfits on Coz and in PDC and I would research these. 
We’ve had a home near PDC for years and have always taken excursions on our own so cannot recommend a tour outfit.  But we do have a very reliable and honest taxi driver we’ve recommended to many other visitors who leave rave remarks for him. If you decided to take a taxi to Xcaret on your own, he could meet you at the Playa Del Carmen ferry terminal and drive you to Xcaret and give you information about that. He would also give you interesting information about his home, and could also be there at the time you specify for your return. Very dependable and just a great resource, that’s just another choice.

 

But yes, become familiar with the ferry departures, and let me know if you’d like our driver’s contact for pricing and availability, or research the independent tour options. If you are comfortable with doing it on your own you shouldn’t have any problems.

I agree Xcaret is better as a multi-day experience. But by researching the park features you can certainly plan a very nice day…YouTube is a great resource for that!

 

 

Edited December 12, 2023 by blue_water

[BlueSkiesTX]

I also agree with my fellow posters. Do it as a land trip. We stayed at Hotel Xcaret Mexico two years ago and were able to visit all of the parks. My kids really enjoyed it. My daughters were 13, 11 and 9 at the time. 

 

Many years ago, I visited Xel-Ha as part of a cruise ship excursion. It was a long day and I was much younger! The ferry ride is looong and you spend a good chunk of your day just getting there and back. We were able to enjoy Xel-Ha more this last go-around as we were staying at the resort nearby. Since it was through the cruise line, I wasn't worried about missed connections or not getting on the ferry on time.

 

Xcaret is a fabulous park and we really enjoyed the big Xcaret Mexico Espectacular Show that takes place in the evening. You can't see it on a cruise ship excursion. This park needs hours to explore and do it justice. 

 

[Explorer904]

We're in the SAME situation. WE LOVE XCARET! I want to visit one of the Xcaret parks, XPLOR, but Celebrity doesn't offer it as an excursion. We HAVE visited XCARET and XENOTES while on a Land Visit and it was AWESOME! On our last cruise, Carnival had a XENSES excursion which was *perfect* because it's a "Half Day" park. I'd love to try XPLOR next but maybe I'll just wait for another opportunity. 

[Grenadinka]

On 12/12/2023 at 11:21 AM, blue_water said:

But we do have a very reliable and honest taxi driver we’ve recommended to many other visitors who leave rave remarks for him. If you decided to take a taxi to Xcaret on your own, he could meet you at the Playa Del Carmen ferry terminal and drive you to Xcaret and give you information about that. He would also give you interesting information about his home, and could also be there at the time you specify for your return. Very dependable and just a great resource, that’s just another choice.

 

blue_water, If you still have the driver's contact, could you share it, please? We are thinking about going to Xcaret on our own and want to mitigate the risks. 

[blue_water]

26 minutes ago, Grenadinka said:

blue_water, If you still have the driver's contact, could you share it, please? We are thinking about going to Xcaret on our own and want to mitigate the risks. 

Of course! Thank you for thinking of Martin…Below is the info I’ve shared with others and a few references from recent visitors…

 

 

We’ve become friends with a very nice gentleman while living near PDC who has been our favorite taxi driver and tour guide for some time, and we’ve “shared” Martin with many visitors to this area. He is loved by everyone who has used his services to visit Mayan ruins, out of the way beautiful cenotes, snorkeling with the turtles at Akumal, or a ride to the airport or a ferry.  He is so helpful in planning your excursions, and is very supportive in every way. Martin has a “network” of friends whom he can also share if you want to include a special experience on Isla Mujeres, for example!

We’ve been coming here for 20+ years and built a home 9 years ago and wintered here, and my wife always felt safer with Martin than with me driving. 🙈 ☺️ He really does ensure his guests are safe and very comfortable.

His email address is

mmmmmmartin63@gmail.com

His WhatsApp/SMS# is

52 984 179 8440. If you have trouble calling/texting you may need to include a “1” in the number. 52 1 984 179 8440.

His rates are very reasonable, and he can suggest itineraries that include more unique areas, and less touristy and beautiful cenotes! 

 

Please mention Ron & Cindy when you contact him…If he has any questions he can contact me if I can help…We don’t get anything from sharing his info, just the gratification of knowing we are sending business his way as it helps his family. Martin speaks English well, occasionally folks will also ask us questions, and it helps if he knows we sent you 😄

Martin is based in PDC and he does provide transfers to the airport, but does not pick-up at the airport. So if you are looking for a transfer from CUN you will need to hire a transfer outfit or taxi from the airport.

He can pick-up within the Playa Del Carmen region that includes the area just south ofPuerto Morelos and just north of Akumal, and take guests anywhere in the Peninsula. He has taken a number of visitors to Chichen Itza, Tulum ruins, Coba, and the beautiful cenotes in those areas. Everyone has told us how pleasantly surprised they were with Martin’s prices, specially as compared to the larger outfits…

Here are a few recent reviews from visitors who enjoyed spending their day with Martin - Please share any comments you have as well!

From last week -

“Senor Martin was a wonderful driver.  He took us to ruins, cenotes and lunch! We were able to see a lot.  I enjoyed the private tour because we were able to enjoy our time and leave when ready.  Absolutely recommend him!”

 

“Thanks so much for recommending Martin… we used him a few times to go into Playa del Carmen and he also took us to Tulum and around for the day.  He’s a nice guy and he treated us really well.  Recommended him to a couple in the hotel so hopefully he’ll get some work  from it. He was also really interesting to talk to… from politics to the seaweed problems… !!

Please feel free to share our feedback!  I’m sure he’d be glad of the work.  He joined us for lunch in Tulum and was really good company.  We are two older ladies travelling alone and it’s important to feel safe more than anything, added to which he was always punctual, reliable and really helpful.”

 

“I just wanted to let you know that we had a fabulous time in Playa del Carmen and THANK YOU for linking us up with Señor Martin. He was such a fabulous driver and guide; nothing was ever too much for him, going above and beyond to make sure that we had a good time. His recommendations were on point, taking the time to find the right activity for us.

Above, he's such a humble and honest gentleman as well as a safe driver. He made us feel safe and cared for, travelling as a group of 4 women. I will be sharing his details with others intending to visit Playa del Carmen.

Please share my feedback; I’m happy to keep supporting such a genuine and humble gentleman. Happy to pay it forward!”

 

“Thank you so much! MARTIN IS SUCH A NICE MAN! Excellent Service!

To anyone looking for a guide go send a message to Martin. Very nice, reliable and great service! 💯”

 

“Thank you to Ron Cindy Moore for the driver contact! Martin was amazing and made it possible for us to sneak this in during the few hours we had.  Plus he was very reasonable on his prices.  Highly recommend!”

 

“Martin was wonderful and treated us like family. I am grateful I saw your comment on a fb post and reached out 🙏”