Is The Tulum Excursion Really Worth It?

[WhatALife]

Will be in Cozumel July 23rd on the Carnival Conquest. Is the Tulum excursion worth it, even in July? I have heard most of the 7+ hours is spent traveling to and from the site. Need help to decide.

[ryanh]

We were just there and did this trip on our own. Carnival charges $79 per person, and we spent a total of $62 for two people.

 

We took a cab to the pier for $6, took the ferry to Playa Del Carmen for $19 per person round trip, took the bus to Tulum, and did the same coming back. The first class bus ticket costs $3.20 and is a nice tour bus with A/C. It left at 9:20 and 10:20 to Tulum. It took about 1hr 15m to get there. You can purchase a second class ticket coming back from Tulum for only $2. The second class bus leaves every hour from Tulum. Otherwise you have to wait until after 4PM for the first class busses to start leaving. The second class bus is still nice. We bargained and got a cab from Cozumel back to the ship for $5 instead of $6.

 

Tulum will cost you $4 per person to get in. They will offer you a tour guide for $45. Skip this. Just walk with the 100 other tours around the place if you wish to learn more. We just joined in on a ship tour group and saved the money.

[ryanh]

Oh, I also forgot to tell you that if you take the ships tour, you are stuck there until the ship people are ready to leave. If you do it on your own, you can leave whenever you wish.

[Shaken_Bake]

Hi Ryan,

 

My DH and I intend to do just what you did to get to Tulum when we arrive in Cozumel next week. Not just cheaper, but it's an adventure! One question: Did you pay for your trip with US dollars, or did you exchange $ or get pesos from an ATM? Did you buy any souvenirs with US $? Thanks!

[MTV43]

Hi Ryan,

 

My DH and I intend to do just what you did to get to Tulum when we arrive in Cozumel next week. Not just cheaper, but it's an adventure! One question: Did you pay for your trip with US dollars, or did you exchange $ or get pesos from an ATM? Did you buy any souvenirs with US $? Thanks!

 

 

It is cheaper to pay in pesos, there is an exchange booth at each ship terminal. When we were there 2 weeks ago, the exchange rate was 11.20 per $1, if you pay by $US, some places just give you 10 pesos for every $1.

[eyern]

Found answer in another post. Can't delete this message.

[CoachTerry14]

Tulum is worth the trip...the cost is a personal matter!

[MandyCSP]

ryanh thanks for the info. We (family of 4 with 2 young adult "children") are going to try to do a similar trip in Jan. Where did you find info on the buses? Did you consider renting a car? Our ship doesn't dock in Cozumel until 9 am but we are there until midnight (Carnival Triumph) Also do you know where i can get the ferry schedules? I was hoping to be able see the ruins in Coba too but it seems that will be too ambitious. Has anyone done both Tulum & Coba in the same day? Thanks.

[Shaken_Bake]

ryanh thanks for the info. We (family of 4 with 2 young adult "children") are going to try to do a similar trip in Jan. Where did you find info on the buses? Did you consider renting a car? Our ship doesn't dock in Cozumel until 9 am but we are there until midnight (Carnival Triumph) Also do you know where i can get the ferry schedules? I was hoping to be able see the ruins in Coba too but it seems that will be too ambitious. Has anyone done both Tulum & Coba in the same day? Thanks.

Hi Mandy, Here's a link to a recent thread about getting to Tulum and back from Cozumel. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=58516

 

In July, the ferries from Cozumel to Playa were running on the hour, every hour and the busses, either 1st or 2nd class, run frequently to Tulum (Ruinas - tell the driver when you first get on, to avoid confusion with the last stop, Tulum town). I wouldn't recommend trying to squeeze in Coba on the same day, particularly if you're going by bus. Tulum's the one to see anyway. Have fun!