Tour with David and Ivan

[autumnly]

We had Carolina on November 21 (I think) and cannot say enough good things. This was easily our best day of the cruise. I was a little cautious when I saw her with a sign at the dock, since I'd been told to go to the Cat's Meow, and was afraid of a scam. She had our names on the list, though.

 

Carolina was just fantastic. I thought the 45 minute drive to the excavation site would be boring, but she sat facing us and talked to us the entire way, pointing to things through the window and explaining modern day life in this part of the country as well as throughout history. The ruins were interesting, but I think her talks were more so.

 

I found everyone I encountered at David and Ivan's Native Ways to be friendly, polite and professional. Just be patient with e-mails...as a previous poster stated, there is one computer in the town of Mahahual, and they have to drive into town to access the Internet.

I would be happy to answer any questions about this tour, the cruise, or the other ports of call (if I can). We were on RCCI Legend of the Seas and stopped in Grand Cayman, Costa Maya, Belize, and Cozumel. E-mail me at autumnly321@yahoo.com.

Christine

[EJ'S MOM-MOM]

In Costa Maya we toured the ruins, our guides were 2 young people, a girl named Silva of Mayan decent & a young man whose name I can not remember of Astec decent. He did most of the tour & was very informative. We were supposed to go with David or Ivan but according to Silva Ivan was sick & David was to meet us at the ruins, but we never did meet him. My sister & I suspect that maybe they are not connected with David & Ivan at all but are somehow picking up their business. We were to meet David & Ivan at the Cat's Meow in Majahual & that is were we met these young people, who knows maybe they work for David & Ivan in any event the tour was wonderful & well worth the $43pp

[cb98498]

Hi All,

Am interested in the ruins tour and would really appreciate a contact email address for Ivan. Thank you for your help and all your shared information.

Cathy

[EJ'S MOM-MOM]

Hi All,

Am interested in the ruins tour and would really appreciate a contact email address for Ivan. Thank you for your help and all your shared information.

Cathy

 

Here is the email address I used:

icohuo@chacchobenruins.com

 

http://www.chacchobenruins.com/

 

Hope this helps you, the tour was great

[MercedMike]

COSTA MAYA PORT REPORT, CHACCHOBEN W/DAVID AND IVAN

 

We arrived in Costa Maya on Grand Princess Dec 4, 2006. We docked at the pier, with Carnival Ecstasy docked next to us. It is quite a long pier, no problem for the young and healthy, but old guys with bad knees like me needed to wait for the shuttle which ran constantly. At the end of the pier is the Tourism Village, which has pretty much everything a tourist could need: swimming pools, bars, restrooms and shopping, shopping, shopping! It was all very well controlled, no importunate vendors pulling at your sleeve, no shouting hawkers. There were a few tour operators selling tours inside the village, and a few Mayan dancers posing for pictures. A lot of our shipmates never left the village!

 

We were booked for the Mayan Experience tour with David and Ivan. We walked into the village and looked for the way out. We finally figured that the only exit from the place was the one marked by a tiny sign saying EMERGENCY EXIT. We came out into the parking lot and saw lots of vans marked TOURIST TRANSPORT, and several guys who seemed to be handling the dispatcher duties. We bought tickets for $3,and said, “David and Ivan?” The dispatcher told us not to get on the van, and that David would pick us up in “one little minute!” So we waited about 10 minutes, and eventually the dispatcher got on his cell phone and then told us to get on a van after all, to be taken to David. So we hopped in the van, and the driver took us down the road where we met our van with Carolina from David and Ivan’s staff. All this was accompanied by considerable excitement and arm waving, but the point is that everybody knows David and Ivan and how to contact them, and they will take good care of you and be sure you meet your tour. Carolina told us that they are picking up directly at the pier now,not at the Cat’s Meow any more, but that because our group of 4 had been a bit delayed getting off the ship the rest had gone on and we needed to catch up.

 

We had a ride of about 45 minutes to Chacchoben, through beautiful countryside. Carolina kept up a wonderful running commentary on Maya history, crops, local customs and a number of other topics. She is a delight and a wonderful guide. When we arrived at Chacchoben we met David and about 20 others and began our tour. David steered us clear of the other huge groups, and told us that when we came back by the main pyramid everybody else would be gone and we could get good pictures. David is amazing, and pretty much knows every tree and rock in Chacchoben by its first name.

 

Chacchoben is basically a loop trail, very easy level walking. David went at a slow pace, and stopped every few feet to point out something interesting, so even for those with mobility difficulties it is a nice tour. The weather when we were there was overcast, which kept the temperature down to the mid 80s and made for a nice walk. We were walking through rain forest and now and then coming to an excavated building. David said that every tree covered hill we passed was another building, waiting for excavation.

 

Towards the end of the tour we came to the highest flight of steps, which can be climbed for a great view from the top (and cool photographs!) It looked sort of daunting, so Carolina led us on a little farther to the “wimp’s path” to the top, still a pretty good climb but much easier! She looked out for us throughout the tour and was very considerate and attentive.

 

When we returned to the first pyramid, just as David had promised the big tour groups were gone and we had wonderful photo ops. The big pyramid can only be climbed part way up. It is a very imposing structure.

 

Unfortunately due to the rainy weather, we were unable to have the pre-Hispanic meal in Chacchoben village that was part of our tour. The cooking is done in a pit and the pit was flooded. We drove to the village anyhow, and had a tour of current Mayan life. There were thatched houses and turkeys in the streets, but there were also TVs and satellite dishes. Many of the people showed the classic Mayan features, looking exactly like the paintings and carvings from 1000 years ago. When we returned to the port, Carolina only charged us for the Chacchoben part of the tour, not for the village experience, which was more than fair. (Those who had booked through Shoretrips and prepaid by credit card, she offered lunch in Mahahual at the Cat’s Meow, or a refund through Shoretrips.)

 

All in all we had a wonderful time in Costa Maya, and can thoroughly recommend David and Ivan, and Carolina, for a great tour of the Chacchoben archeological site. Check our web page at Western Caribbean Cruise for pictures!

[kftw]

Thanks for you review. We'll be them next week.

[Zeno]

Carolina is wonderful - I have bad knees and she took very good care of me when we were on the tour (even hauled me up the "wimp" steps"!)

[MLS1227]

Thanks Mike for a great review. I appreciate you taking the time to post it. We are going leaving New Orleans on 2/10/07 and have booked with them. Thanks again.

 

Mike S.

[sharecruises]

I have read many good posts about this tour, but I do worry that there is not "enough' there to really see, the posts about the long lectures and stuff worry me a bit

 

also ..why all the confusion about where to meet them...cat meow or at pier or whatever...

 

yes, I realize that they have shaky internet connections but at some point they should get this more organized, also the story of the "2 young people" or whatever is kind of a turn off too

 

I am wondering if the ruins in Belize would be the better choice, more to see, plus there is not much else that interests me in Belize

 

Maybe I will just have Costa Maya as beach/village day ??

 

any ideas if these guys are getting it together where to meet etc??

 

I would almost rather have a shorter tour than to have them try to drag it out just to fill time etc

thanks

[vmom]

They used to have everyone go to the Cat's Meow to meet up with the tour, but starting very recently, I belive as of 12/1 or thereabouts David and Ivan have gotten persmission to meet the tours at the pier to avoid the extra ride into town. The reason for the "confusion" is that anyone who reserved the tour before the new arrangements for pick up at the pier area were told to go to the Cat's Meow. Anyone making reservations more recently are told to meet at the bus area right by the pier. Just go outside to were the buses are and wait. Everyone at the pier knows David and Ivan, so just ask.

 

We did both the Altun Ha tour and the ruins in Costa Maya. I would say there are about the same number of buildings at both places. The ride to the ruins was better in Costa Maya, but the ride to Altun Ha was an interesting way to view another culture.

 

In terms of length of time, there wasn't really that much of a difference.

I enjoyed both equally. I would say, decide what else you are interested in and then decide which port to do the ruins.

[critterchick]

We did this tour on November 30 with Ivan as our guide. He does talk quite a bit, but we enjoyed every minute of it. We had been instructed to meet that the Cat's Meow, but, having heard on CC that they were now picking up at the pier, found Carolina and Ivan there. Our van had 10 people and there were 2 other vans that met us at the ruins, for a total of about 25 people. We were the first group to enter the ruins, so we were able to take a lot of photos of the ruins themselves, instead of pyramids crawling with tourists.

 

This tour is really more historical/educational than recreational - other than one climb at the end it's not terribly strenuous for what it is, and of course there's no beach or bar activity. But I thought it was fabulous!

[Chelsea_mom]

We had Carolina on November 21 (I think) and cannot say enough good things. This was easily our best day of the cruise. I was a little cautious when I saw her with a sign at the dock, since I'd been told to go to the Cat's Meow, and was afraid of a scam. She had our names on the list, though.

 

Carolina was just fantastic. I thought the 45 minute drive to the excavation site would be boring, but she sat facing us and talked to us the entire way, pointing to things through the window and explaining modern day life in this part of the country as well as throughout history. The ruins were interesting, but I think her talks were more so.

 

We also traveled with Carolina and we cannot say enough good things about her. We could have happily spent the whole day with her! At first we were worried that we were sent off with her while David waited for another group. However her talk on how the Mayan's currently live was not to be missed!!!

[trinks90]

This will be our first visit to Costa Maya next month on the CC Glory and the tour with David and Ivan sounds wonderful, especially the Mayan experience. We have 4 children ages 9-13 and I think it would fascinate them. My concern is the length of time. We will only be in port from 8 to 5. Will we have enough time to do this? :confused: Thanks in advance for your help!

[vmom]

This will be our first visit to Costa Maya next month on the CC Glory and the tour with David and Ivan sounds wonderful, especially the Mayan experience. We have 4 children ages 9-13 and I think it would fascinate them. My concern is the length of time. We will only be in port from 8 to 5. Will we have enough time to do this? :confused: Thanks in advance for your help!

 

We were on the tour with David and Ivan and it was great!, That said I would rethink doing the tour with 9 to 13 year old children unless they have a really long attention span and can listen to a lecture by a guide for a lengthy period of time.

 

On our tour there was a family with children. While the adults were very interested in the lecture the kids were bored and had difficulty attending. Their movements and antics were a great distraction to the rest of us to were trying to listen.

 

The lecture portions can be on the lengthy side. Its not just a few minutes here and there, but detailed lessons about the Mayan culture. Frankly although I loved the tour, I think it would not appeal to a 9 or 13 year old unless they love to listen to lectures on history.

[MercedMike]

The lecture portions can be on the lengthy side. Its not just a few minutes here and there, but detailed lessons about the Mayan culture. Frankly although I loved the tour, I think it would not appeal to a 9 or 13 year old unless they love to listen to lectures on history.

 

Now, I sort of feel the other way. Indeed, there were frequent stops for talks by the guide. But there was also a lot of really interesting stuff to explore. One of the kids in our group kept busy looking at ants and bugs while the guide talked! And about two thirds of the way through is that great wall to climb and I know the kids would love doing that! That is, if M&D can keep up with them! I think this tour would be great for your kids, a whole lot better than many of the tours available.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[trinks90]

Hmmm....very interesting perspective on taking the kids. I appreciate both your opinions, so thank you for replying.

I'm leaning more toward taking the kids. I'm lucky in that all of mine are very good students and I've been told that they are extremely polite and well behaved, although as their mom I certainly question that?? ;)

My oldest son, 10, is a history FANATIC! He just loves it and it blows my mind sometimes on the things he can remember.

I am really interested in doing both the ruins and the Mayan experiece. I believe it is so important to expose them to other cultures and ways of life. We get so wrapped up in what we have that we rarely take the time to truely appreciate it. I mean....we're going on a CRUISE for heavens sake...and they're not even teenages...AND...this is their SECOND cruise! Good grief.

So, again, my concern is the length of time. We are in port from 8 to 5. Will we be able to pull it off? And if not, can you just do the Mayan experience with David and Ivan and maybe do a visit to the ruins in another port? We will also be in Belize and Cozumel.

Thanks again, in advance, for any help!

[kftw]

So, again, my concern is the length of time. We are in port from 8 to 5. Will we be able to pull it off? And if not, can you just do the Mayan experience with David and Ivan and maybe do a visit to the ruins in another port? We will also be in Belize and Cozumel.

 

Thanks again, in advance, for any help!

 

According to their website the Mayan Experience includes going to the ruins. Total time is 5hr. Below is what I copied of the description of the Mayan Experience tour.

 

Your tour includes:

Chacchoben Mayan Ruins Tour, plus a visit to Chacchoben Village, interaction with a Mayan family at their home and lunch consisting of prehispanic dishes.

 

So it looks as if you would be able to see the ruins & have the experience.

[EJ'S MOM-MOM]

We had 2 kids ages 7 & 9 on the tour with us. The little girl was doing a school project with "Flat Stanley" & the tour guide was wonderful helping her & showing her things that would be interesting pictures for her project. Both her & her brother semed like they were having a good time & as the previous poster stated when the narration got a little lenghty the kids found things in the surrounding area to look at, also we had another guide with us who when the narration seemed to loose the kids she entertained them with some kiddy story about the Mayans. As I said before I am not sure if these 2 young people worked for David & Ivan or are just picking up their buisness at the Cat's Meow, but they gave a great tour & I would highly recommend them. :D :D

[trinks90]

Oh my Gosh....DUH! I read the description of the tour and looked at the minimum number required for a group-7 and mixed that up with the length of the tour....I was thinking 7 hours which I thought might be cutting it a bit close. 5 hours sounds doable. I will contact them. Thanks everyone, for all your help!

[Tarheelbelle]

I have read many good posts about this tour, but I do worry that there is not "enough' there to really see, the posts about the long lectures and stuff worry me a bit

 

also ..why all the confusion about where to meet them...cat meow or at pier or whatever...

 

yes, I realize that they have shaky internet connections but at some point they should get this more organized, also the story of the "2 young people" or whatever is kind of a turn off too

 

I am wondering if the ruins in Belize would be the better choice, more to see, plus there is not much else that interests me in Belize

 

Maybe I will just have Costa Maya as beach/village day ??

 

any ideas if these guys are getting it together where to meet etc??

 

I would almost rather have a shorter tour than to have them try to drag it out just to fill time etc

thanks

I have not done Altun Ha, but I did Lamanai in Belize 2 years ago and I certainly enjoyed that tour more than the D&I Chacchoben tour this year. It's not that I didn't like or respect the tour or the guides this year, but I found the Lamanai ruins more impressive. We did have a good tour guide at Lamanai, too. I had also been to Chichen Itza and Tulum and ruins in central Mexico in the past. I did like the fact that Ivan could give a more personal perspective, since he and his family were born at the ruins.

There were several kids on our tour, but they were quite young---maybe 4-7 yrs. old. The youngest was often crying and having to be redirected by parents.

By the way, we were there 11/28 and were met by David at the cab area near the port.

Also, FYI, my traveling companion spent the day at the beach [near the port first and then the beaches at Majahual] and she had a wonderful time.

[rebsar]

The bus let us off on the opposite end of the street - well probably in the middle of the town and we had to walk back towards the ship to get to the Cat's Meow - we missed the tour.

The owner of the Cat's Meow got in touch with David or Ivan and they offered to pay for a taxi to meet up with them but by then we had already had a margarita and weren't in the mood to hurry up to catch up.

Try to be the first off the ship - we were late getting into port and couldn't help it.

We enjoyed our time at the Cat's Meow and will try to get the tour in the next time we are in Costa Maya.

[JKJoannie]

We did this tour last week. Since it was raining, the bus met us right at the port instead of the Cat's Meow.

 

We had David and Elio (sp) as our guide. Elio spoke perfect English, while David was a little hard to understand. When we got to the ruins, we were divided into two groups and we made an effort to go with Elio. He was very good and we had a great time.

 

They had plenty of cold water and Pepsi for both the trip there and the trip back. We stopped along the road and David got out and bought some fresh pineapple from the local people to serve to the bus passengers. It was wonderful. I highly recommend it.

 

Just one side note - even though the bus meets you at the port now, we were still required to pay the $3.00 shuttle fee before getting on the bus. I thought that was strange.

[critterchick]

Just one side note - even though the bus meets you at the port now, we were still required to pay the $3.00 shuttle fee before getting on the bus. I thought that was strange.

 

It's called municipal extortion, I believe.:rolleyes: Carolina told us that, in order to have access to the pier, they have to pay the $3.00 per passenger.

[Sandi$$]

My husband, 12-year old son, and I, also attended the ruins tour with David last week. What a wonderful experience!!! David is a wealth of knowledge, and we were so pleased to spend the day with him.

We too were picked up just outside the cruise pier,yet it was necessary for us to purchase the $3.00 transfer. Not a problem, though, as this excursion is far more personal and less expensive than that of the cruise ship.

Once again, I cannot say enough as to how wonderful our day was in Costa Maya! David and Ivan run a great business and they deserve to be commended. :rolleyes:

[msraye]

So, can anyone tell me how to get in touch with David and Ivan? PLEASE?