Tulum on our own?

[iltravel]

Have booked Carnival Fantasy on 12/22. Will be in Coz from 9 to 5. Tulum is a must-see for this trip. Have read many posts from this forum and learned a lot, big thanks to all of you! I know there are risks of not getting back to the ship on time if we do the Tulum tour on our own. The only risk I concern is the big wave that will delay the ferry and the rest of the risks can be managed. Since there are 7 in the family, $$ wise doing it on our own is very temping. Also don't like the 30 min 'restroom break' with Carnival excursion. Still want to know if anybody been there recently and any suggestion? Thanks!

[Diamonds Mom]

we did Tulum with Ncl back in April and it was a great tour. Not sure if I would do it on my own as we did just get back to the boat on time. Once you get to the mainland its about an hour drive we did have the rest stop half way there. The rest stop was at a little store that had local crafts and jewerly and snacks. The nice thing was once we got back to the pier the tender was waiting on us and we got right on. It is a full day and depending on when you go it is warm, so bring water. there also was a shopping area right outside Tulum where the bus parks.

[psbtrvlr]

A friend of mine did this excursion with Carnival the first week in November. On the return, one part of the transportation (I don't remember if it was the bus or the ferry) broke down. Their ship left port 1 1/2 hours late because they were 2 hours late getting back. Because they were on a Carnival excursion, the ship waited. If they had gone on their own, they would have been flying back to Florida.

[Ren1216]

It's been said a million times, this is just not one of those excursions that's worth the risk to do it on your own. I do ALL of my other excursions and exploring outside of the cruise line, but not this one. What are you going to save... $20 per person? I dont think its worth it. Its vacation! Spend the little bit more for your safety and security. Then there's nothing to worry about and you will definitely have a great day ;).

[iltravel]

Thanks All! It is worthy to spend extra $200 to buy a peace of mind. So I decided to book the Carnival excursion. But guest what I found out? They don't offer this excursion on Thursday! If we still want to visit Tulum, the only thing we can do is pray.

[psbtrvlr]

I haven't used them yet, but this company says they guarantee to get you to the ship on time. http://www.shoretrips.com/common/search3.asp?rcode=CAR&lcode=CZM

[Ren1216]

I guess I didn't realize that you were paying for the entire family... when I travel, its with family, usually 10 or so of us (aunts, cousins, grandma even). But being all adults, we all pay our own way. So I can understand now why you were looking to save a little money.

 

I didn't know Shoretrips offered Tulum tours, but that is definitely a reputable tour company. I would give them a look. A couple notes about Tulum.... it's a gorgeous site, most people say it's worth the trip to do it once. However, its usually very hot and it involves a lot of walking (plus all the transportation, which you seem to know about already). Those things combined might matter to you, depending on the ages and physical capabilities of those in your family. If you make it, I hope you have a great time!!

[renegade87]

I've been pondering if I wanted to tempt fate and try it on our own. Guess I'll be sure to use the Carnival tour now! Thanks for the great advice!

[soon to be mrs. k]

Just came back on the Carnival Liberty 11-8 Western Caribbean itinerary. I did the Tulum tour on my own, with 13 family members and friends joining. We got off the ship, 7:20 A.M. Coz time (8:20 A.M. ship time), walked 5 minutes from ship to where taxis were parked, we were able to get van and one taxi (cost was $2 USD pp), 10-minute ride to ferry terminal, bought ferry ticket one way ($12 USD/pp or 140 Pesos), ferry leaves in the AM every hour on the hour, there are 2 ferry companies, one leaves 8 AM, the other leaves 9 AM, etc. Ferry ride was about 40 minutes, that day 11/10, ride was not smooth, thankfully, no one in the group threw up, but we were all feeling queasy. Upon arrival in Playa del Carmen, I talked to taxi driver, bargained taxi ride to Tulum - cost is $20/PP round trip, they will wait at the Tulum ruins for return back, at the ruins as we did not have pesos, taxi driver asked us if we wanted him to buy the admission ticket, $5 USD/pp, and $2 USD/pp for the little tram ride up the ruins, or you can walk (about 15 minutes in the hot sun, and you might also encounter snake in the road!, so be careful). Total cost per person for this wonderful do it yourself excursion was $27 USD. There were 4 taxis for 13 people. We had a leisurely tour of the ruins, we had a guidebook that I borrowed from my hometown library, took tons of pictures, and then for the highlight of our tour, we were able to swim at the beach for about one hour!!! We were in Tulum from 11 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. Back in Playa around 2:10 P.M., bought another ferry ticket for the 3 P.M. ferry to Cozumel. Some went shopping, I sat and had leisurely tacos pastor and Modelo by the taco place near the ferry terminal. Best to buy ferry ticket one way, so you don't have to wait for ferry, you can catch whatever ferry is heading back to Cozumel. Ride back was much better and smoother than in the A.M. Was back in Cozumel around 3:40, took cab ($2 USD/pp) back to ship. Was in the ship terminal by around 4 P.M. Had time for beers at Fat Tuesday (our ship didn't leave until 9 PM, Cozumel time, which is 10 PM ship time. Ferry in the afternoon leaves every 2 hours after noon.

 

Just for comparison, my sister and hubby took the ship sponsored excursion, cost $81 USD/pp, they arrived in Tulum much later than. we were already on our way to the beach when we saw them, coming back they were rushing for their "yellow ship" to go back to Cozumel, and I was leisurely eating my tacos and drinking my beer.

 

TOTAL COST = $55 USD - $24 for ferry ride, $20 for taxi to Tulum and back (2.5 hrs in Tulum), $5 entrance to ruins, $2 for little tram, $4 taxi in Cozumel to and from ferry terminal. Savings from ship excursion - $26

 

We never felt unsafe, taxi drivers were polite and honest, and all local people were helpful. They all speak English, too. Also, there are "guides" at the ruins, but we elected to self tour.

[Ren1216]

That's some great info! The biggest issue with this excursion is the distance between Tulum and your ship. Should any piece of the transportation chain fail... you could be in a pickle. I hate to see someone miss part of a vacation (should they not make it back to their ship in time) that they have been saving and waiting for months to go on. But its enlightening to read about the recent experience of someone who tried it on their own. Thanks for sharing in such detail, soon to be mrs k!

[soon to be mrs. k]

You are absolutely correct, we decided to do the Tulum tour on our own because we were in port from 8 A.M. until 10 P.M. Also, I have an adventurous streak, I have never taken any sponsored excursions of any kind, and have traveled all over the world. Travel adventures always carry the risks that something might happen, and if you do not feel that you will enjoy the experience for fear of someting happening, then it is not worth to tour on your own, no matter how much time you have in port, and it is safe to just stay on the side of Cozumel and enjoy the island. Or you can take the ship tour, and be assured that if anything happens, the ship will take care of you. I posted my experience to share with those who might like to try to tour on their own. Happy cruising everyone, and always have a safe and enjoyable cruise...

[psbtrvlr]

If I were in port from 8am to 10pm then I might risk going to the mainland on my own. None of my cruises have been in port anywhere near that amount of time, so I didn't chance it. And, I too have traveled around the world, only I've done all types of excursions. Sponsored, not sponsored, going on my own. And we've experienced bus/van & boat breakdowns on numerous occasions, and 1 bus accident. These all can cause huge delays, so if you go out on your own, be prepared and allow a lot of extra time.

[heathero]

You had a nice long time in port, we dock at 10am and leave a 7pm, so have opted forthe NCL tour for $89.00 just in case..

Heather