Dzibilchaltun Mayan Ruins or something else?

[tncruiser2009]

We will be sailing out on 7/25 on Carnival Fantasy to Cozumel and Progreso. This is our first cruise and will be traveling with DS(13) & DD(9). Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated or if anyone has been on this excusion and can give me some pros and cons!! Also, can anyone tell me about the differences between booking through the ship versus waiting until you dock? Thanks!

[MOsBoosh]

I went to the DZ ruins last May and had a real good time. I think it is a good choice for your first cruise because its only a 20-30 minute ride (unlike many of the other ruins) and there is a cenote that you can swim in, which is awesome!! For the price and the few hours you will spend there, I think it is a good choice. Then if you really like it, you can try some of the bigger and farther away ruins on another trip.

I did not book through the boat but waited to book through Autoprogreso at the dock because it is cheaper (Carnival= $53, Autoprogreso= $29) and because from what I can gather, its the same tour!

[iwmmarket]

We will be on the same cruise as you which will be our first. We have daughter 16 and son 11 who will be going. From what I have seen we will probably get the autoprogreso (www.autoprogreso.com) after getting off the boat and do site seeing at the ruins and then some shopping. Planning on staying on beach for most of the Cozumel day. I found a site that looked somewhat all-inclusive on beach, drinks, food, snorkeling, etc. And now I can't seem to locate it!!

[Momto6]

I posted this on a different thread, but thought I'd share here as well:

 

 

We were in Progresso last year for spring break with our 5 kids, and it ended up being everyone's FAVORITE stop on our cruise. It makes me sad to see so many people slamming Progresso; they really "missed the boat" on this one!

 

We stayed away from the expensive/crowded ship's tours. We got off as soon as possible, and hired an air-conditioned mini-van to take us to Dzibilchaltun, the Mayan ruins. It cost less to transport all 7 of us than it would have been for one person's shore excursion. Once we arrived at the ruins, we paid for a local guide, who was a retired archaeology professor with perfect English. He led us through the museum and the ruins, and explained the Mayan calendar and such. We were all fascinated. He also knew the shady paths and kept us away from the huge crowds. At the end, the kids had a great time swimming in the cenote, which is an ancient swimming hole.

 

After Dzibilchaltun, we had the mini-van take us back to town to a local restaurant on the beach. We ate lunch with a beautiful view (and our ship in the background). After lunch, I stayed with some of the kids on the beach for a bit, and my hubby took some back to the ship to shower and nap.

 

Yes, there were a lot of locals who don't speak English in Progresso, but isn't that why you're traveling? If you want sanitized American travel, go to Epcot and tour the "countries" there.

 

I hope this helps some!

~Sue

[cruise-aholicRN]

Sue- I loved your post! I have a friend who is taking her 5 grandchildren- all teens. Do you think these ruins would be appropriate for teens? She was considering Chichen Itza, but it will cost her nearly $600. It is the first time for them, so this might be something for me to pass on to her. So, it sounds like you took local transport? May I ask the cost- just to give her a reference? What was the cost of admission to the ruins? Also, do you recall the name of your guide? Any other info you want to share would be welcomed.

T.J.

[terry&mike]

I prefer Dzibilchaltun to Chichen Itza, especially for children. The grounds are well laid out at Dz, and the museum is informative and styled to be interesting to visitors of all ages. Also, if you bring your swimwear you can take a dip in the cenote, a crystal clear pool fed by an underground spring.

All of the guides there are intellectuals and speak English, you will not go wrong.

You can make this journey through the cruise ship tours, through autoprogreso at the port, or on your own by working it out with a cab driver to take you and wait for you. The admission into Dz runs around 70 or 80 pesos from what I remember from my May visit, a bit less than $7usd.

[Momto6]

Sue- I loved your post! I have a friend who is taking her 5 grandchildren- all teens. Do you think these ruins would be appropriate for teens? She was considering Chichen Itza, but it will cost her nearly $600. It is the first time for them, so this might be something for me to pass on to her. So, it sounds like you took local transport? May I ask the cost- just to give her a reference? What was the cost of admission to the ruins? Also, do you recall the name of your guide? Any other info you want to share would be welcomed.

T.J.

Terry and Mike posted some great information already, and I'm glad that they remember the costs, because I have no idea- just that it was a relative bargain! Our kids at the time were 17, 15, 12, 12 and 10, and they loved Dz. ALL of them say it was the best part of our cruise.

 

We did not have anything pre-planned. When we got off the ship, there were many local taxi companies with English-speaking reps and pictures of their vehicles. We just walked up to one and told him that we needed transport to Dz for 7 people, and he took us to a waiting minivan. The van driver didn't speak much English, but the rep translated for us and requested lunch at a local restaurant afterwards. The van driver waited for us while we toured the museum and ruins. When you buy your tickets, they ask if you would like a guide, and there were many on hand. We felt like we lucked out with the retired archaeology professor, but I would imagine that all of the guides are well qualified.

 

As I said, I don't remember the exact amounts, but for the van and driver, museum entrance, guide, and lunch for the 7 of us, it was less than the cost of a similar "shore excursion" for 3 people. (My hubby did the math during lunch and was gloating!)

 

I am sure that your friend and her grandkids would all have a fabulous time-

Sue

[WilliamLawson]

Another plus for Dzibilchaltun is the fact that the museum has AC! Also driving to Uxmal (hours) or (Chichen 3 hours) will eat up a large part of your day! Dzibilchaltun is only 30 minutes each way.

[1123mrk]

Sue- I loved your post! I have a friend who is taking her 5 grandchildren- all teens. Do you think these ruins would be appropriate for teens? She was considering Chichen Itza, but it will cost her nearly $600. It is the first time for them, so this might be something for me to pass on to her. So, it sounds like you took local transport? May I ask the cost- just to give her a reference? What was the cost of admission to the ruins? Also, do you recall the name of your guide? Any other info you want to share would be welcomed.

T.J.

TJ, when is your friend taking the cruise with her 5 grandchildren? We have a family group of 7 (4 of them under 20 years of age) on the Fantasy in December, and we may do a day trip like this. I speak Spanish, so we could arrange for one big van and split the cost. They would be welcome to join us!