We need you help! Coba or Tulum in Cozumel???

[Ohio-C-Luver]

We have read about both the ruin sites in Cozumel, they are both Princess excursions and take most of the day 8 hours, mostly for transportation. Are they worth all the time to see? Which one is the better site to see? :confused:

 

We would appreciate any sugguestions you might have, this is our first time to Cozumel and want to do something that will be enjoyable.:D

 

Thanks again for your advise and suggestions! :)

[dforeigner]

I would strongly suggest Tulum. Having said that, take the ship's sponsored excursion in case the bus has a flat or mechanical issues and is running late on the way back.

 

You cannot beat this view:

 

 

[Bubble-Ont.]

I have been to both Tuluum and Coba. There are more ruins to see at Tuluum and sits right on the water (beach). Coba is very ah.peaceful. It is situated among trees and can be nice and cool on a hot day. They have people on bicycles with carts to take you from site to site if you don't walk easily. ($). Both these Mayan ruin sites are on the mainland, south of Cancun ,so from Cozumel, you have to take a ferry. I enjoyed both.

[tully07]

Tulum is spectacular - the location overlooking the sea is a must-see IMHO.

[Stacey779]

The view from Tulum can't be beat, that's for sure. However, here's something else to consider: you can still climb the pyramid at Coba. Tulum does not allow climbing. (You should do your own research to confirm this though, as things may have changed since I was there).

 

I would also agree with another poster who recommended booking through the cruise ship. Because it's so far away from the ship it's just safer this way in case the bus has mechanical difficulties. We almost always book tours independently, but in cases like this we play it safe and book through the ship.

 

Whatever you decide I'm sure you'll have a great time! :)

[Ohio-C-Luver]

Thanks everyone, we needed some insight into ruins. I think we're picking Tulum, it looks beautiful in the picture-Thanks for showing us how beautiful the area is. We're looking forward to see it soon!

[Coolmama_1]

Another vote for Tulum. Also, on the way to the ruins they will stop at a gift shop for a potty break. There are also vendors at Tulum.

[CruisinCoach]

I did the Princess excursion to Tulum and we had a great time. We had a great guide, but he took a very long time to go through his little presentation about the history of Tulum, leaving very little time to look around. I left the group a bit early and had about 45 minutes to look around, while others in the group only got about 15-20 min.

[Eileen G]

Go to the Cozemel board and read a few reviews from people who have done this excurision so you will be prepared.

[kooljamming]

We visited Coba in June 09, Tulum and Chichen Itza in June 08 (land vacations) At Tulum not only is the view spectacular but the beach is absolutely fabulous. However Coba is one of the few ruins you can still climb. Even though I am afraid of heights, it was worth doing. If you are a beach person at heart, then without a doubt Tulum. Save some time on your excursion and read about the ruins on your own. You will have more time to enjoy the beach.

 

[shorefolks]

Koolamming's pictures express the real reason to go to Coba: when standing atop the pyramid and looking over the jungle, you get a good feeling of the awe that structure must have inspired in the population. Just an amazing view from up there!

 

We visited Tulum in the 80's and again this past spring. While still impressive, the present prohibition against climbing the ruins' modest heights prevents you from seeing the original wall paintings that we saw on our first trip. Yes, the beach there is beautiful, but it can also be subject to rough seas. This past spring it was unswimmable during our visit.

 

Regardless, a visit to either location will be rewarding. The choice just depends on personal interests.

[elsje]

We have read about both the ruin sites in Cozumel, they are both Princess excursions and take most of the day 8 hours, mostly for transportation. Are they worth all the time to see? Which one is the better site to see? :confused:

 

We would appreciate any sugguestions you might have, this is our first time to Cozumel and want to do something that will be enjoyable.:D

 

Thanks again for your advise and suggestions! :)

 

Tulum is gorgeous as it is also on the coast and the view is to die for. www dot tripadvisor has some great reviews on either place with lots of pics as well. As Kooljamming states it all depends what you prefer. Either one will be awesome!

[kchobbs]

Not sure how long you have in port and how long it takes to get from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen via ferry, but have you considered doing both? Last winter while staying at an all-inclusive near Playa del Carmen, we hired a taxi driver to take my wife and I and our two kids for a day trip where we first went to Tulum, then to Coba then he took us to one of those undeground cenotes for a swim and then back to Playa del Carmen. He had an airconditioned van that could have easily sat 8 people. Charged us somewhere around $100 for all four of us and even bought us a gift to take home. Total time was about 6 or 7 hours.

As far as time, a self guided tour at each place can be done in less than 2 hours each. At Coba, you can pay for the guys on bikes to take you to and from the various places to speed things up.

 

Both Tulum and Coba are amazing places, but climbing to the top of the pyramid at Coba is quite the experience yet somewhat nervewracking on the way down.

If you catch the first possible ferry to Playa del Carmen, hire a private taxi to take you to Tulum first. Then, depending on your time, go to Coba which is about 30 miles away. Both are worth the visit.

[Colo Cruiser]

Tulum gets my vote.

[GingerCandy]

This may help you make your decision. We went to Tulum from the Princess a couple of years ago.

1. The ferry picked us up at the boat and took us to Playe del Carmen (sp). It also brings you back to the ship.

 

2. By taking the ship's sponsored tour, if you should be late in getting back to the ship, it will wait for you.

 

3. How does it take 8 hours? The ferry is 1/2 hour each way. Then you walk to the bus--up the hill from the dock and through the outdoor shopping area. The bus makes a rest stop at a cute gift shop.

 

4. When you get to Tulum, you have two options to get to the site. You can walk in with your guide, or take a little shuttle. I took the shuttle and waited for the group to meet up with me. You can stay with the guide or do it on your own. You can walk or take the shuttle back to the starting point.

 

5. When you get to Tulum, the bus parks near an area of all sorts of little shops. After the tour, we had lunch at Subway's. However, when you get back on the bus after the tour, you will be given a box lunch if you want it.

 

6. After the tour, you'll have time to look through the shops before boarding the bus.

 

7. The bus takes you back to Playe del Carmen. You will have about an hour to look around before the ferry comes for you. We opted to have a drink at Senor Frog's by the dock and enjoy the senery.

 

8. The ferry got us back to the ship at 5:30, plenty of time for our 6 pm traditional dining.

 

****Important: No one has mentioned this on the board. So I will. We were warned ahead of time that the ferry ride is very rough. It was, and many on board were seasick. My husband and I took ginger pills as a precaution and had no trouble--we have never been seasick, but did try the pills. On the return trip, many had shopped at the dock for seasickness pills for the trip back to the ship. It was not as rough going back, and only a few had problems. So you might want to be prepared for this as I think it is ofter rough going across this area.

 

It's a very nice tour in spite of this ferry boat issue. Joleen

[Ohio-C-Luver]

Wow! Thanks for all the pictures, comments and tips! We'd love to do both, but both tours by Princess are 8 hrs for a single ruin tour-that's the hard part! We've read on the port board, and I was more confused after reading all those reviews. DH has very bad knees, so he's not into climbing. Guess it'll be Tulum for us-and yes, we'll read our history first and enjoy a bit of the beach also! :) Thanks for sharing all this info, it makes making a decision easier! Now if Princes would just make our excursions available I could just go click on it! :)

[ladyselene]

Wow! Thanks for all the pictures, comments and tips! We'd love to do both, but both tours by Princess are 8 hrs for a single ruin tour-that's the hard part! We've read on the port board, and I was more confused after reading all those reviews. DH has very bad knees, so he's not into climbing. Guess it'll be Tulum for us-and yes, we'll read our history first and enjoy a bit of the beach also! :) Thanks for sharing all this info, it makes making a decision easier! Now if Princes would just make our excursions available I could just go click on it! :)

 

We did the Tulum beach break on RC last December, it was awesome and included a beach visit with lunch for $99 pp. It was a great day. We are on the Crown 12/5 and want to go back to Tulum again now that we have been there and know what else we want to see. It is $89 for just Tulum and is the same amount of time as their comparable beach break at $129 with a snack not lunch. We are going to just go to Tulum and have more time there to go to the beach at the ruins this time.

Yes it was hard on the ferry, I recommend eating lightly before leaving and bringing some soda crackers to help settle your stomach. It is definitely worth it to book through the cruise line since it is far and you are guaranteed that they will wait for you if there is any problem with the bus or whatever. It is Mexico...To be fair I must say I have not been to Coba but we liked Tulum so much we are going back.

Enjoy your time at whichever ruin you decide to visit:)

[Caro C]

Having been to both several times over the past 15+ years, I can tell you both are awesome. Both are very unique in their own way. But I suggest you take a foldable umbrella since there is little to no shade especially at Tulum. This is an easy way to bring your own shade with you!