Best thing to do in Calica?

[ashnac]

Ok, me and hubby are going to Calica in May and have no clue what to do while we are there. My sister has done the ATV jungle and loved it. We did consider that but the only downside is if we are pregnant by then, we will need something a little safer to do. So what is your suggestion on a fun excursion if not pregnant but a safe one if we are. I have seen stuff on 5th ave which appears it would be a fun place to go but how is the beach right there by 5th ave? Is it nice?

[blessedwith12]

Without a doubt, I would do an Edventure Tour. They will personalize a day for you so you can pick and choose what you want to do. We went to Tulum, snorkeling in the cenote Dos Ojos, snorkeled at the turtle sanctuary, had lunch on the beach at Akumal, and then snorkeled at a lagoon. We ordered our lunch before snorkeling at the turtle sanctuary and it was ready when we were done.

 

My sister is diabetic and on an insulin pump, and it was so nice to have a guide who could work with her situation. For example, she can only be unhooked for about 1 hour at a time. This tour group knows how to run an excursion. We were able to do so much in our time there - and yet never felt rushed. Our guide, Ricardo, went above and beyond for us. My sister and I were having trouble snorkeling, and he graciously helped us in the water, making sure we could experience everything. He was also very attentive with my daughters and very safety conscious - as well as being a very friendly, funny man.

 

My girls will never forget the experience of snorkeling in a cenote, and we all want to return there some day - especially with Ricardo!

[ashnac]

Thanks so much for your response. I have actually read alot about that company. They must truely be amazing. How do I get in contact with them?

[blessedwith12]

If you go to their website, there is a review section where you can read many people's stories of their Edventure tour.

 

edventuretours dot com dot mx/

 

If you click on the bottom 2 links in my signature, there are pictures of our day with Edventures.

 

Bonnie, at Edventures, is great about corresponding with you and she will answer any questions you have about your day. I know - because it was my first cruise and I asked dozens of very silly questions - as well as the serious ones concerning my sister's special health needs.

Good luck and have fun!

[pdukey]

Go to Tulum (either just see it or spend time and "see" it), have lunch and snorkel for turtles at Akumal, visit any cenote between Calica and Tulum. Either can be done on your own or with Edventures.

[clackey]

Ok, me and hubby are going to Calica in May and have no clue what to do while we are there. My sister has done the ATV jungle and loved it. We did consider that but the only downside is if we are pregnant by then, we will need something a little safer to do. So what is your suggestion on a fun excursion if not pregnant but a safe one if we are. I have seen stuff on 5th ave which appears it would be a fun place to go but how is the beach right there by 5th ave? Is it nice?

We have done Calica 3 times. Calica itself is merely a jumping off place, a place to park the ship, but there are many neat things to see and do from this port. If you just want to shop and loaf on a gorgeous beach, 5th Ave. is a great place to start. It is only a block off of the beach. There is some great food here too.:D

There are tours to Tulum, Dos Ojos Cenote, Akumal, Xcaret (water park), Xel Ha, several private beach tours and you might check out Yal Ku Lagoon near Akumal. This place is gorgeous. You can find something neat for whatever your, uh, condition might be.;)

 

P.S. I have seen nothing but rave reviews on Edventures.

[jennat]

I second Edventures. This was the best excursion we have ever taken (and we have been on 9 cruises and various land vacations so that is saying something). We actually did the same tour as the lady above. He does a lot of different things though. My girlfriend, who is in Mexico as I type, went with him yesterday and they went to the monkey house, Tulum, a different cave cenote and Yal Ku (lagoon). She loved it as well.

You also could look into Rio Secreto, an amazing cave system.

Have a great time.

[ashnac]

Thank you all so much for all of your responses. It sounds like Edventures is definately the way to go. I have looked a little into it but not much yet. I reckon I better start that today. lol.

[camofwilliamsburg]

When you talk about the cenotes, are you in a hole with no way out until you swim through it. I am a bit claustrophobic. I love to snorkel though but in a cave with no seen way out is kind of scary for me. can you describe it.

Hey Blessed, we seem to follow one another. Did you book the MSC cruise?

We are doing another one on MSC on Nov 1, 2010.

Can you now give me info on what we should do for this stop. We are only in port from 8-4 which means have to be on board by 3:30 so I like to be back by 3. So this gives us roughly 6 hours to do some things. What do you suggest. Been to Tulum, but may be cruising with a group that wants to see that so we will tag along if we can make a tour that includes that and other stuff. So tell me what we can do with such limited time. Also, many times I plan with a private tour and then others just hire a taxi driver at the port and get as good a tour as I did for a fraction of the price. So ..... any input I would appreciate.

[ashnac]

Yes, me and my hubby had the same concerns about the cenote sounds like tons of fun but how dark is it in there. Not necessarily claustrophobic but I just dont really know about being down in a dark water filled cave. Kinda freiky?

[blessedwith12]

My daughters are not home right now, and I need to ask them what they thought about tight spots, darkness, claustrophobia, etc.

My sister and I didn't do very well snorkeling. It was my first time and I couldn't get the hang of it. So, Ricardo very patiently helped us around the main cavern, and then we sat on the dock in the main cavern while he took my daughters on back further. I will try to write more about that tomorrow after talking to them.

 

Camofwilliamsburg - yes we do keep meeting, don't we? No, I haven't booked a cruise - and after talking with my sister, it doesn't look like March is going to work out for us. I think the fall will be the earliest now - and I want to book a cruise that will go back to Calica if possible. That's how much I enjoyed my Edventure tour.

 

If you go on their website, you will see many of the options that they usually include in their tour. In addition, they will customize it to meet your day. Bonnie is great about answering questions you might have. One of the things I enjoyed about going with Ricardo was that he was very well known everywhere we went. He could get great parking and he knew people who were watching our car, etc. My sister had to leave her insulin pump (worth several thousand dollars) in the car, so it was nice knowing it was being watched. Everything about the day went so smoothly. I liked ordering our lunch before we went snorkeling and then it was ready when we got done. A very smooth day.

Edventures office is at Tulum, so if you have people in your group that want to see Tulum, it would be very easy to start the day there - even if for a short period of time. We did the Tulum portion on our own and then Ricardo took over from there.

Because this was my first cruise, I was very concerned about making it back to port on time. Ricardo knew this and had us back about 1 hour early.

The pictures of the lagoon don't do it justice. Prior to our day, I had thought I would skip the lagoon. I'm so glad we went. I finally got the hang of snorkeling and had a great time with all the fish there. Akumal for lunch was so nice. We ate at the Buena Vista and the food was plentiful and good. If I had to skip one activity, I would probably skip the turtle sanctuary - not that it wasn't nice, just my least favorite of all the stops.

[camofwilliamsburg]

Blessed: Thanks for that info that you are trying to get. Also, PLS email me ... I have other questions about this that I do not know allowed on the site.

So pls email me. I have enjoyed chatting with you.

[blessedwith12]

I talked with my daughter today about the claustrophobic issue. She said - "Not at all - we were having too much fun."

Cenotes are where there are underground rivers/caves and the ground above them has more or less caved in - or the river came to the surface. You are not completely enclosed. It is not completely dark. This is where, once again, being on a private tour makes such a difference. If you are uncomfortable, then you can stop and the rest of your party can go on. Normally, Ricardo takes people in at one end and out at the other. Because my sister and I weren't doing well in the water, we stayed at one end, he took my girls through and then came back for his. He was very accomodating to our level of comfort.

[blessedwith12]

Blessed: Thanks for that info that you are trying to get. Also, PLS email me ... I have other questions about this that I do not know allowed on the site.

So pls email me. I have enjoyed chatting with you.

 

I am e-mailing you right now, so if you don't see my e-mail you know to look in your spam.:)

[jennat]

http://gallery.me.com/flipfloppincastaways#gallery

 

I have a movie made of our Edventures day. About half way through you will see the cenote. I put "Thriller" music to it and made it look eerier than it was. Basically, image a geode that you go into. Freezing water, crystal clear. You see stalactites and stalagmites everywhere. You swim into this hole and you are in this HUGE cavern that is really deep. You can see scuba divers much deeper below you. I don't think at any time you would feel claustrophobic. If you don't like the dark/......... maybe. You can always see but if you were freaky about that.....You also have flashlights to shine underwater. Take a look at the movie. It will show you exactly what it is like. (but less scary ;))

[atlmom0807]

I've keep reading such great things about Edventures, but there is one piece of info I can't seem to find. Will they pick you up at the Calica port, or do you have to get your own transportation to Tulum?Our family has been to Tulum before, and while it was beautiful, I don't know that we need to go agian.

 

Thank you!

[blessedwith12]

They had a van pick us up at the port. Our driver was Memo and he was such a kind gentleman and very informative. He drove us to Tulum which is where Edventure's shop is. From the port to Tulum we were with another family. Then at Tulum at their shop, we were assigned to our guide for the day. While at the shop, they will get your snorkeling gear for you and pick up the drinks you want for the day. They do a great job of seeing that you will have a fantastic time.

[atlmom0807]

They had a van pick us up at the port. Our driver was Memo and he was such a kind gentleman and very informative. He drove us to Tulum which is where Edventure's shop is. From the port to Tulum we were with another family. Then at Tulum at their shop, we were assigned to our guide for the day. While at the shop, they will get your snorkeling gear for you and pick up the drinks you want for the day. They do a great job of seeing that you will have a fantastic time.

 

That sounds perfect. Thank you for letting me know!

[atlmom0807]

Blessed, if I may, one more question. I read in one of your posts of your concern about making it back to the ship on time. This is a big concern of mine, as well. We have booked the tour with the zip line, turtle lagoon and lunch added. Is there really enough time for all of this in one day? I am hoping that the operator has done so many of these tours, they have the timing down perfectly. But, I don't like to assume anything!

 

Thank you so much for sharing your experience!

[blessedwith12]

Edventures was on my first cruise and I was EXTREMELY nervous about making it back to the ship. They (Bonnie and Ricardo) were aware of my concerns and had us back to the ship with at least an hour to spare. We were at Tulum and their office for about 1 1/2 hours, snorkeled at Dos Ojos cenote, ordered lunch, snorkeled at the Turtle Sanctuary, ate lunch at Akumal and snorkeled at Yal-Ku Lagoon. They really have their routine down - get you places and parked very easily. Yet, we never felt rushed. I haven't done the zip line so I can't comment on where that is in relation to everything else. But, really, don't hesitate to e-mail Bonnie from their website and ask about any concerns. She is great to take her time to reassure you and explain all the details. Because of my sister's health concerns, we try to be very careful to not plan anything that could put her in jeopardy. We felt very comfortable with Edventures and really felt that Ricardo had our concerns and safety in mind at all times. I really want to go back to Calica and have another day with their group.

[atlmom0807]

Thank you for helping to reassure me. I think I just need to relax and not fret so much over every thing. I guess it's just hard to do when you are trying to plan a trip that will be fun and memorable for the whole family. I don't want our memories to be of running to make it back on the ship!

[blessedwith12]

If you want to read a horror story of making it back to the ship, read the Legend review in my signature.

 

My children laughed until they almost cried hearing our story because they know how obsessive I am about not taking chances.

 

Having experienced both kinds of trips - I heartily recommend Edventures. I really don't think you could be disappointed. Have you read some of the reviews on their website? They really deliver a great day.

[BuckeyePirate]

Thanks for all the good information. I'm heading to Playa Del Carmen in a week and I was looking into Edventures too. I'm very concerned about being driven 45 minutes away from the ship by someone who's not associated with the boat. This thread has put me a little bit more at ease.

[blessedwith12]

Those are very valid concerns. One nice thing about a company like Edventures is that they have several guides and drivers and most are doing excursions in the same general area. Worst case scenario - I think they could have another driver/guide there rather quickly if there was car trouble, etc. On our day, the owner Eddie took time to meet up with us at the lagoon and ask if we were having a good time. Let them know your concerns and let them know what time YOU will be comfortable being back at the ship.