I screwed up...help with Cozumel please!

[mong1114]

I really screwed up planning this cruise! I listened to my friends that have cruised Disney who said, "we book our excursions on the ship, nothing sells out before you get there". Well, we really wanted the dolphin excursion in Cozumel and what do you know, it is sold out!!! So I booked the Dolphin Encounter and Turtle Farm on Grand Cayman (which was ALMOST sold out...one time slot left!) and am now left wondering what to do with my 5 and 8 year old in Cozumel? My DH and I went 8 years ago and went to Chakanaab; I remember it being nice and they have a playground and snorkeling there for the kids. Disney doesn't appear to have an excursion to Chakannab that does not have something else like the Dolphins or Mayan Ruins included. Since I think my kids are too young for the ruins, I am thinking of going it alone and taking a cab from the port. Does anyone have any feedback or suggestions? Is it easy to get a cab? Are they safe? Anyone know how long it takes to get there? And will it be easy to get a cab when it is time to leave? Thank you all!

[Majesty Fan]

Have yo tried booking online for Chakanab. Hubby and I did the manatee tour. For $39. It was wonderful. It last about 30 min the taxi was about $10 from downtown. We never do cruiseline tours.

[loveysbydesign]

Chankanaab is great! You can take a taxi there from the port. We did that this past May and loved it. The kids keep asking to go back! Takes about 10 minutes and we felt very safe. The Manatees are new there and are offered at a cheap rate.

http://www.cozumelparks.com/

http://www.**********************cozumel/cozumel-activities-manatee-encounter.asp

[cruisetraveler2]

Cozumel is a very easy port to do excursions on your own. I think Chankanaab would be a good choice to consider. It is very easy to get a taxi and there were plenty waiting to take people back to the ship when we were ready to leave. Have a great cruise!

[hansolosmom]

when we were there last April ds (10 at the time) & I did the Helmet dive adventure - it was a lot of fun, I was afraid he'd be scared but he was fine. My dh & older ds (12) did the Underwater scooter - they really enjoyed that one!

 

On other trips to Cozumel we've done the jeep adventure & dune buggy - both are fun. You kind of keep your car in a line & stop at a private beach for lunch & beach fun (really nothing on the beach except sand & water) so if your kids are into activities, they probably wouldn't enjoy it.

 

Another thing to consider is there may be cancellations so check when you get on-board to see if anything opens up. There are also alot of people on the pier offering tours, so you may be able to find something that way.

 

BTW - we did the turtle farm in GC last time, it is really neat we all loved it

[ppiew]

We walked to the mini golf course and had a GREAT time!!! Only mini course I ever saw where they give you pagers so you can order a soda or a drink at whatever hole you were at! Cool! Also saw a LARGE iguana hiding under a rock. Actually we are going again this year! The last time our eldest granddaughter was 7 and she had a ball! Of course we ended up doing this because the weathere was bad for beach stuff. It was very windy and cold with intermittent rain.

[Stlkeeler]

Do they still have a Dolphinaris excursion through DCL in Cozumel? We did this this past summer and my DGD 7 loved it! I went thru DCL because the website said they accepted 5 yo, I think. Booking myself, the website said the minimum age was 8, I think. They didn't have anything else to do there but we still had a great time!

[sugarcat]

You can do Chankanaab easily on your own! To get off the ship and to the taxis you are forced to walk past many shops (in the cruise terminal) but keep going and then you will see more taxis then you can shake a stick at. All the rates are posted but make sure you agree on one before you leave as they may try to inflate the price. I would offer a couple of $$ less than the advertised price. It should be about $10 each way total, not per person. Then you pay your admission fee and have a great day. We took a taxi to dzul-ha beach club last week which is 4km closer than Chankanaab and it didn't seem far. On the way back, we just stood by the road and waited less than 2 minutes for a taxi to come by.

 

Have a great time.

[phunchak]

I don't think your kids will be impressed with the Mayan Ruins. I wasn't really...although it I did discover a few new types of mosquitoes I've never seen before. :)

[Eight_sailors]

We're doing Nachi Cocom from the Magic 2/20 sailing. It's a 15 minute cab...to a private all-inclusive type place. I have lots of young kids so this is the easiest for us.