flyorange Posted February 8, 2010 #1 Share Posted February 8, 2010 hello everyone, my family and i will be on the Valore in May and will make stops at both Beliez and Colzomul. I believe that both places have Mayan ruins but I am trying to decide which port would be the best place for touring the ruin? I did some research but seems like people have conflicting reviews...Also, has anyone ever booked excursion through port promotion? I can't really find any reviews on them online. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyorange Posted February 8, 2010 Author #2 Share Posted February 8, 2010 sorry. i just realized that I spelled Cozumel wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2112 Posted February 8, 2010 #3 Share Posted February 8, 2010 There really aren't any major Mayan ruins in Cozumel. There is a minor one, but nothing as good as those in Belize. Now, some people visit the ruin of Tulum on the mainland from Cozumel. It is all personal preference as to whether you would prefer Tulum or the ruins in Belize. The best way to approach this is to decide what else you would like to do. The beaches, scuba diving, snorkeling and shopping are much better in Cozumel. If you want to do those things, then it would be better to visit one of the ruins in Belize. Belize has other things to do like cave tubing, river cruises to see wildlife, funky fishing villages and is generally less touristy. If you want to see any of that stuff then visit Tulum in Cozumel. I think this is the best approach. I've never used port promotions so I can't help you with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare crewsweeper Posted February 8, 2010 #4 Share Posted February 8, 2010 i agree with 2112's approach. Also bear in mind that any excursion to any major Mayan ruins is a long excursion and probably won't leave a lot, if any time, for other things. If you do Xunantunich in Belize or Tulum while in Cozumel, you may wish to book via your ship's excursion so as to not miss the boat if delays happen. Altun Ha in Belize is sometimes packaged by independents with other things like the zoo, Belize City tour, or the Belikan Brewery. You might find just a Altun Ha tour. But keep in mind that independents are also getting passengers from othe rcruise ships and will often wait beyond scheduled departure as getting tenders to the port area deos take time. But definitely go to see one Mayan ruin at least once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toyz711 Posted February 8, 2010 #5 Share Posted February 8, 2010 i had the same problem, here's what i found out: Tulum...on the main land, to get there you have to take a ferry from cozumel. then a long ride to Tulum, if you do this do it on the ship's excursion. if you do it on your own, be prepared the ferry can run late, if seas get rough it can get cancelled. belize..i did lamanai, it's a all day tour also. but we did it through NCL and glad we did. the site is great, an hour boat trip gave us wildlife viewing, an hour bus ride gave us views of life in belize. there are a couple of other ruins that are not such a long day trip. if you do a search on mayan ruins, belize's are some of the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrpayroll Posted February 8, 2010 #6 Share Posted February 8, 2010 We went to Altun Ha in Belize. Used Island Mktg. Price was 42.50 p/p and included a nice lunch of chicken, rice w/beans, cole slaw, plantains and choice of iced tea or lemonade. Tour left at 9:30 and we were back by 2pm. Ask to have Jenny as your guide. Not on a big bus..12 people in large Van.:rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyorange Posted February 9, 2010 Author #7 Share Posted February 9, 2010 Thank you all for your help. Those answers are exactly what I was looking for. I think i'll go ahead and do the ruin tour in Belize and save all of the beach stuff for the other stops. So would you guys recommend doing the ruin tour AND the river Wallace excursion (i think that's what it's called) ? Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkJellyFish06 Posted February 10, 2010 #8 Share Posted February 10, 2010 I went on the tour through Carnival last year, the River Wallace & Altun Ha Ruins tour. It really just depends on your likings. The River Wallace part was interesting, our guides really knew what they were talking about and they pointed out all kinds of wildlife and plant life. I would have liked to see more wildlife, but you can't really control that. It just depends on the animals. After the river tour, you stop at a inn for lunch. Pretty good, can't remember the price. There is also a few locals selling things that they have made. After that you take a bus ride to the ruins. Very interesting there. When you come back you will go through Belize City and the guides will give you an overview of things there. I love this tour. But the only thing that I did not like was that there was NO time once you got back in port to do any shopping around. Hope you have a great time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbrown02 Posted March 13, 2010 #9 Share Posted March 13, 2010 The Tulum ruins south of Cancun are not too impressive, but they are uniquely positioned on the beach. If you don't want to do something "sporty" or shopping on your Cozumel day, you might enjoy that trip. In Belize, the consensus we learned from local guides is that Xunantunich has the tallest temple and the highest view, so that's why we chose it. The bus ride was actually pretty relaxing and the lunch in San Ignacio was unhurried. We had about an hour and a half left in port when we got back (sailed on Royal Caribbean). Here is a link to some pictures I took at Xunantunich. They might help you decide if you want to do this excursion. You don't have to be an FB member to be able to view them: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055545&id=1494320070&l=e59967f52a Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b00kw0rm42970 Posted March 15, 2010 #10 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Great pictures, MBrown! I enjoyed them and really want to go now! I have been trying to make up my mind about where to go. That does it for me. Fascinating stuff!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchsnowhite Posted March 24, 2010 #11 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Great pictures! Just showned them to my kids! They cannot wait until our december cruise!!!!!!!!!!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synnad Posted April 10, 2010 #12 Share Posted April 10, 2010 Wow!! Great photos. I, too, have been tossing around which excursion to book and this settles it for me. Thanks for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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