faynce Posted April 14, 2011 #1 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Hello, I just book my first cruise and it includes Costa Maya. It was with Carnival. I'd like to visit Chacchoben ruins. Do I need to book in advance or can I book the day of the trip or on the cruise ship? Are there other, less expensive ways to do that excursion ($90 per person is a LOT) other than booking through the Carnival site? Thank you very much. My wife and I are on a budget! Erik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adventuregrrl Posted April 14, 2011 #2 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Hello, I just book my first cruise and it includes Costa Maya. It was with Carnival. I'd like to visit Chacchoben ruins. Do I need to book in advance or can I book the day of the trip or on the cruise ship? Are there other, less expensive ways to do that excursion ($90 per person is a LOT) other than booking through the Carnival site? Thank you very much. My wife and I are on a budget! Erik You could go to the ruins through a company called Native Choice. Their tour is currently $50 http://www.thenativechoice.com/chacchoben_ruins.php We went on their tour last year and it was fabulous. The people on our ship who went through the cruise excursion were jealous of our experience. You'll find several threads here on the Native Choice, but here's one: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1334983 Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinchbug Posted April 14, 2011 #3 Share Posted April 14, 2011 We also did the Native Choice tour- also known as "David & Ivan"- and loved it. They used nice, new clean buses, they talked about the Mayan culture on the way to the site, and even stopped for a minute at Pineapple Town. David jumped off the bus and got back on with enough pineapple for everyone- and chili powder- he says that's how they eat it there. The tour never seemed rushed, and he pointed out a lot of things I think we would have missed on the other tours. They are aware of when the ships leave and got us back to port in plenty of time. You should check it out- we would do it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faynce Posted April 14, 2011 Author #4 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Do these tours give you the chance to climb around on the ruins? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinchbug Posted April 14, 2011 #5 Share Posted April 14, 2011 No, you're not allowed to climb the ruins- doesn't matter which tour you take. At least that's how it was when we were there- you could only go on about the bottom 5 steps to pose for pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faynce Posted April 14, 2011 Author #6 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Are there any tours of any ruins where you can get onto the ruins themselves in Cozumel or Belize? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinchbug Posted April 14, 2011 #7 Share Posted April 14, 2011 You can climb the ruins in most- if not all- of the ruins in Belize. In Mexico it's more of the exception than the rule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faynce Posted April 14, 2011 Author #8 Share Posted April 14, 2011 This is interesting information. Which ruins can you suggest in Belize that I can crawl on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alicam Posted April 15, 2011 #9 Share Posted April 15, 2011 This is interesting information. Which ruins can you suggest in Belize that I can crawl on? Altun Ha is ok...it is 54 feet tall. Lamanai is my favourite as it is more remote, has Howler Monkeys and is 112 feet tall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobH0775 Posted April 15, 2011 #10 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Is there any chance to arrange a trip to Chacchoben with a taxi? Even at $50 each thats expensive for a family of 6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobH0775 Posted May 16, 2011 #11 Share Posted May 16, 2011 We ended up going with CostaMaya-excursions located inside the cruise terminal. Price was $35 each for 4 plus $10 for the two under 10 years. Noticed after we left the gated cruise terminal area that there were yellow minivan taxis located across the street from Senior Frogs. So thees same type of taxis when we arrived at Chacchoban. The ruins were worth the visit but booking with the tour agency only got us a bus ride. Next time I will try the local taxi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobH0775 Posted May 16, 2011 #12 Share Posted May 16, 2011 We ended up going with CostaMaya-excursions located inside the cruise terminal. Price was $35 each for 4 plus $10 for the two under 10 years. Noticed after we left the gated cruise terminal area that there were yellow minivan taxis located across the street from Senior Frogs. Saw these same type of taxis when we arrived at Chacchoban. The ruins were worth the visit but booking with the tour agency only got us a bus ride. Next time I will try the local taxi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elifnena Posted May 25, 2011 #13 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Couple of questions: 1- Was food or water included with the $50.00 rate? 2- Did if feel safe given all the crazy things happening in mexico? Thank for your response!! J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elifnena Posted May 25, 2011 #14 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Couple of questions: 1- Was food or water included with the $50.00 rate? 2- Did if feel safe given all the crazy things happening in mexico? Thank for your response!! J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare fabnfortysomething Posted May 27, 2011 #15 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Couple of questions:1- Was food or water included with the $50.00 rate? 2- Did if feel safe given all the crazy things happening in mexico? Thank for your response!! J just answered your other post water was provided felt completely safe-this area depends on tourism Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.