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Costa Maya ruins tour company

kcbmarek

By kcbmarek,
in Costa Maya

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TheBigFig

TheBigFig

Posted
Posted

I just got back from my cruise and used Native Choice and it was fantastic. The tour guide was really informative, very friendly and really went out of her way to make sure people were happy and having a good time. This was probably the best excursion I did during the whole cruise. It's definitely a good choice (I did the Mayan experience).

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  • 2 weeks later...
riofriotex

riofriotex

Posted
Posted
Can you get this tour at the dock or do you have to pre-book?

 

Just FYI, pre-booking is no risk with Native Choice. A couple weeks ago, we missed this port due to rough seas. A refund of our $30 deposit ($15 each) was back in my account before we got home from the cruise.

 

I hope to book a future cruise that stops in Costa Maya as I was really looking forward to Native Choice's Chacchoben tour. I e-mailed Ivan (ivan@thenativechoice.com) with a number of questions before the tour and he was VERY helpful.

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Boo's Mom

Boo's Mom

Posted
Posted

I highly recommend Native Choice.

 

I would also highly recommend booking ahead of time.

Why wait and get off the ship and hope that things work out for you....

when you can reserve ahead of time, and relax and know that your day is reserved for you.

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  • 4 weeks later...
show_me_girl

show_me_girl

Posted
Posted

We did the Mayan Experience tour in January 2013. Awesome. We did book in advance and got great service. If you miss the port, they refund your deposit. We were the first group to head out and avoid the crowds that arrived later!

 

As instructed, we met our guide a short distance outside the port of Costa Maya. Joel was our guide for the day and our van driver was Raul. There were 10 of us in an air conditioned van. We left on time and headed to the Chacchoben ruins. The drive was about 1 hour to get to the ruins. Joel, a licensed tour guide, gave us an introduction on the way. At the ruins he did a good job of explaining the ruins and what we were seeing. Raul had water for everyone, everywhere we went.

 

Following the tour of the ruins we went by van about 20 minutes to the home/ranch of a native Mayan family. We were greeted warmly. In their open air kitchen, one of the ladies demonstrated how to make and cook tortillas. We each got to make and cook one on our own. We were served a home cooked lunch buffet which included chicken tamales, stewed chicken, vegetables, rice, black beans, hibiscus punch, and a vanilla pudding like dessert. Everything was delicious. We were shown their open air home and got a better understanding of how they live.

 

This tour is excellent. It seems like one can probably get a good tour of the ruins by several tour organizations. The “Mayan Experience” of having lunch with a native Mayan family, was a once in a lifetime experience for us and Native Choice did an excellent job of making this a memorable day.

 

After lunch, we were driven back to the port of Costa Maya, with plenty of time to spare.

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Bodger

Bodger

Posted
Posted

Another vote for Native Choice. We went to Chacchoben last Friday, our tour guide was Enrique. The experience was very good, and he was extremely knowledgeable and glad to tell us about the Mayans, and present day Mexico as well.

 

Not only were they $40 less than the ship, Enrique took us to a part of the site that the ship's tour ignored.

 

I would definitely use them next time we visit the port.

 

John

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robhawk

robhawk

Posted
Posted
Native Choice- no question. I have done Chacchoben and last week did Dzibanche with them. Our passenger van to Dzibanche held only 12 passengers so I would definitely book ahead. Their service and organization is outstanding.

 

Hi there,

 

We did the NCL Dream with you out go Houston! Our kids hung out. Funny story my daughter's roommate in college (Sarah Crothers) went to school with your son.

Just did the Disney Fantasy 2 weeks ago. Beautiful ship!

Hope all is well!!!

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Warmer Climes

Warmer Climes

Posted
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Hi there,

 

We did the NCL Dream with you out go Houston! Our kids hung out. Funny story my daughter's roommate in college (Sarah Crothers) went to school with your son.

Just did the Disney Fantasy 2 weeks ago. Beautiful ship!

Hope all is well!!!

 

Hi Rob! I remember you well. I'm glad you liked your Disney cruise- I remember you saying your daughter loves DCL.

 

I will mention our connection to James. He is living in NYC after graduating from college and his cousin in in Russia teaching English.

 

Maybe our cruising lives will cross sometime!

 

 

Barb

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robbie21

robbie21

Posted
Posted

FYI - we prebooked Native Choice and, as it turned out, one other couple did, too, for the same excursion. So, shortly after the second couple arrived the four of us boarded a van with Enrique and Raul and took off for the ruins. We were in the van about 10 minutes after checking in.

 

We later found out that the day bookers left considerably after us due to the wait to see who else might show up. We ran into them later and found that they had 12 in a van. They enjoyed their excursion but ours was a better experience because we had more time and also had the exclusive attention of our guide. I also think we saw a bit more.

 

The guides are great at Native Choice and we saw a lot more than the ship's tours that went to the same places. I highly recommend them.

 

Robbie

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robhawk

robhawk

Posted
Posted
Hi Rob! I remember you well. I'm glad you liked your Disney cruise- I remember you saying your daughter loves DCL.

 

I will mention our connection to James. He is living in NYC after graduating from college and his cousin in in Russia teaching English.

 

Maybe our cruising lives will cross sometime!

 

 

Barb

 

Wow! Kristen & Sarah C. Are both working at a hospital in NYC! Small world!

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JimAOk1945

JimAOk1945

Posted
Posted

We took a ship sponsored excursion to see the Mayan ruins. It was worth it to have peace of mind just knowing the ship would wait for us. As it turned out, our excursion were very late in getting back.

 

Looking at pictures may help you decide what to do. My wife made slideshows from the pictures she took on our cruises and posted them on her website.

If you are interested in seeing them you can click on the links below. Each slideshow will play as soon as the page opens, but you can also go through the pictures by clicking on the thumbnails one at a time.

 

Happy cruising. It's a great way to travel!

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KY Deb

KY Deb

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We are returning today from the Western Caribbean on the Glory. We took the ruins tour with Native Choice. Awesome experience! We were a group of 14 and had our own van, which was absolutely spotless. Water was available from the start and throughout the tour. The best part was our guide, Ivan. He is one of the owners as well. His family actually discovered the ruins and he grew up playing there as child!! He was just a wealth of info!

 

The road system to get to site was smoothly paved, and the van well air conditioned. It was one of the best private tours we've ever done. so much so, I'm typing this from the airport on my way home!

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avic77

avic77

Posted
Posted

I wanted to review my experience when i took a Native Choice Chacchoben Maya Ruins tour on Tuesday March 5th 2013.

My husband and I visited Costa Maya as one of the ports our cruise ship visited during our vacation. Prior to leaving on the cruise I spent several months researching and planning excursions, choosing local companies rather than the cruise line tours because I wanted to support the local people. After extensive research I decided to use, The Native Choice. I pre-booked the Chacchoben Maya Ruins Tour and paid my deposit online.

The day of our excursion, March 5th, 2013, we arrived in port and easily followed the directions to the check in area. We checked in and paid the remainder of our tour cost. We were given color coded bracelets which let the team know which people were on what excursion. We were offered water and waited about fifteen to twenty minutes for our bracelet color to be called to load onto a bus. The bus was a large charter style bus that could hold about 40 passengers. There were about 30 people going on the same tour. As the bus headed toward the ruins the guide Ivan introduced himself and started telling us about the area, the history, and the people. The bus was very comfortable and we enjoyed the hour long ride.

Once we arrived at the ruins site it was very busy. Ivan gave us a few minutes to use the restrooms and asked us to meet him at the end of the shopping area in fifteen minutes, informing us we would have time to shop after the tour when the area would be less crowded as the Disney ships passengers would already be back at the port.

We used the restroom and meet Ivan at the end of the shopping area. Our large group followed him to the first location on the site and we were told to take pictures and look around. After about five minutes we all gathered up and Ivan split us into two groups one going with him and another going with a second guide, David.

My husband and I were with Ivan's group. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour, Ivan was very informative and passionate about his home. As we concluded the tour and arrived back to the shopping area which was no longer over run with the many people from when we first arrived. Ivan said we could shop and use the restrooms as we would be leaving in about twenty minutes and we were waiting for David's group. I walked over to the shopping booths and my husband went to the men's restroom. He came out of the bathroom about 5 minutes later, walked up to me, and asked where everyone had went. I turned around and immediately realized the large bus we had arrived on was gone! The only people around were some locals. I asked were the bus went. One man said "Bus left". I started to panic and one of the men spoke Spanish to a lady who picked up a cell phone and began walking down the path attempting to get cell phone signal. After a few minutes another man came over and said he was from Native Choice tour company and was a driver, pointing to the logo on his shirt. He told us he had a tour inside and they would be out at 3pm, it was 2:45pm. He opened the van and said we could sit and wait. At this point I was shaking I was so upset. I knew only that I was an hour away from the port, I spoke no Spanish, and the tour company I had so thoroughly researched and trusted had left without me. The driver walked away and I am not sure where he went but my husband and I sat in the van trying to calm our shattered nerves. 30 minutes later a couple came out from the ruins area and I could see they had blue wrist bands on. I got out of the van and went over to ask what ship they were from. They told me they were from the Norwegian Star and had done a two part tour were they had lunch at a Mayan house and then came for the ruins tour. Their guide and the rest of the group came out as I was explaining that we had been left by our tour group. I told the groups guide, Joel, what happened and he did his best to calm me down and assure me that they would get us back to the port in time, but his bus was full and the other driver whose tour group was still somewhere inside the ruins had room and would take us back. I started crying because I was upset and worried and just wanted to get back to the ship, it was already after 3:30pm and we were due back in port by 4:30. Joel decided then to make room on his bus and take us back. Joel found a seat for me in the back and gave his seat to my husband while he rode on a bucket between the driver and front passenger's seat.

Once we got back to the port Joel had me write on a comment card and said he would give it to his boss. I asked who his boss was and he told me Ivan. I was shocked to discover the boss was my tour guide and the person responsible for leaving 2 of his group at the ruins!

I understand mistakes happen but my husband and I had talked one on one with Ivan during the tour. We spoke to him about stopping for pineapple on the way back just seconds before we went to the bathroom and shopping area. I know this company deals with hundreds of people a week I would think they would have some way of insuring all members of a tour are accounted for before the bus left. Two tourist left at a site over an hour away from the cruise port with no way to get assistance is pretty traumatic.

If anyone needs to take a bathroom break leave a family member with the guide so they don't forget you! I wish my experience with Native Choice had been a better one. Had the tour not ended in such an alarming way I would have given this tour a 5 star review. I do recommend Native Choice but urge cruisers to stay very aware.

Ivan has since contacted me via email and apologized for the unfortunate situation. I hold no malice toward Native Choice and only want my experiance to serve as a reminder that things dont always go as planned. I hope that my experience will help Native Choice improve the safety of its tour operations and future visitors' will not have to suffer the stress that we experienced. I think a check list with guest showing their ship cards and haveing their names checked off when boarding the bus would be a simple solution. We were told the tour guide did a head count before leaving so either 2 people not in our group got ON the bus and took our place or someone did not really count heads.

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crusinpsychRN

crusinpsychRN

Posted
Posted
We visited the Kohunlich Mayan Ruins in 2011. It was fantastic!

 

If you're interested in seeing pictures, you can click on the link below. My wife took the pictures.

 

http://nancysoasis.com/costamaya/costamaya.html

 

Happy sailing!

 

Beautiful pictures. We did that with David and Ivan. I wrote that before I read the post about people being left behind!

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