RCI - Tulum Mayan Ruins Express Excursion

[71Corvette]

Has anyone taken this excursion through RCI recently? How was it and how much time did you have at the ruins?

 

Thanks!

[bus man]

I took this tour in 2010, so I don't know if it qualifies for "recent." It was a wonderful tour and I highly recommend it. We had about 90 minutes or so at the ruins, plus another 15-20 minutes at the gift shop complex by the entrance. Bring bottled water, wear a hat, and apply sunscreen; there isn't much shade there.

[JimAOk1945]

Has anyone taken this excursion through RCI recently? How was it and how much time did you have at the ruins?

 

Thanks!

 

We took that tour through RCI last December. It was a long day but worth it. Sorry but I don't remember how long we had at the ruins. After we got there, the guide talked for a while then let everyone walk around and meet back at the bus at a certain time.

My wife put a slide show together from the pictures she took. If you're interested in seeing them, just click on the link below.

 

Tulum Express Mayan Ruins Tour

 

Happy Cruising!

[Colorado Kat]

Since this involves a ferry/boat to the mainland, I would only book a trip to Tulum thru the ship.

[JimAOk1945]

Since this involves a ferry/boat to the mainland, I would only book a trip to Tulum thru the ship.

 

I completely agree! Whenever an excursion involves a long day with lengthy transportation issues to and from the point of interest, we always book through the cruise line and recommend doing it this way to others.

[BluesCruise]

I purchased a "Tour of Tulum with Beach Break" for Cozumel through the ship (Grandeur 11-16-13 sailing). The ferry to/from Playa del Carmen was not a problem. We had it all to ourselves, and it wasn't a rough ride. Once we arrived, however, we had to walk quite a few blocks to board our bus. Some of the older and less able-bodied people had a hard time with the walking, and it was unexpected. Our tour guides were friendly enough, but once we got to Tulum, things went bad. We were told that the guided tour would be about 30-45 minutes, and then we would have free time to walk around the site and take pictures. The tour guide named Patricio was TERRIBLE. We followed him to the site, and he had us stand in the shade just inside the gate, and he talked on and on about the Mayans in general. He pointed to nearby stones and talked about what used to be on that spot. He was sweating profusely, and while other tours were walking around the site, from building to building, we seemed rooted in our shady spot. We finally started walking, and he stopped again, and talked a long time, but didn't really say much about the main buildings there at the site. Finally, someone mentioned that we needed to get back to the bus soon. He had talked the whole time, so we never got time to walk around and take pictures. Poor time management! He briskly led us past the major buildings, still didn't tell us ANYTHING about them, and continued walking, out of the park, and back to the parking lot. Most of us were on the bus on time, but the tour guides and a few passengers remained in the gift shop another 20 minutes or so. We were late leaving, so we were late to our beach break. We had a decent buffet lunch, and some people spent about 30 minutes on the beach. Then, we got back on the bus. The bus driver couldn't maneuver the bus out of the parking lot into the narrow street. He went back and forth, trying different angles. About 25 minutes later, we finally got moving. We had to park the bus where we had boarded, so some people paid for pedi-cabs back to the ferry, and the rest of us had to follow the tour guide, briskly walking the several blocks pack to the pier. The ferry was waiting. We arrived back at the Grandeur an hour after it was supposed to leave, and had to endure the walk of shame, with other passengers jeering at us about being late and holding up the ship. Thank goodness it waited for us. What a lousy tour! I had to go home and Google "Tulum" to find out what the major buildings there were. I complained at the shore excursion desk, and was given a 30% refund, but what a waste of my day in Cozumel that was.

Edited December 7, 2013 by BluesCruise

[JimAOk1945]

I'm so sorry to hear you had such a bad experience. Thanks for your post. It may spare someone else from a bad experience as well.

[youwash]

We did Tulum as a ships tour many years ago with Carnival when the ship stopped and dropped us off to a tender boat. The tour was good and interesting( the kids-ages 11-9-8-6) hated it. To this day 15 years later they still talk about it, so I guess it did leave a lasting impression. The ride on the ferry to join the ship in Cozumel was another thing!! I thought we were going to die! It was a very rough day on the water with huge waves and most of us were seasick. Which means it also took forever to get there.

[JimAOk1945]

Weather can be so unpredictable. That's the main concern with having to take a tender into port. I guess we were very fortunate when we were on our cruise last December. The sea was remarkably calm, even when we rode the tender to and from our Tulum Express excursion.

[mccbeh]

We did this one in 2009 and I don't think anything changed much. I remember it was very hot at Tulum and there was barely any shade available. We had only about 1h40min to explore the ruins before we headed back on the ferry. The ruins were nice and impressive, but the heat and lack of time available was not.

[JimAOk1945]

We did this one in 2009 and I don't think anything changed much. I remember it was very hot at Tulum and there was barely any shade available. We had only about 1h40min to explore the ruins before we headed back on the ferry. The ruins were nice and impressive, but the heat and lack of time available was not.

 

Yes, that was our experience as well. We were surprised at how hot it was there. I was glad I had a backpack with me with bottled water for both of us. We also wore light clothing and hats. It would have been nice to have more time on the site. It is amazing and very beautiful.

Edited December 13, 2013 by JimAOk1945