Any issues with RCL's Tulum Express excursion

[ranger2131]

Interested in doing the Tulum express excursion. However, worried about getting back to the ship on-time. Port time is only 8-4. Would a private tour be quicker? Anyone tried this?

 

Also, how quickly can you get off the ship? Right at 8?

[Clarea]

You can usually get off the ship within 30 minutes of arrival.

[Mark_K]

If you're booking through Royal Caribbean, they will make sure the ship is still there when you get back ( or pay to get you to the next port). It's one of the advantages of booking through them.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[msmayor]

If you are taking RCL's tour, you have no worries about getting back on time...the ship will be there. It would be riskier to take the private tour.

 

You probably wouldn't be off the ship until 30 minutes or so after docking. If on a private tour, the RCL tours would get off FIRST before you. We were given stickers to wear so crew knew we were allowed to 'cut' the long line waiting to get off.

 

When we sailed Freedom in March we took the longer and further Coba ruins tour. Before departing the ship, we were assured that as long as we stayed with our group we had absolutely no worries about being left behind.

 

We were among the first off the ship and right to the ferry. Enjoyed our ruins tour immensely, and when we arrived back to Playa del Carmen there was a ferry ready and waiting to take us back. We got back to the ship as the last tour group to return.

[Teeara]

Book through RCI! You do NOT want to run the risk of missing the ship.

 

The Tulum excursion is an all day tour. Because we were ship sponsored we were among the first off the ship. You may have to take a tender from the ship to Cozumel (depending on the ships in port), then catch a ferry from Cozumel to the mainland, then board a bus for the hour or so ride to Tulum. Once at Tulum you will spend a couple of hours walking around under the blazing sun. There is NOT much shade there so make sure you (1) wear a hat, (2) take LOTS of water, and (3) bring an umbrella. Trust me on #3. You will thank me. Take the umbrella. After the tour you will be back on the bus, then the ferry and then (maybe) you will need to tender back to the ship.

 

During my research I found the ship's tour to be comparable (if not better) in price than the private tours. So do yourself a favor and just book through the ship. You will NOT regret taking this tour. It was one of the best tours I've done. Oh, and you should be getting a box lunch with this tour. I think we had ours on the bus AFTER the tour and on our way back to the ship. There was one brief stop at a roadside tourist stop with bathrooms (although the bus had a bathroom onboard).

 

Here is a link to my pix from the Explorer cruise where I took the RCI tour of Tulum. You will find the Tulum pix in volume 2.

 

https://exploreroftheseas2006cruise.shutterfly.com/

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Theresa

Edited July 2, 2014 by Teeara

[comxkid]

Book through RCI! You do NOT want to run the risk of missing the ship.

 

The Tulum excursion is an all day tour. Because we were ship sponsored we were among the first off the ship. You may have to take a tender from the ship to Cozumel (depending on the ships in port), then catch a ferry from Cozumel to the mainland, then board a bus for the hour or so ride to Tulum. Once at Tulum you will spend a couple of hours walking around under the blazing sun. There is NOT much shade there so make sure you (1) wear a hat, (2) take LOTS of water, and (3) bring an umbrella. Trust me on #3. You will thank me. Take the umbrella. After the tour you will be back on the bus, then the ferry and then (maybe) you will need to tender back to the ship.

 

During my research I found the ship's tour to be comparable (if not better) in price than the private tours. So do yourself a favor and just book through the ship. You will NOT regret taking this tour. It was one of the best tours I've done. Oh, and you should be getting a box lunch with this tour. I think we had ours on the bus AFTER the tour and on our way back to the ship. There was one brief stop at a roadside tourist stop with bathrooms (although the bus had a bathroom onboard).

 

Here is a link to my pix from the Explorer cruise where I took the RCI tour of Tulum. You will find the Tulum pix in volume 2.

 

https://exploreroftheseas2006cruise.shutterfly.com/

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Theresa

 

 

This is gospel. It's a full day of traveling and we barely made it back in time to the ship....they had us running to catch the ferry back to Cozumel.

[Ourusualbeach]

We have done many private tours on various islands but this is one we wold never consider a private tour for.

[dyank]

There's a great beach right by the ruins. We wore our swimsuits and enjoyed some time in the water after our tour. It was wonderful to cool off.

[Photofinish4]

I wouldn't take a private tour any where in mexico.

[jkskrap]

Tulum Express review

Here is our review of the Tulum Express tour through RCI we did Lin 2012 (edited but still long winded).

 

Tulum Express

 

 

TULUM EXPRESS – Through RCI

 

 

We met in the Arcadia Theater at 9:15 am. There were a lot of us. Any person that booked a mainland excursion was here. The idea is to get us off the ship first and walk us directly to the waiting ferry. It pretty much worked well.

 

The ferry is run by Mexico Waterjets and is very nice. You are inside in the a/c. TIP: sit on the left side or middle (as you face the front) both ways to stay out of the hot sun. The ferry ride is only 30 minutes once you get going. We were blessed with very calm seas our whole trip, and the ride was great. You still feel the motion, though, so make sure you take your pills if you get seasick. There are good bathrooms in the back of the boat for a quick stop before you get ashore.

 

At the port in Playa del Carmen we got out and noticed Mexican Marines standing around with machine guns. We have seen this before but our kids hadn’t and it was a bit unsettling for them at first. You follow the group into town and look for someone with the “Tulum Express” sign. We didn’t get any instructions before we left, but I figured it out when I saw the first sign.

 

A guy came up to us with a lion cub in his hands – YES, a real, live lion cub – and wanted us to take a picture with it. He was obnoxious but finally went away. We felt terrible for that poor cub. He looked drugged and sad.

 

We all got into a line and then each family posed for the obligatory “pre-excursion photo.” The photographer was nice and she was very efficient, so it only took a second. You walk a bit more and then get on the bus. Right before you get on the bus there are young guys selling water and cokes for $1.00 each. I don’t know WHY I did it, but all of a sudden a cold Coke sounded good (I am a diet pepsi man), so I gave the kid a buck and boarded the bus. As soon as I sat down I opened the bottle and it exploded all over me! Literally 1/3 of the coke gushed out. Sticky Coke all over me. This was the only time this trip my girls said, “Dad looked really mad!” I got over it.

 

The bus was comfortable but the a/c was not the greatest. Don’t sit below the TV’s because you will only have one air vent instead of two. They will ask you to use these same seats on the way back.

 

We had 2 guides and a bus driver. Tamo was the guide who spoke to us on the bus and Philipe was the guide at Tulum. Both were very nice and seemed to be very interested in Tulum and the Mayans (especially Philipe). The problem was they really didn’t tell us much. A little history, but it could have been so much better. At the ruins themselves Philipe seemed to focus on the minutia and wasn’t too good at telling “the story.” It was very disappointing. I wonder if the other guides were any better?

 

It is a quick 45 minute drive to Tulum from the port, but they stop for a “restroom break” on the way. What a crock! They pulled the bus into the parking lot of this big gift shop and Tamo spends 5 or 10 minutes telling us how good all the merchandise is and how it is made by real Mayans. So much better than the stuff we will see at Tulum. On and on. He says we are only going to stay 15 minutes but I bet it was 40 minutes. It’s a nice shop, but we have so little time at the ruins that it is a complete waste IMHO. I did write this on my comment card. There are nice restrooms 15 minutes away in Tulum. My girls looked at the blankets and were quoted (by different people) $50, then $60 and finally $85. If you find something you really want, have the guide negotiate the price for you. I am sure they are all in cahoots, but they do try to get you the best deal. We spent much of the time feeding the skinny doggies Ritz crackers. I also tried the free tequila – the almond flavored one was great. Kind of scary though because they were pouring it from old soda bottles. I didn’t see it for sale.

 

Finally to Tulum . . .

 

After parking the bus, we grouped together and were told that our meeting spot was the Dairy Queen by the parking lot at 3:05 pm. You walk through a series of shops to a road that leads to the ruins. The vendors are fairly pushy, but a firm “no thank you” works. It is a pretty good walk to the ruins. Probably 10 or 15 minutes. There is a tram available, but our guides told us not to use it because you may wait 20 minutes for the tram to leave. When you get to the gate they give you tickets to have punched and then collect them again. The girls later said they wish they had been able to keep the tickets, but I didn’t think to ask for them when the tour ended. Philipe showed us a few spots at the ruins and told us a little about each. Like I said, it wasn’t the best info – but he is VERY motivated and probably has a vast amount of knowledge. He then sets us free to explore on our own.

 

TIP: Buy a map of the ruins and/or a guide before you go. Why didn’t I do that? There aren’t any signs, so you have no idea what you are looking at. The ruins are amazing. They are built on a cliff overlooking the water. Just imagining what it was like hundreds of years ago is so fascinating. Make sure and walk to the highest point to see the beautiful beach.

 

They give you small radios with ear phones to listen to the guide at Tulum. They work very well. The ruins are roped off, so no more climbing around.

 

All in all we had fun and the kids were glad to see the ruins. I can’t really recommend the tour, though. If they get rid of the “restroom stop” and if the guides were more informative, then YES – it would be worth every penny.

 

I blame myself for some of our disappointment. I should have ordered a book, map and/or guide about the ruins before the trip. If I had been prepared I could have made it much better for all of us.

 

We walked back to the Dairy Queen and didn’t see anyone yet so . . . we got ice cream! They give you change in Pesos, so don’t use too large of a bill. The girls working were very nice and very quick.

 

I saw a little store right next door and we decided to grab a few snacks. I asked how much the Corona’s were and was told $3. Not bad. I put my Corona, 2 cans of soda, 2 small bags of chips, bag of combos and a little package of cookies on the counter and was told it was $36 US. Not sure how that happened. I put the combos and bag of chips back but still ended up paying $22. Oh well!

 

When we got back to the bus they gave us a little snack that included a starkist tuna salad “kit,” nuts, a muffin and a Capri sun. I thought it was very nice actually. In the description of the tour it says a snack will be provided but not lunch. Can’t complain about that!

 

On the way back to Playa del Carmen our bus pulled over on the side of the road across the highway from or “restroom break” gift shop. We all wondered what was going on. Philipe got out with a big hammock under his arm and ran through 4 lanes of crazy traffic to the shop. He came back with a smaller hammock. We later found out someone bought a hammock that was too large and wanted to exchange it! Holy Cow!

 

Unfortunately Tamo didn’t speak to us on the bus on the way back. Not one word from either guide. That seemed strange. I expected him to ask us about what we saw and to answer any questions.

 

We got out of the bus, walked by an even more tired lion cub and got back on the ferry. It was great to not have to worry about a specific time to catch the ferry! We were pretty tired when we got back to Cozumel so we just caught a cab ($7) and went back to the ship.

[UCF_Knight]

I've been to Tulum several times, and I personally would not do it without using a Royal Caribbean shore excursion. It is a long trek from Cozumel to the ruins and back and involves 2 ferry boat rides and a fairly long round trip drive. Some of the ferry boats are fast, some are slow, and they don't always run on time. Twice when going through Royal Caribbean they held the ship about 30 minutes for all of the official Tulum excursions to get back. Once we were literally the last ones on the ship. We crossed the gangway and they pulled it up behind us. If we had been on a private excursion, we would have had a great view from the ferry boat of the ship pulling out and leaving us behind.

[akcruz]

I think you got your answer but I will just add my agreement to the rest. We normally do private excursions, but this is one place I would NOT do one. Go with the ship sponsored excursion. Too many places for this one to fall apart doing it privately.

 

Save yourself some angst and book through the ship.

[jticarruthers]

Going to go with a ditto, done two excursions to the mainland (one was the Tulum Express) and given the amount of transportation involved and the tight timeline back to the ship I would not consider private tours.

Tulum we made it back in time but our Xcaret tour ended up causing the ship to be 45 mins late out of Cozumel (nothing like being in the ferry back and looking at your watch knowing the all aboard time has already passed).

If you are going to go over its worth a little extra to know the ship wont ditch you :)