Chankanaab without dolphins- still worth visiting?

[NOLAbebe]

Hi!

 

For those who have visited Chankanaab, is the park worth visiting without including an animal encounter? How is the beach? The pool? Is there any allure if you aren't doing the wildlife encounters?

 

Thank you!

[ABQrobin]

yes, it is a national park with lots to see and do.

The beach is small. If you are going for a mile long walking beach, don't go there.

Snorkeling area is good.

[NOLAbebe]

Thank you! We weren't looking for a long beach, necessarily. More at the quality of the water for swimming. :)

[lesaj]

Looking forward to it as well- headed there next week! :)

[mrobstad]

My favorite place in Cozumel! Make sure you order the chips and avocado dip on the beach!

[lesaj]

Ooh, thanks for the tip!

[Grannycb]

There are a lot of things to see and do at Chankanaab. Swimming at their beach isn't a great option. They do have a lovely big pool that is so much nicer for swimming.

[Abby323]

There are a lot of things to see and do at Chankanaab. Swimming at their beach isn't a great option. They do have a lovely big pool that is so much nicer for swimming.

 

I have a 5 and 12 yr old. Can you please explain why swimming at the beach is not a great option?

[mitsugirly]

Chankanaab is our favorite place in Cozumel so far. We have been twice and been to plenty of other places in Cozumel as well to compare.

 

With it being a National Park, the entire place is beautiful and there's plenty to do there other than just the beach. Free sea lion show, pool, lagoon with tons of iguanas walking around, the replica ruins self guided tour, the alligators, zip line, human balls and of course the awesome snorkeling.

 

As far as the "beach" it's pretty darn long and huge if you ask me. You can walk up and down it for quite some time. However, it's not your "normal" beach because it is known for it's snorkeling. Which means the beach/sand does not run into the water. There's a wall there and steps that go down into the water. There's instantly coral and rocks with all kinds of fish and sea life. That's what makes it a great place for snorkeling.

 

There is a small walk in cove type beach there as well.

 

I have 2 reviews in my signature line if anyone is interested. It has tons of pictures. If the links within the reviews don't work to take you to the pictures, let me know. I have changed my hosting site around a bit. :)

[lesaj]

Thanks mitsugirly! As always, your information is always so helpful and appreciated! We leave on the Carnival Freedom this weekend (yay!) and this is one of our planned excursions. It will be our 7 and 11 year olds' first cruise, and now I am looking forward to it even more! :)

[NOLAbebe]

Ooh! Be sure to come back and report! I hope you love it!

 

Mitsugirly, I have to admit I have practically studied your pictures and reviews- they are SO helpful!! I know you probably hear this all the time, but THANK YOU! As a fellow nurse, I can always spot another one in a 'crowd'...we're detail-oriented (or as my hubby would say, 'Completely OCD') and excel at vacation documentation.

 

This is my first No Boys Allowed trip, and we finally settled on doing the dolphin swim at Chankanaab (booked today!), and I am stoked! We booked the first group available, from 10:30-2pm. Do they typically run on time? Will we really be done by 2? I think we are in port from 10-6pm (does that mean we need to be back on the boat by 5?).

 

The description on the Carnival site mentioned a sea lion show afterwards...and the photos I have seen are of an open, uncovered stadium, which sounds awful in the glaring August heat. Not to short-shrift the poor sea lions, but I have zero interest in that show. We want to snorkel! I have never done proper snorkeling where they had fish, so we were thinking of skipping the show and heading right to the beach after the dolphin interaction. Do you think this is allowed since we signed up for the group excursion? I mean, they can't MAKE us stay for the sea lions, can they? How does return transportation to the ship work exactly?

 

I also have read sketchy things about the food there. I know some sort of buffet is included- is it really that bad? Are there other dining options within the park, or should we just wait until we are at the port to eat? I don't care if we have to pay extra for better food. My priority is on quality, not cost. I am a sucker for good, fresh guacamole, though, so I'll definitely try that if I find it. Thanks for the tip! I take it that means they serve food on the beach?

[mitsugirly]

Thanks mitsugirly! As always, your information is always so helpful and appreciated! We leave on the Carnival Freedom this weekend (yay!) and this is one of our planned excursions. It will be our 7 and 11 year olds' first cruise, and now I am looking forward to it even more!

 

You are most welcome and I hope you have a wonderful time on the Freedom and at Chankanaab. We leave on Carnival Pride (only our second Carnival cruise) in 16 days, 2 hours, 0 min and 40 seconds from now. I'm SUPER excited and can't wait to see the beautiful Pride with all the 2.0 upgrades. I'm a little nervous about sailing during Spring Break AND Easter weekend, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It's also a sold out ship as well. :eek:

 

Ooh! Be sure to come back and report! I hope you love it!

 

Mitsugirly, I have to admit I have practically studied your pictures and reviews- they are SO helpful!! I know you probably hear this all the time, but THANK YOU! As a fellow nurse, I can always spot another one in a 'crowd'...we're detail-oriented (or as my hubby would say, 'Completely OCD') and excel at vacation documentation.

 

This is my first No Boys Allowed trip, and we finally settled on doing the dolphin swim at Chankanaab (booked today!), and I am stoked! We booked the first group available, from 10:30-2pm. Do they typically run on time? Will we really be done by 2? I think we are in port from 10-6pm (does that mean we need to be back on the boat by 5?).

 

The description on the Carnival site mentioned a sea lion show afterwards...and the photos I have seen are of an open, uncovered stadium, which sounds awful in the glaring August heat. Not to short-shrift the poor sea lions, but I have zero interest in that show. We want to snorkel! I have never done proper snorkeling where they had fish, so we were thinking of skipping the show and heading right to the beach after the dolphin interaction. Do you think this is allowed since we signed up for the group excursion? I mean, they can't MAKE us stay for the sea lions, can they? How does return transportation to the ship work exactly?

 

I also have read sketchy things about the food there. I know some sort of buffet is included- is it really that bad? Are there other dining options within the park, or should we just wait until we are at the port to eat? I don't care if we have to pay extra for better food. My priority is on quality, not cost. I am a sucker for good, fresh guacamole, though, so I'll definitely try that if I find it. Thanks for the tip! I take it that means they serve food on the beach?

 

 

That's funny about the detail oriented and documentation. Makes sense (although I have to admit, I have always been like this and have always been a photography freak as well). So, I guess both things combined make for good qualities in a review. :D

 

 

You didn't really say how or who you booked with so I'm really not sure on your questions. If you booked using Dolphin Discovery you just have to be in front of the dolphin place at the time they tell you that your swim is because they will orient you to the equipment and what is going to happen before doing the swim. I know when we did our swim, it wasn't 3 1/2 hours long that's for sure. This makes me think that you might have booked directly with the cruiseline and your entire excursion is 3 1/2 hours long? Do they provide the transportation to and from Chankanaab? If so your 3 1/2 hours will include the time during transportation, the swim and going back, which won't leave much time for the park. :( That's usually how these sail based excursions work.

 

Yes, if you are scheduled to leave port at 6pm, they usually want you back on the ship 1 hour ahead of time, which means you should leave the park IMO at least about 4:15-4:30. The place is not far AT ALL. It takes maybe 10-15 minutes to get there (depending on what type of nascar taxi driver you might have ;)...IF you are doing this on your own). The only issue is usually checking back in to port and how many people are there trying to get back at the same time, but it's usually not too bad.

 

I have honestly never went to the sea lion show before because I get so tied up in the snorkeling portion that I can't drag myself out and over to the show. I have seen pictures though. Here's one I found online, which does look like you might be sitting out in the hot sun.

 

 

 

Once again, I'm not sure if you are on a ship excursion and if transportation is included. But if it's not and you are doing this on your own...transportation here is probably one of the best I have seen anywhere. At the front entrance there is a turn around area where the taxi's pull up to drop people off. They have such a controlled system in place that there is someone at that entrance that even writes down each cab number and the number of passengers that get out of it. They keep track of everything (this is a good thing since our taxi pulled away once and my husband left out beach bag in the trunk of the van with our ship cards, money and everything else in the bag and they were able to track the taxi down and get our things back by using this system). Anyhow...back on subject...when you are ready to leave, you head back to the entrance/exit and they will ask how many and where you are going...right directly next to the entrance is a parking lot where they keep all the taxis lined up kinda out of site. All of these people from the people at Chankanaab to the taxis have walkie talkies. They will call someone over and away you go. Super Duper easy! We have been there REALLY late when the place looked like it was deserted and everyone had left and there were still cabs waiting in the parking lot.

 

I have never had a buffet lunch there since we have always done it on our own. My oldest daughter ate over at the restaurant by the dolphin swim once and said her burrito was ok, but expensive. We ate right at the beach and the waiter brought our drinks and food to us all day and I got the "sampler" plater and it was YUMMY and had a little bit of everything on it AND it was cheaper than my daughters burrito was AND we were served right there at our palapa. If was quite a bit of food and this was after I started munching on it then discovered I hadn't taken a picture yet.

 

 

 

I hope you have a wonderful time there. As many places as I have been in Cozumel, Chankanaab is still my favorite. I need to go back some time since I know they have changed it A LOT (adding new things like the zip line, alligators, human gerbil balls and stuff) since I was there last.

[divot33]

Every time I see a thread like this, I try to jump in and say "Search for mitsugirly's profile.

 

You usually beat me to it, mitsugirly!

 

We're going a bit against your advice and chose Nachi for our trip in June.

 

Edited: I had said your pictures were gone on the Nachi thread, but I was wrong. That's what I get for checking on the network at work! All the images get stripped out.

Edited March 20, 2015 by divot33

[NOLAbebe]

Thank you! Sorry, I should have said we booked through Carnival this time, mostly because I am very unfamiliar with this port and we wanted a little more security in that regard. :)

 

As for the 3.5 hour time allotment, finishing at 2 would still give us 2-3 hours to eat and snorkel and get back to the boat, but I don't want to waste that time at the sea lion how, so we may have to slink off by ourselves after the dolphin portion. I don't know how the return transport works, exactly, but I figure at the worst we will gave to pay extra for our own taxi back to port, right?

Edited March 20, 2015 by NOLAbebe

[mitsugirly]

Every time I see a thread like this, I try to jump in and say "Search for mitsugirly's profile.

 

You usually beat me to it, mitsugirly!

 

We're going a bit against your advice and chose Nachi for our trip in June.

 

Edited: I had said your pictures were gone on the Nachi thread, but I was wrong. That's what I get for checking on the network at work! All the images get stripped out.

 

LOL, you must catch me on the days I'm on. I kinda slip in and out here and there. It all depends on my "mood" for the day. If I'm extremely bored, I gotta catch up on my cc boards. :D

 

You will probably love Nachi. Most people do. I would never discourage anyone from going there. It's a very beautiful place (as you can probably tell from my pictures). It' super nice that you are not bunched up against each other and it's almost like a private resort area with you own palapas. The pool is an added plus and the food was delicious. So I doubt you will be disappointed. The ONLY thing I was disappointed in was just the sand. I just didn't care for it (not that it wasn't soft or powdery or anything, just the sinking and hard to walk in part). If it wasn't for that, it would have been the perfect place. Of course if it was just me and the hubby, it would have been fine. But, since I have a munchkin, it's just not something I trust with her around the ocean (which is usually what we go to the beach for...not the pool).

 

Have a wonderful time in Cozumel. :)

 

Thank you! Sorry, I should have said we booked through Carnival this time, mostly because I am very unfamiliar with this port and we wanted a little more security in that regard. :)

 

As for the 3.5 hour time allotment, finishing at 2 would still give us 2-3 hours to eat and snorkel and get back to the boat, but I don't want to waste that time at the sea lion how, so we may have to slink off by ourselves after the dolphin portion. I don't know how the return transport works, exactly, but I figure at the worst we will gave to pay extra for our own taxi back to port, right?

 

I thought maybe you did book with the cruiseline (or at least that's what I was getting out of your post). No worries, some people feel the need to do this if they are unfamiliar with the port. Next time, try it on your own and you'll be highly satisfied that you did. It's such an easy port.

 

If I was you, I would approach the Carnival excursion desk once you get on the ship and inquire about the daily activities. Tell them you have no interest in seeing the sea lion show and want to head over to snorkel instead. They will probably give you a time to meet back at an area to head back to the ship (if it includes transportation). If they don't, I would try asking the person that takes you on the excursion as well just to make sure. I hope things work out for you. But if you don't have enough time there, at least you'll get to see what the place looks like and can judge if you want to return. Just remember, it's really a huge place though.

 

Edited March 20, 2015 by mitsugirly

[NOLAbebe]

THANK YOU! I will do just that. This countdown's gonna be a killah'. :rolleyes:

[Roberta Rader]

You are most welcome and I hope you have a wonderful time on the Freedom and at Chankanaab. We leave on Carnival Pride (only our second Carnival cruise) in 16 days, 2 hours, 0 min and 40 seconds from now. I'm SUPER excited and can't wait to see the beautiful Pride with all the 2.0 upgrades. I'm a little nervous about sailing during Spring Break AND Easter weekend, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It's also a sold out ship as well. :eek:

 

 

 

 

That's funny about the detail oriented and documentation. Makes sense (although I have to admit, I have always been like this and have always been a photography freak as well). So, I guess both things combined make for good qualities in a review. :D

 

 

You didn't really say how or who you booked with so I'm really not sure on your questions. If you booked using Dolphin Discovery you just have to be in front of the dolphin place at the time they tell you that your swim is because they will orient you to the equipment and what is going to happen before doing the swim. I know when we did our swim, it wasn't 3 1/2 hours long that's for sure. This makes me think that you might have booked directly with the cruiseline and your entire excursion is 3 1/2 hours long? Do they provide the transportation to and from Chankanaab? If so your 3 1/2 hours will include the time during transportation, the swim and going back, which won't leave much time for the park. :( That's usually how these sail based excursions work.

 

Yes, if you are scheduled to leave port at 6pm, they usually want you back on the ship 1 hour ahead of time, which means you should leave the park IMO at least about 4:15-4:30. The place is not far AT ALL. It takes maybe 10-15 minutes to get there (depending on what type of nascar taxi driver you might have ;)...IF you are doing this on your own). The only issue is usually checking back in to port and how many people are there trying to get back at the same time, but it's usually not too bad.

 

I have honestly never went to the sea lion show before because I get so tied up in the snorkeling portion that I can't drag myself out and over to the show. I have seen pictures though. Here's one I found online, which does look like you might be sitting out in the hot sun.

 

 

 

Once again, I'm not sure if you are on a ship excursion and if transportation is included. But if it's not and you are doing this on your own...transportation here is probably one of the best I have seen anywhere. At the front entrance there is a turn around area where the taxi's pull up to drop people off. They have such a controlled system in place that there is someone at that entrance that even writes down each cab number and the number of passengers that get out of it. They keep track of everything (this is a good thing since our taxi pulled away once and my husband left out beach bag in the trunk of the van with our ship cards, money and everything else in the bag and they were able to track the taxi down and get our things back by using this system). Anyhow...back on subject...when you are ready to leave, you head back to the entrance/exit and they will ask how many and where you are going...right directly next to the entrance is a parking lot where they keep all the taxis lined up kinda out of site. All of these people from the people at Chankanaab to the taxis have walkie talkies. They will call someone over and away you go. Super Duper easy! We have been there REALLY late when the place looked like it was deserted and everyone had left and there were still cabs waiting in the parking lot.

 

I have never had a buffet lunch there since we have always done it on our own. My oldest daughter ate over at the restaurant by the dolphin swim once and said her burrito was ok, but expensive. We ate right at the beach and the waiter brought our drinks and food to us all day and I got the "sampler" plater and it was YUMMY and had a little bit of everything on it AND it was cheaper than my daughters burrito was AND we were served right there at our palapa. If was quite a bit of food and this was after I started munching on it then discovered I hadn't taken a picture yet.

 

 

 

I hope you have a wonderful time there. As many places as I have been in Cozumel, Chankanaab is still my favorite. I need to go back some time since I know they have changed it A LOT (adding new things like the zip line, alligators, human gerbil balls and stuff) since I was there last.

 

 

So it sounds like I can book with Dolphin Discovery directly. I contacted them this morning via their live chat on their website and asked about that and they advised me to contact Carnival and book through them. Carnival doesn't offer the package that includes photos though. That is why I wanted to book direct. So, you had no problems? Did you do the package with photos or know someone who did?

[mitsugirly]

So it sounds like I can book with Dolphin Discovery directly. I contacted them this morning via their live chat on their website and asked about that and they advised me to contact Carnival and book through them. Carnival doesn't offer the package that includes photos though. That is why I wanted to book direct. So, you had no problems? Did you do the package with photos or know someone who did?

 

 

Carnival has a contract with them and they will not let anyone book that says they are with Carnival. :rolleyes: What most people do when coming in by Carnival is tell them that 1) they are staying at a hotel there on the island or 2) look up to see what other ships are there that day and say they are on one of them. Then they are able to book.

 

I have never done a "package" because I have never booked using the cruise line. We just go on our own. Back when we went, we didn't have to buy the packages because we were allowed to use our own cameras and take our own pictures. :D

[NOLAbebe]

So it sounds like I can book with Dolphin Discovery directly. I contacted them...and they advised me to contact Carnival and book through them. Carnival doesn't offer the package that includes photos though.

 

I was wondering this myself. I saw that photo package on their site, but Carnival didn't offer that. I was also interested in adding the manatee experience, but Carnival doesn't offer that, either, AND the manatees are only available at three time slots during the day. With Carnival suggesting a 3.5 hour window for this excursion, and no guarantee as to what time we'll start or be done within that window, I am left unsure as to whether we will even have time for snorkeling!

 

I booked through Carnival not only for cancellation/refund peace of mind (we are sailing in hurricane season!), but because I heard that the ship groups got to get off of the boat first. If our boat gets to the port at 10 and the first swim starts at 10:30, what if I am not even off of the boat at that point? Or still waiting for a taxi? Mitsugirly, I looked at the map of the port and all and you're right- it looks easy to navigate on my own. I would TOTALLY book this on my own, saving money and getting the photo package, but now I am confused and wondering if I can even get to the park in time for our slot if we were to do this on our own.

[Roberta Rader]

Hey NOLAbebe, do you have any idea how much the photos are if we purchase them on CD? I've been on a cruise that had to change itineraries at the last minute and you're right about sailing during hurricane season. I probably will book with Carnival. Just interested how much the photos are. Everyone says they're expensive but few give an idea as to how expensive.

[CookiePie]

LOL, you must catch me on the days I'm on. I kinda slip in and out here and there. It all depends on my "mood" for the day. If I'm extremely bored, I gotta catch up on my cc boards. :D

 

You will probably love Nachi. Most people do. I would never discourage anyone from going there. It's a very beautiful place (as you can probably tell from my pictures). It' super nice that you are not bunched up against each other and it's almost like a private resort area with you own palapas. The pool is an added plus and the food was delicious. So I doubt you will be disappointed. The ONLY thing I was disappointed in was just the sand. I just didn't care for it (not that it wasn't soft or powdery or anything, just the sinking and hard to walk in part). If it wasn't for that, it would have been the perfect place. Of course if it was just me and the hubby, it would have been fine. But, since I have a munchkin, it's just not something I trust with her around the ocean (which is usually what we go to the beach for...not the pool).

 

Have a wonderful time in Cozumel. :)

 

 

 

I thought maybe you did book with the cruiseline (or at least that's what I was getting out of your post). No worries, some people feel the need to do this if they are unfamiliar with the port. Next time, try it on your own and you'll be highly satisfied that you did. It's such an easy port.

 

If I was you, I would approach the Carnival excursion desk once you get on the ship and inquire about the daily activities. Tell them you have no interest in seeing the sea lion show and want to head over to snorkel instead. They will probably give you a time to meet back at an area to head back to the ship (if it includes transportation). If they don't, I would try asking the person that takes you on the excursion as well just to make sure. I hope things work out for you. But if you don't have enough time there, at least you'll get to see what the place looks like and can judge if you want to return. Just remember, it's really a huge place though.

 

 

I'm stuck between these two and was leaning towards Nachi Cocom because it seems to be less people and therefore more quiet and serene. I'd like to know the price for each but I'm having trouble finding it.

just for use of the beach without add-ons. Can anyone help me out?

[NOLAbebe]

Hey NOLAbebe, do you have any idea how much the photos are if we purchase them on CD? I've been on a cruise that had to change itineraries at the last minute and you're right about sailing during hurricane season. I probably will book with Carnival. Just interested how much the photos are. Everyone says they're expensive but few give an idea as to how expensive.

 

Well, the official Dolphin Discovery site doesn't list the photo prices, but this is what I could find:

 

If you book through the DD site (and not Carnival), you can do the Dolphin Adventure (everything but the foot push) for $149 INCLUDING pictures (up to 20 digital pics on a flash drive). If you book without the pictures, the price for the same interaction is $119, so they are charging you an early-booking price of $30 for 'up to 20 digital pictures'.

 

This includes admission to the park, lunch buffet, and two non-alcoholic drinks. This does not include taxi to and from the park.

 

The exact same excursion through Carnival is $129. No pictures, but includes taxi to and from the park. Surprisingly, cost-wise, it's not that much more through Carnival if you don't worry about pre-paying for the photos.

 

Now, according to recent TripAdvisor reviews, they seem to GENERALLY be charging about $40 a photo if you buy them the day of the excursion. People have been complaining about this price for years, if you read the reviews on both the Carnival site and TripAdvisor. They also seem to offer a disc or flash drive (not sure which) of photos, and the price differs depending on how many are in your 'party'. It seems to be anywhere from 80-100 or more pics (varied from review to review) for around $40-80pp. For example, one mother and daughter bought a flash drive with 100 pictures for $160 ($80pp, in July 2014). Another family of four bought a drive that was priced at $50pp, so their flash drive was $200 (in June 2014). People claim to be haggling the price down, but either way you look at it, it's costly.

 

Their goal, ultimately, is to make money. I used to work for a children's photography studio and they would run ads for a giant package of pictures for $9.99 plus a sitting fee per child. People would come in, and we'd take pictures of their children in front of a simple backdrop first. Then we'd have to pull out the fancy stuff and all the props, and we'd take these great photos, but none of them were included in the package- THOSE pictures cost an arm and a leg. We had to sell these giant packages and push them on people knowing damn well they couldn't afford it. Did I mention I * H A T E D * THAT JOB?! Which makes me wonder if the park does the same thing with their pre-paid photo special- are the 20 pictures you get all crappy photos, and they save the good ones for the pricier options? I wouldn't be surprised. I read a review that a dad and daughter asked them to take a picture of the two of them with the dolphin and they didn't want to do it, but finally the photographer said ok and took it. When they got to the store to purchase the pictures, that SINGLE pictures had been taken in black and white. Like, they weren't allowed to deviate from the company strategy. So silly, but they're in the business of raking in the bucks.

 

At least I am going in with my eyes open! I already KNOW they're going to rush us, and I know the pictures will cost a damn FORTUNE, but I also know that I am *still* excited to touch a dolphin and be that close, even for five whole minutes. Not everyone can say that, and sometimes I read these reviews and I get disheartened, but then I am like, what are you all complaining about? You got to do this amazing thing that you are PRIVILEGED to be able to do! Accept it for what it is. Sell some eggs or something. ;)

 

That being said...I would love to cancel with Carnival and just book this myself. I wouldn't save money, per se, because I'd want to do the picture package, but if you are sailing on the Dream on August 30th and you're feeling brave, let me know and we can split a taxi! :cool::D:rolleyes:

Edited March 21, 2015 by NOLAbebe

[NOLAbebe]

I'm stuck between these two and was leaning towards Nachi Cocom because it seems to be less people and therefore more quiet and serene. I'd like to know the price for each but I'm having trouble finding it.

just for use of the beach without add-ons. Can anyone help me out?

 

Here is a link to their site, and there is a coupon there as well. Looks like around $21 for adult admission, not including snorkeling equipment and all the little extras.

 

http://www.cozumelparks.com/eng/chankanaab.cfm

Edited March 21, 2015 by NOLAbebe

[CookiePie]

Thanks NOLAbebe!!!

[Roberta Rader]

NOLAbebe: you are amazing! I wish I was on your sailing so I could meet you and thank you personally for all your great tips and help but we are sailing 8/2/2015. I just finished booking the dolphin swim, buffet lunch at Chankanaab Park through Carnival. I ultimately decided peace of mind has a dollar value too. Now on to researching the other ports...have a fabulous cruise if I don't talk to you before then.