Chacchoben Ruins tour

[als310]

My bf and I just did the ruins tour with David and Ivan. Ivan was our guide. Awesome tour! We met at the Cat's Meow which is right across the pier, and easy to find. Immediately, David found us, there was a group of about 16, Ivan took our half and David took the rest. Ivan was unbelievable with his knowledge of the Mayan culture, of the Mexican government and the ruins. He took us to several excavated hills and some that were not yet excavated, all the while giving, history, background, etc. Also told us to keep our eyes open and we may find pottery or arrowheads (which we found both!) As we were on our tour, we noticed the large groups going past us, and thought it was great that we had such a small, intimate group. And when the tour was about over, Ivan took us over to one hillside and showed us where he used to live! Nothing was left but the kitchen, but he told us how he used to come up the hill and play hide-and-seek before the ruins were excavated. He even got a little emotional, noting the smell was the same. He was a great guide, I highly recommend going through him, someone who grew up in and knows the area! If anyone has questions about the tour, just post them or feel free to email me at april_s@adelphia.net.

[lois2]

We did the ruins tour with David last winter and remember it as one of the 2 highpoints of our cruise (the other being cave tubing in Belize). David and Ivan give a spectacular tour and have worked hard for their success against many problems.

[IamCdn]

Ditto on David and Ivan - just great. I was quite interested in the culture, religious, mathematical, and calendar elements of the ruins (:eek: geek alert). Ivan continued to amaze us with his knowledge and passion for this area.

 

At one point when Ivan was explaining how the rising sun would shine through the two peaks on the temple on Mar 21 and Sep 22 (for the last several thousand years) we noticed how the cruise ship tour people (and their guide) gathered around to listen also.

[Gala62]

We just returned from our Western Caribbean cruise on the Zuiderdam and one of our cruise highlights was the Chacchoben tour led by David. He was so knowledgeable of the mythologies, culture and religion of the Mayan people.

 

Plus as an extra bonus for us (but an incredible headache for David), his usual van connection cancelled on him and he had to arrange taxi's to take us at the last minute. Luckily for us we got to ride in the same vehicle with David, so we really got to chat with him about a wide range of topics; just a fascinating man! They are going to purchase their own vans soon so these minor glitches won't happen in the future. It certainly didn't affect our enjoyment of the tour.

 

Very, very interesting and highly recommended!

[kerrmit]

I emailed David and Ivan yesterday morning at Chacchobenruins.com and am still waiting to hear back from them. I am really interested in going with them, but I have a couple of questions for them. Kind of worries me if they don't respond to emails, makes me wonder about the excursion.

[SCSP]

Did you all book the tour through the cruise ship or on your own? I've noticed there's quite a price difference (at least on Celebrity) and wondered if there's any benefit that I should know about to justify paying the extra money to book through Celebrity as opposed to straight with the tour operators.

 

Thanks!

 

Stephanie

[AUTUMN SUN]

I emailed David and Ivan yesterday morning at Chacchobenruins.com and am still waiting to hear back from them. I am really interested in going with them, but I have a couple of questions for them. Kind of worries me if they don't respond to emails, makes me wonder about the excursion.

I HAVE CORRESPONDED WITH THEM TWICE OVER THE PAST SEVEN DAYS. IT MAY TAKE THEM 2 TO 3 DAYS TO ANSWER BACK BUT THEY WILL!!:)

[als310]

Did you all book the tour through the cruise ship or on your own? I've noticed there's quite a price difference (at least on Celebrity) and wondered if there's any benefit that I should know about to justify paying the extra money to book through Celebrity as opposed to straight with the tour operators.

 

Thanks!

 

Stephanie

 

You have to book David and Ivan on your own - it is much cheaper and from what I've experienced and heard, it is MUCH better! I was on a cruise last year as well, and I booked everything through the cruise line. This year I did everything through outside companies, and had much better experiences. The tour groups are smaller and less crowded, the guides are more knowledgeable than the cruise line guides, and you get a more personal experience. And it doesn't hurt that it's cheaper too!

[kerrmit]

Thanks Autumn Sun, you're right, just heard back from them today. Was worried because Carnival has changed the itinerary for the Miracle starting Oct. 9th (my cruise) and I wanted to make sure that it wouldn't affect my being able to book with them. The way things stand, Ivan answered every question I had and am planning on booking with them!

[wastin' away]

I just wanted to add my 2cents... I have been coresponding with Ivan via email and he has been suprisingly prompt with responses. We just booked the new tour they are offering, the Checchoben Extreme tour, ruins and a stop at some lagoon. I am very excited! I'll post a review when we return in Feb.

[swom]

This is terrible.......and I want you all to be aware of it.

 

On a side note, we feel it's honest and professional from us to inform

you about an incident we had a few weeks ago during our operation. A

group of tourists that had reservations with us were intercepted by a

staff member from the company offering the transportation service at

the terminal, when they were buying their tickets. This person gave

them false information indicating that our company didn't exist, or

that we had closed operations.

We've been legally operating for almost three years and don't have plans

to close operations. We comply with all the permissions and licenses

required for our operation. All of us are independent professional

guides, and our activity is regulated by the Tourism Ministry and the

National Institute of Anthropology and History.

We already informed this incident to the Tourism Ministry, and they

started legal action against these practices that, in addition to the

economic damage to our company, have affected the image and reputation

of Costa Maya as a tourist destination.

 

As a tourist you're free to decide what services you use, and we truly

appreciate that you've decided to take one of our tours. Please be

aware that it's likely that you'll be given the same false

information.

 

Please email us back with your approval or any possible changes for our

final confirmation. We keep normally operating and, as planned, we look

forward to the opportunity to serve you. We promise to provide our best

personal service and share with you the deepest insight of our culture.

 

Best regards,

Ivan Cohuo

[elaineb]

April - I am interested in doing this tour next July. It sounds like a wonderful tour! Just a few questions, please, if you don't mind - What time did you meet David and Ivan and at what time did you return??? Is the meeting place near the beach at Majuahual? Was there time to take a quick dip at the beach when you returned? I don't want to do an all day tour. Made that mistake on our last cruise - booked too many all day tours and we were exhausted by week's end! Thanks for your help.

[essgee_ca]

I would also like to hear more about this tour. I just had a look at what the cruise line offered and there seemed to be little there. Many who have taken this tour have commented that it is cheaper the cruise line (not hard) but what is the cost? I am excieted to learn of this tour "company." I learned of Peat Taylor through cruise critics and my tour with him was one of the highlights of our cruise. Also as someone also asked how long is the tour?

Thanks

[Sheffie]

April - I am interested in doing this tour next July. It sounds like a wonderful tour! Just a few questions, please, if you don't mind - What time did you meet David and Ivan and at what time did you return??? Is the meeting place near the beach at Majuahual? Was there time to take a quick dip at the beach when you returned? I don't want to do an all day tour. Made that mistake on our last cruise - booked too many all day tours and we were exhausted by week's end! Thanks for your help.

 

We did this excursion on our last cruise and it was wonderful. I cannot remember the exact time we met David and Ivan, but it was just into the beach area at Majuahual. We did get back in time to spend a few hours at the beach before returning to the ship. David was an EXCELLENT guide.

 

You won't regret taking this excursion.

[AUTUMN SUN]

I would also like to hear more about this tour. I just had a look at what the cruise line offered and there seemed to be little there. Many who have taken this tour have commented that it is cheaper the cruise line (not hard) but what is the cost? I am excieted to learn of this tour "company." I learned of Peat Taylor through cruise critics and my tour with him was one of the highlights of our cruise. Also as someone also asked how long is the tour?

Thanks

 

HERE IS THE WEB SITE. ALL THE INFO IS THERE. IT SOUNDS GREAT!!:)

www.chacchobenruins.com

[tommyjeepster]

Just back from our cruise, David and Ivan were the best. Met at Cat's Meow bus will drop you off 50 feet from it. We rode in a new A/C van our group had eight and the other had 4. We had both as our tour guides. the ride was a comfortable 45 minutes where Ivan kept us entertained by telling us about the Mayan cuture. When we got there they offered us water and they had bug spray on hand. It was a nice quaint educational tour we did see the 3 Carnival Greyhound buses parked in the parking lot. I would recommend this to any one. If you shop at the "market" at the site be careful of the prices we went from $65 to $20 on a mask.

[48fan]

For those of you wondering about the times, David and Ivan are very accomodating for YOUR times. We were so caught up in the tour that we noticed our time was running short and we wanted a little time to do some shopping at the port. David had the driver drop us off at the port instead of taking us back to Majahual. We had a group of ten on the ship and two of our group went with the cruise tour and they were so disappointed when they heard us talking about our tour. We were in a group of 16 with two guides (both of them grew up near the ruins) while they were in a group of 45. You will love the guys. When you get through with their tour you feel like you have a new friend, I still e-mail David periodically to chat with him.

[tommyjeepster]

My husband and I just returned from a cruise and we went to the ruins with David and Ivan. It was great, they both are great tour guides and since they are local to the area have a wealth of information to share with you. I am sure that this beats any tours that the ships offer. The groups are smaller and you have a more personal guide to show you around.

 

IT WAS MONEY WISELY SPENT.

 

Regina

[Zeno]

Has anyone done the Chaccoben Extreme tour with them? I would love some details about what is involved in this tour since they ask that participants be "physically fit". Two people in our group have medical problems that usually don't preclude mildly active excursions but certainly would have problems with something "seriously active".

thanks for any info

[kerrmit]

I just got my reservation confirmation from Ivan for my tour with them, very excited!

[als310]

April - I am interested in doing this tour next July. It sounds like a wonderful tour! Just a few questions, please, if you don't mind - What time did you meet David and Ivan and at what time did you return??? Is the meeting place near the beach at Majuahual? Was there time to take a quick dip at the beach when you returned? I don't want to do an all day tour. Made that mistake on our last cruise - booked too many all day tours and we were exhausted by week's end! Thanks for your help.

 

I'm sorry for the delayed response, I haven't been on in a while. It looks like you got some of your questions answered already. Yes, the meeting place is near the beach at Majuahual. The tour lasts about 4 hours, and we met an hour after we were in port. We were in port 10-6, and we had a couple hours to sightsee/shop/swim or anything we wanted after the tour. Ivan made 2 stops - one back at the port for those who wanted to go back, and at the Cat's Meow, our meeting place. The cost was $43/person, and I think we tipped him $20 for 2 of us. Let me know if you have any more questions!

[momofzeke]

Just back from our cruise, David and Ivan were the best. Met at Cat's Meow bus will drop you off 50 feet from it.

 

 

Yes, the meeting place is near the beach at Majuahual.

 

 

I read one review that said it was confusing to get from the port to the Cat's Meow. Anyone else have that experience, or is the meeting place for the tour easy to get to?

[Sheffie]

I read one review that said it was confusing to get from the port to the Cat's Meow. Anyone else have that experience, or is the meeting place for the tour easy to get to?

 

We didn't find it confusing at all. You go right outside the shopping area and pick up a taxi to the beach. You are dropped off right at the end of the beach. (The taxis have to make a right hand turn here, they aren't allowed on the road along the beach area.) We just walked in a ways and asked. We were directed to the correct place.

[JAKcruiser]

We'd like to book their tour but I haven't seen anyone post a website or email address. We'd really appreciate if someone could let us know how to contact them!

[AUTUMN SUN]

We'd like to book their tour but I haven't seen anyone post a website or email address. We'd really appreciate if someone could let us know how to contact them!

 

OOPS!:D

www.chacchobenruins.com