Cozumel vs Costa Maya: Where to take the trip to the Mayan ruins?

[jennyumaa]

Hi! I am doing a lot of research on the board but still feel clueless on how to book the excursions.

 

We are a family of 5, and will stop at Cozumel and Costa Maya on our next cruise. We want to have one beach day and one day to see at least one of the ruins. Which day should we do which? And do you have recommendations on specific tour companies or destinations?

 

Our youngest is only 3, so we don't mind shorter trips.

(Oh, do taxis usually take lap kids, or do we have to take two taxis? Not concerned of costs, but my husband is worried about the family being split -> communication/safety issues.)

 

Many thanks!!

[nini]

The bus crash was at the Costa Maya port. The bus was headed

for those ruins. It is 100 miles one way on a not great road.

[SelectSys]

The beaches at "Costa Maya" aren't all that great, so I would say that it would be better to visit the ruins there - that is of course if the ruins are equivalent. To be honest, Costa Maya is my all time least favorite port and think the cruise ships must get paid a lot to visit that port - or at least not pay port fees.

[tallyho8]

I have to disagree with the previous poster. The beach at Costa Maya is a vey nice beach and the ruins are 10 times better than the ruins in Cozumel. A recent bus crash in Costa Maya has cast a cloud on the tours but this is an extremely rare incident and accidents can happen anywhere.

[JT1962]

We used Native Choice tours in Costa Maya to see Chaccoben and enjoyed it. They are very professional and we had no issues.

 

The trip to the Tulum ruins from Cozumel is a long day and requires taking the ferry to the mainland. There are several great beaches in Cozumel that are better options there.

 

 

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[gayoung]

We used Native Choice tours in Costa Maya to see Chaccoben and enjoyed it. They are very professional and we had no issues.

 

The trip to the Tulum ruins from Cozumel is a long day and requires taking the ferry to the mainland. There are several great beaches in Cozumel that are better options there.

 

 

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I have been to many of the sites in the region and with kids I would recommend going to Chaccoben there are many buildings to give you a good look at the Maya world. If you choose Native Choice (I have used them for at least 10 years and recommend them also) look into the Mayan Experience tour. besides going to Chacchoben they also make a stop at a local Mayan village where you they make a mayan meal and you can roam around the home grounds.

[jennyumaa]

Many thanks for all the great suggestions! I heard Native Choice cannot come to the port for pick-up and drop-off? Not sure how easy it is to walk with small children...

[MisterBill99]

We used Native Choice tours in Costa Maya to see Chaccoben and enjoyed it. They are very professional and we had no issues.

 

The trip to the Tulum ruins from Cozumel is a long day and requires taking the ferry to the mainland.

I always do private excursions but the Tulum tour from Cozumel is one I'd only do as a ship excursion. I recall that the ship would always be waiting for it to get back, sometimes more than an hour.

 

Glad to hear you liked Native Choice. I have them booked next month when we're on MSC Seaside.

 

 

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[JT1962]

Many thanks for all the great suggestions! I heard Native Choice cannot come to the port for pick-up and drop-off? Not sure how easy it is to walk with small children...

 

 

 

They are not that far from the port, maybe 1/4 - 1/3 of a mile after you leave the port exit. The walk from the ship down the pier and to the port exit is probably about the same distance. The pier there is a little longer than many ports.

 

 

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[jayarrG7]

May I suggest visiting the website for Native Choice.

They have some photos and descriptions of tours offered.

Another tip if you would like to see extensive photos of any specific mayan ruins- visit the Flickr website, and type in the specific site your interested in.

We are choosing Dzibanche, a long ride, but with far fewer people, and the opportunity to climb to the top.

[jennyumaa]

Thanks! I did look into the National Choice website. Am now thinking of the tour including the ruin and the Maya Village. Not sure it will feel authentic or just touristy shows.

[sanger727]

I would definately not do ruins from

Cozumel. It’s an island so unless you want to go to the ruins on the island, it’s rough ferry ride plus the long bus ride each way. All roads in Mexico are bad. Very much doubt costa maya will be different than anywhere else in that regard.

 

 

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[MisterBill99]

Thanks! I did look into the National Choice website. Am now thinking of the tour including the ruin and the Maya Village. Not sure it will feel authentic or just touristy shows.

If you read the reviews, they say it's fairly authentic. Yeah, they make sure everything is done in a sanitary manner, but it's not like you're going to a touristy restaurant (although apparently they may try to sell you some local stuff). I'm also doing that tour when I'm there next month.

 

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[DiamondDiva]

We did the Native Choice tour to the ruins and the Mayan Village home last year from Costa Maya and were very pleased with it.

The drive to the ruins came first, in a large van with about 10 of us, new and air conditioned. We had an excellent and knowledgeable guide with us for the whole trip. On the way to the ruins, she gave a very good history of the Mayan culture. When we arrived at the ruins, we were joined by a second specialist guide to visit the site. The walking was not difficult and there was lots to see and hear. There is a visitor area at the ruins with some vendors, clean restrooms, a small cafe, etc. While it is not as large of a site as the Mayan ruins in other parts of the area, it is a very good introduction to the culture and history. Both guides had an excellent command of English. The time at the ruins is 70-90 minutes, including the walking tour and a small amount of shopping/bathroom, cold drink time.

 

You are then taken to a local Mayan village, where you visit a Mayan home and have a delightful lunch. Many of the food items are grown/raised there (you get a tour of the garden), we made our own small tortillas over an open fire, and there is a short visit inside a home, complete with hammocks for sleeping and a raised roof because the visitors are much taller on average than the people who live there. There is a very nice and sanitary American-style set of bathrooms for your use. Your lunch is prepared by the family/friends and served under a lovely palapa on hand-embroidered white tablecloths using mostly local foods. All is very sanitary and clean and inspected every 3 months. The only selling there is a very low-keyed display of the ladies' hand embroidered work, such as aprons, tablecloths and little girls' dresses...all lovely and well done at reasonable prices.

 

As a Spanish teacher of many years and having visited many areas of Mexico and Latin America, I would say this is a very good representation of local culture and food and certainly a large step up from some of the typical tours and excursions we have found in this area of the world.

[jennyumaa]

Thank you for such detailed review! Very helpful. I just made a reservation for the

Mayan Experience Tour. This community is amazing!! Now that the ruin trip is done, let's hope the water will be warm enough for all the water funs!

[MisterBill99]

Yes, thank you DiamondDiva for the great review. Native Choice is actually the only excursion I'm planning to do on our upcoming cruise.

 

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[DiamondDiva]

De nada.

 

Enjoy your visits.:ship:

[dns65]

OOPS, posted this before I saw you already decided what to do

 

==

 

My opinion...

 

If you are going to do ruins from Cozumel, you will have to take a ferry to the mainland. There are high speed passenger only ones that make for a fairly quick trip. But if you are going to go all the way to the mainland, see significant ruins while you are there to get the most out of the trip. Many go to Tulum but it is a very small site and not worth the effort on a day trip from Cozumel. It is a walled city with a few buildings but every thing is closed off and you must stick to fenced off paths. You will be there hundreds and hundreds of other tourists with another tour bus showing up every 20-30 minutes dropping off another batch of people. This site would best be visited as a day trip from Cancun or Mayan Riviera as IMO, it is not worth the ferry ride over due to the small site and the large number of people that are there every day.

 

A better alternative on the mainland would be to take a trip to Coba which is about 1 hour away from Playa del Carmen where the ferry docks. This is a much larger site with many buildings and a pyramid that you can climb.

 

You may be better off to see ruins while you are in Mahahual. The Chacchoben ruins near Mahahual/Puerto Maya are also about an hour from the cruise port. It is also a large site with many buildings. I have not been to those ruins but was in Puerto Maya at the beginning of November on a port call and others on my ship said good things about that excursion.

 

Both ports have good beach clubs a 10 minute cab ride away from the port. I would say make your decision based on which ruins you want to see. Again, this is all just my opinion and I am sure that no matter which beach and ruins you choose, you will have a great time.

Edited December 25, 2017 by dns65
Revised stating didn't see OP's reply

[gerelmx]

It depends on your budget and time. I recommend you visit Chichen Itza. The tour can be done by bus or plane. You can hire it in both parts or with the cruise company.

[jennyumaa]

Thank you very much for such detailed suggestions. They really put things into perspective.

 

Seems that the tour I signed up to includes

Chacchoben ruins!

 

====

OOPS, posted this before I saw you already decided what to do

 

==

 

My opinion...

 

If you are going to do ruins from Cozumel, you will have to take a ferry to the mainland. There are high speed passenger only ones that make for a fairly quick trip. But if you are going to go all the way to the mainland, see significant ruins while you are there to get the most out of the trip. Many go to Tulum but it is a very small site and not worth the effort on a day trip from Cozumel. It is a walled city with a few buildings but every thing is closed off and you must stick to fenced off paths. You will be there hundreds and hundreds of other tourists with another tour bus showing up every 20-30 minutes dropping off another batch of people. This site would best be visited as a day trip from Cancun or Mayan Riviera as IMO, it is not worth the ferry ride over due to the small site and the large number of people that are there every day.

 

A better alternative on the mainland would be to take a trip to Coba which is about 1 hour away from Playa del Carmen where the ferry docks. This is a much larger site with many buildings and a pyramid that you can climb.

 

You may be better off to see ruins while you are in Mahahual. The Chacchoben ruins near Mahahual/Puerto Maya are also about an hour from the cruise port. It is also a large site with many buildings. I have not been to those ruins but was in Puerto Maya at the beginning of November on a port call and others on my ship said good things about that excursion.

 

Both ports have good beach clubs a 10 minute cab ride away from the port. I would say make your decision based on which ruins you want to see. Again, this is all just my opinion and I am sure that no matter which beach and ruins you choose, you will have a great time.

[CruzinMel]

Has anyone been to Kohunlich/Dzibibanche? We are going to Costa Maya on the Getaway in April, and while this is a long tour (9 hours!) it kind of looks like what I want (and with a tour that long, I am going through the cruise line because I'm taking no chances on being back late.)