Xcaret excursion from Cozumel cruise port?

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

Can anybody recommend a tour guide to take us to Xcaret from our cruise port?

 

We will be arriving on December 27 aboard the Celebrity Ascent and will be there from 8am - 7pm.

 

Based on my research, this should give us enough time to enjoy a day at the park but Celebrity doesn't seem to offer this excursion themselves.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated... Thank you!

[ABQrobin]

Xcaret is on the Mainland, across the water from the island of Cozumel.  You will need to take a ferry over, downtown pier, and they run approx every half hour to hour, but sometimes not... From there you will have to take transportation down the coast to Xcaret.  

Personally, I wouldn't do it... too many variables that can go wrong.

[mamaneedsavacay]

Highly recommend a land trip to do Xcaret. 

Have seen cruiseline excursions offered to Xenses, which might be worthwhile for a Day trip. We really enjoyed Xenses, and it can all be done in a short day. I would still only do it through the cruiseline because of all the travel variables. Definitely a different experience than the main park, but so fun. 

Edited December 9, 2023 by mamaneedsavacay
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[c-leg5]

I also highly recommend land visit. We stayed at the hotel next door and had a 2-day pass and had a wonderful time. 
 

I can never understand how the short cruise excursion could ever do the park justice, unless you have been before and just want to revisit highlights. The park is quite confusing at first so for a few limited hours you would need a definite plan of attack  mapped out in advance to make the visit worthwhile, some events are scheduled. It certainly isn’t something I would do independently from Cozumel from a cruise ship.

[jean87510]

I second this via a land trip.  We did this years ago when staying in Cancun with our kids along with Xel Ha on 2 separate days.  If doing through the ship it's the same as doing Disney World on a port stop at Port Canaveral.  You don't get your monies worth.  Visiting cenotes, ruins, Playa del Carmen are different and can be done either private or ship (although I HIGHLY recommend ship).  I'd also read current reviews as I think it's gone downhill a bit at least since we were there.

[blue_water]

On 12/3/2023 at 9:34 PM, CruisematicVA said:

Can anybody recommend a tour guide to take us to Xcaret from our cruise port?

 

We will be arriving on December 27 aboard the Celebrity Ascent and will be there from 8am - 7pm.

 

Based on my research, this should give us enough time to enjoy a day at the park but Celebrity doesn't seem to offer this excursion themselves.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated... Thank you!

I agree, you can very easily do Xcaret with you 11-hour port time. You’d need to taxi to the Ultramar/Winjet ferry terminal, take the 45-minute ferry to Playa Del Carmen, then hook up with a guide or just take a 20-minute taxi to Xcaret.

 

There are reputable tour outfits on Coz and in PDC and I would research these. 
We’ve had a home near PDC for years and have always taken excursions on our own so cannot recommend a tour outfit.  But we do have a very reliable and honest taxi driver we’ve recommended to many other visitors who leave rave remarks for him. If you decided to take a taxi to Xcaret on your own, he could meet you at the Playa Del Carmen ferry terminal and drive you to Xcaret and give you information about that. He would also give you interesting information about his home, and could also be there at the time you specify for your return. Very dependable and just a great resource, that’s just another choice.

 

But yes, become familiar with the ferry departures, and let me know if you’d like our driver’s contact for pricing and availability, or research the independent tour options. If you are comfortable with doing it on your own you shouldn’t have any problems.

I agree Xcaret is better as a multi-day experience. But by researching the park features you can certainly plan a very nice day…YouTube is a great resource for that!

 

 

Edited December 12, 2023 by blue_water

[BlueSkiesTX]

I also agree with my fellow posters. Do it as a land trip. We stayed at Hotel Xcaret Mexico two years ago and were able to visit all of the parks. My kids really enjoyed it. My daughters were 13, 11 and 9 at the time. 

 

Many years ago, I visited Xel-Ha as part of a cruise ship excursion. It was a long day and I was much younger! The ferry ride is looong and you spend a good chunk of your day just getting there and back. We were able to enjoy Xel-Ha more this last go-around as we were staying at the resort nearby. Since it was through the cruise line, I wasn't worried about missed connections or not getting on the ferry on time.

 

Xcaret is a fabulous park and we really enjoyed the big Xcaret Mexico Espectacular Show that takes place in the evening. You can't see it on a cruise ship excursion. This park needs hours to explore and do it justice.