Cozumel/Playa/Cancun excursion recommendations please

[cleve1]

Will be going to Cozumel on a Carnival Cruise in August. We are first time cruisers to Mexico and would like to explore that area as much as possible. The ship will be at port from 8am to 7pm.

 

We would like to visit beautiful beaches (but not into snorkling, etc), mayan ruins, Playa, etc and don't want to spend much time shopping or eating. Can you please recommend places to visit and tours. Here are some questions:

- What all can be covered during that time?

 

- Which ruins do you recommend.. Tulum or some other in the area?

 

- Whats Xcaret and Playa Del Carmen?

 

- What beach do you recommend?

 

- Is it possible to cover Cancun in addition to visit to one of the mayan ruins and one of the popular beaches?

 

- Do you recommend any excursions offered by Carnival or excursions offered by private companies? Any ideas about pricing?

 

- Is it possible just to rent a vehicle and visit all these places on our own?

 

Waiting to hear from you all.

Thanks!

[BSQ]

I've not been on a cruise to this area, but can give you a little information on some of the things you have asked since I am a long time traveler to Cancun. Hope it gets you started in your planning.

 

Tulum is probably going to be your best bet on ruins because you won't spend as much time getting there. It's nice because it's not overly large and it's on the coast which offers some nice sea breezes. In August it's going to be quite hot & Humid.

 

Playa Del Carmen is a resort town. Avienda 5 (5th avenue) is the heart of the shopping, restaurants, nightlife and people watching. The beaches are beautiful.

 

Xcaret is an eccological themed park. There is so much to do here, you can easily spend the entire day here and not have seen it all. Google Xcaret and you'll find their website with all the activities.

My personal favorite here is drifting down the sacred underground rivers.

 

You could roll everything into one by just going to Cancun. The El Rey ruins would give you a tiny taste of the mayan ruins. El Rey is located in the hotel zone and easily accessible by the public bus. Playa Delfines is not far down the road from here. Though all beaches are public in cancun. If I had to chose though between a trip to Tulum or El rey, Tulum wins hands down.

 

Renting a car and driving yourself to Tulum is an option. I would not reccommend driving in Cancun. My suggestion if you go this route is to go with a reputable company not one offering special $9.99 USD deals since they are often timeshare ploys. Make sure you have enough insurance and follow the letter of the law.

[Gabrielle R.]

Question for you BSQ! I am going to Cancun over The Christmas holiday. I want to get to Chichenitza (sp?) and to Telum. Any tour group/guide you recommend? Anything else that you would say- don't miss out on? Thanks for any info you can send my way? Gabrielle

[cleve1]

Just returned from the cruise. We took private tour with Edventure Tours (http://www.edventuretours.com.mx/Home/index.htm) to Tulum and a beach. Bonnie and Ed took us around in a very large air conditioned van and the tour was simply great. I highly recommend everyone to contact them. Their charges are less than ship excursion and offer much more than the ship excursion. Bonnie also had a large cooler full of sodas, beer and juices in the van!

[gottago2mexico]

Will be going to Cozumel on a Carnival Cruise in August. We are first time cruisers to Mexico and would like to explore that area as much as possible. The ship will be at port from 8am to 7pm.

 

We would like to visit beautiful beaches (but not into snorkling, etc), mayan ruins, Playa, etc and don't want to spend much time shopping or eating. Can you please recommend places to visit and tours. Here are some questions:

 

- What all can be covered during that time?

 

- Which ruins do you recommend.. Tulum or some other in the area?

 

- Whats Xcaret and Playa Del Carmen?

 

- What beach do you recommend?

 

- Is it possible to cover Cancun in addition to visit to one of the mayan ruins and one of the popular beaches?

 

- Do you recommend any excursions offered by Carnival or excursions offered by private companies? Any ideas about pricing?

 

- Is it possible just to rent a vehicle and visit all these places on our own?

 

Waiting to hear from you all.

 

Thanks!

 

The closest Mayan Ruins site is Tulum (outstandingly beautiful clifftop setting, but ruins are not that amazing), about a half-hour or so south of Playa del Carmen, where the ferry from Cozumel will dock. Coba is also not too far away (bigger ruins site, recently uncovered and not as well restored as Tulum, you can climb the big pyramid). There is a Tulum-Xel Ha combo tour that will give you both Mayan Ruins and also beautiful beaches.

 

You will not have time to see Cancun and Mayan Ruins. The ferry ride to Playa del Carmen is 45 minutes each way, and Cancun is an hour ride north of Playa del Carmen. However, you could see Playa del Carmen and Mayan Ruins.

 

Xcaret is an ecological park that is beautiful, and a great thing to do with the kids. We don't have kids, and we still love it.

 

You can rent a vehicle and drive if you want. You can also take a private tour to make the most of your time, but if you're only one or two people, it can be a bit spendy.

[maja651]

I too am a regular Cancun visitor (we go 4 weeks a year to the Royal Resorts in Cancun). For any tours, I HIGHLY recommend hiring Cancun Valet (www.cancunvalet.com) for a private tour. You can hire them to drive you for the day (10 hours) in a van that seats up to 10 or 12 people. The costs depends on how far you will be going, and how many hours you hire them for. They also provide private airport transportation service from the Cancun airport for a great price. They are extremely reliable, great company to hire. We have been using their services for the last 5 years and would not consider any other company in Cancun!

 

Michelle

 

P.S. If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me at maja651@yahoo.com. There are lots of Cancun specific boards that can also give you many answers you are looking for.

 

www.cancunmx.com

www.cancunandrivieramaya.com

www.cancuncare.com