Chacchoben: RCI Excursion or David &Ivan?

[Dorie7]

Going on the Western on the Jewel this November.

 

Which should we do? The Shore Excursion by RCI? Or The tour that I keep hearing about by DAvid and Ivan?

 

Please tell me what are the pros and cons of both or either?

 

Thank you,

Dorie

[MercedMike]

Going on the Western on the Jewel this November.

 

Which should we do? The Shore Excursion by RCI? Or The tour that I keep hearing about by DAvid and Ivan?

 

Please tell me what are the pros and cons of both or either?

 

Thank you,

Dorie

 

Well, we are booked with David and Ivan. They seem to have a good reputation on this board, and have gotten lots of good reviews.

 

The big thing about the ship's excursions is the dependability and security. You know that the ship's shore excursion department is looking out for you. You don't have to worry about the ship being delayed or missing the port because you will be taken care of. And if your excursion is delayed, the ship will wait for you and make sure you get aboard.

 

You get none of that with an independent excursion. If something happens, you are on your own. The ship can and will leave without you. You are dependent on the reliability of the local operators, and that may be chancey. It all depends on what level of risk you are willing to accept. Using an independent tour may be a few dollars less than the ship's excursion, but the savings are usually small.

 

As I say, after considering all that, we researched David and Ivan and are booked with them.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[Zeno]

David and Ivan versus a ship tour - no contest - David and Ivan win every time. Their tours are so much more personal and very unregimented - FAR better than any ships' tour that I have ever taken. AND they are VERY conscientious about making sure you are back to the ship in plenty of time.

Personally I only rely on ship's tours when an all-day tour in a tender port is the issue (I don't like to take chances when really tight scheduling is involved). The Chaccoben tour is NOT an all-day and Costa Maya is NOT a tender port.

[Dorie7]

Thanks to you both for your input! I am usually very nervous of any risk taking. However, I believe that this is one time that I will try for an independent tour. There seems to be lots of time to allow for delays and still arrive back on board in time.

 

Dorie

[KateDen]

Do the cruise tours leave from the dock? I understand that to take the David and Ivan tour you have to take a taxi to the departure point which can take some time if there are several ships in port. Thanks for any information!

 

Kate

[wldwcnwmn]

We went on the David & Ivan tour in September 2006 and David had e-mailed me and told me to take a taxi to The Cat's Meow (which is very easy to spot) Low and Behold, we got off the ship and walked around the glass cage to get a taxi and there was David! No Taxis, no hunting, he was right there with an air conditioned bus he hired and loaded us up with water and sodas for our tour! We enjoyed the tour so much, we're going back in January! Do yourself a favor and book through David and Ivan!

[dgack1]

Zeno could not have said it better. My family just returned from a tour with David as our tour guide . My husband has talked nonstop about what a great guide David was and how much he enjoyed the day. Thanks to all the CC members who recommended this tour group.

[HarpHarp]

We had Ivan as our tour guide last month. He was fantastic & my husband has said over and over again how marvelous that tour was. If you are truly interested in Mayan history & culture, take this tour.

You will be back in plenty of time, and you might even meet David at the dock, (we did)

 

Cindy

[lszu]

David and Ivan! No question. We were with them (Ivan, actually) last week. This tour was among the best we have ever done. They have a much more personal view of the area and I found Ivan's information on the Mayan culture to be fascinating.

 

We stopped by the Cat's Meow for a drink before going back to the ship. Ask if they have coconut shrimp (it's not on the menu, but they make it when they can). It was outstanding.