Best/Cheapest way to Tulum w/o ship tour.

[Lithium]

I am going to be going to cozumel in September on Holland and want to go to Tulum but I don't want to go with the ship tour. I was just wondering if anyone had some suggestions on the best/cheapest way to get there. I am fluent in Spanish so thats not a problem. There are 4 of us. One thing that may be an issue is that we are only there from 6:30AM to 3:00PM. Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Shaken_Bake]

I'm going to post my response from another thread here (sorry if anyone's read it before) because my husband and I just got back from a stop in Cozumel. We got back and forth from Tulum on our own without any major problems! Despite the heat, it was well worth the effort, and made for an excellent adventure!

 

"We're in our late 40s and fairly adventurous when it comes to travel. Spending the day in Cozumel drinking heavily with the kids did not appeal to us at all. I'd always wanted to see Tulum - it's so picturesque with such a gorgeous location right on the ocean. I knew it was going to be HOT, but I was hoping the ocean breezes would mitigate the heat and humidity, which is true, but only right on the coast - a few steps away canceled them right out. Be prepared for HOT! I mean, life-sucking, soaked-through, why-did-we-come-here HOT! As long as you're mentally prepared (as well as equipped with hats, water and sunscreen), you can enjoy it! Really!

 

First of all, check out this thread which gave me all the info I needed on how to do this (and to give you some other perspectives):

 

http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/...54&m=1553078686

 

It is a time-consuming journey, so be sure to get off the ship as early as possible. The chaos at the pier exit is a little intimidating, but this is the worst part. Just get in the taxi line and you'll get a cab quickly. All the fares are posted on the board and they can't charge you more than 60 pesos ($6.00 - I paid in dollars with a $1.00 tip) to get to the ferry pier. There are two different ferry companies, with booths right on the street. Doesn't matter which one, I think they cost the same ($18.00 per person, round trip - I also paid in dollars). We got to the pier at 10:58 and got on the 11:00 ferry without problem. The ferry we rode was clean, modern and air-conditioned. A very nice 45-minute ride.

 

We got to Playa del Carmen and I followed the directions to the bus station that I read on the forum - walk up two blocks, turn right and walk two more blocks. Right on the money! I decided that we needed pesos; there is a Canadian bank ATM across the street from the bus station that takes all the major American ATM cards. We withdrew 200 pesos ($20), which was enough to buy bus tickets, water and our admission to Tulum (I would have withdrawn maybe $20 more in hindsight, but if we'd needed something else, I suspect we could have used dollars)

 

At the bus station, our cashier spoke English and we had no trouble buying tickets on the next bus, a second class bus (the first class busses are supposedly nicer, but their schedules are less convenient). The tickets cost us a total of 80 pesos round trip. The bus was leaving in five minutes and we got right on. The bus was just fine, comfortable seats, well air conditioned, lots of gringos going to see the ruins, as well as locals going about their business. I sat next to a Mexican mother and her baby boy, the most beautiful child I'd seen in a long time. She was kissing him all over and he was squealing in delight. Just one of those moments that makes you so glad that you took a chance in going off on your own.

 

One important lesson I learned about riding Mexican busses is that the driver calls out the stops ahead and will only stop when someone indicates they need to get off. I didn't know that and couldn't hear the driver anyway and it caused a problem. I did read that the stop for the Tulum ruins is before the stop for Tulum town. I just assumed with the large number of gringos on the bus, that he'd automatically pull over at the ruins. Nope. Went sailing right past it. I ran up front, but the driver told me, "I said, 'ruinas'. You'll have to catch a bus or taxi from town." So we got off in Tulum, a dusty little ramshackle town. We readily found a taxi who charged us all of $2.00 to take us back. Not a trip spoiler, but make sure to tell the bus driver that you're going to Tulum "ruinas" (pronounced rue-een-us") because you may otherwise miss the stop.

 

There are aggressive vendors at the entrance trying to sell guided tours. We stopped to talk to one and took his little map, but we knew that we weren't going to hire a guide. We politely declined. There is a trolley that will drive visitors up the road from the entrance to the gate for a nominal charge. We decided to walk the 3/4 miles, which was fine, not too difficult the heat notwithstanding. I think the entrance fee was 38 pesos per person; they also charge a 30 peso fee for video cameras (but there is no fee for still photograhy). If you need cold water, you can buy bottles in the book store adjacent to the entrance booth.

 

The ruins are spectacular. Such an incredible location. There are placards in English and Spanish at various major buildings, so it is possible to learn a lot without a guide. We would also eavesdrop on the numerous English language tour groups. I have to say that I was more interested in the physical beauty of the site than in learning the history. I think that was because I was so hot! I took some fantastic photos, if I do say so myself. Hard to go wrong when you have an intense blue sky, turquoise ocean and majestic stone buildings all in the same place! There is a small beach there, and some shade trees, if you want to take a dip. Lots of families were doing so - I wish I'd brought my suit!

 

When I finally couldn't take the heat any longer, my DH and I headed back to the main entrance to wait for the bus. There is a decent shelter with overhead fan where we waited about 20 minutes. If you're pressed for time, there are also white vans hanging around the entrance, called "collectivos" which you could take back to Playa for 20 pesos, I think. We made it back to Playa for the 4:00 ferry to Cozumel (we had to be back on the ship by 6:30) We easily hopped a cab to the ship pier with enough time to shop there before we boarded. Booze like Kahlua and rum is really cheap, so we bought some. There might be better shopping destinations on the island, but I wasn't really up for it.

 

So, all in all, I heartily recommend that you "go for it." The memories are worth it!"

[Lithium]

Thanks for the reply, but your link doesn't work?

[Shaken_Bake]

Thanks for the reply, but your link doesn't work?

OK, try this:

 

http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=098097554&m=1553078686

 

This link is to the "old" boards - I got it to work when I clicked in my original message. Let me know if you still can't access it.

[HP_Lovecraft]

With 4 people, it becomes cost effective to rent a car in playa.

It would be about $35 or so to rent a clown-car from Avis (or similar) with insurance.

This would give you a good bit of freedom. (ie adding Xel-Ha, etc).

 

The ferrys leave roughly ever hour, on the hour. You should be able to catch the 7am ferry, though I'm not sure where Holland docks.

 

-NIck

[Lithium]

Thanks for the replies, I do appreciate the help. That last link did work and was a good read.

[LadyPakRat]

Neither link worked for me. :confused:

[Shaken_Bake]

I went back to find the posts that these links are supposed to take you to, and it looks like the URLs are different. I can get to my original post, but I can't find the original thread I referenced in it:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=1613198#post1613198

 

There are some responses that repeat a lot of the same information I found, so I hope this info is helpful to you. Let me know if you have any questions!

[pringle]

Shaken Bake, would you say Tulum is worth the trouble to get to it?

[Shaken_Bake]

Shaken Bake, would you say Tulum is worth the trouble to get to it?

I enjoyed my trip very much; if it hadn't been so hot, I'd have ranked it at the top with other trips I've taken to see ruins and antiquities around the world! I also enjoyed the experience of traveling to the site, negotiating local transportation and getting off the beaten path a little bit. I don't undertake adventures lightly, if I can help it. I do my homework and figure out contingencies to help lessen the stress level and to be able to enjoy it as much as possible.

 

Tulum is one of Mexico's most important archeological sites and my opinion is it's probably the most picturesque, with its location right on the ocean. It is a sizeable area with a number of buildings, in various stages of deterioration. I found it to be incredibly beautiful from an esthetic viewpoint. I got some great photos. I wish I'd had the time and the inclination to learn more about the history. Next time, I will hire a guide. Next time, I won't go in mid-summer!

 

It was very much "worth the trouble" for me to make the journey given I had no interest in Carlos & Charlie's, sunbathing or extensive shopping. I know there's tons of things to do on Cozumel, and it's a very subjective thing as to what activity is worth it. If you're a bit adventurous and interested in antiquities or exquisite locations, then I would highly recommend the trip!

[pringle]

I enjoyed my trip very much; if it hadn't been so hot, I'd have ranked it at the top with other trips I've taken to see ruins and antiquities around the world! I also enjoyed the experience of traveling to the site, negotiating local transportation and getting off the beaten path a little bit. I don't undertake adventures lightly, if I can help it. I do my homework and figure out contingencies to help lessen the stress level and to be able to enjoy it as much as possible.

 

Tulum is one of Mexico's most important archeological sites and my opinion is it's probably the most picturesque, with its location right on the ocean. It is a sizeable area with a number of buildings, in various stages of deterioration. I found it to be incredibly beautiful from an esthetic viewpoint. I got some great photos. I wish I'd had the time and the inclination to learn more about the history. Next time, I will hire a guide. Next time, I won't go in mid-summer!

 

It was very much "worth the trouble" for me to make the journey given I had no interest in Carlos & Charlie's, sunbathing or extensive shopping. I know there's tons of things to do on Cozumel, and it's a very subjective thing as to what activity is worth it. If you're a bit adventurous and interested in antiquities or exquisite locations, then I would highly recommend the trip!

Thanks for your detailed response! I really appreciate it. I do want to take the trip, but whether or not we go will probably depend on how our 4 year old does in the kids club. If not on this cruise, maybe one of our future vacations.

[mconthehighseas]

I saw this on the old board back inb March, and made a copy. This is the one that Shaken_Bake tried to link to, but the boards no longer cooperate. The original poster was QueenL on 11-20-02:

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ports of Call

 

I never take ship excursions. I find them to be double the price and half the freedom of doing them on your own. I usually spend a great deal of time researching the ports of call beforehand and prepare my own to-do list while docked.

 

Cozumel, Mexico

 

This was my third trip to Cozumel. I really wanted to see the ruins of Tulum (pronounced Tul-loom) this time. The ship charged $77 per adult and $30-$35? per child. Trust me folks, you can do this much cheaper if you have the desire. We first took a cab ($6 per cab) from the dock to the Muncipal pier. We paid $19 pp round trip for the ferry ride to Playa del Carmen. The ferries departed at 5, 7, 8, 9,10am, noon, 2, 4, 5,6,8 and10pm. Remember that this is Cozumel time (one hour earlier than ship time). We docked at 7:00 am, actually got off around 8 (ship time) and were easily able to make the 9 am (10 ship time). There were Mayan Palace representatives across the street from the Municipal pier. They were actively recruiting tourists to visit their rental properties. We knew that this was a time share pitch. For 90 minutes they show their condos, feed you breakfast and try and sell their timeshares. At the end you emerge with $100 cash and a free cab ride to Tulum. (They will substitute Tulum for Xcaret and a few other Playa attractions). We had planned to take the bus to Tulum, however, we could not resist this! The ferry ride itself lasted about 40 minutes. The ferry was nice. Finally, a ferry boat that looked as thought it could safely transport you somewhere! I also noticed life vests and inflatable rafts onboard. (What can I say, I’m a safety gal ) Portions were inside (air conditioned) and others were outside. I thought the little rows of blue seats reminded me of being on an airplane. If you decide not to do the Timeshare presentation there are other ways to get to Tulum on your own. First, you can get a cab (right outside the ferry stand). The official posted prices are $300 pesos per cab ($30 US). We did find that there were cab drivers willing to take lower prices. The cab ride was roughly one-hour. The lowest rate offered was $200 pesos ($20 US). Then there was the bus. We saw several cruisers traveling this way. The price (one-way) was $30 pesos ($3 US). The buses ran every 15 minutes. Travel time was about 1 1/2 hours by bus (it makes several stops). I was advised to get pesos before entering Tulum. There was a currency exchange place located right were the bus/cab drops you off. Once you get to Tulum, you can take a tram (I think it was about $1 or $2 US) or you can walk about a mile to the entrance. We chose to walk. Admission was $35 pesos or $3.50U.S. I heard that if you did not have pesos the charge was $4.50 US. It is true Tulum is very hot. We brought refillable flexi-straw mugs of water with us and we were still dying. I do still think the experience was worth it though, if you have never been. We took a ton of pictures and stayed about an hour or so. We started to take the bus back, but the cab driver lured us back with a lower rate (200 pesos $20 US dollars). When we returned to the pier we browsed in the stores for a few minutes before taking the 3pm ferry. The return ferry times were 6, 8,9,10,11am,1,3,5,6,7,9 and 11pm. When we returned to Cozumel we took a cab back to the ship. Tulum was great, even better because we did it for about $35pp, less if you take the bus/share a cab. I think I would have been disappointed in Tulum for $77pp.

 

After dinner we returned to the island to go miniature golfing. The cab ride was maybe $6 but we split it with another couple. The golf course was very beautiful and definitely had the tropical feel. Afterwards we walked back to the ship. This wasn’t intentional. We started off just wanting to take an evening walk. About a mile later we had exited the shopping area. By that time we figured we were almost back to the ship, so why rent a cab. My boyfriend and I are the athletic types so we challenged each other to walk the remainder of the way. Almost 4 miles later we returned to the ship. It was a looooong walk. Hey I couldn’t give up and let him win could I? However, I don’t think I’d make the walk again, especially with sandals on!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some of the prices may have changed, but it will still be cheaper than going with the cruiseline.

 

I have copies of the responses from this post as well, but this is the main info.

[Papermoon4]

I'll be returning to Cozumel on the Inspiration this December and would love to see the ruins. Although I'd love it to be a DIY tour (most all ship excursions are way over-priced) I am going to be on my own and am not the athletic type. I also don't speak Spanish well, so I'm afraid I may get stuck with the Ship's Tour. Last year I went shopping and drinking at Charley's and want something different this time.

 

:confused: My question is, has anyone been on the CARNIVAL tour to the ruins? How was it? What did it cost? Is it worth it?

[serene56]

I did a ship sponsered tour. It cost 77 bucks. (its a 6 hour tour) We got picked up from the ship on the ferry. We did that in Playa. Got off the Ferry and got on a bus. stopped at a very expensive sovernier place. (dont buy nothing here. mostly it was a potty break) It took 2 hours from the time we left the ship til the time we arrived. Spent 2 hours touring the ruins. Yes it was worth it- at least once.

 

The reason I did it with the ships tour we are only in port 7-8 hours. If something happened on the tour the ship will wait for me. We still had an hour to shop at the pier when finished.

[SevenVII]

Did the bus you took also stop at Xel-Ha or was able to if passengers needed to go there ShakenBake?

[bh2359]

Hi. I was reading the particulars of the Tulum tour booked through the ship and it states that we'll be dropped off at the end of the tour in downtown Cozumel and must get back to the ship on our own (bus, taxi etc).

 

Is this true? If so, how much is a taxi back to the pier and how safe are those taxies?

 

Thanks.

[CozSally]

A taxi back to the ship will be either $4 or $6 depending on the pier you dock at. That's for up to 4 passengers. If you dock at the Punta Langosta pier, chances are your drop off point will be close enough to walk.

 

Taxis are the only form of transportation for tourists that do not rent their own vehicle. They are very safe, although sometimes they drive pretty fast. You can always ask them to slow down. If they do, you should tip them, otherwise it is not necessary.

 

Have a great tour!