cslasor

We will be on a cruise in March and would like to take the grandkids (ages 16, 14, and 7) to see some Mayan ruins. The 2 stops we are considering are Costa Maya and Cozumel.

Which would be better? I tend to lean toward the ones that have the less travel time (i.e. Chacchoben in Costa Maya) but would love to hear from people who have actually been to these places.

Another minor consideration is I have bad knees and won't be walking up any temples, but my grandkids and others in our party won't have any mobility problems at all. I'm perfectly willing to wait while the others go off on the more strenuous parts of ruin-exploring.

Thanks!

november_moon

I haven't done a cruise, so I can't comment on that part of it, but since Cozumel is an island, any excursion to ruins would involve a boat trip to the mainland, which adds time. The closest ruins to Cozumel are in Tulum, I believe, which is an hour or so drive from the ferry. For that reason, I think I'd be more inclined to do the excursion from Costa Maya - its also an hours drive, but without the ferry ride. Plus, Tulum gets very crowded and I don't think those ruins are as interesting as others in the area. Pretty much everything is roped off and you can only walk on the gravel paths. Its like being in a museum. I haven't been to Chacchoben, but from what I understand, because of the location, it isn't nearly as crowded and it is in a more jungly setting, so it's probably more interesting to visit.

SambaChula

There is more choice of ruins from a base on the mainland.

Coba, just past Tulum inland, is an interesting one, seemingly growing out of the jungle, with wide paths to bike (rent for them while you have someone pedal you in a pedi-cab)) and a pyramid to climb.

Chichen Itza and nearby Ek Balam (pyramid to climb, jungle, impressive sculptures) are also good choices, but would take more time, making for a very long day and possible axiety about getting back to the ship on time.
Tulum structures are the least impressive IMO, but the location on the cliff edge (the iconic photo) is spectacular, and there is a nice beach (albeit crowded) right below.

Videos on YouTube are a good way to get an idea of all the ruins in the Yucatan.

Enjoy!

jamie99

I would also recommend Coba but not sure if there is enough time coming off of a cruise ship. Entrance fee is around 65-69 pesos pp (and they ONLY take pesos), folks can climb the pyramid there and as mentioned you can rent bikes or hire a tricyclero to pedal you around (tip well). Maybe see if the ship offers a Coba trip.

TC

The very small ruins on Cozumel are hardly worth the effort to see. Any other ruins would require a taxi from your ships dock to the ferry, a ferry crossing to Playa, another taxi in Playa (or rental car) to get to ruins. Then the same in reverse. If for any reason your timing is off, the ship will not wait. Do the ruins from Costa Maya.

tom_mn

From several Gulf ports there are cruises to Progreso from which there are tours to Uxmal and other ruins. This is a much better option than Cozumel.