carniva cruise key west and cozumel in august 2014

Old Jul 10th, 2014, 09:36 AM
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carniva cruise key west and cozumel in august 2014

Hi travelers,

Me and my girlfriends with our kids (ages 2-15) total 8 in our group are going on a carnival cruise to Key West and Cozumel. I need suggestions please as to excursions we can do with the age group that we have. In Key West (7:30- 4:00 PM) we are thinking of doing the conch tour, any suggestion of a cheap and reliable tour guide? We also want to just lay on the beach and let the kids play and swim, we don't like to party and we don't like crowded places. Any suggestions of a kid friendly beach(free) that we can have lunch by the beach in Key West? We are also up to any other suggestions you may have for activities (6-7 hrs.)

We also would like to explore Cozumel, our ship docks at 1:30 PM-10 PM. We like to try the Tulum mayan ruins and explore the beach below it. Are there any souvenir shops near the Tulum ruins? Are they expensive? We are thinking of renting a Van and a driver ($250 for 6 hrs. for a  party of 8) to take us to Tulum and any nearby beach to swim and have dinner, is that a reasonable price? My other concerns are that we will start in the afternoon and not sure how late Tulum is open and if we have enough time to get there and do some sightseeing and swimming and shopping. Is there any other activities we can do at night that is ideal for the kids? We also would like to try great authentic Mexican cuisine preferably seafood. We like the mom and pop restaurant vibe by the beach and do not care for 5 star treatment.

Also, I have heard that there are a lot of taxi or tour guides in the pier where Carnival docks or by the ferry terminal at Cozumel or Playa Del Carmen that will offer you their services at a much cheaper price than the ones advertised in the internet and we have someone in our party that speaks Spanish but I don't know if this is true and safe. Would anyone recommend that we try that instead?

I apologize for asking too much questions and any suggestions will be much appreciated.

Thank You,
Ana
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Old Jul 15th, 2014, 04:43 AM
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Hi Ana, I can't speak to Key West. Have only been there to sail. However, regarding Cozumel....Tulum is not on the island of Cozumel. It is on the mainland, south of Playa del Carmen. To get there from Cozumel, you would need to travel by taxi from the cruise ship dock to the ferry pier, then take 30/45 min ferry across to Playa. From there you would have to hire a taxi to take you all to Tulum...maybe 20/30 mins drive. Since there are 8 of you, you will actually need two taxis or a large van at each transfer. Of course, you will have to do the whole trip in reverse to get back to your ship before it departs. That would be a very long, tiring, expensive day for you and the children.

On Cozumel, there are many nice beach clubs where you can spend the day with your children. Some offer all the water toys for the older kids ...such as Playa Mia or Mr. Sanchos. However, there will be other cruise ship people there, so not as quiet as you might like. Chankaanab Park is a good choice with children. Lots to do. Buccanos is beautiful. With a beach and pool and great food. There is a rock climbing wall there too.

Yes, you can safely hire a taxi for the day. A recent post going around for a good guide is following. I haven't used Santiago, but he gets very good feedback on the TA Cozumel forums.

"We just came back from a week long cruise on the Carnival Legend. I found some information on Cruise Critic about taxi drivers and private tours. I contacted several different drivers and decided to go with Santiago. He was awesome. Picked us up at the taxi station. Took us to his air conditioned van and had an ice chest ready for us with sodas, water and beer. There were 9 in our party. We prearranged through email with him what we wanted to do. First stop was some shopping downtown. Then it was off to tour the island. We went to a small bar and the end of the island called Coconuts. Great views, the best shrimp ceviche I've ever had and cold cocktails. Also amazing guacamole and salsa. Santiago stopped at a few different places for us to see and take photos. You have lots of options on where to go and what to do. Then he took us to the beach where he had arranged free snorkeling and kayaking for us. He was awesome. Very informative and great english. All for $25 per person for ALL day (note that many of the others are $25-$35 for only 3 hours). You can reach him at [email protected]"

Hope this helps as you plan.
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Old Jul 15th, 2014, 05:00 PM
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Tulum is not a 20-30 min taxi from the Playa del Carmen ferry dock. The ferry dock in Playa to Tulum is 45 minutes in a taxi once taxi is moving. You will need to add a bit of time to disembark the ferry, walk with your troops across the town zocalo and go next to the ADO bus station at 5th Ave and Juarez St. to get a taxi vto take you to Tulum. So figure an hour from disembarking from the ferry in Playa to getting to Tulum's archeological parking lot.

As TC said, I doubt you can find a taxi that can take 8 people safely to Tulum. You will likely need two taxis.

If it was me, and if I was on a cruise with a total of 8 people ranging from 2 to 15 and 2 adults from 2 til 9 pm ( it will take you til 2 to get off the ship and to the ferry, and you need to be sure and be back on board in time; plan on being there an hour before ship leaves) I would not try to ferry to Cozumel, then taxi to Tulum, run around the site before they close, and get back by taxi and ferry.

As TC said, there are beach clubs in Cozumel where you can hang for the afternoon, then head into the town to shop a bit and get back on the ship for dinner or have dinner in town. We did a cruise a few yrs ago and it stopped in Cozumel, and we snorkeled end at Chancanab ( renting equipment at a hotel across the road) but it was only 4 of us and everyone was over age 15.
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Old Jul 15th, 2014, 05:03 PM
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You might try the cruise board or the United States board here for Key West questions. Or look at CruiseCritic.com
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Old Jul 16th, 2014, 05:57 AM
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Thanks, EMD3. It's been a while since we visited Tulum and we were staying in Cancun at the time. I couldn't remember just how long it took to get there.

It doesnt appear that Ana is coming back to reply, though.
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Old Jul 16th, 2014, 10:14 AM
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No prob TC. There are some other nice beaches about 15 min south of Playa (like Xhupa), then Puerto Adventuras is about 25 min south, then Akumal at about 30 min south, then Tulum at about 45 min.
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Old Jul 16th, 2014, 05:58 PM
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TC, sometime when you are on extended stay in Cozumel and I/we are in Playa at the condo, we should get together. We can toss a coin on whether it is in Coz or Playa, lol.
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Old Jul 20th, 2014, 05:31 PM
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emd3 is right on the money for the logistics side of things. I would also add that the Tulum archeological site (IMO) does not deserve all that time and energy. Everything there is ropped off, you just follow the rest of the crowd until you reach the exit. I might add that the beach below the ruins is very beautiful but you can get that in Coz or Playa...
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