Cruise Excursion/Tulum Mayan Ruins
 

Any suggestions for a tour operator for the Tulum Mayan ruins in Cozumel? NCL offers the tour for $109. Would it be better to hire a taxi and go on our own? We aren't quite sure how to go about this! Thanks for any suggestions.

1. The Tulum ruins are NOT on Cozumel - they are south of Playa Del Carmen
2. If you want to do them on your own you would have to - first take a ferry to the mainland (Playa Del Carmen). From there you could either hire a taxi (expensive) or take a Collectivo (white mini-vans that run between PDC and Tulum - VERY cheap - about $2 gets you to Tulum). Personally since you will have limited time, I would hire a taxi to get to Tulum since it would still be cheaper than the ship's excursion (which I am assuming would be $109 for each person). Bring some pesos if you can for the entrance to Tulum or some small US bills (they cannot give change if you pay the entrance fee in US $). Guides are available for hire at the ruins and are quite reasonable.

Thanks for the clarification. The tour is listed under the Cozumel section of the NCL shore excursion book so I did not realize they were not in Cozumel.
It sounds like a long trip! Is $109 out of line for price? I know the ship excursions are usually more but if it isn't terribly overpriced, it might be worth it. ????

to katybird. The excursions offered by the ships are usually quite expensive. You can do it on your own much cheaper and have the use of a private car as well. We took a cab to Tulum from PDC several yrs. ago and though I do not recall the price it was no where near $109.00. I would have flipped if it was. To Tulum from PDC is about 1 hr. or so actually. For us taking a tour operated by the ship is just something we would not do. Way too expensive. However if you feel more safe that way then go for it. There will be tons of cabbies and tour buses just waiting for you to disembark and you can cut a deal and just go. Good luck, Larry

I was considering this trip on my last cruise (last two, actually).

In researching it online, I read about numerous people who did it on their own, paid less, and had a good time.

However, you have to catch a ferry from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen and then catch another ferry back. I don't know how long you're in port, but if you have a problem in on your own, you could miss the boat.

I usually recommend avoiding the cruise line tours--they're overpriced, they tend to be crowded, and you spend more time standing around. However on this one, it might not be a bad idea as they'll hold the ship for you...

Cheers!

I was on a cruise a few years ago that offered a Tulum trip. I opted to take it. We had to be up very early and we were dropped off at Playa Del Carmen via shuttle boats from our ship, taken to Tulum by bus for the tour (a long ride), and then taken to a pier for the boat ride on to the island of Cozomel, where the shipped was docked for the day. If you can figure out a way to get off a Playa without being a tour group member, and then find a way back to the ship (boat to Coz)from Tulum, it might just end up costing you almost as much as the ship's tour offering. It's the logistics of it that costs $$. But I did enjoy the trip! I was there in March on a spring break and it was VERY hot at that time! We were all trying to find shade at the ruins.

Just to clarify, there's no question that you can do the tour for less money on your own. Taxis are less expensive, and--if you're really adventurous--there's a bus from Playa del Carmen to Tulum that's ridiculously cheap--a dollar or two each way, I think. It just comes back to the spectre of missing that last ferry back to the ship...

Cheers!

Tulum is a must do! Do it through the cruise, though. The warning about getting left behid when the ship leaves is no joke. Think how bad that would be! The ship will wait for you and/or provide a tender to the ship if you are late due to a cruise ship-bought tour. Imagine how much you would have to pay for a private tender to the ship!