Our trip to Chichen Itza

My husband, 15 y/o son, 13 y/o daughter and I just got back from our first cruise Sunday. Our first stop on the Elation was in Progresso. We had booked the Chichen Itza tour first, since our family are all history buffs we couldn't wait to see it. The pier was clean, neat and everyone we walked past had a smile and greeting for us. The tour buses were clean and comfortable. We were on our way by around 8 am. Our tour guide was Juan and my kids just loved him. He was full of info and he was very proud of his heritage, Mayan, and his community. He was quick to point out that some of the American cliches surrounding Mexican culture are not always correct...but he did this very tactfully and made sure to tell us their true history, which is very rich. The bus ride was close to 2 hours, it went by quickly. We stopped close to the ruins at a great shop and were able to buy souvenirs at good prices. I got a sterling silver Mayan calendar ring for $20, it is beautiful and has a good weight to it. My son bought a terra cotta sun for a friend which was hand painted for $6. Then we went to the ruins. Again, the tour was very informative and for the limited amount of time there, we felt satisfied that we got a good overview. We saw the huge ball court and cenote. My kids and husband climbed El Castillo, I stood on the ground holding my breath. Be prepared...it is steep and the steps narrow and slick. But they said the climb was worth every bit of the challenge. We had sack lunches, bottled water provided to us. The ride home was quiet and many people napped. We arrived at port with enough time to shop there also. We enjoyed our day. Hope this info helps someone...happy cruising!

Yes it is helpful. Thanks for posting. I'd love to do this, but it doesn't sound like a particularly good trip for 6 yr. old.

[quote name='mrsneurotic']My husband, 15 y/o son, 13 y/o daughter and I just got back from our first cruise Sunday. Our first stop on the Elation was in Progresso. We had booked the Chichen Itza tour first, since our family are all history buffs we couldn't wait to see it. The pier was clean, neat and everyone we walked past had a smile and greeting for us. The tour buses were clean and comfortable. We were on our way by around 8 am. Our tour guide was Juan and my kids just loved him. He was full of info and he was very proud of his heritage, Mayan, and his community. He was quick to point out that some of the American cliches surrounding Mexican culture are not always correct...but he did this very tactfully and made sure to tell us their true history, which is very rich. The bus ride was close to 2 hours, it went by quickly. We stopped close to the ruins at a great shop and were able to buy souvenirs at good prices. I got a sterling silver Mayan calendar ring for $20, it is beautiful and has a good weight to it. My son bought a terra cotta sun for a friend which was hand painted for $6. Then we went to the ruins. Again, the tour was very informative and for the limited amount of time there, we felt satisfied that we got a good overview. We saw the huge ball court and cenote. My kids and husband climbed El Castillo, I stood on the ground holding my breath. Be prepared...it is steep and the steps narrow and slick. But they said the climb was worth every bit of the challenge. We had sack lunches, bottled water provided to us. The ride home was quiet and many people napped. We arrived at port with enough time to shop there also. We enjoyed our day. Hope this info helps someone...happy cruising![/QUOTE]

Our 24 year old son will be with us on the Elation in November. He is in a wheelchair but can easily get on and off of a bus. Would there be anything on this excursion that he would enjoy (other than being with his girlfriend)?

My DH and I were in Merida and went to the ruins about 20 years ago but can't remember if the grounds are assessable by wheelchair. Twenty years ago, I never dreamed that this child would grow up and be any place in Mexico! :o

I do remember climbing El Castillo. I came down backwards!

Hope to hear from you.

Judy

Although we have always wanted to see Chichen Itza we felt that a 4 hr bus ride was too long for the amount of time we could spend at the ruins. Progresso so we went to Dzibilchaltun on our own instead. Dzibilchaltun only about 30 minutes from the pier and we thought it was interesting. In addition, I was able get my husband's wheelchair to most areas of the site. The only area that was especially difficult was the gravel path from the entrance to the museum which I was able to traverse by pulling him backwards.

We hired a cab at the pier to get there and a guide to show us around once we were there so with entrance fees it only cost about $82.

Thanks for the info about Dzibilchaltun. I want to see some ruins, but also felt like 4 hrs travel time was a lot. I've been having a hard time finding info on alternatives. Any other info you care to share would be appreciated also.

[quote name='mrsneurotic']<snip>The bus ride was close to 2 hours, it went by quickly. We stopped close to the ruins at a great shop and were able to buy souvenirs at good prices. I got a sterling silver Mayan calendar ring for $20, it is beautiful and has a good weight to it. My son bought a terra cotta sun for a friend which was hand painted for $6. Then we went to the ruins. Again, the tour was very informative and for the limited amount of time there, we felt satisfied that we got a good overview. <snip>[/QUOTE]
So - the bus ride is two hours each way? How much time did you actually spend at the ruins?

Just came back from Carnival Glory's cruise last week, we purchased Chichen Itza excursion from the ship, $76 or $78 pp. It was two hours bus ride each way, spent ~ 45 min with the tour guide and about 45 min to 1 hour on your own to explore the ruin. Lunch is included (sandwich, bag of chips and apple, no drink), ate lunch on the way back.

We traveled with (19 and 17) children, all enjoyed. It was easier to go up then coming down.