Please help with ruins info

I have read all of the posts and still have a few questions. We are wanting to a do a ruin excursion for hubby, me, and 3 girls. Does anyone have info on how much it costs to do one on you own. I know there are different ones, and of course we want to get back to the ship on time, but I do not want to spend $350 to do this through carnival. Several have said that there are tour operators holding signs when you get off of the ship. Has anyone done this, did you get back on time, and what did it cost? I just want to know if it is worth it to do this own our own rather than per carnival. The only tour operator I could find on-line was a private tour and it was going to cost $400+ to do it through them. I appreciate anyone who takes time to read this and help. Oh, and I don't think we would like to rent a car cuz chitchen(sp) is way to far for me to trust hubby's driving, though we are not set on only doing this one. Thanks:)

You might consider going to Uxmal. It's closer, about 90 miles and to me more impressive, prettier and alot less crowded. If you can arrange a rental, it's the same route number all the way from Progreso to Uxmal. Roads are good and not crowded. Check the maps in http://www.yucatantoday.com

Uxmal would be my choice after seeing both.

I guess I'm scared of us getting lost. Hubby is an excellent driver though and drives in Memphis almost daily. How much is it to go to Uxmal? We do plan on renting a car and driving in Cozumel. Is it much different there as far as driving conditions? Thanks for you advice. Uxmal looks very promising. I actually kind of want to do it more.