Which Ruins to see

[Hpycmpr]

We are going on our first cruise in January and are not sure which of the Mayan Ruins we should go see. Tulum(Playa del Carmen) vs. Altun Ha(Belize). Any advice is greatly appreciated...Thanks!!

[Canuuk]

We have been to the ruins in Belize. Enjoyed the bus ride there - got to see some of the country. Have not been to the other one. The ruins were facinating. Have fun.

[Bonnie J.]

Tulum is an ALL day tour. You take the ferry from Cozumel to Playa Del Carman then a LONG bus ride to the ruins. This is one tour you should only take thru the ship. Because of the distance there and possibly getting hung up somewhere, the ship will only wait for their tour before leaving the pier. If you're not on the ship's tour and get held up along the way the ship will leave without you.

Have not been to the ruins in Belize. We have gone cave tubing, on our own with Reggie's tour, twice. This was great and more than 1/2 the cost of the ship's tour to the same caves. In Belize you tender in to the city itself. There are no beaches there, just shops and the water taxi to the cayes.

Check out the ports here on crusecritic, that might help you decide but I would lean towards Belize because of the distance to Tulum.

[Lejardin]

We did the Tulum tour a few years ago. It was magnificent! These ruins are on right on the water, so there is a beach area. Beautiful. Don't remember having any issues getting back in time. For longer tours, just book a morning excursion.

[watchdiva]

We were at Altun HA in Belize in April - the ruins were magnificent! We had about an hour bus ride out to the ruins and then time spent to tour the ruins, pictures, etc and then bus ride to the Olde Belize River where we had lunch and then boarded a boat for the return trip. It was the best of both worlds - ruins and river were fantastic........

[NCTribeFan]

We went to Tulum on my very first cruise in 2001. It was amazing, but was a very long, hot day (mid-April). We were on the little (<50,000 GTW) Carnival Jubilee and were tendered off near Playa del Carmen; and she then went over and docked in Cozumel.

The ferry ride back from Playa del Carmen over to Cozumel was very, very, very rough. I had been fairly green that morning but had recovered during the long excursion. It really was an effort to keep from getting sick on the ferry ride. And when the crew started passing out the little barf bags, I just knew that if anyone else got sick, it was all over for me.

Anyway, if you suffer from motion sickness, be aware that the ferry ride can be very rough. Just be prepared (I now take ginger & bonine and also have the acupressure wrist bands, just in case).

I'll be at Altun Ha in a couple of weeks, my first visit to ruins since we went to Tulum.

It looks like Altun Ha is a considerably smaller site than Tulum, but the thing I like about that is you can still climb the pyramid. We weren't allowed on the pyramid at Tulum. And the package through Carnival (I don't normally do ship excursions any more but I have read a few horror stories about nearly missing the last tender in Belize when on independent tours), includes a trip up the River Wallace, which I imagine will be more fun than a 1+ hour bus ride, like going to Tulum.

But, yes, the location of Tulum is breathtaking.

[graycottag]

The setting of Tulum on the coast is quite stunning, the ruins are perhaps better excavated than Altan Ha. Look at some of the reviews of both on Trip Advisor and some of the other travel sights in making your decision. Don't worry about timing issues but arrange the tour through the ship for Tulum in case there are delays.

I remember the actual bus trip to Tulum being somewhat boring as there is really nothing to as the land is flat as a pancake, so the trip to Alton Ha might be more interesting as you will get a taste of the inland portions of the country, plus the mentioned bus ride sounds like a bit of fun.

If you are going to Alton Ha, just make sure you have bug spray and suggest long
pants. For Tulum, add a hat and sunscreen unless it's a really cloudy day.

[cantwait06]

I have not been to Belize but I spent a month in college studying the ruins on the Yucatan Penninsula and Tulum was by far my favorite. I actually believe it is the most beautiful place I have ever been to and I would not hesitate to visit it again-although I'm not sure I would do it as a cruise excursion. We stayed in Tulum and got to experience it in a different way and I would be afraid a quick cruise excursion would not do it justice. If its the only chance you will have to see them, then I say take it, because it honestly is the most beautiful place I've ever seen. If theres ever a chance that you'll be staying in Mexico and can spend more time there, maybe wait for that. Just my opinion.

[PROCRUISE]

Originally Posted by Hpycmpr

We are going on our first cruise in January and are not sure which of the Mayan Ruins we should go see. Tulum(Playa del Carmen) vs. Altun Ha(Belize). Any advice is greatly appreciated...Thanks!!

We've been to both sites. Since we're really into photography: Tulum is our first choice because of the breath taking setting. A very close second is Altum Ha because you can climb around and actually touch the stones at the site in a semi jungle setting. Enjoy, not matter which site you go to, to explore.

[mapsmith]

For a first Cruise, I would suggest the Ship's tour to Altun Ha. That way you will have no concerns about getting to the ruins and back before the ship sails.

However, if Offered thru the ship, I would opt for Xunantunich in Belize. It does take SEVEN Hours and you only have about an hour and a half at the ruins, but they are absolutely fantastic. (Would not try this one independently though because of how far away the ruins are.)

We will be doing Tulum on our January trip.

[tink360]

My son and I went on the Tulum excursion through the ship. The ruins were amazing and well worth seeing. It was quite a drive on the bus inland, as I recall we were given a bottle of water as part of the package but in the heat you need more to stay hydrated. Bring your own water as well.

I second what was said about the ferry ride, I felt sick and saw other passengers in worse shape than me. I had brought my dramamine along for me and my son - I needed mine and also shared with another passenger who was green about the gills.

[Coolmama_1]

We also went to the ruins at Tulum. It was amazing. The busride was about an hour or so and they did stop for a potty break on the way. On the way back we were given a box lunch. We then had about an hour or so to shop in Playa before we took the tender back to the ship. This was booked through Princess. We were there in January and it was hot then too!

[Hpycmpr]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate your insight!
There are so many other excursions available I want to be sure that we get the most out of the ports we are going to. I am really excited about the Ruins, and the variety of tours we can take. Who knows we may have to go back and see the others.

[dforeigner]

We have been to both ruins. They are very different. Altun Ha has a more traditional architecture when it comes to Mayan ruins. Tulum is totally different architecture but the view is freaking awesome. If doing Tulum, I would recommend you take a cruise sponsored excursion in case the ferry or the ship break down. The trip on the ferry from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen is about 45 minutes each way. The bus ride from Playa del Carmen to Tulum is a little over an hour each way. Altun Ha, if done with the river cruise is also an all day excursion. Good luck!