Chichen Itza question?

have always wanted to see these ruins, but am afraid of the amount of walking/climbing due to knee problems... If one gets tired, are there places to sit and rest without having to keep up with the group? we are considering taking the ship sponsored(Carnival) tour..but, as I said we are anxious about the amount of walking and having to keep up with a group...

have always wanted to see these ruins, but am afraid of the amount of walking/climbing due to knee problems... If one gets tired, are there places to sit and rest without having to keep up with the group? we are considering taking the ship sponsored(Carnival) tour..but, as I said we are anxious about the amount of walking and having to keep up with a group...

We did the ship sponsored tour last September. It was HOT, HOT, HOT!!! I live in Texas and am used to heat - but this was almost unbearable! My 9 year old daughter had a very hard time (almost passed out and felt ill), so we were on the lookout for places to sit... there were not many places to sit and there was not a lot of shade. If you needed to sit, you had to walk quite a ways to find a place. We actually missed a lot of what the guide was saying because we would have to fall back so that she could sit (on the ground) and rest.

On the plus side - the guide moves slow and the actual guided part of the tour is not really all that much walking. If you want to explore on your own and go see the cenote, then there is a lot of walking involved. But, the walk to the cenote is in the shade.

I wish my daughter wouldn't have felt bad because I really missed a lot of what the guide was saying. If I had it to do over again - I would go to Chichen Itza during the winter months.

Have a great trip!

Ashley :)

P.S. If you go - I recommend bringing an umbrella for shade.

Did this tour last week, and agree with Ashpalo that your main concern will be the heat. Shade is limited and benches are few and far between. As far as the walking/climbing question, the guided tour itself doesn't move too terribly fast, nor is it a particularly long walk between the places the guide stops on the tour. Our guide did a great job positioning us in shade whenever possible. There is no climbing required on the tour, and very little climbing that you could do even if you wanted to. The guided portion of the tour lasts about an hour, and then you are given about an hour and a half to wander on your own.

I thought the ship-sponsored tour was excellent, both of the guides were friendly and knowledgeable, the little box lunch that they give you was edible, and the bus is comfortable. Also, because it is so far (2+ hours) away from port and the ship doesn't stay in port terribly long (7 a.m.-4 p.m.), I would have been very nervous to NOT be on a ship-sponsored tour.

Wear a hat and sunscreen, bring water, carry an umbrella if you have one, prepare yourself to say "No, thank you" to a thousand people selling junk, and do NOT forget your camera!!!!! Chichen Itza is truly worth seeing.

We are considering this tour for a cruise in a few weeks.

When do they give you the box lunch? Is it when you board the bus or after the ruins?

I do understand you can no longer climb any of the ruins.

We are considering this tour for a cruise in a few weeks.

 

When do they give you the box lunch? Is it when you board the bus or after the ruins?

 

I do understand you can no longer climb any of the ruins.

They give you the lunch after the ruins, as you board the bus to return to the ship. The schedule for the tour has you on the bus and driving by 7:30 a.m., so you arrive at Chichen Itza by 10:30 (after a restroom/souvenir break en route). The guided tour runs about an hour and only covers the central area. When the guide is done, you're free to wander the site until 12:45 so you can see the rest of the ruins and the cenote. At 12:45 you board the bus to return and are given lunch. You'll return to the ship a little after 3:00 for a 3:30 all aboard, so it really takes the entire day on shore, but totally worth the time and $, IMHO.

Ah yes, the obligatory arts and crap stop. Sounds good to me. Thanks.

Ah yes, the obligatory arts and crap stop. Sounds good to me. Thanks.

RE: Souvenirs

If you can wait to buy them at Chichen Itza I would buy souvenirs there. They are cheaper then those pit stops! You can haggle them down some but at the end it's cheaper if you buy your souvenirs at Chichen Itza...At least that was experience when I visited.

Something that I think people have failed to mention is that it is HOT!!! Ok, well not so hot you won't wanna go for sure. But bring/buy plenty of water. We ended up drinking all we brought and was glad we did so we could buy some cold water ;). Was one of the more memorable excursions EVER! When we went we got to climb up El Castillo and had a very good view of the ruins. Never would have guessed that I was afraid of heights, but WOW, it looked nearly straight down from the top. Just Do It!

Something that I think people have failed to mention is that it is HOT!!! Ok, well not so hot you won't wanna go for sure. But bring/buy plenty of water. We ended up drinking all we brought and was glad we did so we could buy some cold water ;). Was one of the more memorable excursions EVER! When we went we got to climb up El Castillo and had a very good view of the ruins. Never would have guessed that I was afraid of heights, but WOW, it looked nearly straight down from the top. Just Do It!

the information at the Carnival site says no one is allowed to climb any longer....but from looking at the pics, I wouldn't be doing the steps anyway:eek::eek: thanks for the tip about the water, though!!!

If you don't wish to carry several bottles of water, bottled water is readily available as you enter the ruins of Uxmal. Not sure, but suspect the same at Chichen Itza. Also, much, much cheaper than on the ship.

If you don't wish to carry several bottles of water, bottled water is readily available as you enter the ruins of Uxmal. Not sure, but suspect the same at Chichen Itza. Also, much, much cheaper than on the ship.

You are correct. IIRC, I paid $2US for a 1-liter bottle (half the cost of buying on the ship). No need to convert currency, everyone accepts US dollars, and prices are listed in both pesos and US dollars.

I will be bringing:

+

{well, maybe berry flavored}

Maybe just as important as water, suggest loose fitting shirts/tops and hat with a brim. And of course, plenty of film/memory.