Xcaret park

Hello Everyone! This is my first post so bare with me....

My husband and I will leaving for a 7 day cruise this upcoming Sunday going to Cozumel, Belize and mahogany bay. We plan on going to xcaret Park while in Cozumel. We are going to book through carnival as it’s cheaper and includes transportations. My question is, once in the Park are we allowed to walk around on our own or will have to stay with a guide? We will be in port from 8a until 6p

Also does anyone have suggestions on excursions for the other two places?

We re cruising for our honeymoon

Welcome to the boards:D

Xcaret Park is on the mainland, so the transportation part of your excursion will be a ferry ride from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen, then a bus/shuttle to the park, and reverse to get back to the ship. I have not been to the park so I cannot comment on your other questions, but wanted to be sure you knew what you were signing up for.

Cozumel is an island, so most of the activities involve the beach and/or the water. Lots of beach clubs you can easily do on your own -- check out reviews on this board for Paradise Beach, Mr. Sanchos, Nachi Cocom, Playa Mia, Playa Palanca, and others. If you would like to snorkel from the shore check out the Money Bar or Chankanaab.

Taxis are easy and fairly well regulated (especially compared to the crooks in Philly!); there will be a fare board near the taxi line for your pier listing fares to most of the popular tourist spots. It never hurts to confirm the fare with the driver BEFORE you get into the taxi. Bring small bills - cab drivers everywhere never seem to have change when you pull out a $20. :(

There are 3 cruise ship piers on Cozumel - be sure that you go back to the correct one (it can be a challenge after too many margaritas :rolleyes:) and use a watch, not your cell phone, set to ships time so that you are not late.

Have a great cruise! :cool:

While John is correct if you're DIY to Xcaret.. If you're booking through Carnival as a ship excursion, they will provide all the transportation. The caution is that there will NOT be enough time to do everything. The excursion cost only included park admission and one or two attractions. Everything else, including lunch is extra. Some attractions at the park are additional $30-$60 pp. And there can be long lines. So you'll need to be very cognizant of when the return meetup is.

Carnival announced today that they are cancelling all excursions that involve a ferry to the mainland. Sorry.

Carnival announced today that they are cancelling all excursions that involve a ferry to the mainland. Sorry.

I wonder if that's been changed. I came in here looking for info about Xcaret because Carnival's offering it for my next cruise in January along with a few other mainland excursions.

We have been to Xcaret twice and it is AWESOME! You are free to roam the park once you get there. Make sure you look up the map online so you have a general idea of where the things are that you want to do. We have done the underground river snorkel which was really cool and have seen the butterflies, Jaguar Island and the working Mayan Village among other things. Great place!

I wonder if that's been changed. I came in here looking for info about Xcaret because Carnival's offering it for my next cruise in January along with a few other mainland excursions.

Security issues appear to have been improved since the ferry explosion several months ago, so I suspect most of the excursions from Cozumel to the mainland are back on the schedule.

We have been to Xcaret twice and it is AWESOME! You are free to roam the park once you get there. Make sure you look up the map online so you have a general idea of where the things are that you want to do. We have done the underground river snorkel which was really cool and have seen the butterflies, Jaguar Island and the working Mayan Village among other things. Great place!

Hi Baseball mom,

Do you remember approximately how much time you had at Xcarat? I have read the Carnival reviews and some folks say 1-1/2 hours and others say 4 hours. That’s a huge difference!

Just trying to figure out if it’s worth the time spent. We would really like to do 2 of the underground cenotes if possible.

Thanks!

Hi Baseball mom,

 

Do you remember approximately how much time you had at Xcarat? I have read the Carnival reviews and some folks say 1-1/2 hours and others say 4 hours. That’s a huge difference!

 

Just trying to figure out if it’s worth the time spent. We would really like to do 2 of the underground cenotes if possible.

 

Thanks!

That is going to depend on how much time you have in port. The ferry is about 45 minutes, and then the bus so take about 3 hours off your port time for travel and figure it out from there. We had time to snorkel the underground river and with plenty of time left over to spend time at the bar and then in the gift shop before we had to leave.

I was just at Xcaret a couple of weeks ago. They have three underground rivers. I recommend the river Maya, since you will probably only have time for one. Save time by wearing your swimsuit (changing room lines are long). You put all your belongings in a locked bag ( more secure than the lockers) when you pick up your life vest. I wouldn’t bother with the mask and snorkel, these are man made cenotes (still fun though).

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