See the Ruins in Cozumel, Belize, or Costa Maya...?

We will be on a Carnival Cruise in September stopping at all three of these Ports, and we're wondering which Port is best to go on an excursion to Ruins? If so, which specific Ruins?

When I took a cruise that stopped at Cozumel and Belize a couple years ago, we went to the Altun Ha ruins in Belize. If I remember correctly, the ruins you can visit from Cozumel are bigger, but we choose Belize because there wasn't anything else we were super interested in doing there (no beaches close to port). In Cozumel we were interested in so many different activities (Chankanaab, Mr. Sanchos, Amazing Secret River .. we ended up choosing Mr. Sanchos).

Definitely look in to Coba in Cozumel. Absolutely amazing experience! One of the few sights where you can climb to the top of a Mayan Temple. This is one of the few excursions I recommend going with the ship tour - it has a tight time schedule.

Belize there is nothing else in Belize.

Not Cozumel - the Mayan ruins are on the mainland so any tour will involve a ferry and then a bus ride each way; you will spend more time travelling than seeing anything.

Definitely look in to Coba in Cozumel. Absolutely amazing experience! One of the few sights where you can climb to the top of a Mayan Temple. This is one of the few excursions I recommend going with the ship tour - it has a tight time schedule.

Cobs is on the mainland not on Cozumel.

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Belize there is nothing else in Belize.

You aren't serious are you

You aren't serious are you

Maybe you two could take this discussion to the Belize board - where quite a few options are regularly discussed. ;)

Maybe you two could take this discussion to the Belize board - where quite a few options are regularly discussed. ;)

the other option is to point out that the comment I quoted and commented on is grotesquely incorrect

When I was in Belize a few years ago we did a shore excursion through Princess and went to Lamanai. It was AMAZING. We still talk about it. Normally we don't book ship excursions, but this one was going to be really tight on time and we were nervous about missing the ship. Now, it is about a 45 minute bus ride to the site, but our guide was telling us all about the history of Belize and pointing out interesting sites on the way there. Then you take a 45 minute speed boat ride down a river. Again, the guides are pointing out different things along the way, and this part is fun as you are going fast and have the wind in your hair. We felt like the time on site was very reasonable, not rushed at all. Again, our guide was fantastic. The site is in the middle of a jungle and it was just beautiful. You can climb to the top of two of the temples, one is much larger than the other and offers STUNNING views. After the tour you are back on the boat. When we got to the dock we had lunch and it was DELICIOUS. Chicken, veggies, plantains (a personal favorite). Then back on the bus to head back to the ship. The ride back was quiet as everyone was pretty beat by this point. Anyway, if your ship offers a trip to Lamanai I would highly recommend it; we had an amazing time!

Thanks for the feedback! :)

So glad I came across this. The only thing my husband wants to do on our cruise is go see the ruins! :)

Go to Chichen Itza

Go to Chichen Itza

From Cozumel that's 3-4 hours of travel each way for 1-2 hours at the site. :( Tulum is not as impressive, but is much closer from Cozumel.

From Cozumel that's 3-4 hours of travel each way for 1-2 hours at the site. :( Tulum is not as impressive, but is much closer from Cozumel.

Tulum is not big that's for sure but it is on a beautiful beach for swimming and is the only known Maya fort. Look at it on YouTube.

In Costa Maya, a company called The Native Choice does a great tour of the ruins followed by lunch in a Mayan neighborhood made by local women. We went on it in January and it was excellent.

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Tulum is small but nice (beautiful setting) and not that far away from Cozumel. If I were you, that's probably the one I'd do. My dad always said given the nice setting that he would have been a Tulum Mayan rather than a Chitchen Iza Mayan. Chitchen Iza are some of the more impressive Mayan ruins in Mexico, but too far away from your stops so not a good option for you this time IMHO. This is just me, but I personally wouldn't go all the way to the mainland for the other impressive ruins described either, but of course that is a personal choice.

All that said we are doing a cruise that is covering two of your ports Cozumel and Costa Maya, DS 22 has never seen any ruins, but DH and I have already seen Tulum. So we are doing what one of the other posters recommended -- a Native choice excursion to the Chochoben Ruins in Costa Maya. We are doing the tour without lunch after, though, unlike the other poster that is including the lunch option (our skipping that is just because DS is a very picky eater and we will just eat on the ship after the tour) -- Native Choice has a few tour choices, all get good reviews on trip advisor, and they are considerably less expensive than similar sounding tours from the ship. These ruins appear to be about an hour drive from the port, you are there about two hours, and then you have an hour drive back.

Maybe someone who has gone to both Tulum and Chochoben will chime in. From pictures, Tulum looks nicer to me, based on my looking at pictures and it's less transportation time too from Cozumel than Chochoben is from Costa Maya (another factor), but I haven't done Chochoben yet. All that said though despite my really enjoying Tulum I'd rather go to a different place than go back to the same one again and don't have a need/desire to have DS see that one. But if I hadn't already done Tulum I would have picked that one.

I can't comment on Belize and for us our cruise's Belize stop is just a Harvest Caye, so not too many excursions from there. From what other posters have described if you want to make a whole day of it, those tours sound like a nice little trip. The Tulum and Costa Maya ruins would be more like 1/2 day excursions if that appeals to you more.

All that said we are doing a cruise that is covering two of your ports Cozumel and Costa Maya, DS 22 has never seen any ruins, but DH and I have already seen Tulum. So we are doing what one of the other posters recommended -- a Native choice excursion to the Chochoben Ruins in Costa Maya. We are doing the tour without lunch after, though, unlike the other poster that is including the lunch option (our skipping that is just because DS is a very picky eater and we will just eat on the ship after the tour).

That's too bad that you are not doing the lunch since it was excellent. There were lots of choices and I think they even made something special for one member of our tour who had some food issues. None of it was really spicy.

When I was in Belize a few years ago we did a shore excursion through Princess and went to Lamanai. It was AMAZING. We still talk about it. Normally we don't book ship excursions, but this one was going to be really tight on time and we were nervous about missing the ship. Now, it is about a 45 minute bus ride to the site, but our guide was telling us all about the history of Belize and pointing out interesting sites on the way there. Then you take a 45 minute speed boat ride down a river. Again, the guides are pointing out different things along the way, and this part is fun as you are going fast and have the wind in your hair. We felt like the time on site was very reasonable, not rushed at all. Again, our guide was fantastic. The site is in the middle of a jungle and it was just beautiful. You can climb to the top of two of the temples, one is much larger than the other and offers STUNNING views. After the tour you are back on the boat. When we got to the dock we had lunch and it was DELICIOUS. Chicken, veggies, plantains (a personal favorite). Then back on the bus to head back to the ship. The ride back was quiet as everyone was pretty beat by this point. Anyway, if your ship offers a trip to Lamanai I would highly recommend it; we had an amazing time!

I know this is the wrong forum, but had to reply.

Just returned to the ship from doing this excursion with Princess, and I agree. Definitely amazing.

I'm fascinated with the Mayan ruins. Have done Chichen Itza-do an overnight so you are the first ones on the grounds in the morning and wander/take pics with no one else there. We were lucky and caught a lightening storm one night from our room balcony and watched it flash over the runis-stunning! Climbed the temple several times, when you used to be able to. Coba-amazing, large site, can still climb the temple. Tulum-beautiful setting, ruins not special in comparison to the others. Ek Balam, Muyil stay overnight in Valladolid to be able to enjoy a full day between the two. Try to time the overnight for the mass wedding ceremony where people come from all the surrounding small towns to be married. My bucket list is to spend a month in Mexico going to the many smaller, off the beaten path sites which are still being restored. BUT, to answer your question, use your Costa Maya stop to go to Chacchoben http://www.chacchobenruins.com/ and do with it Native tours, they do a fantastic job! Do the others when you do a land based vacation.