Chichen Itza

[jdc]

My wife and I are on the April 22nd Navigator cruise that heads to Mexico. In chatting with my mother about the cruise she now wants to go and is especially interested in seeing Chichen Itza. Here's my question: Has anyone been on the Raddison excursion to Chichen Itza and how appropriate would it be for someone who is 78? By appropriate I mean physically demanding.......

 

thanks for the help.

 

jeff

[aaannnthony]

It's a flat walk, but, you usually only have about two hours to cover the ruins, so, from that standpoint, it requires decent mobility!

[A J Theodore]

It's been more than 10 years since I was in Chichen Itza so things may have changed.

 

It took more than three hours from the port by bus when I did the trip. Unless the roads have been significantly improved, it is also a bumpy ride. Make sure that you have air-conditioning and bottled water as this area is very hot and humid.

 

On the plus side, this is one of the great and most important centers of Maya culture. The temples, etc., are magnificant not just for the architectural beauty but for the cultural, religious, and cosmological context. There has been a lot of restoration.

 

I would very strongly recommend that you take the time to find and read a very guide guide book before you go so that you can make the most of your time. Sorry that I do not have any specific authors to suggest.

 

Obviously, while I know that the time at Chichen Itza will be limited, it is one of those trips that you will remember forever.

[Joanandjoe]

All of the Radisson tours in Progresso sound wonderful. We spent three days at Chichen Itza, 2 days at Merida, and two days at Uxmal in 1979, and felt we were taking the trip of a lifetime. Chichen and Uxmal are very beautiful, but the long bus rides and two hours of walking in the heat (even though the ground is flat) may be tough on a 78 year old woman unless she is very fit and has a very strong bladder (due to the long bus rides). Go for it if she doesn't mind the long rides for a short, rather hot stay at the ruins. If the bus ride seems too intimidating, go to Dzilbilchaltun or Merida, both of which are lovely.

[Becky74]

We were there last August (not on a cruise) and I am not kidding when I tell you the guides told us it was 125 degrees, and it felt like it. It may be cooler in April though. You are in bright sun the entire time and it really is exhausting, even without climbing the pyramid. I think it depends on her health but she should be careful of heat stroke.

[Joanandjoe]

Average weather for April: Progresso - high 95, low 69. Merida the same. Right now it's 97 in Progresso, 91 in Merida - at 4 p.m. in mid-February. So, yes, expect heat. As Becky points out, Chichen Itza tourist sites are not shady, and the tour buses are there at the hottest part of the day. Can you and she take the heat? When we were there in April, 1979 we avoided the hot part of the day by swimming at our hotel, having lunch, and taking a siesta. As day trippers you won't be able to do that. Nonetheless, if you can take the sun and heat, the excursions from Progresso are worth doing - whether Chichen or something less ambitious.