Cab to Dzibilchaltun

[JJS2K3]

Has anyone done this? Any idea on the $$$

Thanks!

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=000080&cdt=2004;09;12;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0600[/img]
Elation!

[DEL67]

We hired a cab at the pier in March. For two of us, we paid:

- Cab - $50
- Admission to the site $12
- Guide - $20

Since the price for a larger cab was only $60, the cost would really go down if you have 4 or more people.

Dale

[JJS2K3]

Thanks Dale [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=000080&cdt=2004;09;12;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0600[/img]
Elation!

[Cruiser K]

Does the cab wait for you or are there cabs to get back to the pier when you are ready to go? I am leaving on the Elation 8/22. thanks

[DEL67]

The driver waited for us in the parking area.

[Cruiser K]

Thanks. We just got back and had no problem getting a cab to the ruins right at the pier at the end of the shops. $60 round trip and the cab waits for you as long as you want. Admission to the ruins was $12 for adults and $6 for kids 12 and under. Tour guide was $25. Overall the experience was mch better than the one organized by Carnival (and cheaper!) For $90 the cab will also take you to Merida when you are done with the ruins. We did this and really enjoyed the day.

[Pat-n-Shell-E]

Where did you get the tour guide? Was it at Dzib? or did you arrange at the port? We have four in our party and am interested in doing this so any tips would help.

Thanks,
Patrick

[DEL67]

The tour guides are at Dzibilchaltun. They are waiting near the gift shop which is in the building you enter after paying your entry fee.

We were able to bargain the price down to $20, perhaps because there were only two of us or because it was still early before the crowds arrived. Others have reported paying as little as $15, but I suspect the price is reflective of how busy they are or expect to be.

Having a guide made a big difference in our enjoyment of the visit. Prior to visiting them main areas of the site, he took us to their small museum stopping to explain each item and giving us some insight into the Mayan culture. Then we visited each of the main structures where he provided additional information.

Wear a bathing suit under your clothes and take a towel if you think you would like to swim in the ceynote. Its just like a little pond, but I thought that it was fun to swim in it and the cold water felt really good after touring the hot ruins.

[love2cruise*]

I will be going on the Elation at the end of this month and I thought that the cab to Dzibilchtun sounded very interesting. I just need alittle more info on it.. I will be with a group of 6 with the total cost be 90$ for the trip to the Dzibilchtun and merida and back to the Pier? How does that work? It sounds like something we would like to do.. while in Merida how do you get around? Is it very big? I know there is lots to do there..how did you know what to see and do? Does anyone have any info on the Uxmal or the Chichen Itza.. I was thinking of renting a car on the Pier so that we can see a variety of sights. Any ideas on this?

[DEL67]

The price I quoted was just for round trip to Dzibilchtun (the driver waited for us). We didn't go to Merida, but I do not believe that it is that much more.

Uxmal or the Chichen Itza are both much larger and more famous sites; however, they are also much fuurther away. For example, the ship excursion to Chichen Itza is 7 hours long and I believe it is about a 2 1/2 hour drive leaving not much time at the ruins. We have always wanted to visit Chichen Itza so we did consider going there on our own; however we felt that doing so was risky because our ship was only in port for 7 hours so any mishap or delay on a trip of that length could have caused us to miss the ship.

[HHrbek]

Hi this may be a silly question but, after you agree with your driver on the fee do you pay the full amount then or when you get back? I'm looking at taking our group (6) to [b]Dzibilchaltun[/b] and [b]Mérida [/b]and this sounds like the best way.

Thanks

[hdawson]

I think paying upon completion of your tour would be fine. I hope you enjoy Merida as much as I have. Two weeks next Oct and can't wait.

[mcgraiha]

We are booked on the Elation in April. I checked out the shore excursion prices thru Carnival and it was $51pp for the Dzibilchaltun tour. As I assume it includes transport, admission, and a guide, is this is a better price than doing it on our own (my DH and myself)? It seems that taking a cab would be more expensive according to what i've read here....$60RT, $24 admission, and $20-$25 for a guide. Any thoughts?

[txsmiles]

We were on the 1/16 sailing of the Elation and did the cab thing in Progresso, it went well. Our group of 6 hired a taxi/van at the shopping area where the ship docks. For our group of 6 a taxi would be too small, but I understand that regular cabs are cheaper than vans... for $120 they took us first to Merida (our choice, most people apparently do the ruins first, but we wanted to see the city first.) Merida is interesting, but a very busy city - saw the monument & the cathedral & wandered a bit. The driver showed us where to meet him when we were done. Then we went to the Dzibilchaltun ruins. Admission was $6 per adult. We hired a guide inside for $20 for the group - he was great and we learned a lot and had fun climbing the ruins then swimming at the ceynote. The taxi driver waited in the parking lot and returned us to the ship when we were ready to go. The "standard" trip is supposed to be about 4 hours, but you can stay away from the ship longer if you want, they just ask for an extra $10 per hour. We paid when we returned to the dock. The driver was very nice, but had limited English...

[hdawson]

Sounds like a great bargain.

[shortstuf]

We are going to be there in April.

How long is the ride to the ruins?
Was the $12 per person or for both of you?
Is there a separate fee for swimming in the cenote?
Was swimming in the cenote crowded?

Did you find the leftover time sufficient to see merida?

Have any of you heard about a $2 tour of merida from the local city bus?

Thanks! :D

[glorygirl2]

Hi,
We just got back from our carnival cruise on the Glory. We hired our own van to get to dzibilchaltun and the cost was $50.00 plus tip. He waited for us at the ruins while we did our tour. All the drivers seem to know each other so they just hang out and talk to each other while they wait for you. He told us just to pay him afterward. The drive there was about 30 minutes each way. The cost to get in is $6.00 per person and if you bring a video camera the charge is $3.00 to use it there. Regular camers are free to use. We shopped at the port stores before going on this tour, so were limited on time and asked a tour guide for a short 45 minute tour at a cost of $10.00 plus we gave him a tip. They have a couple gift shops there that require cash. They also have a restaurant. The Cenote was pretty awesome to look at, but don't know about the swimming part as we didn't do it. We did see about 25 native teenagers swimming there. I thought the money we paid was well worth seeing this though. I think if you do a full tour it would be about an hour or hour and a half, but not possitive as I've heard different things. I guess it depends on if you want to walk around them by yourself after the tour.
Enjoy your cruise.

[terryde]

Where did you find the cab? Did you arrange any of it in advance before you got to port? Is it required that you have a tour guide at these ruins?

[hdawson]

Terryde. Will the sites mean anything to you if you don't have someone explaining what they are and the history? Otherwise it's just looking at strange structures in extreme heat. There's nothing posted in english as I recall.

[terryde]

Right, but a previous poster suggested researching before you go, which I have done and there is a lot of info on the web explaining the structures. Wondered if the guide system was required at the gate or if not.

[hdawson]

terryde. I always recommend researching your ports. That's why I usually suggest starting with [url]www.yucatantoday.com[/url] A wealth of information to get started. As for car rentals I'm pretty sure Executive Rental is available in Progreso. I've used them several times on Cozumel. I have a ton of information on Merida, my favorite. It all depends on what someone wants from their foreign visit.

[glorygirl2]

Terryde,
When you get off the ship, there will be a few port shops there. You'll even see a dollar store that has shot glasses and lots of cute little things for a buck. I reccomend bringing lots of cash there as only one store takes credit cards. Go down that shop area and turn left and there's a little stand there on the right that you can book your own shore excursions. There will be people standing by to take you where you want to go. You don't have to book it ahead of time, but just don't pay them till they get you back on time, which they will. They're all very nice and helpful and you should make it clear how long you have and ask them how long the trip there and back will take and how long the tour will take. We asked for a special short tour from our guide so we could get back on time as we spent too much time shopping before we left. I will also tell you that the shop that takes credit cards get's very busy just before everyone is due back on the ship, so you may want to shop there before your excursion. They give you a free progresso tote bag if you spend $60.00 there. That was a nice surprise.

[SteelPonyCowboy]

There is an advantage to taking the cab even though the price might be comparible to Carnivals price. With the Carnival package, you might have 100 people in your group and 1 or two guides. Unless you are in the front of the group you will have trouble hearing anything and because the group is so big the guides tend to move you fast, like cattle. (I noticed this a Tolum when I decided to rent a car and do it myself to save a ton of money, we got there before the cruise ship tour, moved at our own pace, left when we wanted to, stopped at several road side craft markets along the way and had a great time) . If you take a cab and get your own guide you will have a much more rewarding and educational tour at your own pace.

Another possibility is many of these "cabs" are mini vans that can hold 6-8 people. The "cab" will wait for you at the ruins and he gets paid when you get back so they can be trusted. If 2 other couples want to go together and get the larger "cab" for $60 that is $20 each for the cab and we can share a guide.....anyone up to sharing a ride ??? Email me or let me know.

[SteelPonyCowboy]

I looked at the cost for renting from Hertz in Merida (I couldnt find any rental agency at the pier or in Progresso online) and it was a higher cost than the cab for a decent car with A/C ($89). As for Chichen Itza, it would be a stretch to vist there considering we are only in port for what 7-8 hours. Chichen Itza is a 2 to 2 1/2 hour drive. That would not give you much time to spend there. If you are not back in time the ship WILL leave without you. Because of that I would probably pay Carnivals price to see Chichen Itza and be hearded and rushed like cattle because the ship wont leave if one of its tours is delayed getting back. I have always wanted to see Chichen Itza but it will have to wait until I book a cruise that has more time in port.

[shortstuf]

Email is not working right now - but I am interested - when are you going?
we are on the glory 4/23 - there is a roll call post that would be better for you to join in on if you are there too.

[url="http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=65857"]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=65857[/url]

My BF and I think we may look around Merida 1st then go to dzibilchaltun.


[quote name='SteelPonyCowboy']There is an advantage to taking the cab even though the price might be comparible to Carnivals price. With the Carnival package, you might have 100 people in your group and 1 or two guides. Unless you are in the front of the group you will have trouble hearing anything and because the group is so big the guides tend to move you fast, like cattle. (I noticed this a Tolum when I decided to rent a car and do it myself to save a ton of money, we got there before the cruise ship tour, moved at our own pace, left when we wanted to, stopped at several road side craft markets along the way and had a great time) . If you take a cab and get your own guide you will have a much more rewarding and educational tour at your own pace.

Another possibility is many of these "cabs" are mini vans that can hold 6-8 people. The "cab" will wait for you at the ruins and he gets paid when you get back so they can be trusted. If 2 other couples want to go together and get the larger "cab" for $60 that is $20 each for the cab and we can share a guide.....anyone up to sharing a ride ??? Email me or let me know.[/QUOTE]