Should we take the ferry from Playa Del Carmen to Cozumel

[nib]

We are going on the Carnival Fascination Trip on May the 22nd and were told by some friends that we could still catch the ferry in Playa Del Carmen over to Cozumel. My only real concern is the time factor...The Fascination Itinerary shows that we will arrive in Calica at 1:00pm and the boat will leave at 8:00pm That doesnt seem like alot of time to grab a taxi to go to the ferry in Playa, Then rent a car in Cozumel "Which is what we had planned originally," And take our self guided Cozumel tour, Then get back to Calica in time to depart. Any suggestions as to how to handle this?

[Zeno]

There are plenty of interesting things to do in the Playa Del Carmen area - like:

Xcaret

Xel Ha

Tulum

Tres Rios

Tulum

and lots of great beaches - Playa Del Carmen, Playa Maroma, Akumal Playa

So unless you had something specific planned for Cozumel, I would not recommend wasting a lot of time taking a ferry there and back.

[KeyLemPi]

We're cruising into Calica on Carnival's Imagination on May 20 and I sure hope there's enough time (We're in port from noon to 8 pm) It's only 3 miles from Calica to Playa Del Carmen so that shouldn't take long, and the ferry ride is only about 20 or 30 minutes. That should leave at least a couple hours to explore Cozumel. I'm only going to get some Vanilla at Los Cinco Soles and maybe have lunch at Pancho's Backyard.... ok maybe a drink at Senor Frogs too... but then it's straight back to Calica. I promise!

[kyblueliz]

we were just in Calica on the Fascination May 8 cruise and I would not suggest trying to venture over to Cozumel. The taxi ride is longer than 3 miles...it took about 15 minutes to get to Playa del Carmen....and the ferry schedule is limited. it was our understanding the ferry took longer than 30 minutes and the schedule to cozumel needs to be checked

 

Playa/Cozumel Ferry Schedule

EVERY DAY

PLAYA DEL CARMEN TO COZUMEL

5:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 A.M. - 1:00 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, 9:00, 11:00 P.M.

 

COZUMEL TO PLAYA DEL CARMEN

4:00, 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00 A.M. - 12:00 Noon 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, 8:00,10:00 P.M.

 

Approximately 40 Minutes $7.50 (USD) / 73 Pesos - Each Way

. The line to get a cab once you get off the ship needs to be considered also. there are cabs lined up to take you into the city but we waited in line for a while after disembarking in Calica before we worked our way to the front of the line to actually get a cab. Price for the cab is $10 per cab which holds up to 4 people. We could see Cozumel in the distance and there were 4 other ships in Cozumel that were tendering people and I could not tell how many others were actually docked. There is a Senor Frogs in Playa del Carmen along with Carlos and Charlies and there is a little shop next to the drug store where you are dropped off from the taxi in Playa del Carment that sells pure vanilla...(I brought a couple of bottles). We had several individuals arrive back to the ship late...a few made it back on and there were some that were standing at the dock in Calica who didn't get back on in time and watched the ship pull away along with those in the taxis pulling up as we left....I assume they found transportation back to Miami...we sure didn't wait! On our day at sea we saw the cabin stewards packing a room down the hall from us and we assumed these were the individuals who didn't make it back and would be picking up their belongings in Miami port. Have a great trip!

Liz

[dcosbey51]

You will find Playa more charming than Cozumel, with better restaurants and shopping. I would not venture from Playa if you want to shop or eat local foods.