Jump to content

Chankanaab Park


deannad

Recommended Posts

We decided to head to Chankanaab on our own and can't say enough good things about it. Although we were prepared to pay more for a taxi based on what we had read here, they only charged us $10 for our family of 4. Taxi's were readily available to get there and leave. No worries at all about transportation. We also had printed coupons for 2 dollars off, but actually found they had a better deal that included snorkel gear and a free drink. We actually came in under budget with the entry cost as well. We left the ship ASAP, got to the park early, and had 1st choice of chairs. We left around 3 pm, and I would say the park was still not considered to be "crowded". The snorkeling was good -fish everywhere. My kids enjoyed swimming over to the fenced in area where the dolphins were kept and watched them from the snorkeling area.

No mention of biodegradable sunscreen or searching of our items. Entry into the water was not too difficult. There are rails to hold onto. Our only problem was a family that kept hanging out on the steps with their small children. None of them were snorkeling-just blocking the entry and exit. Seems they should have been in the swimming area instead of the

snorkeling area. Oh well, they paid too, so I guess if they wanted to just sit on the steps, whatever. We plan to return to Chankanaab next time we travel to Cozumel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had read on another forum about not being able to get admission to the park unless you were part of the cruise ship excursions. We are going next March and wanted to just take a cab to the park. The only excursion offered combines the park with a museum, Discover Mexico?? (can't remember the exact name), but we didn't want to do that, and it was very expensive. We have been to Cozumel several times, and have done the beaches and cooking tour, and wanted to do something different. Has anyone heard about not being able to get in without being on the excursions?

Sovereign of the Seas—July 2000

Grandeur of the Seas—March 2003

Adventure of the Seas—Feb 2004

Mariner of the Seas—May 2005

Rhapsody of the Seas—April 2006

Freedom of the Seas—Feb 2007

Voyager of the Seas—March 2008-- CAN”T WAIT!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are going to Cozumel next March, my husband and I with our kids- 14, 13, and 11. We have done the beaches, snorkeling, and the cooking excursion (on a wonderful trip without the kids!), but we have never done this park. I had read on another forum that you could not get admission to the park unless you were part of a cruise ship excursion package. I don’t want to do the excursion that RCCL has, as it includes other things, and it expensive. Has anyone else heard about not being able to get in without a ship excursion? Thanks!!

Sovereign of the Seas—July 2000

Grandeur of the Seas—March 2003

Adventure of the Seas—Feb 2004

Mariner of the Seas—May 2005

Rhapsody of the Seas—April 2006

Freedom of the Seas—Feb 2007

Voyager of the Seas—March 2008-- CAN”T WAIT!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are going to Cozumel next March, my husband and I with our kids- 14, 13, and 11. We have done the beaches, snorkeling, and the cooking excursion (on a wonderful trip without the kids!), but we have never done this park. I had read on another forum that you could not get admission to the park unless you were part of a cruise ship excursion package. I don’t want to do the excursion that RCCL has, as it includes other things, and it expensive. Has anyone else heard about not being able to get in without a ship excursion? Thanks!!

 

 

Sovereign of the Seas—July 2000

Grandeur of the Seas—March 2003

Adventure of the Seas—Feb 2004

Mariner of the Seas—May 2005

Rhapsody of the Seas—April 2006

Freedom of the Seas—Feb 2007

Voyager of the Seas—March 2008-- CAN”T WAIT!!

 

You can do it on your own.. Here is a link with info and a coupon..

http://www.cozumelinsider.com/index.php?Popup=1&Page=CHANKANAAB&From=Beaches

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the info and link. Sorry about the double post. The first time I got an error message, so I thought it didn't go through. I hope the hurricane Dean didn't do too much damage. I know they haven't fully recovered from the previous ones.

 

Thanks!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the info and link. Sorry about the double post. The first time I got an error message, so I thought it didn't go through. I hope the hurricane Dean didn't do too much damage. I know they haven't fully recovered from the previous ones.

 

Thanks!!

 

Actually Dean did minimal damage based on reports from the islanders.. All should be good as most places have rebuilt since wilma...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

park sounds great! my family and i are headed there in feb08. 2 questions, fist, we are doing the dolphin encounter. the only time available is 3:30. ship is docked until 6. will there be enough time to get back to the ship? question #2- i've read alot about snorkeling at the park, we are more beach bums. is there a beach there also? it would make sense for us to just stay for the day. thanks for any info!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

park sounds great! my family and i are headed there in feb08. 2 questions, fist, we are doing the dolphin encounter. the only time available is 3:30. ship is docked until 6. will there be enough time to get back to the ship? question #2- i've read alot about snorkeling at the park, we are more beach bums. is there a beach there also? it would make sense for us to just stay for the day. thanks for any info!

 

If your ship leaves the port at 6pm, you will need to be onboard by 5:30pm. If your "encounter" starts right at 3:30 and goes until say 4 (or even 4:30pm) you should be fine. I always recommend that folks head back to the ship about an hour before it sails.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a 3:30 time slot also for the dolphin swim. Too many CC posters mentioned that sometimes the park is behind on schedule and it might cut it too close. My DD had her heart set on the dolphins. I found a link directly on their web site: http://www.*****

and contacted them asking for an earlier time. They reschedule me for 12:30 and sent me a confirmation. (Their site only showed the 3:30 available) You might want to email them and check for an earlier time. They are very nice and got back to me via email very quickly. It sure took the stress off of worrying about getting back to the ship in time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
#2- i've read alot about snorkeling at the park, we are more beach bums. is there a beach there also? it would make sense for us to just stay for the day. thanks for any info!

 

Chankanaab Park is so lovely. The beach is just beautiful. There is a little lagoon with small beach that is perfect for younger children. My five year old snorkeled out in the deep parts with my husband and my four year old and I looked underwater with our masks and snorkels in the shallow water. Bring water shoes b/c there are tons of sea urchins on the rocks. :)

 

The scenery is gorgeous and we loved seeing the dolphins jumping thorugh the air from our chairs on the beach.

 

Like another poster, we ate a big breakfast on the ship and then just brought snacks and drinks in our beach bag. The menu at the cafe at the park looked good, albeit pricey.

 

What a perfect day we had here - well worth the admission price....ahhhhh! I want to go back :D

 

Buzzsmom

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chankanaab Park is so lovely. The beach is just beautiful. :)

 

The scenery is gorgeous and we loved seeing the dolphins jumping thorugh the air from our chairs on the beach.

 

What a perfect day we had here - well worth the admission price....ahhhhh! I want to go back :D

 

Buzzsmom

 

 

You took the words right out of my mouth.

 

I was there last month and did the royal swim. It was a wonderful experience.:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We decided to head to Chankanaab on our own and can't say enough good things about it. Although we were prepared to pay more for a taxi based on what we had read here, they only charged us $10 for our family of 4. Taxi's were readily available to get there and leave. No worries at all about transportation. We also had printed coupons for 2 dollars off, but actually found they had a better deal that included snorkel gear and a free drink. We actually came in under budget with the entry cost as well. We left the ship ASAP, got to the park early, and had 1st choice of chairs. We left around 3 pm, and I would say the park was still not considered to be "crowded". The snorkeling was good -fish everywhere. My kids enjoyed swimming over to the fenced in area where the dolphins were kept and watched them from the snorkeling area.

No mention of biodegradable sunscreen or searching of our items. Entry into the water was not too difficult. There are rails to hold onto. Our only problem was a family that kept hanging out on the steps with their small children. None of them were snorkeling-just blocking the entry and exit. Seems they should have been in the swimming area instead of the

snorkeling area. Oh well, they paid too, so I guess if they wanted to just sit on the steps, whatever. We plan to return to Chankanaab next time we travel to Cozumel.

 

Do you happen to have any more info about the better deal you got with the snorkel gear & free drink? Also, does CP offer any of the other beach toys that the other beaches offer (trampoline, pedalboats, kayaks, etc)?

Thanks,

Askshorty

Holiday 9/15/07

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

 

Is the beach and palapa area close by the snorkel entry area? My husband and I would like to snorkel and my mom would like to watch from her chair. :)

Also what about the swim with the dolphin area? My sister is the only one thinking about doing that. I remember reading that some people watched from the beach. Can anyone explain the set up for me?

 

Thanks so much!

Nancy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you happen to have any more info about the better deal you got with the snorkel gear & free drink?

Thanks, Askshorty

 

 

I am also interested in this info. The website doesn't help too much, but here is what I found on the park's website:

PRICES

 

* SNORKEL GEAR $10 USD

(MASK, SNORKEL & FINS)

* LIFE JACKET $5 USD.

* DISCOVER SCUBA $65 USD.

* CERTIFIED SCUBA $40 USD.

* TANK RENTAL $11 USD.

* GUIDE (1-4 PAX) $10 USD.

 

 

I am not sure how a drink and snorkel rental equipment is better than using the $2 coupon.

 

From my username you probably can figure that I have my own snorkel gear, but this is the only port where I may use it so I am not sure whether I will bring in with me on this cruise. $10 is pretty cheap to rent, but are you REQUIRED to use a vest? I hate them because they prevent you from diving, but once I was at a private island (RCL) and they required everyone snorkeling to use a vest, and you were charged for it!

 

By the way, here is a map so you can see where everything is located in the park.

 

http://www.cozumelparks.org.mx/images/Chankanaab-Park-Map.jpg

 

Also, the website for Chankanaab Park advises the following:

 

Can I pay the entrance fee with my credit card?

 

No. The Park does not accept credit cards and there is no teller machine.

 

3. Should I bring cash to the Park?

 

Yes. The entrance fee if paid in cash, however, some of the additional services like swim with dolphins, snuba, dive shops and restaurants accept credit cards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We will be on the 11-25 cruise on the Valor which is now going to Cozumel. We had thought of going to the park after the 930 tour on the Atlantis submarine. Is it worth it for just a few hours from around 1130 to 330??

 

If not we may just go on a overview tour of the island

 

We will be seeing Mayan ruins in Belize the day before

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We were at Chankanaab Park last week and got the same special admission price. They offered it at the ticket window. Entrance fee, snorkel gear and 1 free drink for 25.00. We had a wonderful afternoon. Wish we had gone earlier and spent the entire day. But of course, I had to go shopping first. It was beautiful, wish I was still there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We were at Chankanaab in July, beautiful! The Royal Swim was excellent and the snorkeling very good. We noticed an interesting phenomenon at the far end of the snorkeling area. Cold water and warm water were mixing, causing a strange visibility that seemed like looking through Saran wrap. Lots of fish.

 

Nancy - The palapas and chairs are very close to the snorkeling area, maybe 20 - 30 feet. Actually, there are several places with steps and handrails to get in the water. And you can watch the dolphin area either from the beach or from the boardwalk along the front. They restrict who can go out on the docks. The distance depends on which position the group your sister is in will use, they have 6 postions, as I remember, in the general dolphin area.

 

Snorkelman - They do NOT require snorkel vests. We brought our own, but didn't use them. Also, you should at least bring your own snorkel. You don't know how well they clean them between users:eek: . Consider bringing your own mask for the same reason. We usually bring our own gear because we know where it's been and they fit us. Plus, we now have prescription masks so we can actually see everything.

 

You'll love Chankanaab. Don't forget to look behind the waterfall just as you leave, it's something you may need.

 

Art

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...