chichen itza on the equinox?

[cookielover]

Has anyone done the long excursion from Playa del Carmen to Chichen Itza? Our itinerary was just slightly adjusted, so we will be there on March 20. I have a feeling the place will be overrun with people, and we will not be there long enough to catch the show, but would like to hear any experiences of this trip.

[BSQ]

I've not been on a ship's tour, but can give you this information that might help you make your decision. I've been at Chichen Itza during the equinox and it does get very crowded. The light and shadow display on el Castillo does not start happening until the late afternoon, about 3 or 4pm. It takes a bit for the shadows to fully develop and the serpent to slither down.

[Nukesailor]

We did the Chichen Itza excursion, booked through the cruise line, last week (on 1/24). The bus ride is 3 hours each way; time at Chichen Itza was about 2 1/2 hours. Departure from Chichen Itza was 2PM, and we returned to Playa del Carmen with 1 hour to spare before the last tender. When we were at Chichen Itza, it was quite busy, with perhaps 30 tour buses. I can imagine that on March 20, the place will be packed. All-in-all, the trip was well worth it.

 

Art

[Bankergrl]

Nukesailor - did you have any kids that did this excursion with you, or were there many in tow? My youngest is almost 11 and we are debating on doing this becasue of length of the trip. I was just wondering how other kids made out. My oldest son is 21 and is studying sociology and this would be very interesting for him. If we do book it I think we will book it through the cruise ship also.

[Nukesailor]

Cheryl-

We did not have any children on our tour. There were many of all ages at Chichen Itza, and there didn't seem to be any problems for those with children at Chichen Itza. However, with 6 hours on the bus, the younger children are likely to be bored and fidgety (is that a word?). The trip from Playa del Carmen to Chichen Itza has one stop for rest rooms and souvenirs, but the trip back was nonstop. The bus does have a rest room.

 

Art

[BSQ]

in general, if you ask most kids who have gone, they'd tell you it was boring. So unless there's a real interrest in Mayan civilizations, I don't know that they'd find it anything other than a long hot day with a bunch of old rock buildings.

[ala-kat]

in general, if you ask most kids who have gone, they'd tell you it was boring. So unless there's a real interrest in Mayan civilizations, I don't know that they'd find it anything other than a long hot day with a bunch of old rock buildings.

 

Must agree here. I found it unbelievably interesting, but then I passed 11 many years ago. It's a long ride, but entertaining. Well worth the time, just not for the young ones.

[cookielover]

We did do this last week. Our guide said we missed the busy day by one day. It was overcast and began raining as we were leaving around 2:45, so I don't think we would have seen the serpent shadows anyway. My kids are 17, 15, and almost 13, and had their Ipods, books to read, and school work to study on the bus. We are a family who enjoys this type of thing, and the kids were all very impressed with Chichen Itza. It is a very impressive site, and we are glad we took the time to see it.