Cheap, Simple Day Trip For Mainland Ruins? Tulum Ruins...??

[BrewingDiver]

Thanks! The bus would be cheaper and simpler, but how often does it run each way I wonder? I may need to ask on the main Mexico forum as the local PDC members might know more.

Curious why you paid $28 RT for the ferry? The ferries are 140 Pesos, aren't they? Spending USD and got hit with with a bad exchange? Why were the ferries not running that afternoon? Wind?

There are a few busses running, but I can't remember how many.

Sorry, we did pay 140 pesos, which right now is only about $10 USD as you know. I don't know why more ferries were not running. Not wind, though. It's funny, they whited-out the regular times on the tickets by hand, and wrote the new ones.

Either way the trip was very easy to do, with no hassle and cheap.

 

[DandyDon]

Sorry, we did pay 140 pesos, which right now is only about $10 USD as you know. I don't know why more ferries were not running. Not wind, though. It's funny, they whited-out the regular times on the tickets by hand, and wrote the new ones.

Ah, ok. It's easy to fall back into the old habit of 10:1 conversions, but yeah 140 Pesos is currently around $10 or so, subject to whims of the markets. Sounds like maybe you had a round-trip ticket, that boat had equipment problems, and you couldn't take the other boat with that ticket? The top two internet sites that show up under "cozumel ferry schedule" show old rates of 80 pesos and 110 pesos; the third one freezes my bowser; but this one might be accurate since it has the right price: Cozumel Ferry Schedules: Cozumel and Playa del Carmen It shows that Ultramar only has one boat between 3 and 6, so if it's 5pm boat can't go - that's it, whereas Cruceros Maritimos has a 4 and 5 boat. Not that I ever know which boat I got on? I just grab the next one, but that's part of why I never do round-trip tickets.

Anyway, thanks for the info. More accurate that internet sites, as Mexico info often goes. I actually think we'll spend the bucks for a car rental, head for Coba with a cooler of soda pops, then work our way back stopping at what looked good - probly including Tulum ruins. If that plan gets dumped, then maybe the bus.

 

[1KWIK_69]

In the flu thread they said the ferries aren't running at all now. Is this true?

 

[georoc01]

That sounds like the ferry schedule I ran into in the fall. Missed the 3pm ferry after the ride down from the airport so I had to hang around till 6. Fortunately it was a very nice day..Worse places to have to kill a few hours with a drink or 2 on the beach.

 

[DandyDon]

In the flu thread they said the ferries aren't running at all now. Is this true?

I didn't see that? Winds out of the east at 17 mph. Don't see why they wouldn't be?

That sounds like the ferry schedule I ran into in the fall. Missed the 3pm ferry after the ride down from the airport so I had to hang around till 6. Fortunately it was a very nice day..Worse places to have to kill a few hours with a drink or 2 on the beach.

The link I posted says that Cruceros Maritimos has 4 & 5 pm boats? But it also says they have an 8pm boat, and I think when I missed the 7pm then I had to wait for the 9pm last time. Maybe that schedule is wrong? There is a toll free number of 866-728-1438. I'm not going to try to call them now, but mabe as the time approaches.

 

[1KWIK_69]

I didn't see that? Winds out of the east at 17 mph. Don't see why they wouldn't be?

It was posted by someone that said they closed them to keep the flu from reaching Cozumel, not because of weather. I thought that sounded a little far fetched, but then again, they did close down all the schools and the ruins sites.

 

[BTravlin]

It was reported in a Cozumel web forum by locals that the ferries were still running but all the ruins are closed for the time being.

 

[robint]

Don - be aware that the ferry schedules change day-to-day. They don't run every hour like they claim on that website! The cruise ships use one of them for private shuttling of pod people sometimes so they just don't run at all on a set schedule. We got to the ferry terminal twice on our trip and discovered that there was not going to be a ferry that hour. Twice! So, for example, some days there is a 3pm ferry going from Coz to PDC (or back) but other days there might only be a 2pm or 4pm. WE got stuck twice!

 

[OPIE1979]

Is this feasible?

I'm stuck taking a cruise into Calica and debarking 7am-ish.

I'm thinking of renting a car, beating the cruise buses to Tulum, spend an hour +/- then heading out to Coba, rent the bikes/bike taxis, and head back to PDC/Calica.

Will I have enough time to get back to Calica by 5pm?

 

[DandyDon]

Is this feasible?

I'm stuck taking a cruise into Calica and debarking 7am-ish.

I'm thinking of renting a car, beating the cruise buses to Tulum, spend an hour +/- then heading out to Coba, rent the bikes/bike taxis, and head back to PDC/Calica.

Will I have enough time to get back to Calica by 5pm?

Sounds about like how we're doing it, except that if we're late we'll take a later ferry. You have to be back on time. Anyway, you'll know for sure what your travel time is by the time you get to Coba so you should be able to get back fine.