We did the long tour in January and would not do that again if we had a 'do over' because they spend WAY too much time outside of Chichen Itza, especially with lunch and tourist trap shops. We did not want to have a scary road trip so that is why we did the tour, but given what we saw it seems perfectly safe to rent a car and just drive on the toll road directly there. We would have rather spent most of the day looking at all the ruins and bringing a sack lunch than doing that tour and only getting about 30 minutes on our own after the formal tour. The cenote was cool, but you don't need a tour bus to go there either. If you can get others from TTR to book a private tour with you, that would be the best way. The large bus is a lot of wasted time!
The first year we went with a company called "BESTDAY". We were not staying at TTR at that time but it was great. Its a long day but I don't regret it at all, none of us do. It is TRULY remarkable and worth it all. It will blow your mind what the Mayans built, the thought process behind each structure, history etc. If it is a goal, definately do it or you'll regret not. I would go 2nd day in or midtrip. Do NOT rent a car and go by yourself! The same year we went a young couple came back in the resort late one evening she was crying her eyes out! They had gotten pulled over by the POLICIA for no reason. Ordered to give them all their money or they would be hauled to jail. Sorry, not worth the risk.
Look into tours that meet your needs and expectations - for us we wanted to spend hours and hours at Chichen Itza and could not have cared less about the other stops on the tour (and lunch taking 3+ hours was stupid and a waste of valuable time). If you love the historical value of something like this, don't do a large bus tour! It is worth it to find others to share the cost of a private tour, or go on a smaller bus that doesn't spend so much time at tourist trap stores before and after lunch!
