I want to visit Chicken Izta on Sunday, however, I am trying to find the best tour. My hotel has one for $119 that is more or less identical to the trio of tours offered here on CancunCare for considerably less money. I've also seen signs around Cancun touting tours for under $50, which is cheaper than the CancunCare offering. Does anyone have any recommendations?
I would obviously recommend booking through cancuncare Chichen Itza Tours Reason being this site is in its 10th year of operation and our provider Entertainment Plus have been running 12 years. We both have a reputation to keep and customer service matters to us, so we ensure the best possible service at the best possible price. I'm not sure 'Jose' at the tour kiosk has quite the same level of commitment as we do, he may have been in the job for just a few weeks (tour sales job turnover is extremely high) and knows he's not going to see you again nor are you going to be able to contact him afterwards if you need to. If comparing make sure the tours are the same in terms of what's included, the type of transport, the stops, the food and drinks etc. Often a cheaper option will be just that - cheaper because they are cutting corners. For example they may sell soft drinks on the bus instead of include them, use less modern less comfortable transport, charge extra for the tour guide or lunch is of poorer quality. Whatever option you choose enjoy your day out.
The worst part of the tour you buy from the sexy pool area is that you end up spending too much time at a shopping place because they want you to buy stuff, and the lunch was so terrible we literally couldn't eat it. By the time we got to Chichen Itza it was 2:30 and we only had about 30 minutes to look around after the guided tour. We would have spent the entire day there if we had a choice, and that was disappointing. Wish we would have booked through cancuncare!! If we had a do-over, we would rent a car and just go on our own. If we could have found more people to join us, a private tour would have been great too - but for only two people it was a bit on the expensive side. It was a lot of fun, just don't go on the big bus tour!!! Steve only puts the good places on his recommended lists - trust him
When we went we booked with Best Day and it ws great but at that time I was not a member of CC. I would definately trust booking with Steve! We spent a VERY extensive tour at Chichen Itza and our tour guy was VERY knowledgable, we learned a lot. It is a LONG day but worth every minute and penny with the right tour company. SULTRYFOX MENTAL NOTE!!!! The same year we went on our tour another couple from our resort rented a car and went on their own? only to be stopped by the policia and be threatened to give them all their money or be hauled off to jail for doing nothing wrong! They arrived back at the resort crying and terrified to death! I would NOT recommend this to people!!!!!!!! and I have been going to Mexico for years.
I would strongly urge that you listen to Steve. Here are a few reasons below why you should. 1. If you book with others you may get the guy who gives you a cheap rate tell you that all will be ok and if you have problems call him on his cell phone. Guess what, when the bus is no show the guy will not answer the cell phone. And if he does he will not remember you or forget to speak English. 2. Many companies who charge rates around $100 will also fail to have the bus pickk you up. I have seen too many people who wait for the bus over 2 hours and they are a no show. Plus they cannot get the cash payment back now since the people who booked them blame them for not being in the right place. There are other ways to go as well other then with a reputable company. One is to go for free, yes free. That is of course with the caveat that you spend the entire day at a time share presentation where they beat you down for the entire day (unless its raining you will forever regret this money saving technique) and make you spend a fortune for the time share you never wanted to begin with since you know that you can beat the salesmen by saying no all day and get the free trip. Of course the free trip costs your entire day at the pool or the beach. You can also drive. But make sure you have enough gas both ways since there is no rest stop on the highway to fill up in case you run empty, make sure you have drinks and food just in case and money for the toll in case you end up on the toll road each way. And do not worry about the police. If they stop you insist that they take you in and write up the ticket. Most of the time they will just let you go since all they want is your cash. Never give them your license or cash for any reason. Insists on being taken to the station. That is not their style and you will go home free and with the money in your pocket. And if they insist on cash tell them you have none with you. They will not search you unless you are doing something really illegal.
So I did the tour offered through the Cancun Care website for $69; a rate which was significantly cheaper than what my hotel offered, though a few tour booths had signs offering lower prices. On the whole, it was a nice tour. However, I did have two issues. First, I didn't receive all the components of the tour that were advertised. Namely, I was suppose to receive four complimentary drinks on the bus, but this did not happen. I even asked the tour operators and they said it wasn't the case. Second, I thought the tour, at least of the actual site, was a bit short. By the time we arrived, there was only time for a 40-minute guided tour and 25 minutes to explore on your own. The rest of the nearly 12-hour tour was spent on the road, stopping at tourist traps -- a.k.a. gift shops -- or having lunch. I think you could eliminate some of that to ensure there's more time to explore the ruins. I e-mailed a complaint to Entertainment Plus -- the company that books the tours for Cancun Care -- and they agreed to refund me the $69. I'm just waiting for the funds to be sent on PayPal, as they do not have the ability to directly refund my credit card.
I am sorry you did not like the tour. But you would have had the same type of tour with other companies for more money. The drinks should be of no issue at all and you should not worry about that in any way. As I stated before if you were to rent a car, you could do the tour on your own spend the time at the ruins, etc. and then go back at your leisure. However I am not sure if you would have saved any money after tolls, car rental, car insurance (mandatory in Mexico), food, admisison prices, etc. So overall considering the fact that you got to Chichen Itza and you were unsatisfied be glad that your money is being returned to you in whole. Other companies would have told you that they will not refund your money since they had to pay for the bus, gas, the driver, etc. Truthfully in this case I would side with the companies and not yourself since you took the entire tour and your complaints are relatively minor and I am sure you took your time in exploring the sites which is really what its all about.
Personally, I always go to Valladolid and stay the night. That way I get to enjoy a very interesting town, rest up and get a good nights sleep, before heading to Chichen Itza for a full day. Ps. The 100% refund is something you will NEVER get from ANY of the other companies, ever.
Friends of ours told us there was an incident involving a hold-up on one of the tour buses - everybody on the bus lost everything! We plan to go on the Chichen Itza tour, but are wondering about our safety. Can anyone give us any information?
That was a tour bus in Puerta Vallarta, which is a LONG way from Chichen Itza. Even that was an isolated incident. It would be hard to do near Chichen Itza, there are tons of State Police on that highway. You are perfectly safe in my opinion.
