Calica/Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

What is there to do in Calica?

LifeIsCruising — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 13:03:18 GMT

I heard that they have really built this port up in the past few years and that there is more to do that the ruins now. What IS there to do?

Thanks!

calica side trips for a family group

denny — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:39:43 GMT

Help we have little ones 2 -9 with us and wondering what to do in calica - 10 crazy people in our group

Hidden Worlds??? Anyone gone

tld33 — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:57:03 GMT

Sailing in Sept. to Calica. Would like to go to Hidden Worlds. Anyone done this ? If so how far from port and what was the cab fare? Would love any comments.

Thanks

Money at Xcaret?

moleymomo@yahoo.com — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:44:18 GMT

How much money to you think I should expect to spend at Xcaret for me and my husband with lunch and drinks. We are ballin' on a budget and we would like to make it last. Thanks.

Calica

meka — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 01:26:56 GMT

What is there to do in Calica, Mexico? Anyone with any suggestions?a href='http://www.cruiseclocks.com/'><img border='0' src="
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Review of Edventures and pics

Worstof — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:33:25 GMT

We just got off the Holiday on Sat, 19 July. You can read our review of Edventures and the Holiday at http://holiday.grunds.net.

There are also a bunch of pics and movies of Edventures and the Holiday.

Hope you find it useful.

Bill

Private Group Excursion for Holiday July 14, 2008 Sailing

East_Meets_West — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 21:11:58 GMT

Hello Everyone-

We are booked on the Holiday sailing out of Mobile on July 14th. We port in Calica on Thurs the 17th. I've been doing some research and found an awesome eco-tour company Alltournative.com and I am trying to put together a group of 10 people to creat our own private group tour for that day. My family is four (2 adults 2 sixteen year old girls) so I only need 6 others to join us. You can check out their tours at their web site. They look phenominal, have really great reviews and the company is an awarding winning reputable one. The only problem is the timing (getting back to the ship on time) but I spoke to one of their representatives and she said they would put together a group just for us & frame it around our ship dock time. I was most intereseted in the Maya Zipline + Tulum tour or the Mayan Encounter tour. I would be happy to put the thing together if I can find 6 other adventurous souls out there interested. Please email me directly if you are interested.

Xcaret Park sailing July 14th on the Holiday

Tammy — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 21:07:50 GMT

I have done a little checking and this sounds like a wonderful experience for families. For some reason Carnival does not have a contract with them for the months of June and July. I was just wondering if anyone had experienced this park without booking it through Carnival.

Tammy

Calica/Playa del Carmen Edventure Tours: MUST DO!!!

Amly2003 — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:39:19 GMT

While in Calica you MUST look up Edventures Tours! You can find them @ edventuretours.com.mx or by emailing them @ edventure68@hotmail.com.

Let me start off by saying that we are a little bit discouraged when we first got to Calica because Calica is just a big dust bowl. There is absolutly NOTHING to do at the port. You must either book an excursion or take a taxi to somewhere, and the taxi is not cheap! It cost us $20 for the taxi. We had to take the taxi because we had some problems getting off our boat which caused us to be 30 minutes late. The bus with the tour group had already left. But luckily Eddie was still waiting for us. He was standing there with our name on a sign. It is the port policy that he cannot leave with us, so he arranged for a taxi to take us to a local gas station where he picked us up. We then went to the Tulum Ruins. Eddie handled everything and got us into the ruins before the big crowds hit. We were able to run through the ruins quickly. We saw everything but we weren't able to stop and look because we were running so late. (Which was our fault, not Edventure Tours.) The ruins were amazing! I have plenty of beautiful pictures from it. I even have one that looks like a postcard picture. There was even an Iguana that was hanging out and letting people take his picture. (My Husband wouldn't go pet him even though I begged!) The ruins are easy to get lost in though, and it is REALLY hot!! Wear a hat and good walking shoes. When we found our way out of the ruins we met back at Edventure Tours shop at the Ruins. This is where we met Bonnie. May I say that she is super nice. She introduced us to our tour guide Ricardo. What a character he is! He had us laughing the entire trip. Ricardo got us fitted for our snorkeling gear and offered us some drinks before we left. (We turned down a swimming vest because we consider ourselves to be good swimmers, but I would highly recommend getting one if you are going to Akumal Bay (Turtle Bay), this is in the ocean and it does make you tired at times.) We then got into the car with Ricardo and another nice couple from Florida. It was so good to be in this small group. That is one thing you can't do on a Cruiseline excursion. Ricardo took us to the Dos Ojos Cenotes. On the way he talked to us about the caverns explaining how they were formed and all of the history behind them. He has a strong French accent but I had no problem understanding him. The cenotes were amazing! It was the best part of the trip! I was SO afraid that I would be scared the whole time because you are swimming in caves. But once I got in there I didn't think of anything like that. I just kept up with Ricardo and watched my head. He did a good job at making sure that we were all okay the whole time. He took a lot of pictures of the caverns and of us the whole time. (If you request before hand, (when you make your reservation), they will have an underwater digital camera that your guide will use to take pictures of you snorkeling and of all the things you see. It costs $30 and they put it on a CD for you to take home with you. It had over 100 pictures on it. Absolutly priceless!) The cenotes are something that everyone needs to do at least once in their lifetime! After the cenotes, Ricardo walked us over to see a local girl named Jackie who has a spider monkey. We were able to hold him and feed him. He was really funny and so sweet. He kept laying his head on my Husband's shoulder. After that we left to go to Akumal Bay. We got on a small boat and went out to the bay. While snorkeling we saw stingrays, barracudas, all kinds of fish, coral reefs, and of course the Sea Turtles. It was SO amazing to be swimming beside a turtle. I'll never forget that feeling! We then got back into the boat and went to one of the local beachside restraunts. The food was awesome! I had the Chicken Maya with the fried plantains, and of course some Margaritas! This restraunt had tables built into the palm trees where you could climb up and eat. It was so neat! But make sure that you have plenty of small bills on hand, b/c we made that mistake and ended up with $50 worth of pesos! After we ate, we left to go to Yal-Ku Lagoon. There are beautiful gardens and statues as you walk to the lagoon. We did some more snorkeling and saw some of the most amazing fish you'll ever see, including the huge parrot fish. The lagoon is a really safe place to snorkel. It was like swimming in a huge fish bowl. Ricardo then had us back to our ship in time for a little bit of shopping. When we left him, it felt like we were leaving one of our friends behind. We wanted to take him with us! He was really dedicated to making our trip the best it could be. He would do anything we wanted, and would go out of his way to make sure we were happy the entire time. I highly recommend them to everyone! I know that when we go back there is no question about what we'll be doing! Have fun and wear plenty of sunblock!

Little Furry Critters

Luv 2 Float — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:07:57 GMT

When we were in Calica, I noticed some small animals running around. They looked like a cross between a monkey and a ferret. There was a bunch of them on the shore cliffs at the aft end of the ship and I even saw one or two running around the paved area. Anyone know what these little guys are?

Excursions... Mayan Riviera Horseback

Emily724o — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:34:51 GMT

WE booked the Mayan Riviera Horseback excursion at the Punto Venado ranch. Anyone been on this excursion before? We were just wondering what to look forward to?

Anyone done the Caverns & Beach by Bus (w/lunch) excursion?

EdithC — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 01:11:16 GMT

We are thinking of doing this excursion and wondering if anyone else has done it and what they thought. Thanks!!!

PORT ACTIVITIES IN CALICA

HOLLY'S NANA — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:18:52 GMT

CRUISING FASCINATION FEBRUARY 25 WESTERN CARRIBBEAN

I AM CRUISING WITH MY 24 Y.O. GRAND DAUGHTER WHO WOULD LIKE TO SNORKLE AND SCUBA (FOR THE FIRST TIME). I DON'T EVEN SWIM SO AM AT A LOSS TO DECIDE ON WHAT TO BOOK WHILE IN CALICA.

THERE ARE NO TIMES POSTED FOR TOURS : I WONDER IF WE CAN FIT 2 ACTIVITIES INTO THE TIME AVAILABLE .

ANYONE HAVE SUGGESTIONS OR RESOURCE FOR MORE INFO?

Things to do

Anonymous — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 02:12:05 GMT

Anyone spent time on Calica? Wondering what you think is worth your time there? We are sailing on Carnival.

Xcaret

cmoorebird — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 06:27:18 GMT

Our travel agent says that Carnival no longer goes to Calica .We want to go to the theme park called Xcaret which is at that port. Can anyone tell me if this is possible. Our cruise is on the Inspiration April 26,2008

Winter cruises

Clayhabitat — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 23:37:49 GMT

We just got back from a cruise from Tampa to Calica and Grand Cayman. The swells were pretty big. Does anyone know if this is normal this time of year, or was this unusual?

shotover jet boat

cmallie — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 19:40:38 GMT

Has anyone done the shotover jet boat excursion? It looks really exciting.

Porting on July 5, 2006

Walter — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 23:23:06 GMT

My wife and I are taking the Holiday July 3rd cruise out of Mobile. This is our first cruise and are having trouble deciding what to do for excursions. We are not ones to be herded in a group setting but want to experience the culture.

Does anyone have suggestions for us? We are on a budget but if it is worth the expense we are open. Short trips and eateries are welcome.

Thanks,

Walter