Ferries to the mainland

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DougieG

Contributor
Messages
71
Reaction score
12
Location
Wisconsin
# of dives
50 - 99
Hello everyone:

Planning one day to visit the Mayan Ruins (Tulum and Coba) on the mainland. I am a bit confused on the ferry schedule. I know there are 2 different ferries, but they seem to leave Coz at the same time, which seems weird. Best I can tell the earliest ferry leaves at 5:45 am, and the second ferry leaves at 7:00 am. Does this sound correct, or am I missing something? As always, thanks for the free advice!

DougieG
 
Hi DougieG,

Don't try to find logic where logic doesn't exist. Just walk up to the vendors and buy whichever is the cheapest. Buy a one way ticket going-repeat when returning.
 
couv:
Hi DougieG,

Don't try to find logic where logic doesn't exist. Just walk up to the vendors and buy whichever is the cheapest. Buy a one way ticket going-repeat when returning.
Click to expand...
And coming back you may find a guy who will offer you tickets for half price and when you agree he will walk over to the ticket window, buy them, and sell them to you and nobody seems to care.
 
DougieG:
Hello everyone:

Planning one day to visit the Mayan Ruins (Tulum and Coba) on the mainland. I am a bit confused on the ferry schedule. I know there are 2 different ferries, but they seem to leave Coz at the same time, which seems weird. Best I can tell the earliest ferry leaves at 5:45 am, and the second ferry leaves at 7:00 am. Does this sound correct, or am I missing something? As always, thanks for the free advice!

DougieG
Click to expand...
Yep. Same times, same trip, so they just try to outsell the other.

We did that ferry, car rental, Coba & Tulum ruins once. We took the usual precautions with the rental, stopped at the OXXO leaving town (tip the bathroom attendant), stopped at the grocery corner where you turn to Coba to buy a cooler, ice, and water. It looks like it's a Super Aki now. We carried in vacuum bottles in backpacks riding bikes at Coba. At Tulum, we had to go thru a shopping mall between the parking lot and the ruin. Smaller ruin, overly manicured. Be careful refiling the car in PDC.

couv:
Buy a one way ticket going
Click to expand...
Yep. One of the companies is finally offering discounts for online booking and round trip tickets, but I'd hate to save a couple of dollars and then watch the other ferry leave while mine skipped a trip. I buy whichever is next.

BRT:
And coming back you may find a guy who will offer you tickets for half price and when you agree he will walk over to the ticket window, buy them, and sell them to you and nobody seems to care.
Click to expand...
Is he using his Local discount? And no one cares if a tourist actually used the ticket? Not much profit in that.
 
DandyDon:
Yep. One of the companies is finally offering discounts for online booking and round trip tickets, but I'd hate to save a couple of dollars and then watch the other ferry leave while mine skipped a trip. I buy whichever is next.


Is he using his Local discount? And no one cares if a tourist actually used the ticket? Not much profit in that.
Click to expand...

I haven't pay much attention the last year or so but prior the competition from Barcos Caribe if you had a ticket on the local 'Yucatan' plan they made you produce ID at boarding. Also at that time Mexico Waterjets and UltraMar operated a dulopoly and alternated schedules ever other day and fixed the prices. Around the time the Borge's started BC the government fined Waterjets and UltraMar for the Mexico equivalent of anti trust and price fixing and since then they do not coordinate schedules and prices (as much). While Barcos Caribe was still in business there was a price / political war but since they shut down it seems that the remaining two are not competing very hard.
 
BRT:
And coming back you may find a guy who will offer you tickets for half price and when you agree he will walk over to the ticket window, buy them, and sell them to you and nobody seems to care.
Click to expand...

That's a new one on me. How does one spot these guys?

I did find a cab from PDC to CUN airport for $10 last time I was there (Nov.) Driver says he needs 4 people though. I tell him I'm solo-he says no worry he'll find more and made good on it.
 
DandyDon:
Yep. Same times, same trip, so they just try to outsell the other.

We did that ferry, car rental, Coba & Tulum ruins once. We took the usual precautions with the rental, stopped at the OXXO leaving town (tip the bathroom attendant), stopped at the grocery corner where you turn to Coba to buy a cooler, ice, and water. It looks like it's a Super Aki now. We carried in vacuum bottles in backpacks riding bikes at Coba. At Tulum, we had to go thru a shopping mall between the parking lot and the ruin. Smaller ruin, overly manicured. Be careful refiling the car in PDC.


Yep. One of the companies is finally offering discounts for online booking and round trip tickets, but I'd hate to save a couple of dollars and then watch the other ferry leave while mine skipped a trip. I buy whichever is next.


Is he using his Local discount? And no one cares if a tourist actually used the ticket? Not much profit in that.
Click to expand...
I really don't know what they are doing. The tickets seem to be the same as we would buy and the people are working about 20' in front of a ticket booth. Mexico, I guess.
 
couv:
That's a new one on me. How does one spot these guys?

I did find a cab from PDC to CUN airport for $10 last time I was there (Nov.) Driver says he needs 4 people though. I tell him I'm solo-he says no worry he'll find more and made good on it.
Click to expand...
I bought from them twice now. I think I just glanced at a ticket booth and a guy came up to me with the offer. The guy wanted 50 pesos for himself the first time. We had a number of people so it was a great deal. This year the guy didn't ask for anything. Both times he sent me up to the ticket booth to actually buy the tickets. Maybe the companies sneaking in a little price competition?
 
I was asked for my local resident card on my last trip while boarding with my ticket issued for local price. Probably because I don't look local. So maybe they are cracking down on this.
 
Which one is faster?

On my last trip from playa to coz I used the Ultamar.
They both boarded at the same time.
The Mexico Waterjet left the dock first.
We left about 5 minutes later, after the other ferry cleared the dock area.
We overtook them about midchannel and arrived in coz long before them.
I dont know if this is typical or a one time event.
The Ultamar was larger, but I didn't know that beforehand.
 
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