Deciding to go to Xplor
Xplor is an adventure park located in the Playa del Carmen area of Mexico. I truly had no expectations for Xplor, or even really knew what it was before I went. My parents and I went on a Caribbean Cruise this December and half-assed planned what we’d do while we were docked. As I’ll get into eventually, the last few months have been the most heart-wrenching year of my life, and our main goal was to try and relax. We ended up booking all the excursions through Royal Caribbean on Black Friday, so they were all ~20% off. The last cruise I went on, a Mediterranean Cruise, we had planned all of our shore days ourselves, which is cheaper and a little more authentic, but it’s easier through the cruise company.
Choosing to Go
When researching the possible activities, this particular shore excursion sounded fun – it involved zip lining and cave tubing, so we figured, ‘why not’. I don’t think we read further than the first sentence. Our cruise shop docked in Cozumel, and then we took a ferry to Playa del Carmen, and then we took a bus to Xplor – so it was quite a journey. Our tour guide, Juan, gave us a brief history of the area and the park. Once we heard that Xplor was a park, our nonexistent expectations became pretty low. A park? This will be cheesy and filled with kids.
Xplor – Walking up to one of the ziplines
Inside the amazing Xplor!
Boy, were we wrong! We arrived to an underground cave area where we checked in. The line to check in was about 50 people deep (not bad compared to American amusement parks), but we got to skip the line since we were with a cruise group. Once we got our wristbands and helmets, we proceeded to the locker changing area. You have to wear helmets throughout the entire park since you’re mostly walking through caves and caverns with ‘active’ stalactites and stalagmites. There’s always a small risk of something falling off the caves.
Activity #1 – Ziplining
Our first activity was zip lining. There are two courses, a “tall one” and a “short one,” each with 7 zip lines. We chose the tall one, we were told it was faster and you only got wet on the last zip line. There was quite a bit of walking and climbing involved with a few of the towers, but we were thankful for it after a few days on board the ship. The employees working the zipline were extremely efficient without making you feel unsafe. The safety regulations are definitely more relaxed than the US, but not in a bad way – it just provided a quicker experience. All of the employees speak at least Spanish and English, and were always willing to help. As you step off the platform on the last zip line, you soar over the lush green trees, through a waterfall, and into a cave river!
Xplor – Ziplining
Activity #2 – Amphibious Driving
The next activity we did was drive an amphibious vehicle. Amphibious means it drives on land and water. Again, we thought it looked kind of boring, so we didn’t expect much. And yet again, we were so wrong. What a blast this was! I drove while my parents were my passengers – they said I was a ‘city driver’ so I’d get the most out of it, can’t argue with that. There were so many twists and turns, sections driving through caves, and strips of driving through water. At times I wondered how some timid drivers would be able to do this course!
Xplor – Amphibious Driving
Activity #3 – Cave Rafting
Our third activity was rafting through a cave. Juan, our guide, had told us that the park was about 70% natural and 30% man made, depending on where in the park you are. The cave rafting was probably one of the most unique activities I’ve done. It was truly beautiful to be casually drifting through a cavern filled with stalactites, as seen below.
Xplor – Cave tubing
Activity #4 – Cave Swimming
The final activity we did was the river swim. This was really similar to the cave rafting, just swimming instead. You’re given a life vest since there are parts that you can’t touch the ground at all. There are short (7-10 minutes) and long (~30 minutes) courses you can choose from for the rafting and swimming, we chose the longer one for both activities.
Xplor – Cave swimming (photo taken with my camera, so you can see the perks of the picture package you can buy there!)
Leave your phone & camera in the lockers
One of the coolest features of this park is pictures. When you’re given a helmet, it has a number on it, as well as a tracking chip inside helmet. Your picture is taken throughout each activity – the quality and lighting is fantastic. Rather than buy a waterproof case or worry about taking a go pro, I’d highly recommend just investing in a picture package through the park. There are signs where your picture will be taken, so you know when it’s coming. There’s also big orange buttons next to some of the cameras. You can just click that button when you want your picture taken. It’s brilliant! I imagine most theme parks in the US will adopt this picture method in the near future.
Our shore excursion through the cruise company was about $150/person. That included a roundtrip ferry ride from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen, a roundtrip bus ride to the park, admission to the park, and a delicious buffet lunch. We arrived at the park around 9:30am and left around 2:30pm. Just as a reminder, my parents and I did this park. We’re a 27 year old, a 56 year old, and a 60 year old – and we still had a blast! While I’m sure kids and teenagers would love this, we’re proof that all ages enjoy it!
Xplor – Inside one of the caves on the amphibious vehicle drive