Tour Reviews

Andrew, Beth, Shannon and
Savannah, GA
Chacchoben Extreme
Radiance of the Seas

I really felt like we had the best guide

This comment is to express how very pleased we were with our tour of the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and our follow up visit to the most spectacular lagoon we ever had a chance to visit.

The tour of the Chacchoben ruins by our guide Eliu was fantastic and very enlightening. Eliu was articulate, knowledgeable and had the unique gift of bringing back history to life by incorporating the fauna, flora and origins of the Maya civilization. He has a talent for bringing ancient history to life and we liked the way he used pictures from his bag, and even drawing in the dirt to make his point! It was great! He gave us enough information to keep it interesting but not so much as to overwhelm us. I really felt like we had the best guide out there.

Overall we thought The Native Choice was excellent, from the time they picked us up, until the time they brought us back. We were very impressed. We felt they were professional and experienced in giving tours. We would recommend this company without exception.

Francine Martinez
San Diego, CA
Mayan Experience
Celebrity Eclipse

The tour with Ivan was the highlight of our cruise.

The tour with Ivan was the highlight of our cruise. We had wanted to find a balance of history, personal experience, and fun in a tour and Ivan provided it. All the people we met were warm, welcoming and encouraged us to think about a return trip to see the other ruins with Ivan.

If you are looking for a "non-cruise" excursion that is personable, welcoming, and inspiring...this is the one! Missing it would be missing a lifetime experience!

Ben and Hazel Webb
Pasco, Washington
Mayan Experience
Carnival Dream

We feel the BEST tour was saved for last.

Ivan, Thank you so much for our Mayan Experience Tour. We feel the BEST tour was saved for last. We enjoyed the Mayan ruins tour very much with all of your personal experiences, hearing about all the plants, trees and the medicines that come from them. The Mayan village was very interesting and the meal was delicious. It was so interesting to hear and see how they live and prepare their meals. You are an excellent guide. You even taught us the Mayan counting system and calendar.

Thank you again for a GREAT EXPERIENCE.
Ben and Hazel Webb
Pasco, Washington

J & T Powers
Golden, Colorado
Mayan Experience
NCL

A very memorable and enlightening experience

Ivan made the experience a very memorable and enlightening experience. His love and knowledge of Chacchoben was truly “from the heart”. We felt we were very fortunate to have had a “True Native” as our guide. The visit to a Mayan village for lunch was very pleasing to say the least! No cruise ship tour could ever compare to the Native Choice Tour we had on Dec.14,2010. By far the most interesting tour we’ve ever experienced !!! Thank you Ivan & Staff of Native Choice!!!!!! J&T Powers

Alicia and Ben Tollison
Alpharetta, GA
Mayan Experience
NCL Spirit

Wonderful tour

Wonderful tour; easy pace; early morning before cruise tours arrive so not crowded. Plenty time for photography and explanations about site (Chacchoben) in shade.

Joel (sp) was very knowledgeable, patient, and had great English speaking skills as my Spanish leaves a lot to be desired. Experience in village included fabulous food in abundance and fun with tortilla making; but we didn't really see any of village other than location of the meal (other than from bus).

The ladies did a great job with presentation and serving of meal.

Small group size was definitely a plus.

Elise & Frank
Franklin Square, NY
Mayan Experience
NCL Epic Cruise

This tour was fantastic

We took the Mayan Experience Tour with David on 11/29/10, we were on the NCL Epic. This tour was fantastic, David was extremely knowledgable and also fun on the tour. The ruins were amazing and the lunch with the Mayan family was fun and educational at the same time. Others took excursions with the cruise line were not as happy as we were and paid a lot more money for it. We would recommend this to anyone. Thanks again David for a great experience...until we return again.

Mercedes Zayas-Alvarez
Miami, FL
Dzibanche Ruins Premier
NCL EPIC

I hightly recommend it!

We were hesitant about going on a tour that would take so many hours but it was a great decision. Francisco, our tour guide, was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and gracious. He was a wonderful teacher. We had a great driver as well. He was so efficient that we even had additional time to explore a beautiful lake and have a delicious, authentic Mexican lunch at a local restaurant.

Since we only had another couple in our tour party, the whole experience was very personal. This was an "off the beaten path" destination and I hightly recommend it! Thanks to Francisco and his driver for an unusual and valuable experience.

Amy Hyden
NOLA
Mayan Experience
NCL Spirit

Fascinating

The ruins were beautiful as was the land around them. I found it fascinating that there were obviously other ruin sites on the property that had yet to be unearthed. I was very interested in the plant tour and how the Mayan people used the materials around them. However, I can not express in words what Ivan brings to this tour. He is a wonderful story teller and I was hanging on every word. The Mayan civilization is described in a way that you could sit and listen for multiple days...unfortunately, you do not to have that time! I was overwhelmed with the amount of knowledge Ivan had and his story telling and white board drawings helped to make things more concrete. The ruins tour was wonderful, but to end here would be such a loss. If you take the Mayan experience tour you are taken from the ruins to Ivan's mother's house where the experience really begins. You are shown how traditional families live, how their houses are set up, you here about traditional foods and get a chance to make your own corn tortillas. The storytelling continues and Ivan explains what was made for your lunch and how it is prepared. Being a typical American, I worried I would get sick, but everything is super clean and well prepared. The food was wonderful... I am embarrassed to say I asked for more! We had tamales, chicken, rice, beans- all with delicious sauces and seasoning. The hibiscus tea and flan were outstanding! The family members and Ivan's mother were so gracious....you wanted to stay for dinner too! Ivan continues to tell stories and answer questions. I was amazed when one of Ivan's stories comes to life in front of you....I don't want to give it all away! When it was time to leave I actually got choked up because of how nice a time I had, how much I had learned and I was so grateful I had taken this tour. What a blessing it was to see and hear through Ivan. If you go through Costa Maya and don't take this tour, you will miss out ! It is not every day that you get a cultural experience like this that asks for nothing but your appreciation in return. I would love to here the stories and information again!
Thank you Ivan and please thank your mother again!
Ever thought about a cookbook?