Cancun Mexico

Xoximilco is one of the top Xcaret night time excursions which involves dancing to mariachi and salsa music on a beautiful floating boat in the Riviera Maya and Cancun Mexico area. The inspiration from Xcaret’s Xoximilco Cancun excursion came from the original Xochimilco cultural district in Mexico City where there are natural river systems and islands built by the ancient Aztecs. It is a unique twist, in that the Cancun Xoximilco version by Xcaret incorporates a similar vibe and atmosphere right in the heart of the Riviera Maya

This is an all-inclusive excursion that includes food and drinks on the boat called Mexican gondolas, which is essentially a floating boat with a big picnic table in the middle where you will be seated with your assigned group and served food and drinks while the performance and show begins.

A Review of Who Xoximilco is Designed For

To begin this Xoximilco review, it is important to distinguish who this excursion activity is designed for versus who it isn’t for. For starters, this is a nighttime attraction, and this excursion does involve being on a floating boat and it includes ample amounts of drinking alcohol.

Of course, there will be Mexican music, food and other festivities around – so even if you don’t drink you can still come to the Xoximilco boat to have a good time.

However if you have very young children or toddlers, this may not be the ideal excursion for you. It does involve a nighttime excursion with a lot of drinking and adult fun involved, so it may not be suitable for children.

While you won’t be forced to drink on this Xoximilco Xcaret excursion, depending on the group you go with (which is a medium sized boat with a random set of passengers who have signed up for this excursion just like you) you may get a rowdy group or a more calmer, and collected one.

They do encourage drinking, as everyone gets a small bottle of Tequila and often the group will encourage you to finish this alcoholic drink and its bottle in its entirety before the end of the excursion.

Drinking games will also be played, meaning who can drink the most, take the most shots or fun challenges where the loser of the game must drink.

There will be loud music playing in the background, so feel free to sing and dance the night away on this excursion. You likely won’t make it back to the hotel or resort till past midnight, maybe even closer to 2 AM, so plan on it being an all-night activity.

Try not to book any early morning excursions the next day unless you are ok with minimal sleep.

Transportation for the Xoximilco Excursion in Xcaret

As always, the transportation to and from the Hotels Xcaret Arte and Xcaret Mexico are included, but those staying outside of the resorts must either find their own transportation or it is possible to purchase an excursion on Viator.com or through the Xcaret website.

The transport buses are a lot of fun, and in some cases some groups even sang songs on the way back home – which goes to show you the level of camaraderie that some of these Xoximilco excursions bring. You are allowed to bring alcohol back to the bus with you, but personally I think the drinking opportunity is more than enough on the Gondolas that more alcohol is definitely not needed, but again it depends on the group and the level of fun and excitement the groups brings.

A Review of Food on the Xoximilco Xcaret Excursion

You will be served traditional Mexican food on the boat, while dancing the night away to upbeat Mexican salsa and mariachi on top of the boat. The food is decent, you’ll be given a platter of different dipping sauces and traditional tacos and empanadas will be served up. While the food is pretty good, it definitely isn’t the highlight of the Xoximilco excursion at Xcaret. From experience and hearing others comment on the food, it is your basic Mexican food, similar to what you can find at a generic Chipotle restaurant in the states. It does the trick for what it’s mean to be, but definitely not a highlight of the trip.

A Review of The Experience at Xoximilco in Cancun

During the boat ride, you may also come across vendors selling local arts and crafts as well as souvenirs on the water. This is a good opportunity to pick up a few local souvenirs to take home with you.

It’s a fun way to change the pace and get a night out on the town

Bathroom Breaks During the Xoximilco Xcaret Excursion

A night out drinking and having fun in the Xoximilco party wouldn’t be complete without at least one trip to the bathroom. There are no bathrooms or facilities available in the boats, so make sure you use the bathroom prior to boarding the boat. Also, you will be given an opportunity to use the bathroom at some point in the middle of the excursion when the boat stops to give the whole group a bathroom break.