{"id":6184,"date":"2019-11-14T11:17:32","date_gmt":"2019-11-14T16:17:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.playadelcarmen.com\/blog\/?p=6184"},"modified":"2024-02-02T09:13:48","modified_gmt":"2024-02-02T14:13:48","slug":"xcaret-day-of-the-dead-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.playadelcarmen.com\/blog\/xcaret-day-of-the-dead-review\/","title":{"rendered":"My Honest Review of Xcaret’s Day of the Dead Celebration Espectacular (2024)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you thinking about experiencing Xcaret’s<\/a> Day of the Dead Celebration Espectacular?<\/p>\n

I just beat you to it! \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

I last visited the park in November 2019.<\/p>\n

There’s a lot of hype surrounding this Festival of Life and Death every year.<\/p>\n

…So, what do you need to know before you go?<\/p>\n

A Run Down of Xcaret’s Festival of Life and Death:<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Two types of tickets.<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Xcaret during the day.<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Map out your route.<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. The events app.<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Entering and exiting the park.<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. The park at night.<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. The shows.<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. The altars.<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. Conclusion<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    1. Two Types of Ticket<\/h2>\n

    If you’re not yet acquainted with the region then Xcaret<\/a> is the Riviera Maya’s natural wondrous Disneyland!\u00a0 It’s incredible,\u00a0 and best enjoyed during the day.<\/p>\n

    However, for the Day of The Dead celebrations, Xcaret<\/a> offers two types of tickets to get into the park.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. The Day & Night Ticket<\/strong> – enjoy everything the park has to offer during the day and have access into the night until the festivities are over!<\/li>\n
    2. The Night Ticket<\/strong> – enter the park from 4 pm and be solely allowed access to the Day of The Dead event areas.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      On my journey of \u201cfunness\u201d today I explored Xcaret<\/a> with the day and night ticket<\/strong>. Which meant I got the best of both worlds.<\/p>\n

      I’ve actually visited the park with both just a day ticket, and a night ticket too so, really,\u00a0 I’m the best person to talk to when it comes to deciding which ticket is best for you. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

      \"Xcaret<\/a><\/p>\n

      When I last came here with the hubs I only went for the Dia de los Muertos festivities (Day of the Dead), which meant after dark.<\/p>\n

      It was absolutely fabulous, but you don\u2019t really get to experience the whole park after dark.<\/p>\n

      So,\u00a0 what better way to get reacquainted than to visit again this year? I specifically planned my visit to coincide with the Festival of Life and Death Traditions.<\/p>\n

      \"Xcaret<\/p>\n

      The plan was to enjoy the park in the day and then head home for a little nap and come back after dark.\u00a0 It was ingenious and worked out very well for us.<\/p>\n

      You can enter and exit the park at your own free will, which I will discuss later on in the post.<\/p>\n

      We arrived at about noon on November 1st, 2019! It was a little busier<\/strong> than what I was used to. Whether that’s because it’s Day of the Dead or the place was just generally busier these days, I’m unsure.<\/p>\n

      However, it wasn’t too bad, we stood in line for about 10 minutes<\/strong> to get our bracelet and then walked right in.<\/p>\n

      \"Xcaret<\/b><\/a>Back to top<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

      2. Xcaret During the Day<\/h2>\n

      Tip 1 – buy the plus option!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Normally my #1 tip on any tour is to bring a snack, however here you cannot take outside food and drink into the park.<\/p>\n

      This really bummed me out, because I am a firm believer in snacks.<\/p>\n

      However, they do have a little gem called Xcaret plus<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      I highly recommend it.<\/p>\n

      You are in a park, food is expensive. With the plus option, you do get 1 meal included, locker rentals,\u00a0 and life jackets for the underground river.<\/p>\n

      I can tell you first hand, the locker was a lifesaver<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      You actually get to choose which buffet you want to eat, and they have a nice variety of restaurants there.<\/p>\n

      We ate at the Mexican buffet, and it was very tasty.<\/p>\n

      The grilled chicken was probably the best I have had in a long time.<\/p>\n

      There was a nice variety, and most importantly the brownies tasted like chocolate (sometimes they don\u2019t here). So, if you can, I highly recommend the plus option.\"Beautiful<\/a><\/p>\n

      Back to top<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

      3. Map Out Your Route<\/h2>\n

      I cannot stress this enough!<\/p>\n

      The park is basically run on a route system. You follow the color of tile for whatever activities you are interested in.<\/p>\n

      We did not plan our route and just walked around aimlessly for about 45 minutes.<\/p>\n

      This park is huge<\/strong>, so it can be somewhat overwhelming sometimes.<\/p>\n

      In my experience, you won\u2019t have time to see it all in one day (although you can see a lot more if you get there before noon).<\/p>\n

      So it is helpful before you start, to grab a map<\/strong>, or better yet look at one online, and plan what activities are most important to you.<\/p>\n

      There are a lot of them. If you waste time as we did, you will probably miss something great.<\/p>\n

      \"Xcaret<\/b><\/a>Back to top<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

      4. The Events App<\/h2>\n

      TOP TIP: For the Festival Of Life and Death happening during the night at Xcaret the park has even set up their own app,<\/strong> which you can download on your phone.<\/p>\n

      It’s called ‘Xcaret Events’<\/strong> and looks a little like this:<\/p>\n

      \"Xcaret<\/p>\n

      It’s absolutely essential you download this and plan what you want to do before arriving at the park<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      For the Day of The Dead, there are on average 4 things all happening at the same time. You need to know where you have to be and at what time to get the most from your experience.<\/p>\n

      The one thing you simply cannot miss is the main show happening in the large main arena. The time changes from year to year so check in advance.<\/p>\n

      Back to top<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

      5.\u00a0 Entering and Exiting The Park<\/h2>\n

      If you buy the day and night ticket but don’t want to spend all day and night at the park you can leave and return at your own free will.<\/p>\n

      10-15 hours is just way too much for me to handle all at once.<\/p>\n

      So, if there are certain festivities at night that you want to see, exit and return.<\/p>\n

      Of course, there are tons of taxis waiting at the front gate<\/strong>, so even if you didn\u2019t drive your car, you have an option.<\/p>\n

      This is also an important snack wise as well because if you don\u2019t feel like paying $2 for a water, or more for a snack, keep one in your car.<\/p>\n

      Also, this option was nice because I wanted to paint my face for Day of the Dead, and I didn\u2019t feel like sweating it all off during the day.<\/p>\n

      \"Dia<\/a><\/p>\n

      Tah-dah!<\/p>\n

      Back to top<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

      6. Xcaret Park at Night<\/h2>\n

      If you don\u2019t want to spend all day, consider a night pass<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      This is what my colleague Sarah and her boyfriend did.<\/p>\n

      She simply joined me back at the park at 4 pm when the doors for the evening event open.<\/p>\n

      \"Xcaret\"<\/p>\n

      They are way less expensive than the day and night tickets.<\/p>\n

      I can tell you the park has a whole different ambiance at night, especially during the Festival of Life and Death Traditions.<\/p>\n

      It is beautiful and much cooler than going during the day.<\/p>\n

      Although some attractions may be closed at night, it is still a wonderful experience.<\/p>\n

      \"Day<\/p>\n

      Back to top<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

      7. The Xcaret Shows<\/h2>\n

      Perhaps the most celebrated aspect of Xcaret’s Festival of Life and Death is the shows!<\/p>\n

      The ESPECTACULARS!<\/p>\n

      During our visit, we managed to catch:<\/p>\n