Xplor Day: When Adventure Works

Stephanie Fluger
Jan 10
3 min read

Welcome to Day 4.

Are you tired of me complaining? Because I’m tired of me complaining.

So, in the spirit of transparency—because I want to be true to my experience—here’s the reality: the service never got better. It was a continual disappointment, and if you’re coming here looking specifically for luxury service, this location is not worth the expense.

That said… we’re still here.So let’s move on.…sort of.

Today, we planned to go to Xplor.

This park is all about zip lining, cave swims, cave paddles, and ATVs—and honestly, it’s one of the main reasons we chose this resort in the first place. Lance and I had been to Xplor once before, back when we were still dating, on a cruise… about 15 years ago. We remembered it being so much fun, and now that the kids are 7 and 8, they’re finally at the perfect age to do it with us.

I was genuinely excited to share this day with them.

The Morning (Again)

By this point in the trip, we’d already done the breakfast buffet twice—and that was enough for us. We didn’t need to waste another morning waiting in line. The plan was simple: have breakfast delivered to the room and move along.

The night before, I ordered room-service breakfast for an 8:00 a.m. delivery. Pancakes. Scrambled eggs—with pepper on the side. (This is the only way Neil will eat eggs, and I made that very clear.) And a veggie omelet.

Everything was ordered ahead of time. Easy enough.

I’ll admit it—I woke up fully expecting something to go wrong. I was literally taking screenshots of my phone a minute after 8:00 a.m.

The food arrived about 15 minutes late. Not Ritz-Carlton-level service, but… standard. Fine.

Except they forgot the pepper.

Neil would not eat the eggs. I ended up running around to multiple restaurants trying to find a pepper shaker, which somehow turned into a whole thing.

Eventually, I had to explain the situation to a staff member and basically ask them to put pepper into a napkin.

They did.

After all of that, Neil ate three bites.

At that point, we just pivoted and moved on.

We headed to the shuttle area and realized Xplor doesn’t even start drop-offs until 11:00 a.m. By the time we figured this out, it was already 10:30, so we waited it out and adjusted expectations accordingly.

Xplor vs. XCaret

Xplor is very different from XCaret.

Xplor is focused almost entirely on caves and adventure. Xcaret is more of a blend—culture, history, beaches, snorkeling, animals, and water experiences layered together.

The Neurodivergent Experience at Xplor

One of Xplor’s biggest draws is the zip lines—and they are huge.

Neil made it very clear he was too nervous. Honestly, I don’t blame him. They’re high, fast, and intense. Even 15 years later, I remember them feeling a little unnerving myself. The kids were big enough to do them if they wanted, but pushing through fear just to check a box wasn’t the goal.

What Xplor did really well was offering hammock zip lines.

These let kids experience zip lining without the extreme height or the overwhelming sensory input of traditional harnesses. It was a great middle ground—still exciting, but accessible.

Next up was the cave swim. It was fun, but I realized I preferred the variety at Xcaret—caves mixed with mangroves, bats, canals, and open water—whereas Xplor stays almost entirely underground.

Then came the ATVs.

This is one experience not to miss.

There’s no long instructional video. No tightly controlled track. No intense waiver moment. You’re given an ATV and off you go. If you want to go a little rogue, you absolutely can.

Neil, Lance, and I had an absolute blast.

Deena, on the other hand, screamed for her life the entire time.

It took every ounce of my self-control not to laugh.

Note to self: I may need to toughen this girl up just a little.

Knowing When to Call It

When you’re traveling with a neurodivergent child, expectations shift.

Some kids can go from open to close without issue. Others—like my son—cannot. And that’s okay.

We did everything that felt important and meaningful, and we were done in about four hours. That was the right call.

Back at the resort, the kids went straight to the pool and slides. Water continues to be the great equalizer on this trip.

The Unexpected Win

Once the kids were finally asleep, I took a walk on my own—and stumbled upon my new favorite place on the property.

A salsa bar.With live music.

I was instantly obsessed.

The service here was fantastic. The vibe was easy. The experience felt effortless. And for the first time all trip, I wasn’t managing, advocating, or adjusting.

I was just there.

And that—more than anything else—was exactly what I needed.