Prop Joe
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- NW suburb of Chicago, Illinois USA
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- I just don't log dives
I started to post this in someone else's thread but realized it would have been a total highjack. So here is the story:
For us leaving Chicago (ORD). There are two options. One is direct to CUN and do the "bag drag". Second is to have a connecting flight somewhere at that airlines particular hub. Other than charters I know of no direct flights to the beautiful island of Cozumel. There are many planes that go direct ORD to CUN non-stop. That makes a it a relatively quick, tolerable, 3.5 hour flight then "bag drag" to the island. I think it is quicker direct to CUN / bag drag anyway. Rather than changing planes and making a connecting flight to the island, we have been flying direct CUN recently. The 1st time we did the CUN bag drag we made it in 6 hours total! Breezed through customs, never waited more then five minutes for the bus or the ferry:shocked2:. Timing is everything:cool2:! The other route, direct to the island (CZM) will take you through an airlines hub to change planes = potential trouble. That means Dallas (DFW) on American. Houston (IAH) on Continental. Atlanta (ATL) on Delta. Charlotte (CLT) on US Airways. Minneapolis (MSP) on Northwest. Denver (DEN) on Frontier. Going through any of these cities and making a connection just makes another variable in you quest to get to Mexico or back home. Then I have also heard of people losing some or all of their luggage.
In 2007 coming back from our honeymoon it was a 36 hour nightmare to get home because of storms in DFW (Dallas) where we had a connecting flight. Route was to be CZM/DFW/ORD. We ended up going CZM/ABL/DFW/ORD not in the same day and covering alot of ground going everywhere but home. My new bride was literally in tears as we tried to get home that day:depressed:. I was trying to check flight status before we left but the internet connection where we were staying was down. We went to the airport. Plane was hours late getting to CZM because the plane broke in DFW. Then they had to change planes and move the passengers to new aircraft. Wife says "Lets just get to Texas and we'll figure it out from there". Then big storms in Dallas. I knew we were not going to land, when I looked out the window, as we overflew DFW airport and saw the storms from the air. We ended up sitting on the plane for six hours in Abilene. That was after a 2 to 2.5 hour ride to Dallas then circled for at least an hour till we ran low on fuel and landed in Abilene. They wouldn't let us off the plane because we were an international flight.
Abilene Airport was made for a Cessna not a Boeing. Engines were hanging over the grass on the narrow taxiway. I kept thinking the engines would suck in a rock or something, causing engine damage, just to add to our misery. Had to sit alot of the time because of the small airport. Every time we had to taxi = seated, with belt on. Plane had to taxi so the fuel truck could fuel us along with the 20 or so other jets waiting. Stuffy. No food on the plane. $5.00 candy bars were for sale. We had some of the $5.00 beers while waiting. I was able to use my cell phone and book us on the same flight we should have been on had the plane not broke and the storms rolled in. That booking was for 24 hours later than we had originally been booked on. We took of with minutes to spare before the FAA mandated 10 hour crew change rule. Short flight from Abilene to Dallas at around midnight. Took about an hour or so to get our bags. They wanted us to go through this huge long line to re-book our flight. I tried to explain to an agent that I had done that via my cell on the plane. She didn't know what to tell me. People where sleeping everywhere. There was hardly room to walk with the bags. We grabbed our bags and headed to the phone banks outside security to find a room for the night. There was only one room left at this really, really super duper sleezy motel in Irving, Texas. By the time we got the hotel room it was 2:00 am. Nothing was open. No food. We tried to walk through the drive thru at a Jack in the Box but when we got to the window they would not give us the food. It was against their insurance policy to serve us not in a car. Wife started to cry again. Tried to get drunk people, in cars, to get our food... Didn't work. Maybe they thought we were cops? Wife was really, realllyyy upset at this point. Ended up with some $2 bags of chips with $2 can of Coke. We slept.
The next morning I tried to get us on an earlier flight. No go... Wife crying again.
When we got to the airport to check our bags we had to see a manager at the baggage check because according to their records, our bags were already in Chicago! Wife was ready to lose it again. I slipped the guy my last $10 I had to carry our bags to the counter/check in area. The next day consisted of us sitting in the bar doing a shot every time the status screen flashed our plane was delayed. I could see the plane at the gate. The airline was having a hard time finding a crew to fly our plane to Chicago. The flight crews were scattered all over the country because of the storms closed the airlines hub. Honeymoon flight home, 36 hours... Grrrrr... It sucked more than you can imagine! It all started with the broken plane, we were not on, that was on its way to the island. I had a feeling we were in trouble when the ticket agent in Cozumel said he was putting us on stand by status for our connecting flight. Next time we re-book for the next day and sit on the beach watching the sunset from the island. Lesson learned!!! This year we are going through Houston on Continental. This is the 1st time through Texas since our nightmare trip. I really hope the weather is good both way's.
In summary in the future we will be doing the CUN "bag drag", if at all possible. If it is just the wife and I we do the ADO bus. then use the tricycle/ rickshaw guy's to haul the bags. They are well worth the 1-$2 per bag it costs to tip the hardworking gents. The other solution when traveling with a group is charter a van:
Airport Transfers - Cancun Valet
$65 for 12 passenger van. That is a total, not per person. Driver meets you outside airport terminal with your name on a clipboard, newish Ford van, working A/C, booked through web site/no need for phone calls. Van will drop you where the taxi's drop off in PDC. Taxi area is just a little southwest of where the ADO bus terminal is. Either place I think it is about the same distance to walk down to the ferry pier.
I'm not sure how to get a rickshaw/tricycle guy over to where the taxi's drop off to transport your luggage? Maybe we just missed the rickshaw's because we had just missed the ferry and waited 40 minutes for the next one. Our group was traveling light and didn't do the rickshaw last July in the van. Two ferry companies., So.... When you get to the ferry pier look at the signs to see which company is running next. I would only buy a one way ticket. That way you can get on the companies ferry that suites your schedule on the way back at the end of your vacation. If it is just the wife and myself we take the ADO bus then still have the ricksaw guy's hump the bags. We usually give $1-2 per bag. Its really not a big deal to do the "bag drag". We have stopped for a quick meal along with our bags in a pile next to us. They also sell munchies/snacks on the ferry ride. Not a meal but chips, beer, soda, bottled water...
Good luck in your travels. See ya' on the boat.
For us leaving Chicago (ORD). There are two options. One is direct to CUN and do the "bag drag". Second is to have a connecting flight somewhere at that airlines particular hub. Other than charters I know of no direct flights to the beautiful island of Cozumel. There are many planes that go direct ORD to CUN non-stop. That makes a it a relatively quick, tolerable, 3.5 hour flight then "bag drag" to the island. I think it is quicker direct to CUN / bag drag anyway. Rather than changing planes and making a connecting flight to the island, we have been flying direct CUN recently. The 1st time we did the CUN bag drag we made it in 6 hours total! Breezed through customs, never waited more then five minutes for the bus or the ferry:shocked2:. Timing is everything:cool2:! The other route, direct to the island (CZM) will take you through an airlines hub to change planes = potential trouble. That means Dallas (DFW) on American. Houston (IAH) on Continental. Atlanta (ATL) on Delta. Charlotte (CLT) on US Airways. Minneapolis (MSP) on Northwest. Denver (DEN) on Frontier. Going through any of these cities and making a connection just makes another variable in you quest to get to Mexico or back home. Then I have also heard of people losing some or all of their luggage.
In 2007 coming back from our honeymoon it was a 36 hour nightmare to get home because of storms in DFW (Dallas) where we had a connecting flight. Route was to be CZM/DFW/ORD. We ended up going CZM/ABL/DFW/ORD not in the same day and covering alot of ground going everywhere but home. My new bride was literally in tears as we tried to get home that day:depressed:. I was trying to check flight status before we left but the internet connection where we were staying was down. We went to the airport. Plane was hours late getting to CZM because the plane broke in DFW. Then they had to change planes and move the passengers to new aircraft. Wife says "Lets just get to Texas and we'll figure it out from there". Then big storms in Dallas. I knew we were not going to land, when I looked out the window, as we overflew DFW airport and saw the storms from the air. We ended up sitting on the plane for six hours in Abilene. That was after a 2 to 2.5 hour ride to Dallas then circled for at least an hour till we ran low on fuel and landed in Abilene. They wouldn't let us off the plane because we were an international flight.
Abilene Airport was made for a Cessna not a Boeing. Engines were hanging over the grass on the narrow taxiway. I kept thinking the engines would suck in a rock or something, causing engine damage, just to add to our misery. Had to sit alot of the time because of the small airport. Every time we had to taxi = seated, with belt on. Plane had to taxi so the fuel truck could fuel us along with the 20 or so other jets waiting. Stuffy. No food on the plane. $5.00 candy bars were for sale. We had some of the $5.00 beers while waiting. I was able to use my cell phone and book us on the same flight we should have been on had the plane not broke and the storms rolled in. That booking was for 24 hours later than we had originally been booked on. We took of with minutes to spare before the FAA mandated 10 hour crew change rule. Short flight from Abilene to Dallas at around midnight. Took about an hour or so to get our bags. They wanted us to go through this huge long line to re-book our flight. I tried to explain to an agent that I had done that via my cell on the plane. She didn't know what to tell me. People where sleeping everywhere. There was hardly room to walk with the bags. We grabbed our bags and headed to the phone banks outside security to find a room for the night. There was only one room left at this really, really super duper sleezy motel in Irving, Texas. By the time we got the hotel room it was 2:00 am. Nothing was open. No food. We tried to walk through the drive thru at a Jack in the Box but when we got to the window they would not give us the food. It was against their insurance policy to serve us not in a car. Wife started to cry again. Tried to get drunk people, in cars, to get our food... Didn't work. Maybe they thought we were cops? Wife was really, realllyyy upset at this point. Ended up with some $2 bags of chips with $2 can of Coke. We slept.
The next morning I tried to get us on an earlier flight. No go... Wife crying again.
When we got to the airport to check our bags we had to see a manager at the baggage check because according to their records, our bags were already in Chicago! Wife was ready to lose it again. I slipped the guy my last $10 I had to carry our bags to the counter/check in area. The next day consisted of us sitting in the bar doing a shot every time the status screen flashed our plane was delayed. I could see the plane at the gate. The airline was having a hard time finding a crew to fly our plane to Chicago. The flight crews were scattered all over the country because of the storms closed the airlines hub. Honeymoon flight home, 36 hours... Grrrrr... It sucked more than you can imagine! It all started with the broken plane, we were not on, that was on its way to the island. I had a feeling we were in trouble when the ticket agent in Cozumel said he was putting us on stand by status for our connecting flight. Next time we re-book for the next day and sit on the beach watching the sunset from the island. Lesson learned!!! This year we are going through Houston on Continental. This is the 1st time through Texas since our nightmare trip. I really hope the weather is good both way's.
In summary in the future we will be doing the CUN "bag drag", if at all possible. If it is just the wife and I we do the ADO bus. then use the tricycle/ rickshaw guy's to haul the bags. They are well worth the 1-$2 per bag it costs to tip the hardworking gents. The other solution when traveling with a group is charter a van:
Airport Transfers - Cancun Valet
$65 for 12 passenger van. That is a total, not per person. Driver meets you outside airport terminal with your name on a clipboard, newish Ford van, working A/C, booked through web site/no need for phone calls. Van will drop you where the taxi's drop off in PDC. Taxi area is just a little southwest of where the ADO bus terminal is. Either place I think it is about the same distance to walk down to the ferry pier.
I'm not sure how to get a rickshaw/tricycle guy over to where the taxi's drop off to transport your luggage? Maybe we just missed the rickshaw's because we had just missed the ferry and waited 40 minutes for the next one. Our group was traveling light and didn't do the rickshaw last July in the van. Two ferry companies., So.... When you get to the ferry pier look at the signs to see which company is running next. I would only buy a one way ticket. That way you can get on the companies ferry that suites your schedule on the way back at the end of your vacation. If it is just the wife and myself we take the ADO bus then still have the ricksaw guy's hump the bags. We usually give $1-2 per bag. Its really not a big deal to do the "bag drag". We have stopped for a quick meal along with our bags in a pile next to us. They also sell munchies/snacks on the ferry ride. Not a meal but chips, beer, soda, bottled water...
Good luck in your travels. See ya' on the boat.
Last edited:
. I bought her a ring when she finally gave me a clue what kind she wanted. We walked past a jewelry counter about a month or so before we left and she said she liked one in the case. I had it one hour later. I took the ring with to the Island on our trip. I proposed at sunset, on the dock, next to the water, at Villa Aldora. People were freaking that I was going to propose right in front of them. I gave my camera to a guy called "Barracuda Jim". Everyone staying at the Villa knew except my Kim. 
