Ferry or Fly from Cancun

[jjwdiver]

When my wife and I step onto the airplane - vacation starts! Whatever happens from there is just part of the grand adventure and we go with it. I used to get all twisted and grumpy but soon realized life is too short to be such a grumpy prick when traveling. At home, that's a different story as I'm on my turf. Away - its all good!

 

[AstridWilson]

We (4 of us) are flying in Cancun and staying 3 nights at the Sun Palace and then plan to spend 5 nights at the Cozumel Palace. We will fly home from Cozumel. We have transfers from the airport to the sun place and the Cozumel palace back to the Cozumel airport. BUT, we need to get from the sun pace to the Cozumel palace. So…. Shuttle or bus to Playa and then the ferry and then need recommendations for how to get to the palace??

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

I agree, if missing all the dives on your day of arrival is OK, by all means fly to an airport a hundred miles away, hump your bags into a bus, take a ride, unload, hump your bags onto a ferry, sail across, and then hump your bags from the ferry landing to the hotel.

Makes sense, I guess?????

We'll be flying into Cozumel, tipping one driver to make sure the bags get to the hotel, and be underwater by 1:00 in the afternoon for the first of several dives that day.

 

[DandyDon]

We (4 of us) are flying in Cancun and staying 3 nights at the Sun Palace and then plan to spend 5 nights at the Cozumel Palace. We will fly home from Cozumel. We have transfers from the airport to the sun place and the Cozumel palace back to the Cozumel airport. BUT, we need to get from the sun pace to the Cozumel palace. So…. Shuttle or bus to Playa and then the ferry and then need recommendations for how to get to the palace??

That would depend on where Sun Palace is in part. Is it this one...?

Sun Palace - Welcome to the Official Site - Indulge in an elegant vacation at the elegant Sun Palace Resort in Cancun!

The luxurious Sun Palace is an elegant resort located at the quiet south end of the Cancun hotel zone

You probly would get better responses if you started a new thread with appropriate title and full details on this Coz forum.

BTW, transfers sold in packages often cost twice as much as booking them yourself. Next trip, if you have time, let us help you with those too.

 

[mstevens]

1. If you can get a direct flight into Cancun, do it.

2. If you have a tight connection time be wary of Cozumel

3. If you can save more than $100 by going into Cancun, do it.

I agree that everybody's criteria are probably a little different, but I think we could collectively come up with something FAQ-worthy with some editing. Here's my version:

1. If you can easily get a direct flight into Cancun but not Cozumel, Cancun may be the better option for you.
   
   
2. Count on 3 hours to travel between Cancun and Cozumel. If that makes your total travel time less, it may be worth going through Cancun.
   
   
3. If you can save enough by going into Cancun that you'll enjoy your trip more or if that's the only way to make the trip affordable, do it. (Keep in mind it'll cost about $20-25 per person each way to travel between the Cancun airport and the ferry terminal in Cozumel using the least-expensive transportation.)
   
   
4. Since there are many more flights into and out of Cancun, that airport may give you many more options in case of problems such as weather delays or flight cancellations.
   
   
5. Avoid tight connection times on any flights to or from Mexico.

I very strongly prefer going directly to Cozumel and am willing to pay extra ($150 per ticket is about my limit). There are no direct flights to either CUN or CZM from the airport in my state, so unless we drive to Logan there's no difference. When we traveled with my elderly parents, we did drive there specifically to get a direct flight to CUN since changing planes is such a huge hassle for them.

We never dive on our day of arrival. We usually have to get up at 0400 to get our flight out of New Hampshire. After we arrive we have to get to the hotel, get the rental car, have some lunch, and decompress from the flight. We're there primarily to dive, but for us it makes better sense to start fresh the morning after arrival.

Incidentally, we booked and pre-paid for February flights back in August. The airline canceled our initial flight leg in September but has never notified us. Someone else who booked the same itinerary through Orbitz was notified of that fact by Orbitz and told us. The effect of the change was that it became impossible to depart from Manchester, NH on the day we planned to leave and arrive in Cozumel the same day. We had to scramble to find appropriate flights out of Boston, which means an extra 90 minutes of driving each way (and more expensive parking, etc.) but an extra day of vacation. It would have been disastrous to find out about that at the last minute.

Always check your booked flights from time to time to ensure the Universal Conspiracy^(TM) hasn't messed up your carefully-made plans!

 

[DandyDon]

I had a problem once when I booked flights thru an agency, using credit card points. The flights were changed but I was not notified as the agency's email was on the record, not mine. I found out too late to fix it well. It was only a seating problem really, but the aisle seat on the plane - at the back bumped by everyone who went to the lavatory, twice. I like to sleep

 

[scuba_willy]

Thanks everyone for your posts you have helped me with my decision. I agree with MStevens that although the shuttle to Playa and ferry appears longer and less direct, it may be the best option. Its not just cost, but the frequency of flights to CUN and shuttle and ferries to Cozumel, means the options to arrive and depart are much better. Of course, if I could easily fly direct to cozumel (eg lived in Dallas, I would).


Don - if you are considering the Mayair flight - as I mentioned I did not see them weigh bags. We had 2 x 50lbs and two packed carry-ons. I did not see any extra charge or weighing for the bike boxes on the flight. Mayair is not like any traditional airliner in terms of check in ! This is not a complaint or a concern - they appear to be a very credible airline - just an observation.

 

[georoc01]

I ran into a similar dilemma for my trip over Halloween this year and posted all of the details in another thread. One of the main problems in trying to fly through Houston or Dallas during this past fall from the west was that American and Continental set their flights so early in the am the only way to make these flights were to overnight in those cities. So add that to your costs too.

I did book a direct flight to cancun and used Maya air. It was easy and much quicker than doing the bus/ferry jaunt, which I did the previous year. The ferries don't run as often in the off season so I had a 2 1/2 hour layover in Playa. Not the worst place to be stuck on the beach, but made for a much longer travel day. I paid cash at the gate. No weight limits enforced. The only downside of being the last flight into Cozumel was that there was only one taxi left so we had to share it with someone going in the opposite direction. But at least there was no one selling timeshares!

 

[DandyDon]

I ran into a similar dilemma for my trip over Halloween this year and posted all of the details in another thread. One of the main problems in trying to fly through Houston or Dallas during this past fall from the west was that American and Continental set their flights so early in the am the only way to make these flights were to overnight in those cities. So add that to your costs too.

I did book a direct flight to cancun and used Maya air. It was easy and much quicker than doing the bus/ferry jaunt, which I did the previous year. The ferries don't run as often in the off season so I had a 2 1/2 hour layover in Playa. Not the worst place to be stuck on the beach, but made for a much longer travel day. I paid cash at the gate. No weight limits enforced. The only downside of being the last flight into Cozumel was that there was only one taxi left so we had to share it with someone going in the opposite direction. But at least there was no one selling timeshares!

That is an interesting idea George, thanks.

It does look like Cont & AmAir both have early morning flights that connect into Coz ok tho? I'm just curious. Were the schedules different or just couldn't find decent fares for the dates you needed?

 

[driftwood]

We (4 of us) are flying in Cancun and staying 3 nights at the Sun Palace and then plan to spend 5 nights at the Cozumel Palace. We will fly home from Cozumel. We have transfers from the airport to the sun place and the Cozumel palace back to the Cozumel airport. BUT, we need to get from the sun pace to the Cozumel palace. So…. Shuttle or bus to Playa and then the ferry and then need recommendations for how to get to the palace??

Have the front desk of SP set you up with a van to transfer your party to PDC. Should run around $80. That is the easy solution.

SP may have a shuttle that goes to PDC, a lot of resort shuttles drop you off at Constituyentes and 5th. That is a long bag drag, call it 1/2 mile, from the ferry, but C and 5th is one of the cab stands in PDC. If they do have a shuttle to PDC, they can drop you there and then you can take a cab to the ferry, call it $5 a cab.

When you hit Coz, take a taxi to Cozumel Palace.