Flight from Cancun to Cozumel?

[ggunn]

If it was about the money and not the time, you could probably do that back to back cruise ship thing. Get on one down and another back. They have good deals on them right?

I don't think the cruise lines will let you do that. My mom asked a couple of them about it a few years ago and they told her no.

 

[ssssnake529]

There are tiny planes, hideously expensive: Fly Cozumel | Cozumel Excursions, Scenic Flights & Airplane Charters

Thanks. Just what I was looking for.

 

[ReefHound]

This was a few years back (2013) and I met a couple of guys from England. Their flight was late into IAD and while they made the quick transfer thier bags including their dive gear didn't. It was fall and United was only running on Saturday. They were told their bags would be coming on the next flight which was the following Saturday and which they were scheduled to leave the island on. This was mid week and they were fuming. I am glad based on your experience that they have re-evaluated that policy.

Not praise them just yet. My experience had to be 2011 or 2012.

 

[gopbroek]

Not praise them just yet. My experience had to be 2011 or 2012.

Hopefully it was a one off incident, how you act towards the station personnel can make big difference in whether they will go the extra mile for you. Not saying right or wrong but they are human beings.

 

[cvchief]

I don't think the cruise lines will let you do that. My mom asked a couple of them about it a few years ago and they told her no.

I have heard its a thing.


Can I Get Off a Cruise Early in Another Port? (Partial Cruises)

 

[NeilA.]

Last month I had a 10 am flight from Cancun and stayed at the Fairfield inn, very close to the airport, the night before. Affordable, stress-free and easy. I would do it again.

 

[gopbroek]

Another option is downtown (Centro) Cancun. Directly across the street from the ADO bus terminal is the Plaza Caribe hotel, decent place with a pool and around $40 a night. A couple blocks from the Municipal plaza (city hall) and a couple blocks from Artsian park which has lots of food stalls and often music. ADO starts running busses to the airport at 4 AM.

 

[ReefHound]

Another option is downtown (Centro) Cancun. Directly across the street from the ADO bus terminal is the Plaza Caribe hotel, decent place with a pool and around $40 a night. A couple blocks from the Municipal plaza (city hall) and a couple blocks from Artsian park which has lots of food stalls and often music. ADO starts running busses to the airport at 4 AM.

That's where a group of us stayed once when we missed our 5:30pm flight out and got rebooked on a 6:30am flight.

 

[Dan G]

Communities use hotel taxes to fund themselves off the visitors. I’ve heard of high VAT / sales taxes in Europe but not in less developed countries . In Europe they are included in the price. We are supporting the Cozumel economy with our dollars. After paying a fortune to fly to Coz, experiencing all these various Cozumel taxes and fees , and the airport shuttle boss selling me tickets then claiming not enough passengers so I’d have to either buy all the seats or pay a $25 taxi to drive ten minutes, forcing us to leave the airport to get a $10 taxi, I’m ready to go to Honduras and dive Roatan for similar diving at lower prices. Or to Asia for much lower prices. I don’t know that a budget Cozumel dive vacation is possible.

In the past ( multiple trips in the 20-teens ) the cheapest way to get there was the ferry from Playa Del Carmen.


Based upon those trips, if I go again, this is how I would do it:

1) Fly into Cancun Airport

2) Use a shuttle to get to Playa. Haggle with drivers or curbside reps for lower rates.

3) Rent a cheap hotel in Playa Del Carmen for the night. This gives you a buffer.
If you count on everything happening on schedule, then one delay or mistake can wreck your plans. There are all kinds of things that can go wrong.
. A) Your flight may be late.
. B) Getting out of the airport took us five hours once. Employee strike? Bomb threat? They wouldn't tell us. Stand in line, gringo, and shut up.
. C) If your luggage is lost, the airline can easily get it to you the next day in Playa. Not so if you are already in Cozumel. A fellow diver told me it took three days to get his luggage to Coz on a previous trip.
. D) Some ferries may be canceled without notice. Those that do run may have schedule changes without notice.

4) Take the ferry across. ( Haggling doesn't seem to work here ) The last time that I went, the ferry operators wanted everyone to stash their gear up in the bow, and then come back in to the cabin, leaving tens of thousands of dollars of scuba gear unguarded. So meet other divers while you are standing in line to get on. That way you can keep an eye on each other's gear.

5) Hire a guy with a cart to transport your luggage - and maybe you - to your hotel. There are lots of them hanging around when the ferry arrives. Haggle, of course.

#2: You can book these ahead of time at a pretty reasonable cost. Someone greets you outside the terminal with your name on a sign. I've used the ADO too, but find the cost of a private car not that much more than two ADO tix and the time saved and convenience adds some nice flexibility with getting the rest of the bag drag done.
#3: While I do not see this as unreasonable, There are ferries running every hour into the evening. Miss one? Get the next one. If you are arriving late in the day, then I can see this as more necessary.
#4: Haggling doesn't work because you are purchasing a ticket from an employee of a large business. You pay the same price for a single ticket/return ticket as everyone else. The first time I did the bag drag, I was a bit nervous about my gear, but since that first time, I have not been concerned about it. I would be interested to hear if others have had issues with their bags going missing or not or if they worry much about it. Seems as if the workers have a good system going and I doubt they want to risk their job for a chance at selling some stolen goods.
#5: Please don't haggle too much or too hard with these particular folks.

Obviously, this is all based on my experiences. YMMV. Do what makes you most comfortable and increases your enjoyment of the trip.

 

[ReefHound]

#2: You can book these ahead of time at a pretty reasonable cost. Someone greets you outside the terminal with your name on a sign. I've used the ADO too, but find the cost of a private car not that much more than two ADO tix and the time saved and convenience adds some nice flexibility with getting the rest of the bag drag done.
#3: While I do not see this as unreasonable, There are ferries running every hour into the evening. Miss one? Get the next one. If you are arriving late in the day, then I can see this as more necessary.
#4: Haggling doesn't work because you are purchasing a ticket from an employee of a large business. You pay the same price for a single ticket/return ticket as everyone else. The first time I did the bag drag, I was a bit nervous about my gear, but since that first time, I have not been concerned about it. I would be interested to hear if others have had issues with their bags going missing or not or if they worry much about it. Seems as if the workers have a good system going and I doubt they want to risk their job for a chance at selling some stolen goods.
#5: Please don't haggle too much or too hard with these particular folks.

Obviously, this is all based on my experiences. YMMV. Do what makes you most comfortable and increases your enjoyment of the trip.

ADO tix are $10-11 per person, cheapest shuttle I've been able to score was $60 though I've hard of $50. I wouldn't call 2-3x the price "not much more". I've found the time savings of a shuttle to be about 30 minutes and virtually no added convenience. The shuttle can't get you any closer to the ferry than the bus.

Staying overnight in PDC can be part of the trip, allowing you to experience 5th Ave. and the bars, restaurants, and shops. Many who go to Coz make a day trip over for that. We have done several split trips staying 2 or 3 nights in PDC to hit cenotes or pyramids.