Travel from CUN - When to arrive

[BRT]

That's exactly what I hate about the bag drag. You just spent a week gorging on Mexican delights, and then you have to suffer the airport food while you wait for your flight. If I were a really savvy bag dragger, I'd have my driver stop at a taqueria so I could pick up a snack to eat at the airport.

That Johnny Rocket hamburger always tastes really good to me after a month of Mexican food.

 

[mediumone]

If you have breakfast/lunch in PDC between the ferry and the bus/taxi it only adds an hour longer to go without food than flying out of Coz.

I'm not the seasoned traveler that some on this board are, but after 12, (or is it 13), trips, I'm well aware of the logistics from both CZM and CUN.

From either, we've only been in the air for 1/3 of the total time, (in round numbers), when we land or fly over IAH.

 

[ReefHound]

I'm not the seasoned traveler that some on this board are, but after 12, (or is it 13), trips, I'm well aware of the logistics from both CZM and CUN.

From either, we've only been in the air for 1/3 of the total time, (in round numbers), when we land or fly over IAH.

I wasn't originally responding to you but to someone who said a negative of the bag drag was having to suffer with airport food, which is a red herring because airport food has nothing to do with it and is not a necessary element of the bag drag. I do the bag drag a lot and have never had a full meal at the airport. If I'm too early, I might have a beer or two and an appetizer but mostly to kill time not hunger. Lots of good Mexican places to eat in PDC and from PDC to CUN is about an hour versus hotel to CZM maybe 15 minutes. The difference in time you have to go without food is maybe an hour. Point is, if flying out of CUN creates culinary issues for you, flying out of CZM isn't going to solve them.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I wasn't originally responding to you but to someone who said a negative of the bag drag was having to suffer with airport food, which is a red herring because airport food has nothing to do with it and is not a necessary element of the bag drag. I do the bag drag a lot and have never had a full meal at the airport. If I'm too early, I might have a beer or two and an appetizer but mostly to kill time not hunger. Lots of good Mexican places to eat in PDC and from PDC to CUN is about an hour versus hotel to CZM maybe 15 minutes. The difference in time you have to go without food is maybe an hour. Point is, if flying out of CUN creates culinary issues for you, flying out of CZM isn't going to solve them.

Yeah, I believe I was the one who brought up that possible (but not "necessary") element of the bag drag as something that I have yet to figure out the best way to deal with. On the way to Coz, we look forward to lunch in PDC before the ferry. Easy. However, on the way back to Cancun, it's too early for lunch in PDC, and our goal is to leave extra time to account for possible road mishaps and get to the airport at least two if not closer to three hours before our flight. (Others may feel comfortable cutting it closer, as in the original post.) By the time we're ready to board, I have either eaten an airport snack and am regretting it or have gone hungry, but either way it has been quite a few hours since breakfast. I realize I'm rambling on here about nothing, but as far as I'm concerned, apart from some Asian airports and a few airports with branches of well regarded local restaurants, airport food generally sucks and is overpriced. I would not eat a burger from Johnny Rockets even at a non-airport location. I would, however, be interested in bringing a snackito to eat while I wait to board if I knew of a good, quick place to pick one up on the way to CUN. The couple of times we have had the luxury of flying out of CZM (the flight is usually out of our budget, but we were able to use FF miles), the flight left too early for anything more than a simple breakfast.

 

[mediumone]

I wasn't originally responding to you but to someone who said a negative of the bag drag was having to suffer with airport food, which is a red herring because airport food has nothing to do with it and is not a necessary element of the bag drag. I do the bag drag a lot and have never had a full meal at the airport. If I'm too early, I might have a beer or two and an appetizer but mostly to kill time not hunger. Lots of good Mexican places to eat in PDC and from PDC to CUN is about an hour versus hotel to CZM maybe 15 minutes. The difference in time you have to go without food is maybe an hour. Point is, if flying out of CUN creates culinary issues for you, flying out of CZM isn't going to solve them.

Ahh. Got it.

Btw, I'd agree.

 

[ReefHound]

Yeah, I believe I was the one who brought up that possible (but not "necessary") element of the bag drag as something that I have yet to figure out the best way to deal with. On the way to Coz, we look forward to lunch in PDC before the ferry. Easy. However, on the way back to Cancun, it's too early for lunch in PDC, and our goal is to leave extra time to account for possible road mishaps and get to the airport at least two if not closer to three hours before our flight. (Others may feel comfortable cutting it closer, as in the original post.) By the time we're ready to board, I have either eaten an airport snack and am regretting it or have gone hungry, but either way it has been quite a few hours since breakfast. I realize I'm rambling on here about nothing, but as far as I'm concerned, apart from some Asian airports and a few airports with branches of well regarded local restaurants, airport food generally sucks and is overpriced. I would not eat a burger from Johnny Rockets even at a non-airport location. I would, however, be interested in bringing a snackito to eat while I wait to board if I knew of a good, quick place to pick one up on the way to CUN. The couple of times we have had the luxury of flying out of CZM (the flight is usually out of our budget, but we were able to use FF miles), the flight left too early for anything more than a simple breakfast.

I get it. The bag drag back takes more time (to accomodate potential delays). One possible solution is to take an early bus PDC to downtown Cancun, and having cleared most of the potential traffic snags, have a nice lunch downtown then a bus to airport. I know the standard advice is 2-3 hours early at airport but it has never once taken me more than 30 minutes from time entering airport to time clearing security screening. Checked bags cutoff is 60 minutes before departure.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Good idea, @ReefHound . I'll look into it next time we're planning a Coz trip.

 

[ggunn]

...apart from some Asian airports and a few airports with branches of well regarded local restaurants, airport food generally sucks...

I recommend the Pappadeaux in the Houston airport. We usually have about a 3 hour layover in IAH on the way home, and we spend what's left of it after going through Immigration and Customs there.

 

[Streydog]

Good idea, @ReefHound . I'll look into it next time we're planning a Coz trip.

It is a good idea and cheaper! Not that the bus is expensive to begin with but Playa to Cancun is 78 Peso's and Cancun to the airport is 86. You could spring for a 1st class ferry ticket with those savings!