1rst time to Cozumel and Yucatan

[mcohen1021]

I'll be arriving late in the afternoon (almost 4 PM).

You must be arriving on AA #1256

 

[kelemvor]

Something critical that has been missed: Bug Spray! They have more mosquitoes in Cozumel than we have here in Florida, and many argue the mosquito should be the Florida state bird. I used regular OFF! (not deep woods). Deep woods would work as well but it's not necessary. I didn't get bit much because I applied bugspray in the morning, on diveboats after getting out of the water, and before going out to dinner in the evenings.

Some of the other folks in my group forgot bug spray, and they really suffered before borrowing mine.

If you forget the bug spray, you can probably buy some in town at the "MEGA" supermarket. The MEGA has a limited supply, and ran out while I was there.

 

[gopbroek]

Thank you for your consideration, safety and concern. That is appreciated
I have traveled internationally quite a bit (been a couple years) and usually in a budget conscience style. SO, it makes for a little adventure sometimes, lol.
This is my first trip to Mexico though. From most of what I am reading in these responses, it kind of looks like the larger, established banks with ATM's inside (if possible) are maybe the best way to go.....as far as safety and good rates. Unless I am missing something?
Thank you again!

The trip from CUN to Cozumel is known as the 'Bag Drag' and can easily be done with USD's. The ADO bus from the airport to PDC (I normally use the stand outside of Terminal 3 but I hear there are also counters in the various terminals) will accept USD's and they give a decent exchange rate and the same is true for the various ferries from PDC to Cozumel. Once in Cozumel there are multiple actual banks in the downtown area (I use Santander on calle 3 and Ave 10) or the Mega grocery store. There are ATM's at the airport in Cancun but I have never used them so I do not know what their fee's are (perhaps someone with experience can chime in) but I have used the ATM's at the Cozumel airport without problems and the fees were the same as the ATM's in a bank.

 

[JamesBon92007]

The ADO bus from the airport to PDC (I normally use the stand outside of Terminal 3 but I hear there are also counters in the various terminals) will accept USD's and they give a decent exchange rate and the same is true for the various ferries from PDC to Cozumel. .

At the risk of sounding like I'm bickering, what do you consider a "decent exchange rate?" For example, if you pay for UltraMar with pesos it is currently $163 MX ( $8.49 US) but if you pay with dollars it is $10.50. Sure, that's only $2 US but the ADO bus is similar and the prices I have been quoted from taxi drivers are generally about 25% less when paying with pesos (converting at the current exchange rate). I only say this because OP said he usually travels "budget conscience." On the trip over alone he could save enough for a Chico Burrito at Crazy King

OP will find out then he gets there but at the moment it looks like Barcos Caribe is the cheapest ferry. Last month it was Mexico Water Jets. The ferry wars continue....

 

[gopbroek]

At the risk of sounding like I'm bickering, what do you consider a "decent exchange rate?" For example, if you pay for UltraMar with pesos it is currently $163 MX ( $8.49 US) but if you pay with dollars it is $10.50. Sure, that's only $2 US but the ADO bus is similar and the prices I have been quoted from taxi drivers are generally about 25% less when paying with pesos (converting at the current exchange rate). I only say this because OP said he usually travels "budget conscience." On the trip over alone he could save enough for a Chico Burrito at Crazy King

OP will find out then he gets there but at the moment it looks like Barcos Caribe is the cheapest ferry. Last month it was Mexico Water Jets. The ferry wars continue....

I honestly agree that a peso saved is a peso earned and try to live by that moto in Mexico (my wife says I am cheap!). I normally carry pesos and I just checked my wallet and see that I have about 2K MXN on me from last month but without knowing what the ATM's at the CUN airport charge and if I only had USD's on me I would be willing to overpay $3-4USD and wait until I got on the island to go by a trustworthy ATM. Once again does anyone have any personnel experience with the ATM's at the CUN airport? If it was the normal 30 MXN service charge I am used to in Cozumel then by all means withdraw Peso's there.

 

[npole]

Something critical that has been missed: Bug Spray! They have more mosquitoes in Cozumel than we have here in Florida

You know before going there I was listening this mosquito thing... and got worried. In the end I found mosquito only in the Kondesa and Kinta restaurants (btw OT: they serve very good food) and not a single one anywhere in two weeks. I must be luck or in December/January there's much less insects than usual! There's a load more here in Italy/Spain where i normally live.

 

[JamesBon92007]

I normally carry pesos and I just checked my wallet and see that I have about 2K MXN on me from last month bdoes anyone have any personnel experience with the ATM's at the CUN airport? If it was the normal 30 MXN service charge I am used to in Cozumel then by all means withdraw Peso's there.

I used the ATM at the airport once and don't recall if it was the same service charge or not. If it had been outrageous I probably would remember. But somewhere in the back of my mind there is an alert saying "don't use airport ATM" so I must have investigated it and discarded them as a possible source of pesos. We normally leave Mexico with just enough pesos for our next trip (bag drag, dinner, taxi) but this time we ended up with about three times the normal and the peso is going up so there goes our $2 savings! But it all balances out because the last few times the peso went down so we came out ahead.

You know before going there I was listening this mosquito thing... and got worried. In the end I found mosquito only in the Kondesa and Kinta restaurants (btw OT: they serve very good food) and not a single one anywhere in two weeks. I must be luck or in December/January there's much less insects than usual! There's a load more here in Italy/Spain where i normally live.

I've been carrying mosquito spray back and forth between California and Mexico and Costa Rica and Hawai'i for a couple of years now and have not needed it once.

 

[Streydog]

The ADO booth wasnt staffed so had to buy at the stand. 190 Pesos I thought it used to be cheaper. I used Mexico Water Jets, the stand by the escalator and it was 69 Pesos yesterday.

 

[JamesBon92007]

The ADO booth wasnt staffed so had to buy at the stand. 190 Pesos I thought it used to be cheaper. I used Mexico Water Jets, the stand by the escalator and it was 69 Pesos yesterday.

So much for up-to-date online information! I also paid 69 pesos and took the Water Jet a few weeks ago I think we paid 190 each in December for the ADO. It seems to me too that it used to be cheaper.

 

[ggunn]

Something critical that has been missed: Bug Spray! They have more mosquitoes in Cozumel than we have here in Florida, and many argue the mosquito should be the Florida state bird.

Mosquito problems on Cozumel are highly variable. Cozumel tends to have long dry spells when the skeeters go dormant but then a big rain happens and they swarm.