Cancun to Cozumel

[JamesBon92007]

OK here's a question for the experts. I'm "dragging" tomorrow from Coz to CUN and have a 4:20 PM flight out of T3.

I'm traveling solo so I will take the ADO bus from PDC - no real financial benefit of ride pooling.

I've studied the ferry and ADO schedules and can't decide whether I will be OK taking the noon ferry or whether I need to take the 11:00 AM ferry from Coz to PDC,.

Any thoughts?

If it's not too late, I'll add that the "schedules" may or may not be in Mexico Time. IOW, I wouldn't count on exact departure and arrival times but allow for delays, traffic, etc. One time the 8:00 PM Ultramar did not exist and we had to wait an extra hour to get to the island. Sometimes the ADO trip takes longer just because there is a lot of traffic.

One big advantage (for us, anyway) of taking the ADO is that there is an El Pechugon rotisserie chicken place next to the Playa terminal . We bring an insulated bag, pick up a chicken and side dishes, and it's still hot when we get to our AirBnB which sometimes may be past 9:00 pm. It's one of my favorite things to eat on this planet and a good way to begin our stay on Cozumel.

 

[gmountai]

Not sure when you are planning your trip, but my wife and I flew into Cozumel a couple of weeks ago for a quick dive trip and a niece's wedding. Airfare was less than if we flew into Cancun and did the bag drag, which we have done in the past. We flew American Airlines. Kind of spoiled my wife, as she hates the bag drag and ferry ride.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I flew into Cancun then did the bag drag to Cozumel for the first time a couple of years ago. I was overwhelmed and worried and did a bit of Googling. The link below including turn by turn pictures made me feel much better about what I was about to embark on. Plus, I scoped it all out on google maps AND with satellite view. When it came down to it, the instructions and the preparations were solid. In addition, there are many other people doing the same bag drag with you, often Americans or Canadians, so feel free to ask someone if you're not sure. It's an easy walk. The street is quite populated so I felt very safe. I'm not sure how much the airport has changed but start from where it says "Part 6: Playa del Carmen bus station to ferry" . That should get you from the bus station to the ferry. I found the Ado bus to be right outside the arriving terminal when I flew from the United States. I hope this helps!

Cancun Airport to Playa del Carmen/Cozumel by ADO Bus

 

[dflaher]

I am not an expert but if it were me I would be on the ferry no later than 11. Are you planning on buying your bus ticket in Cozumel or waiting and getting it at the station in Playa? Sometimes there is a long line at the bus station. You could always hang out at the plaza by the bus station and people watch if you get there too early.

Thanks Streydog. I wasn't aware that one could buy ADO tickets in Coz. Is that at the ferry terminal? I'm starting to believe that the 11:00 ferry is the one I should take.

On the way into Cozumel I just missed the 6 PM ferry in PDC so I had to wait an hour and got in some people watching then!

 

[ggunn]

...you can get much better times going in/out of CUN.

It depends on where you are coming from. For me flying from Austin through Houston, I get to Cozumel at about noon.

 

[Ron Lee]

Too late now but 1100 AM is the latest ferry I would take for reasons mentioned already.

 

[dflaher]

Thanks to all who gave advice on my ferry departure time question. Bag drag complete! I'm back home now and terribly missing bubbles.

I decided to take the 11:00 ferry to PDC. Interestingly enough I nearly had an opportunity to take a 10:30 UltraMar ferry but I arrived at the terminal just as boarding closed. Their schedules don't say anything about a 10:30 but maybe it was a special run? I decided to save 25 pesos and take the Mexico Waterjets ferry at 11:00. This got me in to PDC at about 11:45 and I dragged over to the ADO terminal where, as luck would have it, a 12:00 bus to CUN was just about to leave. I bought a ticket for that bus and was at CUN's Terminal 3 (American's terminal) by 1:30. A bit earlier than I wanted to arrive, but I didn't want to risk being late.

By the way the terminal order that the ADO dropped off passengers at was: T4, T2, T3.

 

[drrich2]

There are a number of issues in total cost; basic airfare, perhaps one airline provides for free 2-checked bags (I love you Southwest!) but doesn't go direct to Cozumel, tips for taxis, etc...

So, dflaher, comparing the bag drag route to flying directly into & from Cozumel, round-trip I take it, roughly how much money did you save?

The figure may help others decide whether it's worth the hassle, though I imagine the figure varies widely.

Richard.

 

[ReefHound]

I decided to save 25 pesos and take the Mexico Waterjets ferry at 11:00. This got me in to PDC at about 11:45 and I dragged over to the ADO terminal where, as luck would have it, a 12:00 bus to CUN was just about to leave. I bought a ticket for that bus and was at CUN's Terminal 3 (American's terminal) by 1:30. A bit earlier than I wanted to arrive, but I didn't want to risk being late.

Thanks for the update. Often I wonder if our advice goes into a black hole...

And getting to the airport at 1:30 for a 4:30 flight is a minor inconvenience compared to getting there at 5:30.

 

[dflaher]

There are a number of issues in total cost; basic airfare, perhaps one airline provides for free 2-checked bags (I love you Southwest!) but doesn't go direct to Cozumel, tips for taxis, etc...

So, dflaher, comparing the bag drag route to flying directly into & from Cozumel, round-trip I take it, roughly how much money did you save?

The figure may help others decide whether it's worth the hassle, though I imagine the figure varies widely.

Richard.

Hey Richard - here's what my situation looked like, and you're right depending on the origin city, time of year etc, YMMV.

I came up with this template so that maybe others can use.
- Southwest does not fly into Cozumel, at least from my origin city (Phoenix).
- I don't have access to other airlines that don't charge for bags, if there are any.
- I assumed one checked bag ($50 RT)
- Therefore I'm limited to Southwest into CUN, or the "other airlines" (AA, DL, UA) going into CUN or COZ.
- I stay right downtown at Suites Bahia, so I can drag to/from the ferry

For me it was kind of a no-brainer to do the bag drag. In my case the cheapest flight to CUN was also a direct flight....bonus!