Mayair vs. Bag drag, cun to coz total time frame??

[Slater]

So I booked airfare for our first Coz trip Nov 6-12, just trying to make sense of a few things as this is hard to comprehend as I havent personally done it..
Will be in Cun on the 6th @ 11am & MayAir leaves at 1pm
How long is the total bus trek from Cun airport to Playa Del Carmen ferry dock & then the ferry ride over to the Coz dock?
Trying to make sense of what would take less time to actually get to Coz & actually start our vacation
Also my return flight from Coz to Cun on the 12th leaves @ 11:30 am so appears my MayAir option is 9am..
Do most do the puddle jumper, looks like an additional cost of $120 pp roundtrip for the plane transfer? A 12 minute plane ride sound way more relaxing than a 2hour bus ride / ferry commute..
Thanks for any insight & experiences!

 

[cvchief]

Slater,

My deal of late is ferry down and Mayair back. Figure you will have a hour or more on the bus and about 50 minutes on the ferry, plus whatever the wait time is for the next ferry. I use a private van arranged ahead of time to get to Playa as soon as possible. If I miss it, I don't mind a beer at Senor Frogs watching the water.

Coming back, if you have pre-bought your mayair tickets, show up 1/2 hour before the flight. Be in CUN in 20 minutes and they drive you to your terminal for free. If you have any number of people going, try using the Mayair chat function to negotiate a discount. I got around $40 a ticket for 7 people last trip.

 

[wmperry]

My only concern with the 11am arrival would be if you can clear customs in time to make your 1pm maya flight. The bus to terminal 1 ran very 20 minutes or you could grab a cab if time was tight.

I used maya air coming back to Cozumel from the Bahamas in march and customs was pretty easy, but if you get in at a busy time you might be pushing it. Between my arrival time and ferry schedules waiting 2.5 hours for my flight to Cozumel was just as fast as the bus/ferry.

I will say watch your head if you are tall like me. I looked like a murder victim after I slammed my head into the van back-door while passing off my luggage. Head wounds bleed a LOT!

 

[ColoDale]

We used to do the bag drag alot due to airfare differences and I generally planned half a day from the time I got off the plane in Cancun to when I reached the hotel (south of town). Some of this same time is duplicated using a flight from CUN to CZM.
If you can time the bus/taxi/van from Cancun to Playa and the ferry it goes fairly smoothly. However if you want to be in Cancun two hours before the flight out of Cancun, the ferry and bus routine can be an issue with timing (as does your plan for the flight to Cancun on the way out).

The actual travel on the bus/van and ferry can be relaxing tho some who are prone to seasickness on the ferry can have a harder time. I think the ferry is generally a calm trip but then I don't mind it.
The claiming of bags in Cozumel is a pain or at least a delay. The bus terminal and the ferry pier are fairly close. If you have alot of luggage, get one of the guys with the "tricycles" to move your bags in Playa del Carmen.

We've done the flight over and it was a bit cramped and with dive gear we were concerend with paying extra or having bags come over on a later flight. I don't like the latter option as I want my bags with me.
Using the flight was a bit quicker but we then still had to get to our hotel.

I can't tell if you've done the bag drag before but there were a couple of websites that describe it. One had photos of it step by step but I can't seem to locate it. If you did a google search on it, you may run across it. Otherwise see this one Getting to Cozumel and see the Cancun to Cozumel -- the "Land 'n Sea" Route section.

 

[Ron Lee]

Here is a great tutorial on the bus/ferry option by a single guy who is just the right person for some lovely single woman.

Cancun Airport to Playa del Carmen/Cozumel by ADO Bus

 

[ColoDale]

I was hoping Ron Lee would catch this. I couldn't remember who did the instructions. I think his was the original I bookmarked off Rodale's site years ago (don't remember exactly). Glad to see an updated version. I'll bookmark it again.

 

[Ron Lee]

I update it as I discover ways to improve the info. I have ideas on further improvements and do welcome other suggestions.

I wish I could format it better but my website skills are meager at best.

 

[DivingNole]

I just did the trip in Jan, did bag drag on the way to Coz and caught Maya Air on the way back to CUN. Thanks to Ron's great directions, it was smooth sailing to catch the ADO bus to Playa then a ferry. I landed in CUN about 12:25 and was lucky that baggage claim/customs was smooth sailing, just caught the 1:00 ADO bus. Not as completely lucky on catching the ferry as it was just pulling away, but still only ended up waiting about 30 minutes for the next one. Was at my hotel in south area by 3:30 or so. I initially thought about trying to catch the 1:00 Maya Air flight from CUN and didn't pre-book to leave myself options. Good thing too since we circled for a while waiting on President Calderon, so my original 11:30 landing time was out the window. Something to keep in mind when deciding what to do just in case there are flight delays.

Maya Air was great for the piece of mind on the way back to CUN. Quick flight and it wasn't a full plane. They didn't even say anything about my checked bag being over their weight limit, just checked it in. The shuttle to the main terminal was a breeze. Would probably do the same thing on my next trip down since I saved quite a bit by flying into CUN.

 

[Slater]

Thanks for all the info! Something for me to think about as my trip isnt till November. Seems like either method I should be in Coz about the same timeframe. As I get in Cun at 11 & Mayair doesnt leave till 1, thats about 2 hours that I can focus on the bus / ferry once I clear baggage claim / customs. Think ill just wing-it & see where im at as far as time frame goes after baggage & customs... Has anyone done this or is it common for Mayair flights to be in November & I should prebook & purchase a ticket?

 

[Ron Lee]

Slater, your flight from the US may change between now and November.