Arriving in Cancun Airport – survival tactics

Visa, Passport, Customs Forms
Before you leave the airplane make sure your paperwork is filled out.
You fill out the visa – SIGN IT! on the back – and the customs form.
You will get a stub of the visa returned to you to keep.
This must be returned to immigration when you leave the airport.
DO NOT LOSE IT! Keep it with your passport at all times.

When you disembark the plane you enter into this big area that you see again ë this is the boarding area for your return flight.
When you disembark youare shuffled around the perimter of this area and then down some stairs and into the visitor/immigration line to get your papers checked.
ASK FOR 90 DAYS from the official.
Beg, plead, smile, speak Spanish, giggle, flirt, ANY thing to get 90 days stamped on your visa.

Luggage and the Button
Once through you go to the baggage holding area. There is a restroom there you can change from winter clothes to summer if you wish ë do this before your luggage arrives.
Go to the bathroom as you may not have another opportunity for a few hours.
Do not buy any taxi service or exchange money here.
DO however pick up the free tourist brochures for cancun, xelha, xcaret, etc. that are handed out by beautiful Mexican hosts. These are research materials. Take all you can get your hands on.
There will be a GOOD Map of Downtown Cancun in the Cancun Tips book you pick up.
The carts are free, but you only use them to pick up luggage and then to go through the customs.

Get your luggage, get in line and then hand your customs form and press the button.
Green push on through past the big glass doors.
Red get searched ë the searchers are not really too interested in this job so just smile always!
After the door you MUST take your luggage off the cart and push it yourself.
Curiously right there, there are about 5 zillion guys shouting politely to help you with your luggage.
Unless you have single dollar bills for each bag, avoid any and all help.
These guys can be quite aggressive as they simply put your luggage onto their carts without asking. Stop them. Walk past all this hoopla.

Taxi, Shuttle, Bus from Cancun Airport
About 10-15 yards on your left after the customs is a taxi shuttle service.
Straight ahead between the double exit doors is another taxi shuttle service.
These are $9 US (or maybe more today). If you pay in pesos it saves $2-3.
Buy shuttle service at either one of these.
Tell them you want the Terminal de Camiones de Cancun.

Bus Station.
Taxi service is around $30-40 ë the price varies according to your ethnic/national looks and ability to speak Spanish.
Unless you have a group of 4 persons and one is a native speaker who can negotiate, avoid these.
If you get a taxi, you immediately get into the cab and drive away.
Downton cancun is 20 minutes or less away.
If you get a shuttle, you get a ticket and then you form part of this human wave of people, well tourists, then are funneled into these vans.
You might get pushed into a van but that van may not take off for 10-15 minutes depending upon the flow.
Keep your eyes open and get yourself into a van that is about ready to leave.
Do not be timid here.
The van then drives all the way through the Hotel Zone of Cancun.
To get to the Cancun Downtown bus Station will take 1-2 hours depending on time of day, traffic, etc.

Third option: There is a public bus that goes from the departure terminal to close to the downtown bus station. This costs no more than $3, but you need pesos. Not a good option if you have many bags. To get to the departure terminal go out past the mob of shuttle service, cabs etc and veer to the right & keep on walking its this building. But the bus stop is at the complete opposite end of the departure terminal. ASK someone who is not a taxi driver exactly were you get it.

Fourth & Great Option that I have not tried: A friend tells me there is a ADO line Bus from the Cancun Airport to the Cancun Bus Terminal leaving every 1/2 hour for US$1.50. It is a luxury bus that takes you directly to the terminal. Ask for this service.

On the return to Cancun Airport the options are limited to the public bus and taxi.
If you can remember, take your time to figure out how this, the public bus, works for your return trip.
Changing Money in Cancun The best place to cash US dollars is in Cancun. The best places are on the strip between the Bus Station and Avenida Kukulcan.

After arriving at the bus stattion by shuttle, go inside and check times of departures – See below. Then go out and turn LEFT. Cross the Street and head towards SANBORNS diner (it used to be Denny’s & it looks the same).Walk along the side walk to the left and as it curves around to meet the boulevard there are 1-2 casas de cambios.Check the exchange rate. Keep on walking and keeping an eye out for casas de cambios. There are about 4 in the immediate 2-3 block area. These have the best rates in the tourist zone of cancun. The election of Bush and his continued war in Iraq dropped the value of the $$ to the peso. Today my online converters give rates of 11.24 and 11.33 US to Pesos.

Remember, Cash ATM withdrawals get the official rate or often at least the better rate.

Cancun Bus Station & Schedules
When you first step into the bus station you will notice the chaos.
Avoid second class buses.
This is the ORIENTE bus line. This is not a question of snobbery, but a question of the security of any luggage you may carry. Anyone can take luggage from the bottom when getting dropped off or on.

In 10 years only one student has ever lost a bag – but this bag had her laptop.
Second class is safe enough, but do not risk this issue.

Second class buses stop just about anywhere and take 6 hours minimum from Cancun to Mírida. These are not comfortable rides. The First Class bus takes 4 hours and is not much more money. This is the ADO-GL, ADO and UNO bus lines. There are three categories of first class bus. The super luxury only has three rows of seats and has greater room to recline. They are only about $5 more than the other first class. The crucial factors are timing and availability. From Cancun to Mérida there should be a bus or two leaving every hour of every day. To Chichén Itzá/Pisté there are second classes buses every hour. There are only 2 (maybe one) first class bus to Chichén a day. One option is to go first class to Valladolid and then second class Valladolid to Pisté/Chichén Itzá; or take a taxi from the bus station for $10-15 max.

Check out these websites for info on Mexican buses. www.differentworld.com/mexico/common/pages/bus_info.htm -- good info!

www.adogl.com.mx -- this is the luxury line. -- UNO is the super luxury bus

www.ado.com.mx is the regular ADO first class bus

www.yucatantoday.com/transportation/eng-bus-lines.htm -- info on Mérida bus
try this page to get specific schedules on all bus lines.

http://www.ticketbus.com.mx/ -- this is the ticket master for Mexico's buses
Mérida has many bus stations.
On this page choose either the luxury first class bus station – Mérida Fiesta Americana. Or the old first class station – Mérida Came. Note: The far right hand column ‘tiempo recorrido’ is travel time.