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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! 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 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 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 the searchers are not really too interested in
this job so just smile always!
Walk out past the glass doors, turn left for the bathroom, turn right to keep on going out. The last stall on the left is the ADO bus tickets. Buy your ticket here for Cancun Bus Station or Playa del Carmen or Tulum. If you walk past this and exit you can also buy tickets at the restaurant-kiosk to the right. Stay right and avoid all the hawkers.
CANCUN AIRPORT AND BUSES. Non-charter, non-resort based travel in and out of Cancun Airport used to be a hassle. Not any more. There are inexpensive bus routes from CUN to the bus station and from CUN to Playa del Carmen, Tulum and elsewhere. CUN to Cancun Bus Station is 20 mins., with departures every 30mins. on the hour and half hour in both directions. It costs 40 pesos or US $5. Buses south leave with less frequency and are more expensive. When leaving customs buy your ticket inside the building or outside at the restaurant kiosk. Avoid all the hawkers, they dont have want you want. The buses are on the dock to the right and these drivers do not hustle you.
On the return from Cancun Bus Station to CUN, you make sure that you exit the bus at the DEPARTURE terminal not the international arrivals. Otherwise you will make live miserable for yourself.
From Cancun to Piste: Once in the Cancun Bus Station check the boards for ADO service and get in line. You will want to buy a first class ticket to VALLADOLID. They depart every hour more or less until about 7pm and cost under $20 US. Once you arrive in Valladolid you get out of the bus station and look for Pisté Taxi-Combi service. This service costs under $2 and takes you straight away to Pisté.
Valladolid to Pisté:Since December 2008, the city of valladolid has been rebuilding its streets. This has forced the relocation of all the taxis and community shuttles. Accurate information will be posted in April on how to get from Valladolid bus station to Pistι.
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 Mérida.
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 is only ONE first class bus to Chichén Itzá a day. It leaves at 8 or 9am.
The best option is to go first class to Valladolid and then get the combi from Valladolid
to Chichén Itzá/Pisté. (see above).
Check out the SCHEDULE of Mexican
buses.
www.differentworld.com -- good info on buses in mexico!The bus lines that service Yucatan Peninsula are Uno and ADO -- Oriente is second class service.
http://www.adogl.com.mx/en/index.htm-- superluxory bus line
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/
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.
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