Important update regarding travel to Mexico, Canada, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda:
The proposed timeline for passports will be as follows:
- January 23, 2007 - Requirement applied to all air travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.
- January 1, 2008 - Requirement extended to all land border crossings as well as sea travel.
- Come 23rd of January, 2007 if you don't have a passport you will most likely lose your vacation when you are denied boarding at the airport. If you wait until the last minute to apply for an expedited passport the same may happen when you do not get your passport in time. So look at the following links, fill out the forms, get some photos taken and submit the paperwork while you have plenty of time.
http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/....
For more information on travel requirements, contact the U.S. embassies of the countries you're visiting. A complete list of U.S. embassies worldwide can be found at the Department of State Web site.
When departing the Cancun airport the first thing to remember is not to stop for anyone until you are outside where the vans and cabs are awaiting travelers to take you to your hotel. As soon as you are on your way past customs there will be people asking you where you are staying. They will say they have been waiting for you and will then escort you to a desk where you will then get your first taste of Cancun's timeshare hawkers. Ignore these people. This includes the seemingly official "Tourist Information" booths that are ripoff artists operating under the guise of the airport's legitimate facade. If you have pre-arranged transportation, they will have signs with your names on them, if not, still walk out of the airport where cabs are waiting instead of trying to find transportation from booths inside the airport (con-artists). See www.cancunscams.com for details.
When in Cancun use the bus system. It is safe, very cheap, runs all the time and almost everywhere. It will not take you to the airport though. You will need to get a taxi or set up other arrangements with a private company such as Get Dita, Travelway Transfers or others.
Your best bet in transportation from the airport to your resort destination is to have it included in your package stay. As mentioned before, do NOT stop for anyone until your find your resort company desk which is always located OUTSIDE the airport terminal. Not only will you find time-share hawkers, but you will find people willing to "help" you or may even represent themselves as a member of your resort company. They will literally grab your luggage from you, walk you the 15 feet and hold it until you pay them.
When boarding your transporation, they may or may not wait for additional passengers. If you are staying further from Cancun (perhaps in the Riveria Maya section or Playa del Carmen), realize that the driver will stop at every resort in Cancun first. If you don't want to delay the start of your vacation, you may offer to tip the driver extra if he leaves when you are ready.
This type of transporation gauntlet manuevering is only upon arrival - your departure from your hotel will be a breeze.
