introducing myself and a couple questions?

adw · #1 (**permalink**) 03-28-2008, 12:26 PM

Hi everyone Im Amanda Im from snowy yucky Michigan and Im coming in April for just a quick 4 day (actually 3 full day) weekend to tide me over until our honeymoon in August and I have couple questions.

Here is what my plan was
Arrive at 9 something am hop on ADO bus and walk over to Lab Nah from there. Future hubby has a concern for this because he doesnt want to waste any precious weekend waiting for a bus. But he also doesnt think $144 bucks for rd trip private transportation is worth it either. So I guess he has to live with it...
So anyway Monday we leave and plane departs at 9:56 am and I am thinking about just grabbing a cab..... but since I have never done that I am a tad concerned. For one how easy will it be to grab a cab that early in the morning around Lab Nah and what time should I leave Playa to make in to Cancun? When I inquired about a private transportation they said 6:30 but that seems just a bit early I was thinking more along the lines of 7? Can anyone give me any insight? Thanks

John · #2 (**permalink**) 03-28-2008, 01:07 PM

I'd recommend the ADO bus to Playa, and maybe even back to the airport (I'll have to see if I dig up the ole schedule). I'm not a morning person, but I believe you would be able to find plenty of cabs at 7am to take you back - you really don't need to leave at 6:30am. It's about 50-55 minutes from Playa to the Cancun airport.

Have a great trip! Your plans are, lay on the beach, lay on the beach, and lay on the beach??

DavidB · #3 (**permalink**) 03-28-2008, 01:09 PM

Welcome from Michigan.

Sounds like a good plan. Tell him taking the bus is part of the adventure. I'd stick with the 6:30 cab time. Your leaving around 10 so check in at the airport would be 8. I always leave a little extra time just in case the cabs a little late or something else slows you down.(it is Mexico

) If you get there on time you there's a nice little resturant for breakfast after you check your bags before you go through the security check.

MWC · #4 (**permalink**) 03-28-2008, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adw

Hi everyone Im Amanda Im from snowy yucky Michigan and Im coming in April for just a quick 4 day (actually 3 full day) weekend to tide me over until our honeymoon in August and I have couple questions.

Here is what my plan was
Arrive at 9 something am hop on ADO bus and walk over to Lab Nah from there. Future hubby has a concern for this because he doesnt want to waste any precious weekend waiting for a bus. But he also doesnt think $144 bucks for rd trip private transportation is worth it either. So I guess he has to live with it...
So anyway Monday we leave and plane departs at 9:56 am and I am thinking about just grabbing a cab..... but since I have never done that I am a tad concerned. For one how easy will it be to grab a cab that early in the morning around Lab Nah and what time should I leave Playa to make in to Cancun? When I inquired about a private transportation they said 6:30 but that seems just a bit early I was thinking more along the lines of 7? Can anyone give me any insight? Thanks

Welcome!

The beauty of the way it is set up outside the terminal is that if it looks like you will be waiting forever for the ADO bus ... you can fling up your hands and go to the taxi stand. Play that one by ear.

It will be extremely easy to get a cab from where LabNah is. At worst, you will have to walk two blocks up to 10th Avenue to find one. 7 am sounds fine.

Tony&Cheri · #5 (**permalink**) 03-28-2008, 01:17 PM

Besides the ADO bus, there are other options for transportation from the airport, as well. Is the $144 a price quoted by your hotel? That seems pretty high. (The company we use is raising their rates on April 1, and the new rate is only $110 for RT private for 1-3 people.) You might also check with your hotel and see if they offer a shared service. The one we offer is $90 RT for 1-3 people. This type of service means that you might (or might not) share the trip with others who arranged transportation with the same company. I think this is a little better than the shuttle service sold at the airport which is, last time I checked, about $18 US per person one way. With this type of service, as with most airport shuttle services, you generally wait until they fill the van before they leave, which could take awhile.

Once you're in Playa, if needed, you can arrange for a shuttle back to the airport for about $20 per person. Even when they are picking up other people, you generally still make it to the airport within about an hour or an hour and ten.

~Cheri

John · #6 (**permalink**) 03-28-2008, 01:23 PM

The ticketbus.com.mx website should be able to provide you with a schedule for the buses, although it's not giving me one at the moment.

Looks like you have recommendations for all services now.

They'll all work, it just depends how quickly you want to be somewhere and how much you are willing to spend.

adw · #7 (**permalink**) 03-28-2008, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John

I'd recommend the ADO bus to Playa, and maybe even back to the airport (I'll have to see if I dig up the ole schedule). I'm not a morning person, but I believe you would be able to find plenty of cabs at 7am to take you back - you really don't need to leave at 6:30am. It's about 50-55 minutes from Playa to the Cancun airport.

Have a great trip! Your plans are, lay on the beach, lay on the beach, and lay on the beach??

Thanks for your help I never expected to get so many responses so quick this site is great..

Yup plan is to lay on the beach and not do much else.. Just need a quick break anything planned activities will wait until we come back in August for our honeymoon...

Cosmo · #8 (**permalink**) 03-28-2008, 01:46 PM

Hola adw, you can also talk to a cab driver in advance, say the day before you leave. Call one away from the other drivers and you can get a ride for about 45$ and he will be waiting on you...

adw · #9 (**permalink**) 03-28-2008, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidB

Welcome from Michigan.

Sounds like a good plan. Tell him taking the bus is part of the adventure. I'd stick with the 6:30 cab time. Your leaving around 10 so check in at the airport would be 8. I always leave a little extra time just in case the cabs a little late or something else slows you down.(it is Mexico

) If you get there on time you there's a nice little resturant for breakfast after you check your bags before you go through the security check.

Thank you.. Are you as ready for spring as we are? We wont have any luggage to check at all just a couple carryons with a few bathing suits

so you still think we should leave at 6:30?

adw · #10 (**permalink**) 03-28-2008, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony&Cheri

Besides the ADO bus, there are other options for transportation from the airport, as well. Is the $144 a price quoted by your hotel? That seems pretty high. (The company we use is raising their rates on April 1, and the new rate is only $110 for RT private for 1-3 people.) You might also check with your hotel and see if they offer a shared service. The one we offer is $90 RT for 1-3 people. This type of service means that you might (or might not) share the trip with others who arranged transportation with the same company. I think this is a little better than the shuttle service sold at the airport which is, last time I checked, about $18 US per person one way. With this type of service, as with most airport shuttle services, you generally wait until they fill the van before they leave, which could take awhile.

Once you're in Playa, if needed, you can arrange for a shuttle back to the airport for about $20 per person. Even when they are picking up other people, you generally still make it to the airport within about an hour or an hour and ten.

~Cheri

No not quoted from my hotel at that price another source.... I think the price was higher because It was recommended I leave at 6:30 rather then 7. Still seemed alot higher then I paid last year from my hotel. I dont even know if my hotel offers it as they never mentioned it.

On another note I cant wait to stop by and see the bar!!

adw · #11 (**permalink**) 03-28-2008, 01:57 PM

I just wanted to say thank you for everyone that responded. I never thought I would get so many responses so quick. You are all very helpful and I appreciate it lots. I am so glad I found this board.

SUNBABY · #12 (**permalink**) 03-28-2008, 02:06 PM

You can have your hotel call for a cab that morning. I don't think the busses leave that early and it always seems to take longer going back to the airport. They make another stop in Playa and in PM.

We decided to leave later than what our transport wanted to do. We arrived at terminal 3 and there was no lines.

. ( everybody else was already checked thru) We didn't have to have our checked in luggage searched..that saved alot of time. We had time to eat and then get thru security. The carry on security line was long though. When we got to the gate, the plane was just starting to load. If you want to shop at the airport, then get there a little early. BTW.. I still had plenty of time to get a replacement for my lost visa. ( and if you lose it..tell them it's your first time you lost it) It only took about 5-10 minutes to get a new one.

Laura Mapchick · #13 (**permalink**) 03-28-2008, 02:19 PM

the first bus from Playa to the airport is 7 am, double check that to make sure when you arrive.
Be sure to leave in plenty of time in the morning, I think 7 would be good.
If there's an accident or something on the highway, you're toast

A freind was taking Perry to the airport once and there was an accident, if he hadn't gotten out of her car and ran up the highway around the wreck and grabbed a taxi from there, he never would have made it.

Page · #14 (**permalink**) 03-28-2008, 02:33 PM

If you decide to take the bus to return to the airport, make sure you buy your tickets the day before ...

Caroline

DavidB · #15 (**permalink**) 03-28-2008, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adw

Thank you.. Are you as ready for spring as we are? We wont have any luggage to check at all just a couple carryons with a few bathing suits

so you still think we should leave at 6:30?

I guess it depends on how early you want to get there. Twice we've been messed up by delays in the morning. Once the night guy couldn't take our hotel payment and we had to wait for the day girl to take a taxi in to check us out. Another time our transport didn't show up and after waiting 40 minutes we had to hail a cab on the street to take us to the airport. I guess 7 would be ok.

NiceTom · #16 (**permalink**) 03-28-2008, 06:34 PM

We typically rent a car-been a while since we used the taxi for the trip, but is it still the same situation, that a taxi to the airport is much cheaper than a taxi from the airport?

MWC · #17 (**permalink**) 03-28-2008, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NiceTom

We typically rent a car-been a while since we used the taxi for the trip, but is it still the same situation, that a taxi to the airport is much cheaper than a taxi from the airport?

That was the case for us two years ago. The cabs at the airport are highly regulated; the cabs out of Playa can be a bit more flexible in pricing.