Traveling to Cancun? Right now…..

Updated: Jul 26th, 2021Posted: May 31, 2021 Jake Johnson News, Popular, Trending
Traveling to Cancun

Hola Besties,

I just got back from 10 days of traveling to Cancun.

I had to see what it’s really like – after the press had Mexico circling the bowl for a year.

Here is my take after staying at 7 resorts in 10 days.

  • The Airports
    • I had a few stops in the US before I got to Cancun< - I was in Spokane/Denver/Salt Lake City/Dallas Ft Worth/Hartford/Phoenix
    • ALL were busy.  And there were very few parking spaces.
    • People are traveling. Guess they don’t have a TV.
  • The Flights
    • So I was on like 7 flights total.  At different times of the day including a red-eye
    • The flights are PACKED.
    • The airlines don’t have lots of planes, extra flights, or open seats lying around.
    • This means that if your plane has a mechanical you are screwed.  It happened to me.
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    • They are VERY serious about wearing your approved mask.  No bandanas or stretchy things you pull up.
    • Bring breath mints.  Being in a mask for 6 hours after Linguini a la garlic is worse than water torture.
    • And download the Airline App for whichever airline you’re on.  It’s a time saver and gives you free stuff like movies.
  • Arriving at CUN airport
    • Since Canada and the EU are not dropping 747’s full of speedo-stretching man-buns, my arrival was a breeze.
    • Short lines, happy airport staff.   They want tourists.
  • Transferring to the Hotel
    • This is where it gets sketchy.
    • Be sure you choose a reputable transfer company.  Think Lomas/USA/Amstar.
    • The tourist infrastructure was down for a year.  They are gearing up fast, but things are not like 2019
    • Cabs are hard to find at the airport.  At least that was what I was told when my transfer company did not show up.
  • The Hotels
    • The name of this website is ‘Best All-Inclusive’, not Cheap All-Inclusive – so your experience may vary.
    • Every hotel I was at ( Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morales, Hotel Zone & Playa-Costa Mujeres) was very concerned about health and safety.
    • Guests were not wearing masks around the pools/beach/walkways.
    • But they are worn in the restaurants when you’re around the food – and in the lobby area.
    • Staff ALL wore masks……They cannot afford to be out of work after a year of scrounging.  They are VERY diligent about their masks.
    • BTW – get used to using QR codes.  They don’t pass out menus or property maps because they don’t want to touch them.
    • Most resorts have their own app, be sure to download it.   It’s the best way to get info without looking like a Luddite.
    • Also, food was good.  Not all restaurants are open every day and room service took longer than usual.  But things are improving day by day.
  • Cabbing it between hotels
    • Very smooth and expensive.  It cost me $15 to take a cab a bit less than a mile.
    • Cabbies have this little chart with microscopic print that gives you the rates (if you can see them).
    • Uber works great for about 25% of the price, but they cannot come on the property.  You have to meet them outside the gates.
  • Antigen Test
    • Each resort has a daily antigen test available for people departing in 72 hours.
    • The tests were free in the resorts I stayed in.
    • If you’re staying in an AirBNB or VRBO then the cost is about $35 for Antigen and $100 for PCR.
    • Hospiten is the company most resorts use, and is who did my test.  They were efficient and emailed me my results in 20 minutes.
    • Everyone I spoke with had no trouble getting the test (other than prying themselves off the swim-up bar for an hour)
    • YOU HAVE TO GET THIS TEST.  No amount of wailing or gnashing your teeth will get you on a return flight to the US without it.
    • The airlines are drop-dead serious about this.
  • Return transfer to the CUN Airport
  • Leaving Cancun Airport
    • Ok….this is where it gets weird
    • There are 2 things they want you to do.  Pay a VisitTax and fill out a ‘Questionaire of Certification of Risk Factors in Travelers’
    • No, I am not day drinking….that is what they call the questionnaire.
    • Let’s take these one at a time:
      • The VisitTax is an $11 tax you pay for leaving the airport.   When you come to the escalators there is a person with a big sign that has a QR code on it.  You are supposed to scan the QR code and pay money.
      • My ‘Friends in Low Places’ told me to blow it off and act all “No Habla” if questioned about it.
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      • So that is what I did and no one asked me for anything or bugged me about it.  Your experience may vary.
      • The next is the Questionnaire of blah, blah ,blah.   You can scan a QR code and fill it out online – or they give you a small piece of paper with .0001 font that no one could read
      • It asks you if you have been in contact with farm animals, and for your airline and flight number.  I filled that out but no one asked me for it.
    • So…..when I got to the person who checks passports/boarding passes etc before you get strip-searched, I slid right through.
    • BTW…at the Cancun airport, you don’t have to take your shoes off.  Just in case you are wearing any after draining your minibar before leaving.
  • The flight back to the US
    • Uneventful this time.   Having flown on American, United, Southwest, and Delta……I found the Southwest and Delta flight attendants were the happiest.
    • Not that it is important since everyone wears a mask and is lubed up with GermX.
    • Tip for blowing through Customs ……get the Mobile Passport app.  It’s free and you have a special line at Customs.  I found it to be faster than the Global Passport that costs $85.

So, that’s how it looked from the Back Seat.

I can tell you people are traveling (to Cancun and elsewhere!) like crazy.

There are some scorching deals out there.

5 star resorts going for prices that I have never seen before – and the resort staff are so happy to be working again.

Hope this info helps.

Saludos mi travelito’s

~~Jake

P.S.  I have to give a shout out to Check PricesMajestic Costa Mujeres.  Costa Mujeres is the new hot spot.  No seaweed that I saw and the beach is the best in Quintana Roo.  You can walk for miles on firm, flat, white sand.   They are building a ton of new resorts out there.  You will begin to hear about it if you haven’t already.  Way better than Akumal or Tulum IMHO.

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About Jake Johnson 194 Articles
Jake Johnson is a full-time travel bum, who prefers warm climates where the women wear less clothing. We've tried to teach him things like manners and diplomacy, but we've given up and simply rely on our editors to remove the most offensive bits from his articles. We take no responsibility for his inane ramblings opinions - they are his own.
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