Arriving to Cancun: The Airport
If you have ever flown into Cancun International Airport, you’ll be able to fully relate to this post. Even worse, if you were duped by the timeshare reps, you may be triggered by reading this. Consider yourself warned!
Cancun and Riviera Maya Mexico is one of my most frequently booked destinations due to the sheer number of all-inclusive resorts in the region – promoting competitive pricing – and ease of access to Cancun International Airport. There are HUNDREDS of flights that arrive into Cancun each day, from all around the world.
If you’ve never flown into Cancun, the arrival process can be a little…interesting. Immigration and customs are not the problem; you can complete your entry form on the airplane or online, and you stand in line to get your passport stamped. It’s pretty straightforward, actually.
The fun begins AFTER you exit customs and head toward your transportation, which is almost always part of your vacation package. For the uninitiated, once you exit customs with your luggage, you will walk through automatic doors into a brightly lit hallway advertising some of Cancun’s most popular tourist destinations. You’ll turn right and….here we go….you’ll see a bunch of people, all dressed similarly, lining the hallway toward another set of automatic doors. Last time I was there, they were all in gray tops (I imagine the uniforms change over time). I always tell my clients at this point to LOOK STRAIGHT AHEAD and politely decline their offers of assistance.
These “well-meaning” folks are timeshare representatives and are completely unaffiliated with your resort vacation. Timeshares are BIG business in Mexico, and due to the sheer number of visitors who come to Cancun each year, have been given prime real estate in the airport for whatever reason. (I’m sure the reason is GREEN…just saying).
As your friendly neighborhood travel professional, please allow me to offer the following arrival tips so you don’t get caught up in the timeshare okey-doke:
1. If someone asks you for your voucher, you’re in the wrong place.
This is the basic greeting of the timeshare reps. And if you don’t know better, you’ll feel like you’ve made some sort of fatal error on your international trip. Because you won’t have a voucher. Keep it moving when you hear this question.
2. Walk through the automatic doors until you’re outside.
Once you feel the warmth of the Mexican sun on your skin, you’re in the right place. All of the transportation/transfer companies will be outside with appropriate signage.
3. Your transport knows you’re coming. Find them.
As a travel professional that has booked dozens of trips to Cancun, I can attest that roundtrip airport transfers have been included in 99% of those trips. Clients received detailed travel documents prior to departure that provide the name of the transport company, and I also work diligently with the tour operator to ensure that all flight information is updated and correct. I’m saying all this to say: your transportation company is expecting your arrival. Find their sign/logo outside of the airport and say hello. You do not have to give them a voucher; typically your name and hotel is the only thing they need to confirm you are the guest they’re expecting. They will usher you to your vehicle and whisk you off of start your vacation, typically providing your return pickup time at that point or 1-2 days later at the resort. It’s a well oiled machine!
The next time I’m in Cancun, I plan to videotape the process so I can add visuals to this issue. There are plenty of videos on YouTube uploaded by other travel professionals to show you how this works – I might as well add mine to the pot.
Happy Travels!!!