Cancun Trip Report

Day 1

Alarm goes off at 4:30AM. Get up, have coffee and get our bags into the car. Drop the car at Budget rent a car and take their shuttle to the Syracuse airport. Check-in is fine and the flight is almost on time. This was the vaca tion we had wanted for quite some time. Get to Atlanta and have a 3-hour layover. We are glad to find a smoking room. So many airports these days you have to go outside to smoke. We find we have to check-in again with the ticket agent in Atlanta. They do a better check of your passport here and handed out the forms to fill-in for immigration in Mexico. The flight to Cancun is on time as well, Yeah! We are really on our way now.

Arrive in Cancun on time. Joe needs to make a pit stop before we get to im migration. We head downstairs and there are long lines. Having read on the board to expect this we were patient. It took about half an hour. We knew to be sure and complete both sections of the form so we breathed right through when it was our turn with t h e agent. On to customs. Our bags were already there. Crunched in the middle of a huge pile of other bags. Got the green light now to fight our way past the time-share people to the official taxi booth. We lucked out, there was another couple going to Moon Palace so we could share the cab. It is really outrageous that they charge $40 US for a cab to Moon Palace. We paid our half and off we go.

The ride to Moon Palace is relatively short. Once past their entrance it's awhile before you get to the resort. Y ou can see what the area use to look like before it was built up. Get to the main building and unload our luggage. We head inside the lobby. It is beautiful, very clean and spacious. There are lines to check-in. We arrived on a Saturday at about 3:30pm. It was a long wait. I didn't time it. They handed out glasses of champagne while you waited.

Final, get to the head of the line. We got a lady who was still in training so it did take some extra time. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. I knew we wan ted to have a room near the pool. I told them I had a bad ankle and couldn't walk far. We were told we got the last close room. We ended up in the main building (building 64). This turned out for us to be a great location. We followed the bellboy up with our luggage. Our room key didn't work. I guess the girl at the desk hadn't scanned it correctly. The bellboy used his key to get in.

The room is great. Very clean, big king size bed, refrigerator stocked with beer, soda and bottled water, Jacuzzi, huge s hower and a great view off the balcony. Our view was of one end of the pool with the Caribbean Sea beyond it. As it turned out we were able to watch the sun come up every morning for some spectacular photos. Only had one chair on the balcony however. We c hanged our clothes and headed back to the lobby to get our room keys straighten out and to request another chair. No problem they say, so we head over to where we are to meet the person that will tell us more about the resort.

Lynda tells us about all th e restaurants and free tours we can get. Also since we had VIP reservations we get a free manicure, pedicure and a massage. She also invites us to a cocktail party the next day and a free champagne breakfast. The breakfast we know will be the time-share p i tch and private tour. We decided to skip both. Her info is a help but we are hungry and the restaurants will be closing soon for the hour they need to prepare for dinner. Off to the indoor pool restaurant for a quick bite and then out to explore the resort.

The resort is beautiful. The pool seems to go on forever (the one at Sunrise is even bigger). The grounds are beautifully kept, with great landscaping. There are places to sit along the paths. I liked the stone loveseats they have. Yes the beach has s ome seagrass but we didn't find it a deterrent. The sand stays cool even in hot sun. It is a fairly wide strip of beach and it felt like it went on forever. If you ended up in one of the far buildings it could be close to a mile walk to the pool. We found where you can get the bikes, roller blades and set up reservations for a tennis court. We also discovered they now have a miniature golf area between Moon and Sunrise Palace.

Day 2

Woke up very early. I guess I'm still on Eastern Time. The sun isn' t quite up yet. Start the coffee going and head out on the balcony. What a wonderful view. The sun is just coming up and there are a few clouds making for a spectacular view over the water. It's so warm here after the cold Syracuse winter.

Today is our day to just relax. Coffee and a shower (great water pressure and so roomy) and we are ready to jump into our bathing suits and head down for breakfast. Had breakfast in the indoor pool restaurant. This was great. All sorts of fruit and pastries. Many Mexi c an dishes, pancakes, French toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. Not to mention that they will make you any kind of omelet you want. There are little bowls out in which you put the toppings you want in your omelet. They will make you fresh fruit drinks to or der. The also offer waffles.

After breakfast we head down towards the pool. Picked up 2 towels at the Aqua World desk. It's now about 8 o'clock. We went looking for lounge chairs with a small palappa. Almost all of them already have towels on them. I gue ss you need to reserve your spot before breakfast. Finally find one over near the dive tank behind one of the swim-up bars. \par \par Stretch out and relax and enjoy the sunshine while reading. We listened to the diving lesson over in the tank. We decide to take the diving lesson later that day. We enjoy the pool and swim-up bar. We grabbed lunch/snack there. I wasn't thrilled the sausage but the rest of the food was good. I loved the salsa and fresh chips.

The dive instructor at Moon Palace was wonderful. I wi sh I could remember her name. The lesson was 2 hours (this is not the free lesson). This one is your first stage to get your scuba diving certification. Our lesson was done in both Spanish and English. I'm a chicken when it came to scuba diving. The instr uctor was very patient and helped talk me through my panic about being underwater. We booked a dive for Tuesday. More about the dive later.

We just hung out the rest of the day and wandered around. We made our reservations for the tour of Chichen Itza for the next day as well as our free massage for Tuesday.

That evening we went over to Sunrise Palace. We were meeting another couple I had been chatting with on the boards. They were there from Calgary. We met in the lobby bar. We chat for a few hours. It was great to meet the people I had met on the net.

Day 3

I was up before the sun again. I had set the alarm for 7 to be ready to catch the bus for our tour. I guess I was just to excited about seeing the pyramids. Anyway the sunrise was again beautiful.

If you plan on taking this tour be sure and bring a lot of water. It gets very hot. We brought a 2-quart canteen from home and filled it with bottled water. We were very glad we did.

We grabbed breakfast at the pool restaurant again and were o ut in front of the main building to meet the bus at 8am. There were huge crowds here as most of the tours leave at that time. Listen carefully for when they call your tour. They have lists of names as to which bus you are on. There were at least 2 for Chi chen Itza that day. Get on the bus and off we go. First stop Sunrise Palace for the guide to fill out some paperwork and to pick up more passengers. Drinks on the bus are $1 US.

It's a long ride but the bus is comfortable. They drive through a small semi -typical Mexican town along the way there. They then stop at a place where you can buy souvenirs and go to the restroom. Having been to Mexico in the past I found most of the items there very typical. The guide said they no longer allow vendors on the gro unds at the ruins so this is the place to buy them. We decided to pass on this offer. We did however use the restrooms. They were clean for restrooms in Mexico. I was sure to tip the attended a few pesos on my way out.

The guide talked most of the way to Chichen Itza. He gave us a history and description of what we would be seeing. He was very informative. Remember a lot of what they know is speculation, so take it with a grain of salt.

Upon arriving at the ruins the guide told us that at the Mayaland Hotel they will make you a personalized long date print of your birthday. You can have it on plain paper and choose the colors they use or for $5 more on handmade paper. I decide to get one done on the handmade paper. It is very beautiful. I look at it as a piece of artwork. Later on our trip I had a person that has studied Mayan hieroglyphs look it over and it is for real.

The ruins are a site to be seen. The guide walks you around some of them and then lets you have free time to do your own exploring and to get lunch at the hotel. Food is part of the tour but you have to pay for your own drinks.

I have been to other ruin in Mexico but never before to the Yucatan. Chichen Itza is a definite must see. I especially enjoyed going inside El Castillo and s eeing the red jaguar throne and the choc mul. Be aware that it is hotter and muggier when you are inside. It is dark and narrow space in which you climb the inside stairs. This is not a place to go if you are claustrophobic. Joe wasn't feeling well that day; he had come to Mexico with a cold. So we didn't wander around the grounds that much. We did get to see most of the area, but decided to head back to get lunch.

Lunch at the Mayaland hotel was a nice buffet. They had Mexican dancers there. They dance d with bottles on their heads, it was entertaining. The hotel also has a gift shop and restrooms. After lunch we sat on their patio and waited until it was time to get back on the bus. The ride back was pleasant. They ran some sort of movie. Joe and I bot h dozed on the way back. Back at the hotel we grabbed a drink at the lobby bar and headed back to our room to relax before dinner.

We had dinner at the Italian restaurant. It was a buffet. The food was plentiful and a lot of choices. They had lobster out but no melted butter. We asked our waiter for some and a few minutes later it arrived at our table. By the way if you tip you get great service. I know it's an all-inclusive resort but they do appreciate the money. They staff works very hard. A drink or two in the lobby bar, then off to bed.

Day 4

Saw the sunrise again. Joe woke up congested so we went and postponed our dive. You should never dive if you are congested. We rescheduled for Thursday. Just hung by the pool and wandered the ground. Ate on and off and had our massages. They give a good massage although it's a bit rougher than the ones I've gotten in the states. They seem to do more pressure point work. Afterwards we headed back to the room to jump in the Jacuzzi. That sure felt good. Th e bubble bath in the room hardly bubbled. You might want to bring your own. All in all a very peaceful day. We made reservations for our tour to Xpu-Ha for the next day.

We did go to the show in the ballroom this evening. It was their tropical night. The costumes were very colorful and the music was loud. The dancers were a mixed bag. Some very good and some needed a lot more work. I grew up on Broadway shows so I'm a bit spoiled. It was entertaining and good for some laughs as well.

Day 5

Yet a nother beautiful sunrise. I just seem to wake up for them. Go and have breakfast then meet out in front for the 8:15 bus to Xpu-Ha. The bus made 2 stops one at Sunrise Palace and then at Aventura Palace to get more passengers. What a beautiful place it is . Gorgeous beach, nice paths to walk. Lots of places to sit or lay in a hammock. They do check what kind of suntan lotion you have with you. If it's not coral save they take it and give you a number. It is returned to you when you leave. You can buy coral safe lotion there.

We really loved the snorkeling there. You can snorkel in both the river and an inlet from the sea. Please note they actually have lockers in 2 places. The one the guide told us about where you get towels and also down where you get sno rkel equipment. If only we had known it would have been more fun. It's a long walk between the 2 places and we had left our stuff in the locker near the beach.

We hiked the mangrove trail on our own. We had the place to ourselves. We even got startled b y an iguana along the way. The tropical bird enclosure was interested. I had never seen a Mexican turkey before. The guide that took us through it seemed knowledgeable.

The buffet lunch had a lot of choices and like the palace resorts the food and drink was included with the tour. So was all the equipment and towels. The only exception I understand is if you want to scuba dive. They do offer a snorkel tour of the river, a ride on a catamaran and a nature tour. We didn't bother with any of these and just had fun exploring on our own. There is a full gift shop near the entrance and a small stand near the beach that sells stuff like suntan lotion, hats, etc.

Back on the bus for the ride to the resort. Head back for the room and a nice long shower. We were n't hungry yet so we went for drinks at the lobby bar. We met a stranger husband and wife there. Seems that this was their last evening in Cancun. It was also the first evening they had spent any time together the whole week. With all you can drink I thin k he went overboard. They were great entertainment for the evening.

Day 6 (our last day in Cancun, sigh)

Again I got up with the sun. It was very cloudy and the sunrise was something to behold. It was also a bit winder than it had been. Today was our scuba diving day. We had to be at the Aqua World shop by 10 for a 10:30 dive.

We had breakfast in the indoor pool restaurant (our favorite spot in the morning). We were told in the diving lesson to eat carbohydrates before the dive to help you keep warm underwater. That done, off to the shop.

We take care of the paperwork there and head down to the dock. While waiting for other to arrive we talked to the crew. Joe mentioned he had had a cold. I told them I still was a chicken. They decide that they w ill send us down with our own instructor and then have 2 other groups diving. They hand out fins and masks before we got on the boat. They take only 12 people out at a time. \par Once everyone had arrived we head out to the reef. They go over the basic rules of diving again and give wetsuits to those people that wanted them (this is an additional $10US fee).

As soon as they stopped the boat for the dive I started getting seasick. I've always been prone to motion sickness and the water was pretty choppy that day. So before I could even get my gear on, I was hanging over the side of the boat.

The crew rushed to help with my gear and to help me off the boat. They said I'd feel better in the water and they were right. Swim to the rope and then slowly descend t o the bottom. What a beautiful world down there. The plant life is so unique and the coral I just can't describe it. We followed the instructor through narrow passageways around the reef. It was a wonderful adventure. I'm glad I went. The dive lasted abou t 35 minutes and then we headed back to the surface.

We came up a good distance from the boat and had to swim over to it. It was still pretty choppy. I was feeling a bit queasy even in the water. We got to the boat and the crew helped with my gear. I no sooner got on deck and needed to hang over the side again. As soon as the boat started moving I was doing a bit better. Unfortunately we had to stop 2 more times to pick up the rest of the drivers. \par \par Once everyone was onboard we headed back to the dock. They told us that the photos the crew had taken would be at the shop the next morning or we could go into Cancun after 5 and get them at their shop in town. Unfortunately we had an 8am flight the next day so we never got to see them. I felt to queasy to r ide the bus into town.

Back on dry landed I just wanted to head back to the room and lay down for awhile. Joe went to one of the restaurants and grabbed himself something to eat and got me a plain roll, which I had requested. After an hour or two I felt better. We decided to spend some time walking more of the beach. Someone had made a nice crocodile sand sculpture. Even the seagrass raking truck drove around it. We just hang out and enjoyed the resort the rest of the day.

Had to pack and early to bed tomorrow would be a long day.

First head to the airport. Fly into Mexico City. There catch the bus to Queretaro. In Queretaro catch a cab to San Miguel De Allende to my folks place. We spent 3 days with them before flying home. It was a wonderful trip.