CANCUN DEPARTURES & MERA AIRPORT LOUNGE: What to do, where to go, Mera Lounge & departures areas
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- Опубликовано: 23 мар 2024
- This video is for informational purposes only. We are not sponsored and our opinions are our own.
We just finished our "How to Navigate the Cancun Airport in 2024" video where we focus on arrivals and tell you what you need to know to get from the plane to your resort safely and with as little stress as possible. In this video we are going to focus on your departure from the Cancun airport. It may help you to know how things work as well as where to go, what shops and restaurants are available and what the Mera Lounge is like to see what options would work best for you while you're waiting for your flight to take you home.
The first thing you will need to know is which terminal you will be departing from. Most reputable transfer drivers will know which airlines use which terminals but some don't so you need to know at which terminal you need to dropped.
You should plan to be at the airport 3 hours before your scheduled departure time. Sometime the security area is really busy and other times it is fast but you never really know so plan for the worst and hope for the best.
You need to check-in with your airline at the departure desk or use the kiosks. Check your baggage wherever your airline indicates. Most take it at the check-in counter but some set up a separate line just for bag drop for those who use the kiosks.
Have your;
1) passport
2) boarding pass (with baggage tag receipts attached)
3) Your exit slip (from when you arrived at immigration)
4) QR code for proof of payment of the VisiTax (sometimes they ask for it sometimes they don't).
After you have checked-in and dropped your bags proceed to airport security screening and it will drop you into the duty free store.
There is plenty of seating in the departures area. You can shop, dine at one of the many restaurants, or grab a drink somewhere. You may also have the option of using the Mera Lounge. At the time of this video entrance is $45 per person. I suggest reserving your spot in advance because they sell out fast. You can either reserve online on the Mera website or you can use Open Table.
Be sure to check the boards to see if there have been any gate changes for your flight. It happens fairly often at CUN and the announcements can be difficult to hear clearly. I also recommend enabling push notifications from your airline so you will be notified of a gate change, just in case.
The departures area is airconditioned with plenty of seating, several washrooms, and lots of shops and restaurants but the Wi-Fi is not great so if you need to download music or movies for your flight home I would do that back at your resort rather than wait to do it at the airport.
Most of the Terminals are very similar to this one and we hope that helps you to get a feel for what the departures area is like at the Cancun airport.
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Have a great day and I hope you plan something nice for yourself. 😊
You are absolutely correct about the airport being expensive We refuse to buy any food there now About the only thing we get is a bottle of the cheapest water they have for around 4 dollars We usually try to eat a bit at the resort before we get picked up Also many resorts have sandwiches or snacks to go Not sure they want you taking it off the property but we started doing it after seeing others do it Seems a little petty and cheap but after a week of handing out tips like a human cash machine I have usually had enough by the time i get to the airport going home I refuse to get ripped off anymore by then lol Also agree there aren't many deals at the duty free
Well, I guess I am cheap too because we always take pre-packaged sandwiches from the resort coffee shop in our carry-on for the flight home.
That is a very good description of feeling like a human ATM while at the resort. 😄
Where did you find a $4 bottle of water? That sounds reasonable in comparison to the ones I have purchased. 😁
At least it is clean and air conditioned. We used to travel a fair bit to Huatulco, Mexico and that airport was really hot and humid. It is air conditioned now (or most of it is).
Enjoy your weekend!! 😊 😊
You you were right about the gate changes. Ours was changed. Our departure was delayed by five hours. We did consider the lounge. Good to know about booking in advance but who knows if your flight is going to be delayed. Initially it was only going to be forty five minutes. About the visitor tax, I'm wondering if our airline charged us. The airline ticket stated visitor tax which was about 150 Canadian.
Yes, I have found they change the gates pretty frequently.
If you have a long delay that you know about, try the lounge on Open Table. I find it is often easier to use than their official website.
The Visitax is unfortunately separate. Air Canada, Westjet, and Air Transat usually send a link on their App. I believe packages through Expedia get sent a link as well. It is really stupid imo. 😜
There are definitely great alcohol deals be had there. I got a 1.14L bottle of Grand Marnier for $40, which would be like $100 at the LCBO
Recently? That's cool.😊 Thanks for sharing! I used to find good alcohol deals but I haven't seen any in the past couple of years. The whiskeys are all around the same as the LCBO. They used to be cheaper but not recently. I did find some unique Absolut vodka flavours 😁 (passion fruit) that were about the same price (after exchange) but different from those at home. 😊
@@newtravelescapes Yep, October 2023
@@brettparnell8254 good to hear! Thanks for sharing that info 😊
Hi Nancy, love your videos and the shared love for the Excellence Resorts. We are planning to revisit Excellence Riviera Cancun, but to our surprise, Air Canada and Air Transat, no longer have the Excellence Group on their schedules. Any idea why? Also, can you suggest other means to book it? Thanks Again, and happy travelling!
Thank you so much!!! 😊
I have noticed that AC and Air Transat are hit or miss on selling Excellence properties.
We booked a trip to ERC for September and found the best prices on Expedia packaging it will AC flights.
We also have two trips booked in 2025 for EEC and EPC and for those we booked direct with the resort using a promo code given for my birthday and then we used points for those flights.
Hope that helps a bit. 😊
Hi Nancy, thanks for another great video! Many moons ago, I though I went the wrong way when I walked into the duty free shop there. I better drink a lot of water before heading to the airport because a bottle of water cost more than my shoes! Any plans to visit Punta Cana or Puerto Plata in the near future? Hope that was the last snow storm in TO this season. take care
Thanks David! 😊
When we had the bed bug problem last year I bought aloe at the airport pharmacy. $35 for what is at Walmart for under $5. Ugh!!
We really hope to get to the DR soon. We did have a 10 day trip booked for Excellence Punta Cana and Excellence El Carmen but unfortunately we had to cancel it. I also really want to stay at Sanctuary Cap Cana. The old castle architecture looks so interesting to me.
I think this is the last of the snow. I already put my boots away and pulled out my flip flops so I've avoided going out this weekend lol!!
Have a fantastic week!! 😃
That really sucks when the hotel or airport gets you! It's like getting robbed. I once shopped at the Walmart in Playa Del Carmen. They seem to charge normal prices. I once stayed at the Sunset princess resort and they had a free shuttle to Playa Del Carmen, but you had to reserve a seat the day before. It was a pretty nice resort. I believe they are partners with Funjet, so most of the guests at the resort were Canadians.@@newtravelescapes
@@davidng407 Yes, typical tourist pricing. I guess they assume they don't need to worry about you being a regular customer, just a desperate one.
I hear very good things about making a stop at Costco on the way to your resort or VRBO to grab essentials. 😊
So if my flight is at 12:30pm then I'll have to be ready at the resort I'm at by 9:30am for the shuttle drive to the airport? I didn't realize that or I would have booked a later flight.
Well, that depends where your resort is (how far away from the airport), where you are flying to, and what day of the week it is.
Weekends, holidays, as well as most days with a mid-day departure time take longer to get through the airport. Weekdays during the evening are usually (but not always) a bit faster.
If you are travelling internationally (for example USA, Canada, or UK) you should be arriving at the airport 3 hours in advance of your flight time. Sometimes it is too much time and other times it isn't. It really depends on what is going on at the airport and what the crowds are like.
If you are using included shared transfers as part of a vacation package they will likely require you to leave even earlier so they have time to pick up others along the way.
On the up side. The airport road construction is finally complete. Last year it took hours to get into the airport.
Your transfer company should tell you what time they will be picking you up at your resort when they drop you off. Go with whatever time they tell you. Your 12:30pm flight will likely see you leaving the resort before 9am but that all depends on how far away the resort is from the airport.
@@newtravelescapes Thanks for the info. I just looked it up and it says that the airport is 15 minutes (or 6.5 miles) from the resort we are staying at. But it is going to be busy since we are going especially for a 4 day event to see a band.
@@kristybryant4914 sounds fun!!!! If you're in the hotel zone it is a quick drive for sure.
Have a great time and enjoy your trip. 😊🎶
Hi there, what terminal was this smaller Mera lounge?
T3
afternoon great video for infro..on cancun airport just wondering how early do you book your trips when you travel,
Just checking you got my response to this in our earlier chat. 😊
my wife and i have been to punta cana 3 times and mexico 4 times might go to mexico in 2025 not sure which resort yet
Have fun deciding on your next resort! So much fun! 😄
how far in advance do you book your trips
@@garyg7684 It really depends on which resort brand we are looking at. Excellence resorts we book 10-12 months out. Refundable, of course.
Secrets resorts we book around 4-6 months out.
Hyatt Vivid has some good grand opening pricing right now.
If I'm booking a package and it is just the two of us I look at last minute sell offs from the airlines about 4 weeks before.
If it is all 7 of us I will book it 10-12 months out to ensure I get what we want at a good price.
Hope that helps a bit. 😊