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Back to Cancun for a much needed break
Despite all the doom and gloom out there about the current situation in the world we decided to go ahead with our annual trip to Cancun this year.
We have travelled to Cancun each year before Christmas since 2013. It has become an excellent way for us to unwind. I had booked the resort back in February of 2021 with the hope that we would be able to go. Flights followed in April using Aeroplan points on a screaming good deal. Original booked Flights https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...df6ad5ead9.gif YEG - YYZ - Air Canada Business Class - Airbus A320 YYZ - CUN - Air Canada Business Class - Airbus A321 CUN - YYZ - Air Canada Business Class - Airbus A321 YYZ - YEG - Air Canada Business Class - Boeing 737 Max8 Booking out so early in COVID times pretty much ensured that flights would change a fair bit and Air Canada was sure not to disappoint. First major change was the upgrading of the flights from YYZ to CUN to a 777-300. This would mean signature suites on the flight. Next was a small change to the outbound from Edmonton but a quick (2 hours on hold) call to Aeroplan and we were moved to an earlier flight. Then came Omicron and the word that customs in Toronto was an absolute disaster. We decided to change our flights while in Mexico to fly home via Calgary instead, which as it turns out was an excellent call. In the end here was our routing: https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d7bac17d24.gif YEG - YYZ - Air Canada Business Class Airbus A220-300 YYZ - CUN - Air Canada Signature Class Boeing 777-300 CUN - YYC - Air Canada Business Class Boeing 737 Max8 YYC - YEG - Air Canada Economy Class Dehaviland Dash 8 Q400 I hope everyone enjoys. If you have any questions just let me know. |
How's the security situation in Cancun? Seems a few high-profile shootings in the tourist district lately amongst a drug turf war.
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Originally Posted by hkskyline
(Post 33828662)
How's the security situation in Cancun? Seems a few high-profile shootings in the tourist district lately amongst a drug turf war.
This was our 8th trip to Cancun and we have never had a single safety issue. |
Why did I think this was a Ted Cruz thread?
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My step dad was kind enough to drive us down to the Airport on the day of departure. It was surprisingly mild for Edmonton weather in December which was very welcome. The trip to the airport was uneventful and I was not nervous at all to let my new car depart without me!
Checkin at the Air Canada Priority check in was pretty seamless and we were off and through security quickly. We used the NEXUS line which was fast and efficient. I usually travel with a back pack but this time chose to take a roller bag. I will admit, I was a bit slow getting my laptop out of the bag. Guess I need more practice. We decided to head up to the Maple Leaf Lounge which has just recently reopened. They had a self serve area for food but also had the new QR code to order items directly to your seat. We gave both options a try. A nice empty lounge. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...531acc2e13.jpg This was actually really good. It was available directly from the fridge self serve. I could have eaten about 5 of them I was so hungry. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...68bee43f72.jpg My wife had the first of many Captain and Diet cokes of this trip. That is her drink of choice and it was nice to see that it was available in the lounge. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f7e5c538a2.jpg A quick shot of the food and beverage area. While the options were quite limited there was more than enough to choose from for our short stay. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f6ceb636e9.jpg Alcohol is no longer self serve. When you walk up to the area you just let them know what you would like and they are more than happy to make it for you. I never saw anyone wait for than a minute to get a drink. A view down from the lounge. The Chilis was really busy, though I am not sure why. We have never had a good meal when dining there. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b1c51e6e09.jpg The view in the other direction. The airport was fairly busy. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1d0651f6a8.jpg With about 20 minutes to boarding we decided to go and stretch our legs and hit up the bathroom. We went for a walk from one end of the terminal to the other. For those that have been to Edmonton airport you will know that this does not take very long. Captured a picture of this Royal Canadian Air Force Polaris Airbus A310 taxing out for departure. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6e8c724bb4.jpg Before we knew it we were back at gate 50 for the start of boarding. We were fourth in line when they called boarding group 1 for what would be a very full flight off to Toronto. |
Finally time for the first flight of the trip.
Flight: Air Canada 170 Route: YEG - YYZ Scheduled Departure Time: 1320 Actual Departure Time: 1332 Scheduled Arrival Time: 1905 Actual Arrival Time: 2021 Aircraft: Airbus A220-300 Departure was a bit delayed, though not entirely certain why as there was no real announcement. This is my second or third time flying in Business onboard this aircraft and I absolutely love it. The IFE screen is really large and very good quality for a seat back screen. The cabin feels very open and airy and the windows are very large. A quick legroom shot. Tonnes of space for my 5'10". My wife at 5'3" had nothing but space. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...448afcabe4.jpg A window shot at what was a somewhat sloppy and slushy Edmonton. Though the temperature was above zero in December so no real complaints. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4d694d1d47.jpg Menus were handed out prior to take off and orders were also taken. They took the orders from front to back but it appears as though everyone got their first choice as I didnt hear any grumbling. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c3ecd10f0d.jpg The drinks menu was on the back. Sadly no Captain Morgan in flight for my wife today. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...67ca6bcf54.jpg Take off was quick and very quiet. Please ignore the title of the video. Never upload to Youtube when you are mid bottle of wine. It is actually an Airbus A220-300 take off, not a 737 Max 8. Service started shortly after we levelled off. The first of many packages of almonds we received on this trip. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4938e284f4.jpg And what goes better with almonds than a Mimosa. My wife went with a Canadian Club and diet coke. It seemed to hit the spot. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...906373f4b7.jpg The main course was served next with another round of drinks. Both of us picked the chicken breast option and it was actually really good. I ended up eating all of it. The carrot cake was really good as well although maybe a bit cold which made it a bit more dense than it should have been. The only low point of the meal was the bun which came pre packaged. It was quite hard due to the fact that it was one step away from being frozen. It is too bad they cant heat them up a bit. It would improve it a great deal. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f0f994ab06.jpg I snuck in my favourite Christmas movie on the flight. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fca03b1350.jpg And a few shots of a very snowy Canada on the way to Toronto https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ab2644f176.jpg I believe this was somewhere over Winnipeg. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...26cdf7c514.jpg We arrived into a very warm Toronto (9 degrees Celsius in December!!!) 10 minutes early however when we arrived at our gate we were informed that there was a plane blocking us and that we would have to wait for it to move. The pilot indicated it would be no more than 5 minutes. Fast forward 20 minutes and we start moving forward only to stop about 20 meters ahead. Now we are informed that there is no ground crew for us due to being short staffed. This was the first of 6 or 7 announcements that the crew is on their way and that it will just be a few more minutes. We had to do multiple circles around to clear out of the way of other planes who had a gate and ground crew. Finally we pulled into our gate at 2021, almost an hour after we had first arrived near the gate. We let those who had an international connection off of the plane first and then made our way to the baggage carrousel. Our bags were coming out on a carrousel with 3 other flights, yet multiple other carrousels had no flights at all. This meant 4 flights had to hang around one belt. I have no idea why Air Canada does this but it was a constant on all of our flights throughout the trip. Despite the priority tags on the bags our final piece of luggage came out at the very end of the bags from our flight. Sadly this was also a constant throughout our trip. We finally exited the baggage hall after waiting 55 minutes for our bags!!! After a quick wait for the shuttle we were on our way to the hotel for the night. All in all a decent flight in the air but the ground experience left much to be desired in Toronto. This experience along with some horror stories of customs in Toronto lead us to change our flights on the way home. |
Originally Posted by Jaimito Cartero
(Post 33829322)
Why did I think this was a Ted Cruz thread?
I was actually in Louisiana when he took off to Cancun. We had driven from Houston to Alexandria the day of the storm and what should have been a three hour drive took us almost 10 (and that is with two Canadians driving). We couldnt believe it when the news came out that he jetted off to sunnier climates while his constituents were freezing to death. |
We booked the Holiday Inn Toronto airport for our overnight stay.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2337dc8f1d.jpg It was everything you want in a hotel. Affordable, free shuttle and close by. I used IHG points at a redemption rate of 14000 points which I think was a good deal. We had a normal room with a king size bed. No upgrade was given despite my having Spire status with the hotel. But in reality we didnt care about that very much. Upgrades on rooms seem to be a rare thing these days with IHG. I am seriously considering a status match over to Hilton as the quality of stays of late have been getting worse and worse. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...589c64d44f.jpg We tried to order some food from the hotel restaurant but no one would pick up when we called. We found out after that there was a private birthday celebration that night so likely they were not serving food. There was a Ruth Chris steak house attached to the hotel but the idea of spending $100 on a few appetizers made us find somewhere else to go. Just down the street was a Lone Star. I used to visit the location in Kingston, Ontario years ago all the time when I worked there over the summers. So a quick walk and we had a nearly empty restaurant to enjoy. The server was excellent and before long a nice plate of nachos was in front of us. They were just what was needed to fill us up before heading back to the hotel to get some sleep. Next up, Toronto to Cancun! |
We woke up early and as the hotel did not reserve spots on the shuttle we went down to the lobby. There was already a huge number of people waiting in the lobby so we decided a nice taxi would be a much better call. We watched as the jammed in Shuttle departed for the airport and waiting the two minutes until our taxi showed up. Best $14 I have spent in a long time.
To say Pearson Airport was a zoo would be an understatement. It was about 0630 when we arrived and the line up for priority check in probably had 60 people in it. It was stretched all the way out of the priority check in area. It took us about 40 minutes to get to the front of the line where our bags were quickly checked through to Cancun. Once again Air Canada priority service was lacking here in Toronto. Security was just as much of a disaster and would actually result in the small delay our flight took later on. Seeing as we had an hour to go until boarding we decided to hit up the lounge. We made a mistake and went to the domestic lounge when we really should have walked all the way over to the E gates and went to the International Maple Leaf Lounge. However on their website it stated that it didnt open until later in the day. When we passed it on the way to our gate it was clearly very open. Chalk up another win to AC. First stop was so much needed coffee https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6b66a56d51.jpg This is the new system to order food right at your seat. We both ordered a breakfast wrap which we forgot to take a picture of. It was good but not great. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ed273b6d2d.jpg The last bottle of OJ. All we needed to get us to the flight. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9d15810848.jpg Quick picture from the lounge. It wasnt packed by any means but was busy enough for a Sunday morning at 0730. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5b2b85de81.jpg we headed out from the lounge about ten minutes before boarding not realizing that it was about a 15 minute walk to the international gates. We arrived just in time for boarding via boarding group 1. Could not have timed it better. The international gates were a bit of a zoo with multiple flights to the south all departing within a few minutes of each other so we were happy to board right away. Flight: Air Canada 930 Route: YYZ - CUN Scheduled Departure Time: 0900 Actual Departure Time: 0925 Scheduled Arrival Time: 1315 Actual Arrival Time: 1341 Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER We quickly found our seats in the forward business class cabin. My last flight in the signature suites was coming home from Frankfurt in November of 2019 onboard a 787. They are incredibly nice seats and a great way to spend a few hours. It is an outstanding layout and very comfortable. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a74eafe3db.jpg My lovely wife settling in. This was her first time in the signature suite. We have done lots of trips in the old Herringbone layout and one trip together in the new Polaris suite from San Francisco to Hong Kong. She seemed to like it. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e18eed2672.jpg Another large IFE screen to keep me occupied on the way down to Cancun. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8afffc0b4e.jpg The remote control in the small storage area. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...206a73f8f0.jpg The seemed to be a bit rushed as they were wandering around to hand out the headphones. Last time I flew in these seats they were waiting at the seat when we boarded. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f781936ec8.jpg All the leg room a guy could want. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d146d44553.jpg |
I am enjoying this so far; thanks for posting.
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Pushback was delayed a few minutes as we waited for people to continue streaming through the very long security lines.
The pilot indicated that due to the low number of connections in Cancun and the fact that they could make the time up once on the ground that they were going to hold the plane to allow as many people to get through security as possible. In the end he said that we still left without two people. Once again another reason to avoid Toronto. Take off was quick. The flight down to Mexico was very smooth and the crew were absolutely outstanding. Menus were handed out after we took off. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3f2b2a46b2.jpg As this flight is on a widebody it gets the signature service. This essentially means an extra course of food. The drink listing was also expanded out from our previous flight. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0b5a008034.jpg Everything on this tray was good except the chia seed pudding in the top left corner. It was not good at all and both my wife and I barely touched it. Judging from the plates that were going out most people shared that opinion. The only other improvement that could be made would be heating up the croissant. It would have made it that much better. To drink I once again went with the Mimosa because well, why not. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fef0c70a51.jpg I think I have had this breakfast on Air Canada about a hundred times, but in the end it still tastes good. It is just the right amount of food with everything else on the plate. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7474903663.jpg The pilot came over the intercom to let us know that luck was with us that day and that we had been given a much more direct route down to Cancun which would erase much of our earlier delay. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...80c7b3ec0c.jpg About 45 minutes before landing I asked one of the flight attendants about the customs immigration forms. It turns out recently you have been able to fill these forms in online and bring a printout with you to the airport. Having not been to Cancun since 2019 we had no idea about this. Turns out about 75% of the aircraft did not either and all of a sudden there was a mad dash to hand out these forms. Given that us Canadians havent been doing much travel over the last two years I feel as though the crew should have handed these out earlier in the flight. The landing at a very busy Cancun airport was smooth and after just a few minutes of taxiing we arrived at our gate at Terminal 3. Deplaning was quick as my wife and I were one of the first ones off of the plane. our experience with Cancun customs has been hit or miss but we were surprised to be through customs in less than 5 minutes. It turns out that a few months ago there were complaints about having thousands of passengers cramped and waiting in line for customs. This forced the Mexican government to deploy more agents to Cancun. I will say this. I have never seen Cancun airport so busy. It was nuts. Once again our bags were put on one belt with three other Air Canada flights. If my math is correct a 777 and 3 X A320 equals about 800 pax all looking for bags off of one belt. And once again our priority tagged bags were one of the final ones off from our flight. AC really needs to up their ground game. |
Originally Posted by canforce
(Post 33829537)
My power was still on, big difference.
I was actually in Louisiana when he took off to Cancun. We had driven from Houston to Alexandria the day of the storm and what should have been a three hour drive took us almost 10 (and that is with two Canadians driving). We couldnt believe it when the news came out that he jetted off to sunnier climates while his constituents were freezing to death. |
Great trip report. The ground crew issue is a consistent problem at Pearson in particular - approximately 50% of my flights have a hold (probably a dozen arrivals this year I believe; my worst hold pre pandemic was 55 minutes for a ground crew); Air Canada or United are the same. Priority tags work about 50% of the time no matter where I go. I don't check a bag often as most of my trips are short, but my last trip my bag was second off the belt, the time before it was second last off the belt. This is an issue for both Air Can and United (I don't get priority on any of the others). So if nothing else you are in good company.
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We always use USA Transfers for out trip to the Resort. They are fast, efficient and easy to deal with. Now that you can do everything on their APP it is even easier. I highly recommend them for transport when arriving at Cancun airport.
We had a quick two minute wait while our driver pulled the van around. Margaritaville had greatly expanded since we visited last. They used to have a small wooden shack and now they have a huge bar just outside the terminal. Though the drink prices were a bit crazy. What shocked us the most is how busy it was. After two years of mostly Canadian Airports (with a few US exceptions) it was unbelievable. I had never seen Cancun airport this busy before. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a255f862b2.jpg So many people. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3e36852248.jpg Before long we were off to the resort. We stay at an couples only small place. We are not in to the big parties, kids everywhere scene at the resorts in the hotel zone. Feel free to PM me if you want more info on the resort. A few shots from the property. Sadly the beach erosion has been quite bad over the last few years. They are going to have to look at doing something soon before the beach is all gone. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1640675688.jpg We prefer the ocean front rooms. I like the sound of the water in the morning. This room was more than adequate for our 5 nights stay. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...26efbff7b3.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...25a1c41a0e.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fd8452c3cd.jpg During check in we had pre booked our COVID test to go home. Being from Canada a PCR test was required and not just the antigen rapid test that is needed to go back to the US. The test was easy and done directly on the grounds of the resort. We had our results in 18 hours and thankfully were both negative. It was at that point that we made the decision to change our flights on the way back to Canada. Instead of doing the reverse route I found some seats on the Air Canada flight to Calgary. Now though we had a different problem. Getting through to Aeroplan as of late has been next to impossible. As I did not want to pay some crazy cell phone rates I first tried Twitter, only to be told that all their social media team can do is push out policy. They are unable to look at bookings and make changes. That is a huge mistake and one they should rectify. Their social media team should be able to help with simple things like flight changes as their website will not allow you to do any of that. In the end it was easier to book two new seats via a separate booking and then just cancel what remained of the first booking online. Our new route home would be CUN - YYC (overnight) - YEG. Then to my complete surprise (he says sarcastically) I received this message when I tried to cancel the original flight. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5051144384.jpg I had expected that when Air Canada took back control of Aeroplan that this garbage level of service would have been sorted out. It is nearly 2022 and you should be able to book, change and cancel your redemptions online without having to call in and be on hold for 2 hours each time. They really need to work on that. The vacation of great food, good drinks and amazing company quickly went by and before long it is time to head back to the airport. We stayed by the pool till the last possible minute soaking up the sunshine before we met our driver in the lobby for the trip back to Cancun airport. |
The trip back to the airport was uneventful. Once again USA Transfers arrived exactly on time. Rather than a van this time we had a very nice SUV which made the drive back nice. I suspect this was because I had changed the pickup time on their APP to reflect our new flights.
Cancun airport was a zoo when we arrived. As before, I had never seen this many people at Cancun airport. We joined the priority line with just one other person in front of us. However we appeared to get a trainee as he had a few issues getting everything checked in for us. First our bags were checked right through to Edmonton, but then a supervisor told him he could not do that because the layover was over 8 hours. I tried explaining that we would pick up the bags in Calgary to clear customs but he wanted his employee to cancel everything and start over. Happy to tkae a few extra minutes to make sure the new guy is all trained up. Currently in Cancun you have to fill in a health questionnaire before you are allowed to depart. This added a few extra minutes as my wife could not get it to work on her phone. Eventually we got it sorted out. You have to show this document before you are allowed to join the security line. Security itself was the normal Cancun gong show but went by fairly fast. The funny thing is they have a video playing on television screens showing you all the things they are doing to stop the spread of COVID. None of those things were in evidence in real life though. Best of intentions but.... None of our bags required secondary inspection which sped things up a bit. There is no lounge access when travelling from Cancun with Air Canada so we decided to hit up Margaritaville for some nachos. I told my wife I wanted this in our living room. Spoiler alert, it would not even come close to fitting. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e82103626f.jpg These were seriously good and the two of us did not even come close to putting a dent in them. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d2444a6828.jpg About 15 minutes before boarding started we decided to head down to the gate. I had looked at the seating chart for the aircraft and had seen that there were not many people on our flight. I know sometimes that is not overly accurate however as it turned out there were a grand total of 60 people on our 737 Max 8 trip up to Calgary tonight. |
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