Abridged Cancun Trip 2008

I'm writing this in our hotel room on my phone waiting for our flight this afternoon (Monday). We were supposed to fly out Saturday morning, but they overbooked the flight by 15 seats. We actually volunteered to be bumped thinking we would fly out later that day or even the next, but there were no flights available until Monday evening. We are flying first class on a direct flight to SLC. (that beats our original itinerary with 2 layovers!) For our trouble, we got 5 free roundtrip tickets to anywhere in Mexico and 2 nights at the Marriott Courtyard Cancun with $250/day for food. That sounds like a lot, but each meal comes in at around $60-100 each! (Only in tourist places where you forget the real value when you're playing with "Monopoly" money)

We stayed at the Crown Paradise Cancun which included all food and drinks, resort activities.

The abridged version:

DAY 1:
Got up at 4 am
Airport by 5 am
Flight to Phoenix
Sat on runway for 1 hour fixing a light
Worried about getting through immigration in one hour @ Mexico City because of delay
Fell in love with Mexicana Airlines for meeting us at the gate and walking us through immigration, then giving us sandwiches on the plane to Cancun
Arrived in Cancun 7 pm
Arrived at hotel and checked in to two rooms with the view in the pic above
Ate in the Buffet

DAY 2:
Ate Breakfast at the buffet
Went to the beach
Fell in love with Pina Coladas & Strawberry Daquiris (virgin, of course)
Got a minor sunburn
Ate dinner at Los Gallos, the mexican restaurant
Learned about the positive benefits of eating Cactus (from our waiter Antonio) and we did eat it

DAY 3:
Picked up at hotel by Ricardo and drove to Tulum ruins. Our LDS tour guide Alma showed us around
Drove to Coba to eat a traditional Mayan meal
Climbed ruins at Coba (my favorite)
Fed alligators
Ate at Wayne's Boots Steakhouse at the hotel

DAY 4:
Breakfast Buffet
Bus ride to Mercado 28
Sara became annoyed at being called "Barbie" over and over
The rest of us annoyed at "Senor-I have good prices for you. Almost free!"
Bought a few souvenirs
Anna's hair braided
Public bus back to hotel
Swam at hotel pools
Dinner at La piazza italian restaurant
Mini golf at hotel

DAY 5:
Picked up at hotel by Ricardo
Drove to Chichen Itza ruins
Ate at a Mayan buffet with Mayan Dancers doing the bottle dance
Drove to Ek Balam and climbed ruins
Drove to X'Kekan Cenote and went swimming in a subterranean cave
Sara screams when fish nibble on her feet
Drive back to Hotel
Dinner at Wayne's Boots
Browse "almost free" souvenirs from vendors set up in hotel lobby

DAY 6:
Morning on the beach
Kids learn to body surf in 80-degree ocean
Bus to AquaWorld to ride pedal boats and kayaks in crocodile infested lagoon (didn't see any)
Rode bus to Senor Frogs to buy t-shirts
Adults-only French Restaurant for dinner for Troy & Becky, Buffet for kids
Packed suitcases

DAY 7:
Rode van to airport
Got bumped
Transferred to Marriott Courtyard
Swam in pool

DAY 8:
Rode Hotel Shuttle to the beach hotel and planned to take public bus to church, but shuttle driver agreed to take us all the way (Mexicans love Becky for her fluent Spanish and will do just about anything for her)
Understood about 50% of Sacrment meeting
Rode taxi back to Hotel ($200mx )
Naps
Played card games under the Palapa in the courtyard

DAY 9:
Waiting for noon shuttle to the airport
Hoping for 1st class to SLC as promised
Ready to get home

I'll write more when I get home and can post pictures.