Mary from SF - Tulum Bound May/June '12

[sftraveler]

First and foremost, thank you. I am an overzealous vacation planner (a vacation "top", I often call it) and this board has been invaluable in my exhaustive research efforts. As a soon-to-be librarian, I am grateful for all of the information you have provided for a DIY gal like me. The community you have built here is a beautiful thing!

Secondly, I am just a little bit (read: overwhelmingly) excited about my first trip to Tulum, May 30-June 6, 2012. My girlfriend Julie and I are staying in a beach front cabana at Coco Tulum. We found it to be the best spot for our budget and our pared-down, cabana-on-the-beach hopes.

Though I'm making lots of lists about food, day trips, ruins, cenotes and other things to do, we're trying not to plan anything that resembles an itinerary. I will just have graduated from grad school, this will be our first vacation together longer than a week without kids and we both work sometimes-stressful jobs, so we're focusing on relaxation, romance, sunbathing and indulgence (of the senses, not so much the pocketbook).

I'm sure we'll have lots of questions as I continue to procrastinate work and school by daydreaming about Tulum. At the moment, the only question that is on my mind is about flights to Cancun (from SFO). Since we're traveling during the off-season, we're hoping for a good deal but we don't have flexibility in our trip dates. At the moment, direct flights to Cancun are ~$575 and 1-stop flights are ~$500. I would certainly pay an extra $75 for the direct flight, but I'm wondering if anyone here can give insight into the benefits of waiting for some fare sales, which might not come up until a month or so before we leave. Do we run the risk of paying a premium for the flight?

That's all for now. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

(http://www.playa.info/make_countdown.php)

[beachreader]

The eternal question: Should I wait or should I buy now?

A few travel "experts" I've heard have suggested waiting for 6-8 weeks out. Since you're not going until late May, I think that's probably a decent notion, but I would also be watching fares from now until then (yes, I know, too stressful), just to keep an eye on things, make sure they're not skyrocketing in the meantime.

Or, just shut your eyes and start saving some extra cash for a couple of months. Then, when you open your eyes in April, if the price has actually gone up a bit, you'll have a bit more money to spend.

How's that for advice? :)

[Gargi]

My wife and I noticed a phenomenon which may or may not be consistent but it seems that fares fluctuate by time of day or week depending on the times most likely (or not) that people will be searching. For instance, we've saved $40 or so each off of what seemed like an established or increasing airfare by checking things out mid-week and later in the evening. It's a strange game. I watched a documentary about American Airlines on CNBC not too long ago and they pretty much outlined this practice of filling planes based on demand. Along with people paying a wide range of fares for the same flight, it's also possible that the flight you thought was going to be non-stop could be changed to having a layover due to this system. One other tip, is to clear your browser of cookies, or use an alternate browser to do your search. Otherwise, they're tracking your repeat visits and searches and you can win the fair fare game because they're going to post the most recent or higher airfare each time. Sneaky! Good luck..it'll all be worth it once you arrive.

[beachreader]

Oh yes, I've also heard that Tuesday nights and Wednesday mornings are the best days of the week to look. Something about how airlines wait through the weekends, when most people shop, then drop fares, then raise them again.

It's really a crazy industry, never known one like it.

[JunkyBurrittos]

It seems that with the "value" airlines, once they sell out of the cheap seats, it only moves upward from there. We saved a bunch for our April tickets by looking at one way flights -- we're arriving and departing by different airlines, and in so doing, were able to get the best rates both ways. I actually watched them reduce the fare attractively on one leg only to increase it proportionately on the other leg, whereupon I decided the heck with this. You'd think you'd get a discounted or better deal by booking the return on the same airline, but not so.

[beachreader]

I never even thought about doing two one-way trips, which airlines did you do that with? And did you book directly with their sites, or through a travel site? Thanks, Junky!

[JunkyBurrittos]

Thanks BR! I went with US Air and Airtran, and booked directly with the airlines. Jet Blue had much better (shorter/ direct) flights but to be competitvely priced I would have had to fly on a Tuesday instead of Monday and I wasn't willing to give up a day. Most sites let you search around a date,and from one day to the next sometimes fluctuates $100's of dollars.

If you go tthe CUN website, it shows all the airlines that serve the airport, and has links to most of their websites.

[jlooneyb]

I booked one way flights as well for this April. I did not save a lot, but I did get to pick better flight options.
I think if you find a good flight and are comfortable with the price and schedule GO FOR IT and then STOP LOOKING at the flights after that. It saves me a lot of peace of mind knowing they are bought and paid for. I don't care about saving $30 or $40 dollars anymore.

[Gargi]

I booked one way flights as well for this April. I did not save a lot, but I did get to pick better flight options.
I think if you find a good flight and are comfortable with the price and schedule GO FOR IT and then STOP LOOKING at the flights after that. It saves me a lot of peace of mind knowing they are bought and paid for. I don't care about saving $30 or $40 dollars anymore.

We bought our tickets for this May way back in September. Good thing we did. The fare has gone up about $50 since and availability would now be an issue. I think alot depends on where you're flying from as well. For us it's out of Chicago. If they had a direct flight out of Milwaukee I would have paid more. Presently, I've got a friend watching fares for his trip to Cozumel in mid-April. He should have booked sooner as well. Fares have gone up approx $10 the last two weeks in a row. I agree that sooner is better.

[LisaR]

Wow, what great information! I wish I could have seen this thread before I booked our flights. I got the times and days I wanted, but I'm wondering now if I could have saved more money... I don't even want to check, because I'll be sad if I find out that I could have saved a bunch of money to spend on coconut shrimp and mojitos!

[jlooneyb]

Don't check! Don't look back! You got the times and dates you want, that's the important thing. I never check again after I purchase. I move on to other important things: DREAMING!!!!!
Barb

[LisaR]

OK, jlooneyb. I won't. We're fully booked--air, hotel, and rental car, and there are so many things I want to second-guess. Thanks for keeping me on track! And believe me, I am in full dreaming mode: checking the forum every day, looking at pictures, reading trip reports. I'm so excited, I can hardly hold on for another 62 days! Thank goodness for tickers, so at least I can watch it getting closer!

[minniemex]

For those who have already booked ~ ignore this ~ for those who haven't read on.

I use Kayak.com for checking the airfare. You can narrow down to specific dates, do one way or RT. I usually do the search with "plus or minus 2/3 days" and find days that are lower in price. These usually tend to be Fridays, Mondays, Tues ~ (if you are staying until Wed you might as well stay the whole week.:p) Anyways, you can set up an account with Kayak and have them email the prices everyday. This way I can see how low they go and how high. When I think they aren't going any lower I book.

To use:

Set up account with Kayak. com
After searching for a flight, in the left upper quadrant there is "price alert". Click on this.
It will offer you options for email alerts and I always take the daily. I don't believe there is a limit to how many
you can track. It has always worked for me in the past.

Now, just passing along what I have heard of late. Fuel prices are supposed to rise substantially. If this happens airfare is just going to continue rising in cost. Take it with a grain of salt ~ it is a gamble!

[sftraveler]

Thank you for all of this great info! I have definitely heard about the Tuesday/Wednesday fare drop. I was in Portugal this October with four friends and we all bought our tickets separately. The one who ended up buying last got the best fare, but only by about $75 or so. You are all right - I wish I hadn't known what others were paying!

I think I will try deleting my cookies (smart!) and checking out one-way flights. I've been following them for a while, they are remaining steady, but I hadn't thought about the potential of an increase due to fuel prices. Probably good to book before the inevitable prediction that comes every summer. And then stop looking.

I appreciate all the advice!

[minniemex]

Was just online this morning with Kayak.com and they now are showing what they call "Hacker Fares" which are one way tickets ~ with different airlines coming & going. I think this is going to be a bonus for those looking for the cheapest fares out there. They do warn you that you need to make sure both fares are available before booking as they each have to be booked separately. Saves you from doing two "one way" searches.

Sample ~

$546 (javascript:showPriceSelections(669, null, 'splitbook');)
Hacker Fare¤

http://cdn5.kayak.com/images/v428180/air/FL.png http://cdn3.kayak.com/images/v428173/air/US.png
AirTran /
US Airways

[JunkyBurrittos]

Hey! They copied me!!!

[utmck]

Don't check! Don't look back! You got the times and dates you want, that's the important thing. I never check again after I purchase. I move on to other important things: DREAMING!!!!!


This!!!!

[sftraveler]

This!!!!

I would agree completely if I had already bought my ticket! Thanks for the update minniemex - I'll look into it.

[sparklegem]

To buy our tickets to CUN I used the flight alert on Kayak (as described by Beachreader). I followed the fares for eight months. When the fare dropped I knew it was an irresistible price and bought our tickets.

[JunkyBurrittos]

Sparkle, you watched rates for eight months? I would say the Tulum bug has bit ya! (not that I haven't been doing the EXACT same thing! ;) )

[sparklegem]

Kinda crazy, huh? I knew that we were going to but then my husband was laid off and so my plan was to wait until he got a job before I purchased our air tickets. Then that really good fare came along, and I bought them. It is nice to know what the going rate is so that you can buy without hesitation when a really good deal pops up.

[Margoinmexico]

I never even thought about doing two one-way trips, which airlines did you do that with? And did you book directly with their sites, or through a travel site? Thanks, Junky!

:wave:There is something really wonderful about a one way ticket to CUN I have to say.

I got bit by the wait and see what comes up, last year I wanted to go to Austin and the flights were around $350usd, but was hoping to get something rediculous like when Vivoaerobus was doing $99 tickets....well,I watched, it came down a little, but I was feeling greedy and waited, and low and behold, fuel prices went up and so did my ticket, overnight to $600usd!!!! That trip never happend! :mad:

[minniemex]

:wave:There is something really wonderful about a one way ticket to CUN I have to say.

I got bit by the wait and see what comes up, last year I wanted to go to Austin and the flights were around $350usd, but was hoping to get something rediculous like when Vivoaerobus was doing $99 tickets....well,I watched, it came down a little, but I was feeling greedy and waited, and low and behold, fuel prices went up and so did my ticket, overnight to $600usd!!!! That trip never happend! :mad:

Hola Hermana!! I read someplace on TI here where another company is flying out of Austin. Will try and find it so that if it is in the future you will know.

[LostInTranslation]

Hello,

My wife and I will be making the trip to Tulum as well. CoCo seems like a wonderful place. Our dates at CoCo are the same as yours. We will be arriving on the 1st of June and leaving on the 6th. We have not decided if we are going to stay the last part of our vacation in the CoCo cabanas from the 7th to the 11th. We are checking out on the 6th to go do an overnight trip to Chichen Itza. We have not decided where to stay after that. We look forward to meeting you while we are there. We are leaving the kids with my mother and going on a once in a blue moon trip. We can't wait. How many more days is til June?

[LostInTranslation]

One more thought for you on flights.... We found that if we went to expedia or bookit, you can get an all inclusive package to cancun cheaper than the flights cost. We are going to book one of those and use the flights and not show up to the resort. Expedia will actually allow you to change the flight dates different from the hotel stay. Bookit, you have to call and change the flight dates after booking the package. It was really strange to me that you could book a three night stay and flight package for cheaper than you could just the flights. Hope this helps.

Side note: look for the package deals in Cancun.

[utmck]

We found that if we went to expedia or bookit, you can get an all inclusive package to cancun cheaper than the flights cost

That is hard to believe....

[sftraveler]

Hello,

My wife and I will be making the trip to Tulum as well. CoCo seems like a wonderful place. Our dates at CoCo are the same as yours. We will be arriving on the 1st of June and leaving on the 6th. We have not decided if we are going to stay the last part of our vacation in the CoCo cabanas from the 7th to the 11th. We are checking out on the 6th to go do an overnight trip to Chichen Itza. We have not decided where to stay after that. We look forward to meeting you while we are there. We are leaving the kids with my mother and going on a once in a blue moon trip. We can't wait. How many more days is til June?

Nice to meet you, LostInTranslation. It looks like we'll be neighbors at Coco. Where are you flying from? I checked Expedia for deals and am not finding anything cheaper for flying out of San Francisco. Well, unless we considered staying at one of those resorts - that would make it cheaper, but not really in the cards for us.

[LostInTranslation]

We are coming from NC! We live on the coast. That was my point, book the package to get a cheaper flight at the cheapest resort and never show up at the resort. From what I am finding I can get the flights about $100 per person cheaper. Example.... The flights for us are about $550 per person round trip. If we book the cheap resort with flights, we can do the package for around $475 per person. Go figure huh!

[beachreader]

So LIT, I guess you're saying to go to Expedia and put in your dates for the whole trip, but then where it says "I only need the hotel for part of the time", put the minimum dates in there, which I think you said is three days? That's interesting, need to go check that out for our July trip.

You can, by the way, also find Tulum hotels in that system. Just change it from Cancun to Tulum, Quintana Roo. You may find something where the package makes it cheaper still than abandoning the hotel portion, and you'd get to stay in Tulum...

[LostInTranslation]

Yeah that's what I mean. Some of the hotels do show up in there. I found Co Co by accident and I never have seen it appear on the travel search sites. It does show up on trip ad visor. Not sure why it works that way though. Sad part is..... when I first looked, I could get the packages for like $389 for a 3 day stay with a flight. Now it is up to almost $500. Not quite ready to drop all the money down yet. Just hoping they will not go up to much in the next month or so.

[LostInTranslation]

Hey Mary, who's bringing the alcohol? You guys or us? Ol wait..... both! More to drink that way! ROFL!

[LostInTranslation]

We are in Cabana 04 per our reservation for June 1-June 6

[sftraveler]

Sorry for the delay in responding. This last semester of grad school + work is kicking my butt! After quite a bit of searching, my gf and I ended up getting our non-stop flights from SF-Cancun. About $575. I checked Expedia and you are all right - you can get a better fare, plus beach zone hotels for the same time, for cheaper than we will end up doing for our flight + Coco for a week. However, the flights were not as convenient as the direct flight we ended up purchasing and though there are beach zone cabanas on Expedia we realized that it was per person. All told, we will be spending a couple hundred more for a direct flight that is convenient for us and our number one choice of place to stay.

That said, there are great deals and I hope you can get one, LostInTranslation.

As for the booze, yes, we'll be bringing our own! We've got a cooler that we're checking as baggage and soft-sided one for day trips. We plan on stocking up on ice, snacks, beer and margarita supplies before hitting the beach, and probably staying there most of the trip! We'll see you there!

Funny, our reservation for Coco does not state which beach zone cabana we'll be in! Guess we'll find out. Looking forward to meeting you. :beerchug:

[LostInTranslation]

It should tell you which one you are in..... it took us a minute to figure it out. It was in the second email we got from them.