People planning a Caribbean extension often talk about "the Cancun ferry" as if it were one boat. It is two separate crossings from two different mainland towns. Our Cancun ferry hub lists the routes; this guide explains which terminal belongs to which crossing and what to check before you go.
1. Two crossings, not one
Boats to Isla Mujeres leave from Cancun. Boats to Cozumel leave from Playa del Carmen, a different town. We found no official page for a ferry from Cancun to Playa del Carmen, so a day that links the two islands by boat is not something we can describe. If you want Cozumel from a Cancun base, you first need your own way to Playa del Carmen, and the operators' pages we read do not cover that leg.
2. Getting to the terminals
The Mexican Caribbean tourism board (caribemexicano.travel, in Spanish) says you reach Isla Mujeres through Cancun International Airport and then by road to one of the ferry terminals. It says private transport drops you at Puerto Juárez or in the Hotel Zone, and that airport buses reach central Cancun, ten minutes from Puerto Juárez. If you are flying in, our flights index covers the flight leg. We did not find an official page that describes transfers from a cruise terminal, so ask your cruise line how passengers reach the ferry.
The tourism board says the crossing lasts about twenty minutes from Puerto Juárez and somewhat longer from the Hotel Zone, and that Puerto Juárez has the most frequent departures, every half hour, and the shortest crossing. It names Playa Caracol, Playa Tortugas and El Embarcadero as the Hotel Zone terminals, with fewer departures a day.
3. Cancun to Isla Mujeres
Two operators appear in our hub for this crossing.
| Operator | Cancun departure points the page names | What the page says |
|---|---|---|
| Ultramar | Terminal Marítima Ultramar, Puerto Juárez (Av. López Portillo); Playa Tortugas (Blvd. Kukulcán km 6.5); Playa Caracol (Blvd. Kukulcán km 9.5). All arrive at Terminal Marítima APIQROO on Isla Mujeres. | No crossing time stated on the page. "It is necessary to reach the terminal 30 minutes before departure time." "Schedules and Rates subject to change without notice." |
| Xcaret Xailing | El Embarcadero, Kukulcan Blvd. Km 4.5, Hotel Zone, as our hub records it. | Its pages refused our requests on 30 October 2026, so this guide quotes nothing from them; our hub gives its figures with the date they were last checked. |
Ultramar's schedule page loads its times by script, so we do not quote them here; read the live page for your date. The tourism board's every-half-hour frequency is for Puerto Juárez, and it says the Hotel Zone terminals have fewer departures a day, so choose the terminal first, then the time.
4. Playa del Carmen to Cozumel
Ultramar names its terminals as Terminal Marítima NAVEGA on Av. Benito Juárez in Playa del Carmen and Terminal Marítima San Miguel on Av. Rafael Melgar in Cozumel. It states no crossing time on that page. Xcaret Xailing also sails to Cozumel; our hub gives its figures with the date they were last checked. Read the live timetable for your date and note when the last boat back leaves.
5. Accessibility, luggage and comfort
- Accessibility: Ultramar's pages we read do not address it, and we could not read Xcaret's, so ask the operator before you book.
- Luggage: Ultramar says the ticket entitles you to one piece of luggage weighing up to 25 kg, with combined dimensions not exceeding 142 cm.
- Ultramar's pages say pets and bicycles travel at no extra cost in designated areas.
- Ultramar says an Isla Mujeres ticket is valid for six months on any available day and time of the route. Check the exact conditions of your own ticket.
6. Weather and keeping your margin
Ultramar says schedules and rates are subject to change without notice. No page we read says what happens to a cruise passenger who misses the ship. Work backwards from your all-aboard time, using the last boat back from the island, the check-in time and the transfer to the ship. Our guides on why separate tickets need a buffer and the all-aboard worksheet show how, and the Cancun hub lists the sources for each route.
Checked on 30 October 2026: Ultramar's Isla Mujeres and Cozumel pages, and the Mexican Caribbean tourism board's Isla Mujeres page (Spanish; quotes translated by us). Xcaret Xailing's pages refused our requests, so nothing is quoted from them. Ultramar's departure times load by script and were not read. We did not read a Mexican port or transport authority page, and no Holbox information is included. No prices are given; check them with each operator.