Progresso (what a joke) Mexico

Just got off the Elation. Great ship, good people. However, I've had more fun across the border from Del Rio than in Progresso. If you like dishonest vendors such as Imex De Onyx (last store on the left going in from the ship, first store on the right coming from Progresso), inept port facility security, beggars on the beach, a ten to one ratio of street vendors to beach goers, and a van ride down a two mile pier that is a disaster waiting to happen, then by all means, enjoy. Cozumel was great as usual. Belize cave tubing with Reggie is highly recommended. But Progresso.... I wish I had read a thread like this before I booked and I would not have gone with Carnival. Stay away, far, far away.

This is the fist time I've read such a negative review of this port. There are so many options when porting there. The pier is a disaster waiting to happen? It's the major port for the Yucatan.

Hola alildabldo,

I can understand your disappointment in Progreso. After visiting the tourist stops, such as Cozumel, Playa del Carmen or Cancun, Progreso is not very glamourous. Once you get away from the Malecon you are in REAL MEXICO. This is their world. The everyday life of the average mexican. Everywhere you look there is poverty. People living in a shack or a house made of tin or sticks. Yes people, we are spoiled. We go to these far off lands and are astounded by the atrocities that we see. In a few years Progreso will be more like Cozumel or Cancun, and in a way that is good. More people will have income from the tourist trade, but at the same time we will lose the reality of Mexico. A harsh land full of wonderful friendly people that are trying to make an honest living.

I look forward to my next adventure in Mexico. I may even retire there. But for now, I can only watch and pray for my friends across the border.

I, too, have to disagree. We were in Progreso just one week ago today and really enjoyed the opportunity to see some Mayan ruins. I felt I got a decent deal on a silver necklace at one of the pier stores, although I did walk right out of one when a salesman started trailing me like I was going to steal something. Just because the beach here is not the typical Caribbean paradise beach doesn't mean Progreso has nothing else to offer. We found our taxi driver helpful and informative, despite limited English, and our guide at the ruins was excellent.

If you take advantage of the many opportunites to explore in this area, you will perhaps appreciate it a lot more than the crowded situation in Cozumel, for instance. There are many different things to do. Sorry you had a bad experience.

I hope one's extremely negative comments don't dampen others expectations of a port on your cruise that you have looked forward to for so long. Sad and yet strange that there are so many other wonderful reviews of this little mexican beach town. I am still looking forward to it and plan on taking everything lightly, after all, these people are poor and you can get just as aggravated while shopping in downtown Cozumel or Cancun from the vendors there. ;)

Thoneycu,

Congrates on taking the plunge. I hope you post a review when you return. Progreso is a neat stop. (Been there twice.) Coz is , well, Coz. (Been there 3 times.) and Belize was a ball. Just hope that Dennis doesn't stir things up for you.

Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience, however, I for one am looking forward to porting here in August when I cruise on the Elation. My husband and I will have two very Americanized sons with us, ages 11 and 12. Any yes.....I want them to see the "real" Mexico with all its cultural riches and blemishes. I think if you go into a situation like this with the proper attitude and realistic expectations, you can overcome the negatives by finding the "pearl" within the ugly oyster. I want my sons to see how the majority of the hardworking, friendly Mexicans live. It will broaden their cultural horizons and hopefully make them more appreciative of what they have. And yes....I expect to be hounded by vendors.....I expect that.

I have not cruised before and been to this port, however I have spent time in east Africa when I was a teen. I learned more about life and my blessings that summer than many people learn in a lifetime, and it had an immeasureable and lasting impact on me. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and has different perceptions and experiences, but if Progresso is as bleak as the OP says it is (which I doubt....also my opinion) , so be it.......it will be an education for my sons. :rolleyes:

snugbug. What a great attitude. Progreso gives a great opportunity to experience a different culture. You can visit one of the ruins, the beach, have a great lunch or visit Merida which is a beautiful, old, large, safe and interesting city. Merida is only 21 miles from Progreso and bus service is cheap and very reliable. The city is pretty sophisticated being the state capitol and home to four universitys. The people are very proud of their history and culture. This port call is best with some research in advance.

Check out: http://www.yucatantoday.com

We just got back from the ELation July 10 that went to Progreso! It was ok..no the best port. It was our second time there and I personally think that the more we travel there the less I like it!

Live 2 Cruise05. I'm wondering what disappointed you in Progreso. What has been on your activity list the last two times? Do you prefer ports with 6 to 8 cruise ships in port at the same time?

Well we normally just walk around and explore the stores and shop but last year they seemed to bargin a bunch...Now they rose the prices and wont work with you!

It really does not matter to me how many ships are in port! Does it to you?

Friends and I were in Progresso last year and we loved it. We took a tour to Merida and had a wonderful time. The city was pretty, the people were nice and I didn't meet any really pushy sales people. I would tell them no and they would leave me alone. I found wandering around Merida much more pleasant than wandering the crowded streets of Cozumel.

pugsbest. Amen.

I love the Elation and plan to ride her again. The Progresso stop is my least favorite. The port shops are way to high on their prices and act insulted if one ask them to compete with the ship prices. The ride to town is a pain. My goodness Ray Charles could see that this stop ain't good. Hey Carnival change it to Playa Del Carmen!

I guess prices haven't gone up in Texas and the merchants let the customer name their own prices. Did you Texans notice the relative poverty? These people are trying to take care of their families and that means they cannot lower their prices to no profit. Americans sometimes go too far in hagling which is a respected practice in some countries, but I've seen so many cruisers make disparinging remarks about the locals that won't meet rediculous prices. And intentionaly making the comments so that they will be overheard. Wonder where the term "ugly american" came from? The people of the Yucatan are very proud people inspite of their living conditions. And they have feelings.

hdawson Please limit your use of "articles" at the beginning of your sentences. People from Texas love capitalism. One can name his price and the buyer can choose to buy or not to buy. I have seen far more shop owners grab the arm of cruisers and almost force them to buy than I have seen cruisers make disparinging remarks.

Although I don't have the space or patience to teach you capitalism, I will give you this! The consumer actually names prices indirectly. If you are to high people will not buy. Many of these shop owners will cut prices rather than see the customer walk away. The people of the Yucatan are not as down an out as you make them out to be. Many do ok in comparison to other parts of Mexico and they do it with the "ugly american" dollar. Let me put your mind to rest. These people will not sell their products at or below cost. These people do have feelings and are not dumb. If you want to pay top dollar they will welcome you. You will not be an "ugly american"; however, you will be like a piece of candy that is called an "all-day ____.

I just was in Progresso last week due to Dennis. We were planning on Costa Maya as a port, but at the last minute Progresso was put in Costa Maya's place. I was disappointed that I did not know before about going to Progresso, only because I would have read up on the location before going, but I was happy to be on a cruise anywhere since Dennis almost changed the whole vacation. I have been to Costa Maya before and was actually happy with the change, I have now been somewhere totally different. My husband was very happy with the change since he was able to go to Chichen-itza. I personally went to the beach with the kids and had no problems. The beach is not anywhere as pretty as in Cozumel, but there isn't many places in this world that is. I felt like the beach was similar to beaches in the US, maybe not as nice as some beaches, but it wasn't dirty. There were a few venders on the beach, but a simple no thank you seemed to do the trick.

Terri

Terri. YOu have a great attitude. There is so much to see and do in the area of Progreso. However it is much better with some research. Sorry you didn't have the opportunity to do that.

don't make the same mistake we did. We had a nice relaxing day on the beach when we docked there in June, until we attempted to go back to the ship. When we first arrived at the Corona beach we ordered a round of drinks that cost $9.00 total and we tried to pay the waiter. He refused to take the money and said to run a tab. A friend we were with was uncomfortable with running a tab, so paid him while we went off the swim. The rest of the day we paid everytime we ordered. When we went to leave at the end of the day, the waiter came running up to us claiming we owed him $16.00 for the first round of drinks. He never would acknowledge that we had paid him, so we ended up giving him $10.00 and walking away. We had children with us so we wanted to get them out of there. I wondered the whole way back to the ship if Mexican police were going to stop us. Not a good way to end what was a enjoyable day. This was our 9th cruise, but the first time we have had any trouble. I wanted to share this so others will not fall into the same trap. I think we were singled out because we had children with us and maybe the waiter thought we would be more likely to pay up to avoid getting the police involved. I recommend going across the street to the bar and paying cash. Have fun otherwise and happy sailing!

Good advice TexasAlexus. :)

Umpire approach: "I call it like I see it". One month later....I reread my article and there is nothing that I would change. However, I will clarify some things for you. No place did I say anything about the "poor mexican people". If you want to see the "real mexican" people, go a few miles south of Acuna or visit Lajitas or hop a burro to the village in the chisos. No beggars or obnoxious vendors, they all went to Progresso. Now for the pier...for those of you that have been, did you notice the condition of the van that took you into town down that long, long pier? Or how about the guardrail that keeps you and your loved ones out of the ocean? That's right, no guardrail, only an 8 inch curb. What about that large truck in front of you with the brake lines dragging the ground? My wife has a great picture of that around here someplace. So, if there is an overloaded, no trailer braked truck in front of me...could there be an overloaded, no trailer braked truck behind me? Why no, not in Progresso. I posted this as a gentle warning to others to get you "from" this place safely, not "to" this place as so many others have posted on here. And for the record, the family of six from Keller agrees with me, the family of four from Southlake agrees, the two girls from Saginaw agree, the family of four from Alabama agrees, and the little old couple that was getting onto the ship as I was going ashore agrees. The little old man said as I was getting off, "don't waste your time", which I thought was kinda bitter at the time, then he continued, " if you want to go to a beach restaurant, use the restroom, run down to the beach and watch it come out, you'll have a great time". Now I know what he was talking about. Don't jump on me, he said it, I just wish I had his name. And txcruiser, you are correct, Ray Charles probably did know better. Too bad he didn't run Carnival.

hdawson, Just because you like progreso does not mean that everybody else in the world has to like it! All I said was my opinion of Progreso! Ya we had a good time, but it’s not the best port! I bet if you were on that cruise with us and you took a poll over what the passenger’s least favorite port was they would say Progreso! I over heard several people say how bad they thought Progreso was! Heck we even ate with a family who disliked it also!

Do you like 5-10 ships in port?

Live 2 Cruise. I like most ports except for San Juan but because I've been there too many times, Nassau the same and Costa Maya which speaking only of the cruise port is the most contrived stop I've seen. I do like to see and explore the foreign culture when I can. I don't really enjoy a port that has more cruisers than local residents. When I go to Cozumel, I immediately rent a jeep and tour the island seeing a beautiful shoreline and stop at some beach clubs. Progreso offers more opportunities to see a side of Mexico that is true Mexico instead of the over Americanized Cancun and Cozumel. The 1000 to 1500 year old ruins are amazing. The city of Merida is a very big and beautiful city of excellent colonial style. We all look for something different in a vacation. Some want to explore, some just shop and some only interested in dollar Coronas or Carlos & Charlies. I don't criticize those that want something else. When I get to Progreso, I jump on the bus to Merida. My pics of options are available to anyone interested. I'll soon be returning.

"When I get to Progreso, I jump on the bus to Merida" by hdawson. I've been wondering who pays him, what cruise line he works for, or if he is going to the same place as me, but now, he says it all with this one line. I didn't say anything about Merida, only Progresso. You can go to the ruins from many other places and save your family from Progresso. A) are you docking there to see the ruins?.....OK, maybe worth it. B) are you docking there to see the town?.....that would be a "no". c) are you there to snorkel or scuba?.....that would be a "no". d) are you docking there because that is the only place this line goes?.....that would be a mistake. Learn from me, I don't sell passages, I only go on them. The ruins are cool, but not from Progresso. The Mexican people are cool, but not in Progresso. I said it before and I'll say it again, "stay away, stay far, far away.