Awesome Port Day in Progreso from Triumph Cruise!!!

My daughter and I enjoyed a fun Mother/Daughter cruise in June, 2015! We cruised on Carnival's Triumph and had a blast. Here is a little about our stop in Progreso.....

We docked on the 4.5 mile long pier – it was a bit strange not to be able to see the shore and town when getting off of the ship. We discovered we were the only ship in port today – that was good news – much less crowded!!! We had booked the Dzibilchaltun Ruins & Cenote swim excursion through Carnival. As we exited the gangway and rounded the corner we immediately saw the familiar white signs with all of the excursions on them and located ours. We were given a bright orange sticker to wear and were directed to a shady area. We departed the pier a bit late (8:50 instead of 8:30) and headed to our air-conditioned Greyhound type bus for our 25 minute drive to Dzibilchaltun. They gave us each an ice cold bottle of water when we exited the bus. There were two guides for our group of about 30 so they split us up upon arrival. The ruins were fantastic! Amazing actually that these could be built without modern day equipment. We were allowed to climb to our hearts content and take pictures from atop the ruins. It was very warm but breezy and there were areas of shade all along the way that our tour guide gently guided us to while he told us some of the history and interesting facts of whichever monument we were looking at or climbing on. I would recommend bringing an extra bottle of water, wearing a hat and some sunscreen and you will do just fine. I am in medium shape and climbed the structures with no problems – just a bit winded by the time we reached the top. Then, as we were getting a bit sweaty and warm we were directed to the Cenote. It is about 75 X 150 feet across and half of it was covered in giant lily pads. People were pealing off down to their bathing suits and jumping right in. We followed suit to find cool, crystal clear, fresh water with little fishies along the bottom. My daughter brought her GoPro and captured some fantastic underwater sites. The bottom is covered in pebble like rocks, large giant stones and some slimy areas but we did not need water shoes. Maybe shin guards as I struck the large rocks a few times going too fast. One end was about 4 feet deep and descended to over 30 feet at the other end. We swam for about 40 minutes and then got out to dry off and headed to the museum at the park. After a quick look around (it is a small museum) we went back to the entrance and up to the second story to try the famous burritos we had been hearing about. It was the best Mexican food we had eaten in a very long time!!! Delicious – wish I had one right now!! Then we headed back to the bus. Victor, our tour guide, told stories all the way back – it was really nice! We had the option to be dropped in town by the beach to shop and swim or go back down the 4.5 mile pier and we elected to be dropped. After we tipped the driver and our guides we started out on our adventure in Progreso. With all of the bad publicity Progreso gets my expectations were kind of low. It turns out Progreso was our favorite city we had ever visited in Mexico. Very authentic and genuine culture. The people were just so happy you were there contributing to their economy. We went to the beach and got a massage (30 minutes for each of us for only $15.00 each – with the tip $40.00 for everything )– amazing massage with the sound of the ocean as your background music!!! Then we took a short swim on the beach (right next to the road to the cruise pier) to wash off all of the oils. We sat in the chairs by the massage tents to dry off and were approached by about 7 peddlers in 20 minutes. A gentle “No thank you” was all it took and they walked on. They were not over-pushy or rude in any way. Then we made our way to the open-air market (this is also where the free shuttles run constantly to take cruise ship folks back down the pier). We bought quite a few things there as they were giving good deals toward the end of the day. It was a lot of fun finding bargains and buying local products. When we were finished we jumped on a waiting bus and they took us back down the 4.5 mile pier – quite an amazing thing really!!! – shopped some more at the stores and vendors at that end of the pier and then boarded the ship.

There seems to be a lot of negativity about Progreso - it was our favorite port - the people are authentic and the food was delicious. The are is authentic Mexico - we loved it so much! Don't let the negative reports sway you until you can see if for yourself! Enjoy!

I am glad to read of your positive experience at Dzibilchaltun and the Malecon of Progreso. I am especially pleased to hear that the restaurant on the second floor of the visitor center is doing well. I have met the young couple who run the restaurant, and they were working hard to serve good good at a reasonable price. Their restaurant is accessible by a ramp. Good tip about bringing extra water. I remember that one of the vendors on the ground level sold water. As I have said in other posts, I live near Progreso during the winter. I want the cruisers to enjoy the Yucatan as much as I do, because we (the ex-pats and cruisers) are good for the local economy.

My daughter and I enjoyed a fun Mother/Daughter cruise in June, 2015! We cruised on Carnival's Triumph and had a blast. Here is a little about our stop in Progreso.....

 

Great review!! We haven't booked yet but just waiting to see get the other couples dates and we book. Your review is exactly what I expect from real cruisers. People that expect every stop to be like downtown Manhattan really turn me off. I can't wait to go and see Progresso with a totally open mind.

I enjoyed your review also. Thanks for the information. Sounds like you felt quite safe there too.

Glad to hear that! We just booked a January cruise on the Freedom that stops in Progreso, and I have never heard one good thing about it! Oh, and by the way, I live in BA too! Small world neighbor!

Last year we went to Uxmal, January coming up, we head to Chichen Itza. I hear Uxmal is better, but we will see. I really enjoyed the country side, the food that we had at the Hacienda, our tour guide. Progreso is not Cozumel or Cancun, it is Mexico-not tex mex.

This has me so excited about Progreso. It has been 5 years since I was there last!

Thanks for sharing your experience, it was very helpful. We plan on going there in Oct 2016 and plan on seeing those exact ruins. Am so excited already. Also looking forward to exploring Progreso and its people.

It has been a few years since we were in Progreso, but we had a good time all three trips.

First time we did a tour to Dzibalchaltun. Nice smaller ruins, smaller than Uxmal anyway. I have a new incite on the Maya culture. I will probably do Uxmal next.

Second trip was a loaf on the beach and then a prowl about town. When you get away from the tourist spots you see what "Real Mexico" is like. We shopped in small mom and pop stores, ate where the locals ate and had a neat experience with some great people. Prices were cheaper than on the Malecon. Just a heads up, we had beer for a dollar and some of the best tacos that I have ever had.

Third trip was a Autoprogreso tour to Reef Yucatan Resort. There was a trip to some Mayan ruins (Xcambo) included in the tour. The resort had a gorgeous pool, plenty of snacks and drinks and a nice section of beach. There was volleyball nets, palapas and a bar by the pool.

Now I'm excited and I am not even booked yet.

Glad to hear that! We just booked a January cruise on the Freedom that stops in Progreso, and I have never heard one good thing about it! Oh, and by the way, I live in BA too! Small world neighbor!

That is halarious! It is a small world! Looks like you just returned from your cruise - hope you had a fantastic time!

Waves hi to the BA folks, from Edmond!

Waves hi to the BA folks, from Edmond!

(= My son is at UCO! We love Edmond! #smallworld

We have been to Progresso several times, but we have never been into town due to the negative reviews. We are thinking about taking the bus into town on our next cruise. We love authentic Mexican food. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks for your excellent report 5 in OK! We're building a home in the Riviera Maya and plan to visit other areas like Progreso and we're happy to reead you enjoyed meeting the people and seeing the area.

A good attitude and a sense of adventure really makes a difference in ones experience when visiting new areas!

Thanks again! ;)