Uxmal & Merida

I will be taking a cruise on Carnival. Our Port of arrival will be Progresso. We will in there from 7:00 am - 3:00pm. We would like to visit Uxmal and Merida, but are not sure if time will allow us to do this. I'm thinking about doing this on my own. Would I need to call Uxmal ahead of time to make reservations or can I just purchase tickets when I get there?

Has anybody ever done this? Any information/suggestions are welcomed.

You purchase your tickets (wrist bands) as you enter the ruins.

Lady. Although Uxmal is really impressive and very pretty, you may want to consider just the trip to Merida. Unless of course the ruins are your priority.

To Uxmal, allow 1 1/2 hours each way (min) plus 1 1/2 to 2 hours exploring the ruins. That would be five hours IF everything worked out perfectly.

Merida on the other hand is only a 30 minute bus ride and there is so much to see and do in this beautiful Spanish colonial city. Check out http://www.yucatantoday.com and feel free to email me at hdawson228@aol.com

thanks hdawson for all of the info! I decided to just stick with shopping and explore Merida!

I agree with hdawson.

See the thread:http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=371024

for more info.

Enjoy your trip.

thanks nzyu for your response...

Maybe you can answer this or Hdawson can:

Would it be faster if I hired a taxi vs the bus to get to Merida?

Also, any other activites to do there instead of shopping?

Quicker? Yes. $25.00 each way.

Quicker? Yes. $25.00 each way.

THanks Hdawson for your quick response!:cool:

Tips or suggestions to do while I'm in Merida?:)

Lots.

Depends on your interests.

I loved the sculpture "Tribute to the People" in the middle of a round-about. Think it was on Paseo Montejo. it was carved by a man and his sons and has the crest of each of the Mexican States in it.

Loved wandering through the old market ... if it is still there. Bartering was fun and there were a lot of variety in the wares. It was much more fun than the market in Mexico City if you've been there. (Ok, I'm sure MC has more than one market... so Merida's was more fun than the large one we went to in MC.)

See other thread for mention about a store called Miro that I think has neat bags, t-shirts and other clothing... I'm sure Merida would have several. Coz did.

If you get a chance try some "corn ice cream." Different. It really had frozen kernals of corn in it. It used to be sold at an ice cream shop along the Zocolo.

The Giraffe Cafe used to be a fun place with good food.

It's been a long time since i've been to Merida so you probably need to ask someone who's been there in the past year.

It is one of my all time favorite places. Gotta go back sometime.

thanks for your suggestions! I'll just have to talk to DH and see what he decides. Thanks though!!:)