Corona Beach Break

We booked this as a shore excursion last year on the Carnival cruise.

SAVE YOUR $$$ We paid about $30-40. Other people on our ship were coming up to the same beach for FREE! They even had the unlimited drinks FREE! Maybe because they were sitting with us, they served them anyway...

The drinks came in 10 oz cups and were weak. There was no way you could drink $#5 of weak little drinks. You can get beer or drinks anywhere along the beach for $2-3, so just buy a la carte.

The Corona Beach was not very clean, the water was not pretty, Shells and rocks in the water, bathrooms were ok, but not super clean. I wouldn't have walked barefoot in them... Didn't get in the dirty water, so I didn't need the showers.

This beach is just to the left of the bridge you cross to get to Progresso. The ship wil drop you off at the pier, you will walk about 1/4 mile through a souvenier, shopping area, and will board a bus into Progresso. The stuff is cheaper at the flea market than off the pier and you can negotiate more.

When you get to Corona you will notice a lovely view of homeless people sleeping under the bridge. Just like Atlanta :-) I felt like I was back home.

This was not my idea of a scenic view of paradise!

People on the beach harrassed us constantly! I know this may be part of their culture, but there needs to be some kind of middle ground! The beach staff didn't do anything to protect you from the street vendors. We were a group of single women, so they laid it on thick with us. I noticed they were less bothersome when a group of guys we met up with from the ship joined us.

If you stop at Corona treat yourself to a beach massage. BEST massage I ever had! Price started at $40 but went down to $20 after negotiation, and was still a great massasge. The lady was tiny, about 5 feet tall, but had powerful hands. One of my cruisemates got hers for $15. So, negotiate. I did give a good tip, so I ended up spending about $30 anyway. At least the tip went to the massage lady and not the man who was running the massage business.

Corona had a volley ball net, a live band, and a guy walking around pouring cheap tequila from a funnel into people's mouths. No, it was not Cuervo or Patron. Remeber you can just walk up and do all this FREE. Don't pay for an excursion!

We enjoyed the flea market a couple of blocks from the beach. I think our bus dropped us off here? They had some good deals on jewelry and were more affordable than Cozumel. They had good music, local dancers, and the vendors were very friendly, and not so pushy.

There was a double decker tour bus for $2, but they never seemed to get enough people interested to start the tour. Traffic was horrible on this island, and we were scared we would get stranded and not make it to the ship, so we never got to do this.

Some ladies on our ship, said they got a cab into town and went to WalMart. I am the world's biggest walmart fan, and would have loved to see this!

I would not elect to visit Progresso again. I went because our original port of call was destroyed in a hurricaine. But, I believe in making the best of a bad situation. I made this a good day by enjoying my friends, the shopping in the flea market, and the massage.

The area where they dropped us off was a little rough around the edges, but I did not feel unsafe. I wouldn't have gone too far down the side streets though. There were plenty of other Americans there, so I felt fine. They even had a Domino's which was neat. I was scared to eat anything. It seemed less developed than other islands I had visited, and I did not want to get sick. We had come fruit and snacks we snuck off the ship (shhh.. don't tell anybody). My friend had some kind of local candy and a fresh coconut drink, and she never got sick. She is from Nigeria and was braver than I was. She said it reminded her of the drinks back home.

If I HAD to go back, I would consider a guided tour. The beach wasn't all that great. I am sure some people love this place, but I prefer something a little more developed. I am not rich, or snooty, just like a pretty place when I vacation.