WisRiver

There are only two golf courses in Merida. One is a private country club and does not allow players who are not guests of members. There is a Jack Nicklaus designed course as part of a real estate project, and they have day rates of about $200+ US per day. I do not believe they have rental clubs.

There are no resort/hotel based courses near Merida like you have in the Cancun/PDC area.

When we were on the Noordam in 2012 for an East to West transatlantic, in addition to the pub trivia and team trivia, the food director had a food trivia contest in the the late afternoon. This another team event, but the scores were not cumulative. Earlier this year we were on the South America repositioning cruise to Boston and there was only the pub and team trivia plus the written librarian trivia.

Many of the menu choices served in the MDR are available in the Lido. The major exception in my mind is the French onion soup. The appetizers are usually the same as the MDR. You can order a steak to order. If you ask for it rare, you will get it. In many ways we prefer the Lido. Since I am allergic to shellfish, I do not miss the lobster or crab dishes.

Merida is interesting, but there isn't a ton to see outside of the little town square thing. Big church, old house, government building…thats about it.

 

I think you would find more to do doing the market, bus tour of Progresso.

 

Just my 2 cents from someone who has done both.

Merida is a city of almost a million people. I am not quite sure what the poster means by a "little town square". The zocalo or central plaza has the cathedral on one side, the governors palace on another side and is surrounded by side streets with shops and restaurants. One treat is to take a horse drawn buggy ride from the zocalo, up calle 60 to Paseo Montejo and back. I think the trip is about an hour and the buggies are parked on the northeast corner of the zocalo across the street from the cathedral. Paseo Montejo is a wide boulevard similar to the boulevards of Paris. There are still several old mansions facing the Paseo. Don't get me wrong. I like Progreso. We winter 5 miles east of Progreso. We make it a point to take visiting friends to Merida.

We use photo paper to print boarding passes and reinforce them with clear package tape. The photo paper is heavier stock then regular printer paper.

Some of the wait staff may be Muslim, who may choose not to consume alcohol. Leave a $ tip. Take the remainder of the bottle back to to your room.

We have used our "birding" binoculars on our repositioning cruises and they worked well. Eagle Optics 8 x 25. They are reasonably priced, compact and adequate for our needs.

I am sorry that this posting has been revived. It was posted six years ago, and the OP has not posted in over five years. We are cruisers, primarily HAL repositioning cruises, and live five miles from Progreso during the winter. I understand how some cruisers may not find Progreso to their liking.

The Yucatan is an area that should be experienced, even it is only for a day. The people of Progreso and Merida are trying hard to make cruisers experiences enjoyable while the local residents try to make a living. Progreso is not like many other cruise ports. We part time residents know that cruisers may want a Disneyland like experience, but they will see vibrant, proud communities trying to make a life for their families.

Enjoy

We enjoy the outdoor cafe next to the Teatro Conteras on Calle 60 one block north of Plaza Mayor. The food is average, but the drinks are cold. The cafe shaded and nice place to take a break. If you are in Merida on a Sunday, there are lots of food vendors on the Plaza Mayor during the day.

When you get off the shuttle from where you dock, you are at the the AutoProgresso bus terminal. During the day buses run into the Merida city center about a every 20 minutes. I think the fare is about 25 pesos (less than five dollars US). There is a ticket office inside the terminal. The bus takes you to the center of the city. Ask the bus driver to let you off at "Plaza Mayor", the central square in Merida. There are lots of shops, restaurants and the cathedral on the square. Since you will be coming south bound on a one way street, you will not return from the same spot you were dropped. The bus goes back to Progreso on a northbound street one block west from where you were dropped you could walk to the Merida Autoprogresso terminal. Look on their website for fares and directions. We have visiting friends who take the bus into Merida in the morning. By the afternoon they are hot, tired and do not want to wait for the bus. They will negotiate with a cab to take them back to Progreso. A reasonable fare is about $30 US for a taxi that will hold 4 persons. Alternatively you can negotiate with a taxi in Progreso to take you to Merida, wait for you and return you to Progreso. I cannot estimate the costs for this service.

Enjoy. Once you visit, you will like the area and want to spend more time here. We will be in Progreso for our fifth winter in January.

There are two zoos in Merida. Parque de Centenario is the older zoo. It is a traditional zoo with animals in cages. It was nice, but nothing out of the ordinary. It is free and full of children and families on weekends. We have taken our grandchildren (6 & 8) and they enjoyed it. Five years ago there was no English signage. It is on Av. Itzaes between Calles 59 and 68 west of the center of the city.

There is a new zoo, Animaya, which has been open for about three years. We have not been there. If I had just one day in Merida, the zoo would not be a priority unless you have seen all of the major destinations such as Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Museo Maya, the Merida city center and Paseo Montejo. We live in the Progreso area six weeks a year, so we have time to explore more out of way attractions such as the zoo.