Yucatan Progresso on carnival freedom?

[sassafrass]

If we do not wish to book an excursion at this port are we okay to go it alone? Is there stuff to do in the area safely without an excursion?

[KenMo]

The pier is 4 miles long, so there is a bus that will take you into Progresso.

 

Once in town, the beach is 3 or 4 blocks away. I know we had loungers, but I don't recall what we paid for them. I know it wasn't much and there was a waiter that would take drink/food orders and bring it to you.

 

The water is Gulf water, not the pretty blue Caribbean. Didn't bother me, but I heard people complain that the water was "dirty".

 

After we left the beach, we walked back to where we were dropped off to catch the bus back to the ship. We felt entirely safe.

 

As far as I could tell, there weren't any touristy things to do in town. On the bus, you will get a brochure about things to do. But I'm pretty sure none of them are in town.

[ready2cruzagain]

Most people don't care for Progresso but I love this port!!! One of my favorites. Take the bus to end of the pier, there is a craft market there, small but interesting.

 

You can take a tour of the town on a blue double decker bus, price is $3 pp. Had fun with that.

 

Walk a couple of blocks to the beach. There are loungers and umbrellas. I can't remember the price either but very cheap.

 

You can get a Corona and a shot of Tequila for $1.:eek:

 

You can get a massage...these were very cheap also.

 

Progresso is a very pour port but the people are super friendly. We walked all over town and had no problems whatsoever.

Edited October 17, 2015 by ready2cruzagain

[txgranny]

Progreso is great for shopping and massages on beach very cheap $20 for 30 min

[nwo4life]

Autoprogesso.com is the website for the company that run the shuttles from the ship to town. They also run excursions at a very reasonable price.

[djacobson]

If we do not wish to book an excursion at this port are we okay to go it alone? Is there stuff to do in the area safely without an excursion?

 

Progreso is a port where you really do want to have an excursion. After you get into town from the shuttle bus, you could spend time at one of several good restaurants, such as Buddy's or La San Bonnet, but you need to leave Progreso in order to see anything worthwhile, such as going to Merida or going to the Mayan ruins.

 

If you are interested in Mayan ruin sites, then autoprogreso.com has very affordable excursions to several ruins. I highly recommend them. Because some of the ruin sites involve longer travel, you may need to get off the ship early to book an excursion with AutoProgreso, if you want to go on their tours.They have a spot at the cruise terminal across from a bar which has both LSU and New Orleans Saints flags.

[riffatsea]

I agree that this is a port where I'd take a tour to the Mayan ruins. I don't think it is famous for its beach.

[HollandAvery]

We went to the port of Progreso in February 2014 and walked around on our own and were just fine.

I was nervous at first because the city then was much like "real Mexico", it's not 'fancy' like Cozumel (I don't know if they have changed it at all since we have visited). We walked from the bus station where they dropped us off onto the streets and just headed to the beach and stopped inside places on the way. We stopped in a cute little cantina on the way to the beach where the friendly owner gave us a free beer and told us a little bit about the area. Everyone was really nice. The beach was SO clean and nice. It's a neat area if you give it a chance. We felt very safe walking around on our own but it did help that we knew some Spanish as most residents there seemed to feel most comfortable just speaking straight Spanish instead of a mixture of English and Spanish. That probably helped us feel a little more comfortable as well because it made us feel a little more in tune with the locals. We really enjoyed our time there!

 

People often don't think very highly of Progreso, but we thought it was such a cute little place. My SO's family is from Mexico so he really enjoyed being there.

 

These are some photos I took of the beach...isn't it so relaxing and gorgeous?! :D

Edited October 19, 2015 by HollandAvery

[DebJ14]

I agree that this is a port where I'd take a tour to the Mayan ruins. I don't think it is famous for its beach.

 

No, it is not famous for its beach, but you can still have a good beach day there. Just be warned that it is better in the morning. The wind seems to pick up in the afternoons and it gets really choppy.

 

If going to the beach in town we sit in front of Le Saint Bonnet Restaurant. The waiters come over to take orders for food and drink and are pretty quick about it.

Just be warned that there are vendors because it is a public beach. We enjoy the bartering and our grandkids just loved the balloon man that comes by. They had hats, swords, belts, etc made out of balloons. I got some of the best deals ever on .925 Mexican sterling silver. Found the same item that I paid $50.00 for in Cozumel for $300 and they would not come down off the price much in Cozumel.

And massages are cheap, cheap, cheap and you can negotiate the price.

 

We have also gone on the excursion to the Reef Club. Nice beach and nice pool, but the food was not good.

[Jenny in TX]

We were just in Progresso last week. I have always felt safe there. We walked to the beach and got a table, chairs & umbrella in front of Tommy's restaurant. There was no charge for the table & chairs since we ate & drank there. The water is not beautiful like Cozumel but it was a very relaxing beach day. You do have to say "no thank you" constantly to the vendors walking around trying to get you to buy stuff, but we knew that ahead of time and it didn't bother me at all.

[Cruiserbarbie]

We always take the bus to Merida (45 minutes and probably $2US, need pesos each way). Beach in Progresso is also nice as is the little tourist market when you get off the bus. There is a food market (not grocery) a few blocks in that we enjoy as well.

[notyours75]

We were on the Triumph in Jan 2014 when we last visited Progresso. There are several positives about this port of call and a few negatives, I think it all comes down to how adventurous and flexible you are. I do agree that in many ways this is more the "real" Mexico than other such places like Cozumel.

 

The boat docks at the end of a very long (4mi) peer. There is a duty free store and some vendors and I recall a small bar there right off the boat. The prices in the store and the vendors are excellent. (Much cheaper than you will find in Cozumel for the same type of stuff.) My wife negotiated a price on a ring from $120 to $35. (I felt it was worth about $50 so we were both happy.) The liquor prices in the shop were outstanding as I recall.

 

The buses drop you off in the marketplace area. Here other buses are available to take you on city tours or to other areas. I believe buses for pre-booked tours pick you up at the ship and drop you off at the marketplace. There are tons of different vendors, crafts, art, junk, dope paraphernalia, and crazy stuff everywhere. In some ways I felt like fresh meat as there are tons of people vying for your attention and more importantly your $$. No one was overly pushy or aggressive, there are just tons of them from street kids to vendors, to old people, most selling something, some begging.

 

We walked down toward the beach which is to the east of the pier. There again are tons of vendors lined up ready for business. Lots of massages, lots of trinkets, drinks, food, etc. We found that the farther we walked down the beach the less we were approached. We probably went nearly 1/2 mile until we found a spot/restaurant that seemed a little more laid back. Some places want to charge for a table/spot on the beach, some don't so ask ahead of time. Ask for a menu of drinks/food so you know what you are ordering. I recall our menu being in US dollars but others said theirs was in pesos. You might establish what the dollar to peso rate is. As of this writing the official rate is 1 USD to 16.5 Peso. Most were happy to use a 1 USD to 10 Peso conversion because its easy math. (I don't recall what the official rate was two years ago.)

 

We spent a nice afternoon on the beach just people watching, eating, and drinking. I recall DosXX being like 2.50 USD each and it would have been cheaper if we went more local beer. (Like $1) I think for the two of us, lots of food, many drinks, plus tip was like $50. Many vendors roamed up and down the beach and they always approached and if you just waved them off then went on. I recall our waiter having some "conversations" with several about not coming back. Fun to watch.

 

Our waiter spoke fairly good English. He said that at the time (and I believe currently) only one Carnival ship comes to Progresso. They only come twice every 14 days so the whole town turns out because they depend on the ships heavily for income. There was lots of military and police riding around, on motorcycles, in the backs of pickups, walking along the road. Never felt unsafe, but your never really left alone.

 

After a few hours we returned to the ship again via the market. We went to the aft lido deck and watched people come running back to the ship to make it on time. Good times. Literally as the ship leaves the town folds up and they are done until the ship returns in a week or so.

 

Several people we talked to roamed deep into Mexico seeing ruins and various other sites. Some took tours, many just got on the local buses and headed out.

 

While Progresso doesn't have the higher end stuff you see in Cozumel for basic trinkets, liquor, and common items, you cannot beat the prices or at least the willingness to haggle with you. They won't on Cozumel. Real people, real town, only tainted by cruise ships 4 times a month.

 

Cons lots of people vying for you $$ and attention at all times, not the most peaceful.

[SOMEBEECH]

I was in Progresso and it was a place full of nice people. Half the city looked it had been bombed though. I did buy a bunch of DVD's for $5 on the beach. They were unreleased in the US and the only Spanish part was the main menu. Don't buy the Rolex watches as there is a fake factory not to far from Progresso that makes them and Coach bags.

[k2excursion]

It's fine to do something on your own there. If you just want a beach day, then you're all set. The free bus into town, then walk a couple blocks to the beach. Not the best beach in the world, but it's good enough for a beach day. There were 6 of us there a couple years ago. The first guy we came to at the beach said that it would be $15 for a table. We kept walking, and the next one said that the table with chairs under a big umbrella was free, and the beach chairs were free. They just expect us to order food/drinks, which we did.

 

As was mentioned already, the company that runs the free shuttles from the ship into town is Autoprogreso, which also does tours. Before you get off the bus, they will be talking about their tours for a couple minutes. Reasonably priced & good tours. On a different trip, we did their Uxmal tour. It's cheaper than doing it through the ship, and the bus is less likely to be overpacked with people. Ours was half empty; plenty of room to spread out. Uxmal still lets you climb on most of their structures, which was a lot of fun. It's a great ruins site!

[KLM2015]

We always take the bus to Merida (45 minutes and probably $2US, need pesos each way). Beach in Progresso is also nice as is the little tourist market when you get off the bus. There is a food market (not grocery) a few blocks in that we enjoy as well.

 

 

Do I have to have Pesos? If so, where do I exchange?

[cajun-crazy]

They accepted my US DOLLARS.

We walked to the beach for $15 massage for 30 minutes. Two margaritas for $5.00 and free chips/salsa. Lots of vendors approaching people on the beach. I try to be polite, but learned just to say "no thank you". Prior to that, I was commenting on how lovely the item was and stating however I wasn't interested. If I showed the least bit of interest, they were all over you.

[srb2cruise]

They accepted my US DOLLARS.

 

We walked to the beach for $15 massage for 30 minutes. Two margaritas for $5.00 and free chips/salsa. Lots of vendors approaching people on the beach. I try to be polite, but learned just to say "no thank you". Prior to that, I was commenting on how lovely the item was and stating however I wasn't interested. If I showed the least bit of interest, they were all over you.

 

 

 

Going to Progresso next month. What was the name of this place??

[cajun-crazy]

Going to Progresso next month. What was the name of this place??

 

Not real sure of the name. It was probably 3-4 blocks down the beach. They had LOTS of ladies working and probably two tents with 3 massage tables each. They also had 2-3 ladies standing on the corner across the street from the beach offering you massages. They were wearing blue and the tents were blue. I chose to have a pedicure ($10) then my husband had a massage. I'll see if I see something on the map that might indicate a cross street and come back and let you know.

[cajun-crazy]

Looks like it was between Calle 76 and Calle 78. They had a "bar runner" that would go across the street to a restaurant and bring back the drinks & food. Since they were 2 for 5.00, I chose a stawberry and a regular - then mixed them together. I'm weird like that!

[srb2cruise]

Looks like it was between Calle 76 and Calle 78. They had a "bar runner" that would go across the street to a restaurant and bring back the drinks & food. Since they were 2 for 5.00, I chose a stawberry and a regular - then mixed them together. I'm weird like that!

 

 

Thanks! I'm counting the days!!

[Purvis1231]

I was in Progresso and it was a place full of nice people. Half the city looked it had been bombed though. I did buy a bunch of DVD's for $5 on the beach. They were unreleased in the US and the only Spanish part was the main menu. Don't buy the Rolex watches as there is a fake factory not to far from Progresso that makes them and Coach bags.

 

Should I wonder about my $8.00 Raybans?

[gfh77665]

If we do not wish to book an excursion at this port are we okay to go it alone?

 

 

Yes. Been there 3X and zero issues. Wife and I walked the streets for hours and never felt the least bit unsafe. "Worst" thing about Progresso is the vendors who hound you to buy T-shirts and trinkets. Just keep moving and politely say "no thanks" without making eye contact.

 

Take the double decker tour bus ride. Sit on top for the best view but DUCK under the power lines! I am not joking, LOL.

[WORK4VACATION]

Stopped in Progresso last year when we were on the Elation. Liked it so much we booked another cruise this year that will take us there. Felt safe walking around, drinks are cheap, beach is nice, 30 min. massage for $15. Massages get cheaper the further you walk down the beach. Corona's are a $1 a bottle and you can bring up to 6 back with you on the ship. Enjoy Progresso :)

[maldenmusic]

The water isn't dirty but it is the Gulf of Mexico so it won't be the crystal clear water like the Caribbean.

[scooterpopsnana]

I have to use a mobility scooter. While it will go four miles without issues, I don't think hubby will want to do that walk. Will it be a problem? Do the buses have ways to transport the scooters?