Tips on getting to, in & around Merida?

[adamsmom]

Merida seems like such an interesting place, and we would like to explore it on our day docked in Progresso. What's the best way to get there? We would like to visit the zoo and do some exploring, probably on foot. The NCL tour is $40, but it seems like we could do what we would like cheaper than that. The NCL tour that includes Rancho Tierra Bonita looks interesting too, but with 4 people at $63 each, that's gonna be a little too spendy.

[adamsmom]

I see that we can rent a car from Ace for $11 a day. How hard would it be to drive to Merida and find our way around? It seems like a big city. We certainly wouldn't want to get lost and miss our ship!

[hdawson]

I'll be glad to give you some specific information. Email me at

hdawson228@aol.com

I've spent quite a bit of time there after two port calls on Celebrity. My favorite land vacation.

 

BTW. Add about $25 for rental car insurance.

[petel]

Once you get off the ship and take the bus down the 3 mile pier, they will drop you off at the square in Progreso. One block away is the bus terminal. For $2.50 roundtrip, you can ride to Merida. Once in Merida, you are a couple of blocks away from the town square.

[Pacridge]

Personally if I were headed to Merida I wouldn't rent a car I'd take the bus. The bus from Progreso runs about $3 and I think parking in Merida might be an issue. I also wouldn't be thrilled to drive in Merida traffic, though I live in the boonies so traffic may be less of an issue with others.

 

One note on the bus- I'd be sure to take an earlier one rather than a later one. I've had the return trip take anywhere from 35 mins to 1:15. Like any other city on the planet Merida has a rush hr. If you're scheduled to depart port at 5 or 6pm, something to consider.

[Warmer Climes]

Thanks to hdawson's excellent information about Merida, my family and I enjoyed our day there very much. We took the regular bus ("Recondido" means "round-trip, by the way) and had no problem finding our way around. It was DH's and my favorite excursion of our last cruise, and I can't imagine what you'd get from the ship excursion that you can't do on your own. The people in Merida are very friendly- yes, some of the people will try to sell you stuff, but "no thanks" is enough if you're not interested. Here is a picture of some of us in Merida and the last one is waiting for the Merida bus in Progreso:

 

Barb

[hdawson]

Hey Barb. I am so glad you enjoyed your sojourn to Merida and that my information was helpful. Would love to see more pics. Everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves. I've really enjoyed introduciing lots of folks to a Mexico that they may not have seen before.