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Progesso is a DUMP!!!!!

agrip76

By agrip76,
in Progreso/Merida (Mexico)

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gottahaveabeach

gottahaveabeach

Posted
Posted

You are going to see both sides on this port. This was my second trip to Progreso. Progreso is just a port. If you want to see anything, book a tour and go somewhere. This time we just wanted to look around so we did the double decker bus. Its worth $2. I got hit in the head with a power line. Its hard to watch for power lines and see what the guide is trying to point out. They drive too fast to take any pictures. After that we walked to the beach and were not left alone for one second. We just tried to be polite and say no thank you, no thank you, no thank you. They all want to sell you something. We finally got to the beach and got massages. You never know til you try. Never again. They kept saying "professional massage". Our "45" minute massage lasted 30 minutes and was the worst ever. Painful, not done correctly at all, done with some kind of nasty oil. I paid them and even gave them a tip. I know they have to make a living but I was not impressed. The water has always been churned up and brown when I have been here. This day the water was very cold but it is December. I like a beach where I can still see my feet when i'm ankle/knee deep. Our friends walked around and liked the town but they have never been there before and didn't do anything other than shop and eat. I think the shops would actually sell more, to me anyway, if they would just let you breathe, and not try to draw you in with one price then keep changing it. I would actually look at some of their items long enough to see if I wanted them, if I wasn't trying to get away from their pushy sales techniques. I am not being negative, I like Mexico, but don't sugarcoat this port into something its not. If our ship hadn't been leaving at 2:30 we might have went on a tour but didn't want to be rushed and didn't want to get stuck on a bus for most of the day.

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nolaAlive

nolaAlive

Posted
Posted

What is the opposite of sugar coating?

 

I had no trouble with taking pictures or power lines. How much did you pay for that 30/45 minute massage? Did you really expect a 5 star spa resort massage for pennies?

 

The bus does have signs saying not to stand up.

 

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m1ckey

m1ckey

Posted
Posted

Yes the sunset anywhere is beautiful.

I do agree Progresso is not that great of a stop, Unless you want to enjoy ruins. They are amazing the history...incredible the senote (under water caverns) crystal clear.

The so called "beach party" after with some of the deals, well we are on the rough side as far as water is consider.

it is shelly and non transparent.

which is not the same with cozumel water.

just some info

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new22003

new22003

Posted
Posted

Maybe its us or maybe we are lucky but I have never had a bad cruise experience. I find Progresso refreshing after many of the all too touristy stops like Costa Maya or Cozumel. But Ill be the first to admit that even CM and Cozumel have fun things to do.

In Progresso there are tons of local eateries where you see no other tourists and get great food for cheap. It’s easy to mix with the real locals, hear good stories, meet families, and pick up more of the language. IMHO you are more likely to experience daily life there than in Cozumel or CM which is exactly what we are looking for. Don’t get me wrong, I have never had a bad day in Cozumel or CM either :-) On vacation I don’t want to be isolated from the populous (I realize some do). The for us joy isn’t just the destination, its the culture as well.

IT is a poor dirty city full of people who think Americans are stupid and will pay anything for their junk.

Also it is sad to me that so many go there, or to any foreign country, and come away with "oh those poor people attitude" and don’t realize their arrogance. Having lived and worked in developing nations I know how this attitude is taken by the locals. But that is a long topic for another discussion.

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m1ckey

m1ckey

Posted
Posted (edited)
The water is the Gulf of Mexico, not the Caribbean. I, for one, am delighted that Progreso is NOT Cozumel. Then it would be a dump.

I was just stating some facts, not criticising the place...

I too enjoy my travels. I am from the gulf of mexico in florida and the water is so green and beautiful , I was surprised to see it so choppy.

Edited by m1ckey
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nolaAlive

nolaAlive

Posted
Posted
I was just stating some facts, not criticising the place...

I too enjoy my travels. I am from the gulf of mexico in florida and the water is so green and beautiful , I was surprised to see it so choppy.

 

The water I have seen from Texas to the Florida panhandle all looks the same.

 

The beaches of Florida do have nice sand.

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  • 2 weeks later...
annapaige

annapaige

Posted
Posted

I registered for an account just so I could reply to this blasphemy! I am returning to Progreso this week and am thrilled.

 

On my last trip there I was with five girlfriends- we're all in our early twenties. So while our interests may not align with a family or older crowd, we had a blast. All five of us agreed that it was much better than Cozumel.

 

We loved the double decker bus tour- even the ducking from power lines. We all bought coronas and took tequila shots while walking around the town. If you're not concerned about this "real Mexico" issue, you'll really enjoy stopping into local bars and shops. It was lovely, full of incredibly gracious people. We were approached by a Mayan fella that wanted to sell us Cubanos, but after we declined he was happy to abandon his wares and chat with us for the rest of the afternoon. He was really impressed by the tall blonde girls, me thinks. He carried our towels, gave us his email address and said if we ever returned we'd have a place to stay. That was the overall attitude of the locals, we found. And try not to hate the vendors too much-- they'd rather be on a cruise vacation, I'm sure. A polite no does the trick.

 

A warning: the Corona Beach party is a tiny, roped-off area of the beach. There is absolutely no reason to pay for that excursion. We were just a few meters away from the "party" and felt like we were having more fun. No volleyball net of course, but who cares?

 

We went on the banana boat ride and it was nothing short of terrifying. I wouldn't recommend it for younger kids, because the driver was ROUGH! At one point my girlfriend fell off and ended up underneath the banana. Needless to say she was sputtering and freaked out when we finally pulled her back up.

 

The water was lovely. Massage was cheap and fabulous! No compliants about roughness or being shorted. No offensive smells as some have reported. If you're brave enough to explore a city WITHOUT an excursion or definite plan, Progreso is a fabulous city to do it in. Vaya con Dios!

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kingfish78734

kingfish78734

Posted
Posted
I registered for an account just so I could reply to this blasphemy! I am returning to Progreso this week and am thrilled.

 

On my last trip there I was with five girlfriends- we're all in our early twenties. So while our interests may not align with a family or older crowd, we had a blast. All five of us agreed that it was much better than Cozumel.

 

We loved the double decker bus tour- even the ducking from power lines. We all bought coronas and took tequila shots while walking around the town. If you're not concerned about this "real Mexico" issue, you'll really enjoy stopping into local bars and shops. It was lovely, full of incredibly gracious people. We were approached by a Mayan fella that wanted to sell us Cubanos, but after we declined he was happy to abandon his wares and chat with us for the rest of the afternoon. He was really impressed by the tall blonde girls, me thinks. He carried our towels, gave us his email address and said if we ever returned we'd have a place to stay. That was the overall attitude of the locals, we found. And try not to hate the vendors too much-- they'd rather be on a cruise vacation, I'm sure. A polite no does the trick.

 

A warning: the Corona Beach party is a tiny, roped-off area of the beach. There is absolutely no reason to pay for that excursion. We were just a few meters away from the "party" and felt like we were having more fun. No volleyball net of course, but who cares?

 

We went on the banana boat ride and it was nothing short of terrifying. I wouldn't recommend it for younger kids, because the driver was ROUGH! At one point my girlfriend fell off and ended up underneath the banana. Needless to say she was sputtering and freaked out when we finally pulled her back up.

 

The water was lovely. Massage was cheap and fabulous! No compliants about roughness or being shorted. No offensive smells as some have reported. If you're brave enough to explore a city WITHOUT an excursion or definite plan, Progreso is a fabulous city to do it in. Vaya con Dios!

 

Thanks Anna :) We love it too!!!

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  • 2 weeks later...
WilliamLawson

WilliamLawson

Posted
Posted

Well Progreso ain't perfect, in fact, it's far from it. I've lived here for 20 years and seen the place not progress at all. In fact it just stays the same. It's the politicians that lack the vision and a little bit of good taste to improve the town, not only for tourists but also its inhabitants.

 

That said, you can find some good fish at the restaurants and the vendors are far less pushy and obnoxious than they are elsewhere. There are no time-share salespeople as in Cancun! For a day, it's a good place to dip into the Yucatan and explore some Mayan culture.

 

That said, there could be a lot more done to make Progreso a whole lot nicer, so I understand some people's disillusion. :)

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TheVegasMan

TheVegasMan

Posted
Posted (edited)
It's not complaining. It's how it is. If i wanted to see poverty I would stay home and go to work.

 

I go on vacation to get away.

Then in the future you should only go to Luxembourg, Bermuda, United States, Norway, Liechtenstein, Channel Islands, Switzerland, Denmark, Ireland or Iceland. They are the top 10 countries in per capita income. Mexico is #80 on the list. Belize is #102. Edited by TheVegasMan
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hillbillycruisers

hillbillycruisers

Posted
Posted

We were in Progreso in December, for the first time, and both my wife and I enjoyed ourselves...both in town and at the beach. Its easy for me to understand how some folks wont like it there, because its not gonna be fancy enough for them. But lets face it, some folks personalities require more glitter and gold than others...and then there are those who wont be satisfied no matter what. Personally, I cant wait to go back...I want to see more of the town, as we were with my in-laws this last time and my father in law wasnt feeling well, so we cut short the walking and went straight to the beach ( where we had a very fun day ).What part of the town we did see, we found interesting, especially the market area. The double decker bus tour was interesting also. Its not a perfect port, and there are the vendors that will hound you at the beach, but they are just trying to make a buck and dont bother us. There are people who will stay on the boat at this port, and thats their choice, but if you are wanting to see Mexico...there it is. If you want to stay on the boat, fine...enjoy yourselves and save us a rum drink...we'll be back onboard with a smile in a few hours. :)

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Vanessa L

Vanessa L

Posted
Posted
What is the opposite of sugar coating?

 

I had no trouble with taking pictures or power lines. How much did you pay for that 30/45 minute massage? Did you really expect a 5 star spa resort massage for pennies?

 

The bus does have signs saying not to stand up.

 

 

IMG_9590.JPG

 

 

IMG_9594.JPG

 

 

Folks keep saying, "But this is the Gulf of Mexico"....no, THIS (pics below) is the Gulf of Mexico!!! I would be afraid to get in the waters in the pics noted for Progresso! I grew up near PCB, Florida and when you say "Gulf of Mexico" THIS is what I see. Not the murky waters in the "other" Gulf pics! :eek:

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/vanessa.1963/PanamaCityBeachFlorida#

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