Booking Progresso Excursions

[ali_cat]

I've tried to look this up and have seen a couple people who have had this same problem in the past but no real answer on what happens now. Has anyone ever gotten a definitive answer as to why there are only a couple of the Progresso excursions available for booking? Its not a huge deal right now, we're still exploring our options (first cruise, ever so slightly overwhelmed) but of all the ones they list on the website, only Chichen Itza and the golf one are up for pre-booking.

 

Sorry if I did miss a post with the answer in it.

[VegasVicO]

I've tried to look this up and have seen a couple people who have had this same problem in the past but no real answer on what happens now. Has anyone ever gotten a definitive answer as to why there are only a couple of the Progresso excursions available for booking? Its not a huge deal right now, we're still exploring our options (first cruise, ever so slightly overwhelmed) but of all the ones they list on the website, only Chichen Itza and the golf one are up for pre-booking.

 

Sorry if I did miss a post with the answer in it.

 

I don't want to bum you out about Progresso, but I hated this place. We decided to go on our own and take a bus inland to Merida. The bus was a city bus and stunk to high hell, and it was so close to being unbearable. I've seen some poor places before, but Progresso was extremely poor. Their houses had tin roofs, no windows and doors in the opening of the cinderblock walls and they slept in hammocks.

We finally got into Merida and looked around for shopping. Not much really. The only thing that was worth looking at was the amazing Cathedral in the main Plaza. So we took the bus back to Progresso, ate at a little restaurant, grabbed some beers and walked down to the beach. The water there was brown and silty and the beach had lots of broken sea shells mixed in the sand that made walking barefoot unpleasent.

 

Looking back, I really wished we had taken the excursion to Chichen Itza. I've heard many great things about how interesting it is. I like historical places like that anyway.

 

Whatever you do, I highly suggest you have a plan. Don't just wing it in this port. Good luck and have fun!

[calicruise74]

We did Chichen Itza for our stop in Progreso and glad we did!

 

As VegasVico said, dont wing it here...which is something we normally do at most mexican ports as DH and I are from mexico and speak fluent spanish. The pier is very long so no walking into town like some other ports.

[ali_cat]

I'm sorry you guys didn't like Progresso very much. I'm just glad to be going somewhere for once, I guess. But the advice about not winging it is helpful, especially considering we are newbies at this. Its hard though, because not all of us can physically do Chichen Itza (or want to, though there are a couple of us that would be up for it). But without the other excursions posted for pre-booking, we're a little lost here. I'm just confused as to why Carnival would list all these possibilites, but not have them available at all. Surely they aren't ALL full yet, we don't leave until the end of March.

[nolaAlive]

A few people don't like Progreso, but I love it.

 

It depends on how close your cruise is. If it is months away, Carnival may be renegotiating prices and/or modifying tours. They may be trying to push particular tours. It is unlikely the tours are sold out. They reserve a certain number of tickets to sell on the cruise ship.

 

I'll be in Progreso again in about 10 days, and I'm sure it will be great. I won't be going to Chicken Pizza this time, but back to Uxmal. I prefer Uxmal to Chitchen Itza. It is smaller and less crowded, but if you have never been, you should try it at least once.

 

It is very easy to wing it in Progreso. Autoprogreso provides a free shuttle service from the cruise ship to the port and they run continuously. There is a $2 twenty minute double decker bus tour you can take that will give you a good overview of the town.

 

You can book some tours at the port and/or a number of people book through Autoprogreso.

 

You can see some of my exploits here:

 

Progreso: Progreso Dec 07

Caves and Caverns Tour Sept07

Uxmal/Progreso Sept 2004

[nolaAlive]

This is what shows up on my Feb 7th cruise for Progreso:

 

ATV Adventure at Rancho Grande

Buggy Beach Break

Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins

Corona Beach Break

Discover the Yucatan and the Mayan World

Dune Buggy Exploration & Beach

Dzibilchaltun Ruins

Dzibilchaltun Ruins, Mexican Buffet & Horse Show

Horseback & Beach Break

Kayak Adventure

La Ceiba Golf & Country Club

Mayan Jeep Adventure & Beach Break

Mayan Ruins & Beach Break Combo

Merida & Shopping, Mexican Buffet & Horse Show

Merida City Overview & Shopping

Progreso Resort Beach Break

Progreso Rhino Adventure

Uxmal Mayan Ruins & Lunch

[Thirsty Cruiser]

I don't want to bum you out about Progresso, but I hated this place. We decided to go on our own and take a bus inland to Merida. The bus was a city bus and stunk to high hell, and it was so close to being unbearable. I've seen some poor places before, but Progresso was extremely poor. Their houses had tin roofs, no windows and doors in the opening of the cinderblock walls and they slept in hammocks.

We finally got into Merida and looked around for shopping. Not much really. The only thing that was worth looking at was the amazing Cathedral in the main Plaza. So we took the bus back to Progresso, ate at a little restaurant, grabbed some beers and walked down to the beach. The water there was brown and silty and the beach had lots of broken sea shells mixed in the sand that made walking barefoot unpleasent.

 

Looking back, I really wished we had taken the excursion to Chichen Itza. I've heard many great things about how interesting it is. I like historical places like that anyway.

 

Whatever you do, I highly suggest you have a plan. Don't just wing it in this port. Good luck and have fun!

I had the opposite experience in Progreso - LOVED IT!

 

... But the advice about not winging it is helpful, especially considering we are newbies at this... .

 

I disagree with not winging it, depending on what you like to do. After a short tour of the town on a double-decker bus, we headed to the beach and spent one of the most relaxing beach days ever. If this sounds like something you would like to do, consider it as an option.

 

While the water was not typical caribbean blue, it was not brown either (the day I was there). The beaches had fine white sand, and the service from the waiters was awesome. Got to El Viejo Y El Mar and head straight out to one of the palapas. They will take good care of you.

[BeachBrittani]

We were not sure what to do when we got off the ship in Progreso. You take a bus when you get off the ship because the pier is so long. They then will drop you off and there is this little shopping area. We saw this man holding a sign for an all inclusive resort trip. It cost about $30 p/p and they took us by bus for about 20 minutes to this nice resort on the beach. All drinks (including alcohol), and food were included. The beach was beautiful and not too crowded. You could also use their facilities. One neat thing was on the way to the resort we passed Michael Jackson and some other famous people's vacation homes. On the way back they let us stop and take pictures. Sorry I can't remember the resort or tour company's name. I'm sure you will see them when you get off the ship. Have fun!

[BeachBrittani]

BTW I believe this is the same excursion Carnival offers called the "Progreso Resort Beach Break" it's much cheaper to book it when you get off the ship. We were with the other people that booked with Carnival. I believe Carnival charges $75 p/p; we paid $30 p/p. Keep in mind this was 1 1/2 years ago though.

[msubobcats]

I've tried to look this up and have seen a couple people who have had this same problem in the past but no real answer on what happens now. Has anyone ever gotten a definitive answer as to why there are only a couple of the Progresso excursions available for booking? Its not a huge deal right now, we're still exploring our options (first cruise, ever so slightly overwhelmed) but of all the ones they list on the website, only Chichen Itza and the golf one are up for pre-booking.

 

Sorry if I did miss a post with the answer in it.

 

Awhile back Carnival changed their website. Prior to the change, I remember seeing excursions for Progresso and other ports and when you clicked to reserve it, they were labeled as "Book OnBoard Only", as in go to the desk once you board and set it up.

Now, I cannot find that area of the Carnival's website and no reference to 'Book OnBoard Only' anywhere. My guess it that the excursions are listed (i.e. dune buggy), but not in the dropdown box/reservable due to the OnBoard thing.

 

Or, maybe, just maybe, I have no idea what I'm talking about...

 

Go Cats

[VegasVicO]

I had the opposite experience in Progreso - LOVED IT!

 

 

 

I disagree with not winging it, depending on what you like to do. After a short tour of the town on a double-decker bus, we headed to the beach and spent one of the most relaxing beach days ever. If this sounds like something you would like to do, consider it as an option.

 

While the water was not typical caribbean blue, it was not brown either (the day I was there). The beaches had fine white sand, and the service from the waiters was awesome. Got to El Viejo Y El Mar and head straight out to one of the palapas. They will take good care of you.

 

Wow, wished we found the beaches in that condition.:cool:

We did go in 2004 when the port was fairly new so I suppose they upgraded that port. Oh yeah, I forgot about how long that pier was....

Either way, do as we did and not complain and make the best of it. I'll tell you what, even with our unpleasent experiance, Progresso still is much nicer that work!:D

[VegasVicO]

Here is a picture or the beach with the brown silty water and the long pier. Maybe it was just that day.

[tximprov]

Progresso's water is more in the Gulf, and the water in the Gulf is brown. Just like the water anywhere on the Texas coast line.

[ali_cat]

Thanks guys! I actually just checked Carnival out of morbid curiosity and there are more options up now than there were so they may still be adding and working things out. The price of these things is nuts though, but hey, it's a vacation so I'm just going to enjoy it.

 

The double decker bus is an option I think. Its going to depend on what everyone wants to do and all that but that is one idea outside of what Carnival offers.

 

BeachBrittani...is the company you used AutoProgresso? I've seen that name floating around and looked into it as well. The resort option is $45 now but that's still cheaper than Carnival.

 

Anyway, we're still figuring things out. It seems like so far away!

[Rowan555]

We've been to Progresso 4 or 5 times, and we always just walk up the beach and find a restaurant to spend the day at - they offer beach service, and we always have a great time. We now walk up to Los Archos, which is just a few buildings past Buddy's - look for the yellow wall - they have margaritas, daquiris, and pina coladas 2 for 4, free chips and salsa, and EXCEPTIONAL food at a great price. You can get a huge platter of ceviche, enough to feed 4 people, for $12 - and it was the best I've ever had. The guy who runs the place, Tristan, is a funny, friendly guy who will keep you laughing. Our kids always enjoy playing in the water, and it's a lot bluer and prettier than, for instance, Galveston beach. It's just not that turquoise water you find in places like Cozumel or Belize.

 

We were there last week - spent $40 including tip for tons of food, 8 margaritas, and cokes for the kids. Cheapest port day you can get, and we had a fabulous time!

[HuntingFool]

We enjoyed Progreso. We were there on the 1-24/1-29 cruise. We booked the Dzibilchaltun Ruins thru Autoprogreso prior to the trip and they were all ready to go for us when we got off the ship. They had the name of our group listed on a sign in the little shopping area. We paid there ($30 per person instead of the higher cost of booking on the ship. We then took the shuttle to the flea market area and then boarded the bus for the ride to the ruin. The ruin part was ok (not as big as the other ones but only took up 3 hrs of the day instead of the whole thing). We were able to swim in the cenote which was cool. Crystal clear water.

 

Take the $2 double decker bus tour. It's well worth it. Sit on the top level.

 

We found a little bar named Amigos (or something close to that) a few blocks down from the flea market. It is run by a Canadian couple and they are very nice. Good advice from them..........If you are being charged more than $2 or so for beer you are being overcharged. Also pay as you go for food/drinks at the beach. If you run a tab some of the waiters are charging more drinks than you actually get. We didn't spend a lot of time on the beach but I don't have any reason to doubt him........They were nice folks.

 

Hope this helps.

[BeachBrittani]

Thanks guys! I actually just checked Carnival out of morbid curiosity and there are more options up now than there were so they may still be adding and working things out. The price of these things is nuts though, but hey, it's a vacation so I'm just going to enjoy it.

 

The double decker bus is an option I think. Its going to depend on what everyone wants to do and all that but that is one idea outside of what Carnival offers.

 

BeachBrittani...is the company you used AutoProgresso? I've seen that name floating around and looked into it as well. The resort option is $45 now but that's still cheaper than Carnival.

 

Anyway, we're still figuring things out. It seems like so far away!

 

I believe so, but I cannot remember. It was totally worth it. It was a GREAT beach day and the food and drinks were pretty good. Have fun!