PacificMountain2012

When you disembark the ship at Progreso you will walk through a small shopping area then you will board a bus that will take you to the Town of Progreso. The pier at Progreso is 4 miles long. As you get closer to shore you will see a long beach stretching to your left. The beach is free. once you get off the bus you will need to walk back down to the beach, not far. As far as the beach goes, it is going to be more similar to the beach at Galveston then to the beaches on Cozumel. Tip, the farther up the beach you go, away from the pier, the fewer vendors there will be selling their wares.

Yes they will have everything you need. If you only need the fins, no problem. We used them in October and only needed fins.

Hampton Inn in Texas City, clean and well organized, typical Hampton property, got a great rate. Park n Cruise for parking, the walks not bad. Used them both in October.

Half hour drive or so, can depend on traffic. Cab fare is negotiable, there are plenty of discussions here about it, but will probably be $20-30 for the day. in October the entrance fee was $30, don't know the add-on charges. Honestly you are better off booking with a freestyle or design your own tour with Rony or Bodden's Tours.

2nd Uxmal. One the great sites in Mexico.

BBQ - The best in the area are Andy's Hawg Wild BBQ in Pasadena and Dickenson BBQ in Dickenson. Both are highly recommended. Andy's best for lunch time.

Sailed on the 12th- 19th when they started. They held camp in the conference rooms, it was a little inconvenient but nothing too difficult. Most of the activities were uninterrupted. They were still working on the new rooms when we got off.

How do they make changes while sailing. Do they close it down and block it off? How can we find out what changes will be done to her.

Last week they had Camp Carnival closed all week. Before we boarded they loaded all the supplies they needed to start changing it over to Camp Ocean. Camp Carnival was held in the conference rooms. If you walked by the old location during the day you could hear the work being done.

We got TV news the entire time. In fact my husband thought he heard something on cnn early Thursday before the captain announced the situation. We were informed first the captain would talk then the cruise director on deck you could hear a pon drop as we strained to hear what they were saying. We also received letters in our cabins. Internet was up and only slow after the coast guard helicopter. I got on only to quickly post to my family and friends back home. The fact is we missed one port. No one I talked to on board was scared. We had an awesome time and carnival went above and beyond. We got wine one night champagne another night kids got soda and of course the well known 200 off per person and 50 percent off a future cruise. The reporters waiting for us in Galveston were searching for upset passengers. I don't think they found many.

Exactly our experience as well.

Island Marketing uses, Ecological Tours & Services in Belize City. I just used Island Marketing last week for Goff's Caye. In our case there was no difference in price.

We were just on Goff's Caye, with Island Marketing this last week. I haven't downloaded photos yet but will shortly. Here is what I can tell you about it. There is no "real" beach there, but rather a long sandbar that run parallel with the dock. You can sit on the sand bar or in the water, which is shallow for a very long way out. I entertained out 5 year old there while DW, DD, and DS all took the snorkeling tour which they raved about. Snorkeling equipment is included with Island Marketing, but you need to get it before they take everyone out to the reef. You can snorkel in the shallow water, we saw fish, starfish, conch shells etc... there. This is a little caye, I could throw a rock across it. The facilities there are limited. There is a small changing room and next to it is a men's bathroom and women's. They are not outhouses, at least the one we went in, but have a toilet. There is food to purchase there. They have a barbeque going on. We had chicken, rice, and beans. Other choices included lobster. I recommend you buy your food early. If you have any questions, let me know. I'll post pictures shortly.

We were on the cruise. Wrote my sister late Thursday night, while we were still floating off Belize and again sent her pictures Friday morning, while waiting to find out if we could go to Cozumel....No blackout of internet or the news channels.

Just off the Magic this morning. The ship docked around 4:30 this morning and the two that had been quarantined left the ship at around 5:30 am. The media was out in force when we disembarked; news crews and helicopters aplenty. The ship actually had two USCG boats patrolling the docked ship. We were disembarked by 8:30, all smooth no problems, received a letter from the CDC basically telling us "no worries". My wife enjoyed watching the news-crews run around trying hard to find an interview that was a story, while I go the car. All in all, great trip on the Magic. We did visit Belize, great day even with some rain!

The first bus basically leaves once it is filled up. We have used the transfers from Hobby-HOU and have left around 10 once and around 11 the other time. I would imagine the same holds true at Bush-IAH. If you are flying into Hobby there isn't much to do in the airport, except get some food. Bush is much bigger and there is more to see and do. Either way make sure you check in with Carnival first and let them know where you'll be; you don't want to miss that first bus! Have a great trip; we'll be right behind you, as we leave on the Magic Sunday

I'd look at Super Shuttle or Galveston Limo (its similar to Super Shuttle) to get you down to Galveston and your hotel. Use the hotel's transport to get to the ship, it will be easiest on a busy embarkation morning. I would just book Carnival's transfers to get back to the airport, for three people its a reasonable charge, and easy.

North of Merida, on the coast. Just do a google search for: Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico and click on the map that appears on the right.

Its 3 1/2 hours one-way if all goes right.

No problems, no worries. First book the Carnival transfers with Carnival. You'll catch a bus at Hobby on Monday morning. Its a bit confusing in that they are going to ask you for your flight information for Monday - you have none - we always just entered in an early arrival, 9:00 am flight. You have now taken care of your transport to and from the cruise. Next book an area hotel, there are plenty there; Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn, La Quinta, Spring Hill, etc... You now have a choice, you can rent a car for the day or you can use the hotel shuttle to get you to the hotel. You're going to hear that this isn't the best area in Houston, and that is correct, however most hotels in the area will allow you to use their shuttle to take you to dinner and pick you up, so no worries there. If you use the shuttle, you will also use it to go back to the airport in the morning and meet the Carnival representatives in the baggage claim area at the time you had indicated. If you decide to rent a car, there are a lot of things to do in the area, a quick trip to NASA in Clear Lake, the Kemah Boardwalk, or do the tour of the WWI and WW2 battleship USS Texas all come to mind. For dinner head over to Andy's Hog Wild BBQ in Pasadena or find another hole in the wall place. In the morning return the car at the airport and meet the Carnival reps in baggage claim....as I said no worries or problems! Have a great cruise, we have been on the Triumph twice and really like the ship!

We have done the ruins from Progreso, Uxmal is probably the best we have visited anywhere. We have also headed to Merida from Progreso and enjoyed a great day of shopping, sight seeing, lunch, and some of the best ice cream ever. You can get to Merida via Carnival, AutoProgreso, and taxi. You also might consider doing a day of swimming in cenotes. You'll have to arrange a private tour for this, but it is a once in a lifetime adventure.

Sail the Triumph to Progreso. Here you'll have the choice of three different Mayan trips: Dzibilchaltun, Uxmal, and Chichén Itzá. All three are trips offered by the ship and all three are trips offered by the independent excursion company Autoprogreso at a discount. Additionally, you can arrange taxi service to each and also tour service through a number of smaller outfits. Dzibichaltun is nearby, 20 minutes or so, and also offers swimming in a cenote. Uxmal is an hour or so away, and is, in my opinion, the place to visit. Chichén Itzá is an hour and half away and is famous for a reason. Hope this helps.

I would use Carnival's transfers. They may not quite be the lowest price, although for two it will be close, but they will certainly be competitive. They will be the easiest, as you don't have to worry about them showing up. Also, remember to book your flight out with plenty of time to get to the airport. We have never booked before 1:00, partially due to schedule but also due to making sure we are on the flight. Have a great cruise!

I have used them twice, once to Uxmal and once to Merida. I would not hesitate to use them again. They are a full blown bus company, operating bus service between Progreso and Merida. The buses and vans that I saw at their terminal all looked well maintained and in very good shape, for whatever that's worth. I asked and was told if anything happens to one of their vehicles on a tour that they have back-up contingency plans that include their vehicles as well as others.

The first bus will depart as soon as it is filled. We have used the service twice in Houston and had it depart at a little after 10:00 the first time and around 11:00 the second. I would suggest letting Carnival know you are arriving first thing in the morning, before 9:00, so that they know to have you on the first bus.

Try

2 oz OJ

1 oz pineapple juice

1 oz dry whiskey sour mix

1/2 oz grenadine

Great review and sounds like a lot of family fun. We will be on the Magic in October, first family cruise, and my DW has really enjoyed reading your review and picking up good information for the whole family. We can't wait to visit the Red Frog and watch the kids on the rope course! Thanks for taking the time to post.