Progreso- taking the bus to Merida

[Vibe]

I will be on the Glory and stopping at Progreso. I would like to visit Merida by taking the city bus. Has anyone taken the city bus to Merida ? If so , how often does it stop in Progreso and Merida ? Is there enough time to take that trip and return to the ship before 3 pm ?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Vibe]

Any recent visitors to Progreso ? Please advise

[mikvie]

The bus runs about every 1/2 hour. It is about 30 min. ride. Leave early and you won't have a problem. Bus stop is about two blocke from end of pier. You have to take a buss from the boat to the end of the pier as the pier is a couple of miles long.

[glrounds]

The bus from the ship along the pier (5 or 6 miles) is provided by Carnival, however. Just seemed like the lines waiting to board these buses were rather long. Great little open bar by the gate to have a cool one and let the lines subside. A fellow tablemate and I ended up sitting here so long waiting for the lines, eating quesadillas, and drinking Coronas, that the owner of the little cabana bar had his son drive us up the pier to town after a couple of hours. What a great host ! ! :D

 

Incidentally, this is so typical of the average Mexican citizen. He was so anxious to please, have us enjoy our stay, and, I'm sure, report back about this relatively new stop of the Carnival itineraries. He gave us a snapshot of Progreso culture, explained the length of the pier (necessary in order to get to deep enough water for cruise ships), and told us how to come back for a longer visit if we wished. Fantastico ! ! :)

 

Sorry we never made it to Merida. We were celebrating our birthdays (fall on the same day), although mine actually occured 35 years before hers ! We ended up walking through town, dining later at the Sol y Mar and struggling back to the ship along with a stop at that great little cabana bar on the pier as we went by. :D

 

I'm saddened when I hear others think so little of this port stop that they choose to stay on the ship. They miss a great opportunity to see a tiny Mexican fishing "village" before it becomes an Americanized Cozumel. :(

[WellesleyIslander]

Thanks for the update on Progresso-I'll be there in a few weeks and will definitely give the town a chance!

[OCruisers]

glrounds....Really appreciated that "helpful hint" on the little bar while waiting for the bus. :D

 

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[Valentinecruiser]

I will be on the Glory and stopping at Progreso. I would like to visit Merida by taking the city bus. Has anyone taken the city bus to Merida ? If so , how often does it stop in Progreso and Merida ? Is there enough time to take that trip and return to the ship before 3 pm ?

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Hi! We were on the Elation and in Progresso/Merida in January. We walked quite a ways off the ship to the parking lot area where we boarded a CARNIVAL bus tour. I didn't see any other type bus......only reservation, tourist type buses that you had to have purchased a ticket for from the shore tour desk.

I think there were regular taxis available at the parking lot though......maybe you could take a taxi into the town, and then pick up a bus. ????? Good Luck & Have Fun! :) Val

[mikvie]

There is a public bus stop by the main square. Just ask. It is not a long walk at all. I'm sure the public buss is a fraction of Carnival price.

[tarps14]

Also consider a rental car. They rent right off the pier (or did two years ago). This way you can see anything and everything in Merida. The buses only take you to the center of town, which does have a nice outdoor shopping plaza and alot of quaint stores within walking distance. You can then take other buses to outlying parts of town. Merida ended up being MUCH bigger than we had anticipated, quite the metropolis. We were just able to pace ourselves and see whatever we wanted to with the rental. The downtown area is very congested and the sidewalks tend to be narrow with traffic whizzing (and I do mean whizzing) very close to the edge.

[revans35173]

We were there two years ago and rented a taxi into Merida for $40. We split it with another couple so it was only $20 each. He took us to the middle of town and showed us around (took us into city hall I think and a old chuch that all the tours go to) then we had a couple of hours to walk around town on our own while he waited for us. Then on the way back he showed us a few different planned communities. I don't know what the bus cost but for $10 per person I'd take the taxi.

[travel girl23]

We took the Merida Shopping and Sightseeing Excursion offered by Carnival. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip. We boarded a bus at the cruise terminal in Progreso and drove through Progreso to Merida. It is about a 30 minute drive. In Merida, we stopped several times to sightsee. We saw the oldest cathedral on the North American continent and one that truly rivals the cathedrals in Europe. We also saw the Palacio Municipal which is quite beautiful inside plus we had plenty of time to shop. We got back to the ship about 2:30 p.m. with enough time to run up on the Lido Deck for a piece of pizza. We enjoyed the tour and would highly recommend it.