Progreso review...

[gotigers01]

Just returned from the Carnival Fantasy 10/1 sailing. Thought I would give our experience in Progreso since it is relatively new to everyone. I had checked the boards before our trip and was pretty sure I would use an independent tour company, Autoprogreso (.com), instead of booking with the ship and that is indeed what we ended up doing. We got off the boat around 8:00 and walked through the shops right at the port. AutoProgreso had an office there, and there were people trying to sign up everyone for tours. I knew I wanted to see the city of Merida as well as some Mayan ruins, so we signed up for the combo tour at $40/pp. We received a wrist band and hopped on the shuttle to the end of the long pier.

 

The shuttle lets off right at the flea market in Progreso. There was some live music and plenty of vendors selling their wares. I bought a couple embroidered dresses for some friend's babies. Prices were negotiable. We then took the $2 double-decker bus tour of Progreso, which took about 20 minutes. The town of Progreso seemed kind of bleak and run down. There were some beautiful houses along the ocean, many for sale or rent. After the bus tour, we walked back down to the beach, which wasn't very impressive either. We were constantly accosted by vendors selling hammocks, hats, massages, etc., but just brushed them off with a polite "no thanks."

 

Our tour was supposed to leave at 10:00 but was about 15 minutes late leaving since we were waiting on some folks who had lost a bag with their passport! We left, drove around the block, picked up our guide & waited some more for these people. When we were finally on our way, it was a quick 20 or 30 minute ride to the Dzibilchaltun Ruins on a comfortable air conditioned bus. Our guide was Iban (Ivan), he was very informative and animated. Once at the ruins, he divided our group and sent about half with another guide from the ruins (they were the ones we had been waiting on) and the rest of us stuck with him. We had about 10 minutes to use the restroom, visit the snack bar (selling large bottled water, candy & snacks) then toured the air conditioned museum. The museum was modern and interesting, it had lots of artifacts and Iban gave us lots of historical info about the Mayans. From there it was onto the ruins, stopping at some Mayan huts along the way. We did not have time to walk the long path to the Temple of the Seven Dolls, but were able to take pictures. We toured some of the ruins and were able to climb and take wonderful pictures, all the while Iban was telling lots of stories. Also saw the cenote (freshwater well/pool) but had no time for swimming.

 

Back on the bus to Merida, the capital of the Yucatan. Along the way, we saw plenty of stores we've got here in America: Office Depot, Costco, car dealerships, even Sears and TGIFridays! We arrived at downtown, and before we got off the bus in the town square, Iban took lunch orders for anyone who wanted a taste of some authentic Yucatan cuisine. This part of the tour felt a little rushed as we were trying to hurry & get back in time for the folks on the Ectasy who had to be back by 2:30. We toured the Governor's Palace and City Hall, both of which had impressive artwork, architecture and history. Also saw the oldest church in the Americas, made from limestone from Mayan temples, but did not tour it.

 

Back on the bus, Iban passed out our lunches, corn tortillas with chicken, beef or pork filling and yummy salsas and chips. It was good but a little difficult to eat on the bus. Guess we should have waited! About 40 minutes later we were back at port and had more time to wander through the shops there and stop a the bar for a drink.

 

Gosh, I guess this got a little long! All in all, I enjoyed the Mayan ruins the most, and would have been disappointed if I had just planned a "beach break" at Progreso. It was very hot and there was a lot of walking, so I don't think this would be an ideal excursion for children, although there were some on our tour. I don't think I've left anything out, but I'll be happy to answer any questions!

[Paula_MacFan]

Thank you for posting a review! How long after you docked did you have to sign up for the excursion? We arrive at 8am, and am wondering if we need to get right off and go to the excursion desk to book a tour that will leave later in the day?

[gotigers01]

Thank you for posting a review! How long after you docked did you have to sign up for the excursion? We arrive at 8am, and am wondering if we need to get right off and go to the excursion desk to book a tour that will leave later in the day?

 

Hmmmm.....I'm trying to remember. I think we got off the ship around 8:00 (we docked around 7:00 or before), so we must have signed up for the tour around 8:15-8:30 at one of the shops in the terminal. Then we took the free shuttle across the pier to the flea market. The tour left at 10:00, so we had plenty of time to shop in the flea market and tour Progreso beforehand. Oh, and I didn't book this tour with the ship's excursion desk, it was through an independent tour company in the port.

[csf97]

Thanks for the review. We leave Saturday on the Holiday and head for Progreso, so I'm grateful that you posted this information!

 

Was the shuttle on the pier provided by Carnival or was it part of the deal from AutoProgreso?

 

How much time did you have in Merida once you got there?

 

When you got back to the port, would you have had time to get a massage on the beach before having to get back on the ship?

 

We're hoping to do a quick ruins tour, a Merida tour, and then get a massage on the beach before getting on the ship. Sounds like what you did might work for us!

[Paula_MacFan]

Hmmmm.....I'm trying to remember. I think we got off the ship around 8:00 (we docked around 7:00 or before), so we must have signed up for the tour around 8:15-8:30 at one of the shops in the terminal. Then we took the free shuttle across the pier to the flea market. The tour left at 10:00, so we had plenty of time to shop in the flea market and tour Progreso beforehand. Oh, and I didn't book this tour with the ship's excursion desk, it was through an independent tour company in the port.

 

Yes, I realize you didn't book it through the ship's excursion desk. I should have worded my questions differently...I meant the area at the port where you sign up for the excursion. Thanks for your reply to my question!

[ivrn]

How Long Were You On The Tour All Total

[mountaingurl]

We had 2 11 year olds and a 5 year old on this tour. It was very hot and we climbed everything, but it kept them so busy they did not complain one single time. I wore their butts out, and it was great. Glad yo had a good time on your tour. We liked ours a lot too!

[gotigers01]

Thanks for the review. We leave Saturday on the Holiday and head for Progreso, so I'm grateful that you posted this information!

 

Was the shuttle on the pier provided by Carnival or was it part of the deal from AutoProgreso? I think it was provided by the port

 

How much time did you have in Merida once you got there? Not much, probably about an hour. But if we had been on time leaving we would have had more.

 

When you got back to the port, would you have had time to get a massage on the beach before having to get back on the ship? The tour bus took us over the pier straight back to the terminal/port area because some people on our tour were on the Ecstasy and had to be back an hour before we did. They did offer to drop anyone who wanted to back at the flea market. You would probably have more time for a massage before you leave on the tour, but you could maybe squeeze on in afterwards.

 

We're hoping to do a quick ruins tour, a Merida tour, and then get a massage on the beach before getting on the ship. Sounds like what you did might work for us!

 

How Long Were You On The Tour All Total

The tour left the flea market area of Progreso at about 10:20 (was supposed to leave at 10:00) and we were back at the ship at about 2:45 (the Ecstasy people were suppposed to be back by 2:30). The tour was advertised at 4 hours.

[csf97]

Thanks GoTigers! I appreciate the info and think this will definitely work for us.

[Carolinamamasita]

thanks for the review ...it was very helpful...:)

[WellDeserved]

You will not have a problem finding transportation to Merida. There are several companies offering transportation/tours at the market at the end of the pier. We were also on the Oct 1 cruise and arranged for a tour at the market. We left at about 8:30 and got back around 2pm. For more info see my post here.

[csf97]

We got back Thursday from the Holiday.

 

We left the ship about 8:30 and met up with Ivan from AutoProgreso on the pier. We felt at ease with him from the beginning, because he told us that AutoProgreso was the "official shuttle" for the pier -- and he assured us he would make sure we would be back to the ship on time! He even rode with us on the free shuttle into Progreso, and walked us to the beach. At the beach, DH and I had great 30-minute massages. We then took the short walk back from the beach to the AutoProgreso office, and waited there for the "Combo Tour" of Dzibilchaltun and Merida to begin at 10:00.

 

The bus for the Combo Tour filled up quickly, and we headed off for the ruins. Ivan and his assistant Paulito were great tour guides. Ivan is definitely knowledgeable and passionate about his homeland, and is an interesting and personable tour guide!

 

We spent a lot of time at the ruins, partly because Ivan talked alot about the Mayan culture and history, and partly because we spent a lot of time at each different stop along the tour waiting for some of the slower-walking members of the group to catch up. As a result, we only had about 30 minutes once we got to Merida, but Ivan did his best to make sure we saw as much as we could in that short amount of time.

 

The bus was air conditioned and comfortable, and the driver did a great job of getting us to and from the ruins to Merida and back to the ship. I know after watching the traffic and realizing that all the traffic signs, signals, etc. in Mexico are apparently just suggestions instead of laws that I would not want to drive there!

 

Anyway, thanks again for your post. Until I read it, I really had no idea what we would do in Progreso - and because of your review and recommendation of Ivan and AutoProgreso, we ended up having an almost perfect day in Progreso/Merida!

[Echo Queen]

Thanks for posting, lovin the info.