Progreso Trip Report

[Cruise, J.D.]

We went to Progreso on our recent Holiday cruise. Our plan for Progreso was to take the free shuttle to town and then walk to the beach. After going through the initial terminal on the pier, the free shuttle buses were on the left. We loaded up and the bus took us to Progreso. The ride was uneventful. You can see the beach on the left as you ride down the pier.

When we arrived in Progreso, we immediately made our way to the beach. We entered the beach near a statue and went to one of the free palapa huts with a table and chairs. There is no charge for using these, but it is a nice gesture to order drinks, food, or both from the waiters who will come around. The restaurants across the street put out the chairs and palapas. The first spot we were at had beer for $2. The waiter had a Del Sol shirt on.

We were constantly bombarded with pleas to buy trinkets and get massages while on the beach. One time a guitar player played a song for us without our asking and then asked for a tip. We were constantly saying "no thank you". That was usually enough.

Our son loved the beach and the ocean. He would try to wriggle his way free when we took him into the water! He also loved playing in the sand and the seashells. The water was a little murky here, but it was still the ocean and the water was swimmable. The beach is fairly wide and the sand is not bad. Eventually, we saw my father-in-law, and we moved down the beach to meet up with the rest of our group. At the new spot, Corona's were two for $3 and the proprietor was giving us free food and shots of tequila.

After our son fell asleep, we made our way back to the bus drop off and caught the free bus back to the ship.

[kayweathers]

Thanks for the progresso review. We will be on the holiday sat. June 21 and we are very excited!! We are planning on doing a beach day and was thinking of going to reef yucatan but your review of the beach sounds pretty good!! Do you remember how much the massages were? Is the beach very crowded? Is there parasailing or any water sports at this beach?

[Cruise, J.D.]

Thanks for the progresso review. We will be on the holiday sat. June 21 and we are very excited!! We are planning on doing a beach day and was thinking of going to reef yucatan but your review of the beach sounds pretty good!! Do you remember how much the massages were? Is the beach very crowded? Is there parasailing or any water sports at this beach?

 

Yeah, it would be hard for me to justify paying a lot for a beach excursion when there is a free one right at the end of the pier. You also don't have to waste time traveling.

 

Sorry, I don't remember how much massages were, but I'm sure they are pretty cheap.

 

The beach was not crowded at all - and we were at the main entrance! However, I suggest you walk down the beach for awhile before setting up. That might help in avoiding the trinket vendors. There will be multiple spots available for you to decide where you want to hang out.

 

Yes, there were water sports. Some people near us went on a banana boat ride. I didn't see any parasailing though.

[carly chloe]

How much is parasailing? And is the water any bluer the farther you go out or is it better to do at Coz? Is it hard to stay on the free beach for that many hours?(without getting bored). We have 2 teenagers and we're not big drinkers. Thanks.

[jamers22]

Thanks for the review! We will be on the Holiday leaving June 21st also Kayweathers. J.D., do you remember the name of the 2nd place you went to? We're snorkeling in Cozumel so we planned on making this our day to just hang out by the beach.

[Cruise, J.D.]

How much is parasailing? And is the water any bluer the farther you go out or is it better to do at Coz? Is it hard to stay on the free beach for that many hours?(without getting bored). We have 2 teenagers and we're not big drinkers. Thanks.

 

Sorry, I didn't see any parasailing. I don't know how much the banana boat rides were.

 

The water is much prettier at Coz. However, the beach is fairly wide and the sand is nice at Progreso. The water is more of a darker green color than the beautiful clear blue water of Coz. The beach was great to me for a place you can walk to right off the shuttle bus. The nice beaches at Coz require a taxi ride.

 

As far as staying at the free beach for a long time, that really depends on you. I could stay at the beach all day, drinks or no drinks. There are other things to do nearby - shopping, restaurants, city tour, sightseeing, etc., if you get bored.

[Cruise, J.D.]

Thanks for the review! We will be on the Holiday leaving June 21st also Kayweathers. J.D., do you remember the name of the 2nd place you went to? We're snorkeling in Cozumel so we planned on making this our day to just hang out by the beach.

 

Dang - I wish I did. It was a ways down from where you enter the beach by the statue. Maybe about 200 yards?

 

I believe it had yellow "Corona" canopy tents set up with chairs underneath. It seems like the restaurant across the street had some kind of yellow sign on the outside too. I'll try to see if my FIL has a pic of where we were at.

 

Ya'll have the same idea we did and it worked out great. Beach it at Progreso and snorkel at Coz!

[jamers22]

I've read some about Cornoa beach, so maybe that's where you ended up at. We'll just look for yellow. I can't imagine we could go wrong wherever we ended up. If your on the beach, it's all good! Thanks again for your info. I'm glad to read a good beach review on this port. It really seems like it would be a neat authentic type mexican stop.

[Cruise, J.D.]

Ok, jamers, scratch what I said about the second place LOL. Too much tequila and beer that day I guess. :D Here is a pic from the second place we hung out. Thatch palapa huts and yellow chairs. Not the best pic of me and my son, but it should be enough to give you a good idea of where we were at.

 

[carly chloe]

What is the Corona Beach like? I have 2 teenage daughters- is it o.k. for them?

[Cruise, J.D.]

What is the Corona Beach like? I have 2 teenage daughters- is it o.k. for them?

 

Yes. It is fine. We had 5 teenage girls in our group. It is not a "wild" beach - you will see people enjoying a beer or a drink, but nothing beyond that. There were lots of families and young children having a great time.

 

I will warn you that our teenagers were offered beer and shots of tequila at the shops in town. Just keep a close eye on them.

[carly chloe]

Does anyone know where Buddy's is from the pier? Do they have good food?

[clackey]

Does anyone know where Buddy's is from the pier? Do they have good food?

Buddies is a little ways down the beach from the pier, but an easy walk. I don't know how their food is, but some of the best seafood was at La Saint Bennoit. (Did I spell that right, "H"?)

[hdawson]

C. Close. Le Saint Bonnet. Hope all is well with you and your's.

And you give good advice. That whole deep fried fish is great.

[hawgtuf]

We will be in progresso 2 weeks from today! woohoo

 

I was wondering what kind of stuff they sell there? Vanilla? Pottery?

 

Any info would be much appreciated.

[kayweathers]

Thanks for the review! We will be on the Holiday leaving June 21st also Kayweathers. J.D., do you remember the name of the 2nd place you went to? We're snorkeling in Cozumel so we planned on making this our day to just hang out by the beach.

 

This is our first cruise and we are super excited!!! Just dreading the 8 hr drive from Arkansas. We are planning on doing the same-beach progresso, snorkel in cozumel. Only 4 days left!!!

[hdawson]

For those that haven't, you might want to checkout http://www.yucatantoday.com

There are many options for your stop at Progreso. I've posted a large group of pics of the area on a thread titled "hi guys" by host mach. The thread is on page two or three of this board and my post is number twelve. After two port calls to Progreso on Celebrity, I've now been back for three two week land vacations exploring the Yucatan State. And there will be more.

[clackey]

This is our first cruise and we are super excited!!! Just dreading the 8 hr drive from Arkansas. We are planning on doing the same-beach progresso, snorkel in cozumel. Only 4 days left!!!

Hola kayweathers,

 

You must be around Little Rock. It takes us 11 hours from Mtn. Home.

I hope that you enjoy cruiseing as much as Miss Ginger and I.

 

Hey H,

 

I was seeing if your spelling checker was working.:D

[ballprkmom]

Buddies is a little ways down the beach from the pier, but an easy walk. I don't know how their food is, but some of the best seafood was at La Saint Bennoit. (Did I spell that right, "H"?)

 

Just wondering, is seafood all le Saint Bonnet serves? I thought I had read on another thread that they have the BEST Mexican food. Either way it doesn't matter, I love both!!!

[Cruise, J.D.]

Just wondering, is seafood all le Saint Bonnet serves? I thought I had read on another thread that they have the BEST Mexican food. Either way it doesn't matter, I love both!!!

 

I don't think Mexican food and seafood are mutually exclusive, especially on the Mexican coast. Hopefully they offer seafood prepared in a local style so you can enjoy both!

[kingfish78734]

Le Saint Bonnet serves lots of different things including seafood. www.lesaintbonnet.com Their menu is in Spanish but pretty easy to understand. The food is fantastic btw!

 

And don't forget to print the coupon for the free margarita :)

[hawgtuf]

Ok, jamers, scratch what I said about the second place LOL. Too much tequila and beer that day I guess. :D Here is a pic from the second place we hung out. Thatch palapa huts and yellow chairs. Not the best pic of me and my son, but it should be enough to give you a good idea of where we were at.

 

 

 

Love the review! We are headed in 8 days and can't wait. I have a question about the beach. Was there anywhere to rent skim boards? My 3 DSs are trying to decide if they should take their own or if they would be able to rent some.

 

Thanks!

[Cruise, J.D.]

Love the review! We are headed in 8 days and can't wait. I have a question about the beach. Was there anywhere to rent skim boards? My 3 DSs are trying to decide if they should take their own or if they would be able to rent some.

 

Thanks!

 

I really wish I could help you out, but I didn't see anything like that being used or offered. You might try starting a new topic in this forum and hopefully someone can give you an answer. I'm not sure it would be worth the trouble to take those on a cruise, but to each his own!

[kingfish78734]

Does anyone know where Buddy's is from the pier? Do they have good food?

 

Try this: http://www.yucatantoday.com/culture/eng-rotm-04-08.htm

[utahcousin]

Does anyone know where Buddy's is from the pier? Do they have good food?

Buddy's is in the second block from the pier. It is 2 buildings from the OxOX store (kinda a 7-11) Food is great and the atmosphere can't be beat. If you want to have a fun time while in Progreso, go to Buddy's.