Progress on our own, a review with lots of pics!

[cyrus360]

You can check out my full cruise review here

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=94707

 

Progresso, Mexico:

 

 

Since we had such short notice through Carnival about the itinerary change we didn’t book any 3rd party excursions at this port. We decided to just do our own thing and make a day of it.

 

We arrived pretty early in the morning. There was no tender required for this port.

 

The pier there is impressive and supposedly one of the longest in the world at 6 miles in length or so. I would believe it too.

 

 

 

 

 

Once off the ship you make your way down and you come to a mini-mall with shops and a open air bar. Most everything but the bar was closed since we got in at 7:30am or so and they were an hour behind us.

 

We waited for the shuttle to the main part of town. It was a long wait. Apparently Carnival had the Elation set to visit the port as well but the tours were only set up for one ship at a time or something so they were scrambling and the tours were all overpacked it seemed. Of course, those who booked tours with Carnival got to get on their tour busses after a short wait but the damn shuttles for the non-tour folk were taking forever. Once they did arrive we had to wait for them to fill up. They refused to leave if there were any seats and since most folks were so impatient they started jumping out to get single cabs to town. Which meant more empty seats and more waiting. Finally everyone got pissed off and started yelling at the driver and he decided to start heading to town. Mind you it’s well over an hour that we’ve been off the ship and waiting. Of course, we had to wait some more because someone refused to use the bathroom on the bus and had to run out to the mall area for a good 15 more minutes.

 

Once we arrive it town, the shuttle operator gave a brief talk of the tours he offered, which were the same ones Carnival booked through, but at a 3rd of the price when getting them direct. They had ruins tours, tours to Merida the main city, and some snorkeling tours too I believe.

 

We stepped off the bus into a flea market and decided to browse a bit to see if anything caught our eyes. Most of the merchants were pretty pushy of course and everything was “almost free”. We didn’t buy anything since it was still early and figured the best bargaining was done before everyone was about to leave.

 

 

 

 

So we walked to the beach about 3 blocks away. All the beachfront stores were closed still so we walked quite a ways up along the beach. It was pretty clean and the water was pleasant. It was an odd green color and not that tropical blue or green you see in photos. The water wasn’t dirty but had a bit of a current so it was cloudy and gave the appearance of being dirty.

 

We made our way back down checking out the stores this time, searching for someplace with a bathroom to be open and get a drink. We found one after about 20 mins. We used the facilities which were odd because I’ve never flushed a urinal with a foot pedal on the floor before.  We sat down for some cokes and chips with salsa. After a bit more and more people were showing up on shore and staking a claim to the many beach chairs provided by all the various establishments. We decided to do the same.

 

We found a spot near where we had planned to eat lunch at La Saint Bonne I believe it was called. The weather was clear, hot and very, very humid so trips to the sea to cool off were necessary. We ordered up a couple of tart and tasty banana daiquiris and lounged. The constant barrage of vendors hawking their wares was slightly obtrusive but I just sat there laying back, eyes closed ignoring their offers of hair braiding, “Cuban” cigars, bird whistles and various coral accessories.

 

They had some jet skis for rental right near us so we headed over there since I was itching to try it out. They wanted $35 for a half hour and $70 for an hour. You could however bargain with them and get a lower price for the same time or a longer time for the same price. I got him to $30 for ½ hour. However, they ran into repair issues and the ones that were in working order were going to be being used for another 45 minutes, so we advised the man we couldn’t wait and it was off to lunch we went.

[cyrus360]

We ate at Le Sainte Bonne. They had a live 2 man band playing some nice Latin music. We decided to be brave and ordered some ceviche. It’s a salsa of sorts with fresh seafood. We got the super mix which had conch, octopus, shrimp and something else I believe. It was actually really good.

 

 

 

We also tried the lime soup and it was quite tasty as well. We enjoyed the food, music and the cool breeze flowing through the open air establishment.

 

 

 

 

For our entrees she had some weird seafood cheesy dish. It was pretty nasty. Not poorly cooked or anything, more like it’s probably an acquired taste. It was like the wine tinged cheese they use in fondue, only cooled into a solid pancake of cheese over an odd tasting tomato-like seafood stew underneath.

 

 

She picked out some seafood but shared some of my vittles. I ordered the shrimp and lobster shish kabob which came with fries and some fried plantains which were excellent.

[cyrus360]

The thing that cracked me up was the bill. $400!!! I couldn’t get used to the prices being in pesos. Toast and juice on the menu for $26 was a fun wake up call. So for $40 it was a great meal. It took a while since everything is made to order which is always good in my book.

 

 

 

 

After lunch we made our way back to the flea market to browse the baubles. All of the merchants were eager to bargain, some more so than others. If you see something you like, don’t get it at the first booth, shop around. Many merchants had identical items and some were willing to go lower than others. We picked up some jewelry for her and a necklace for our 9yo daughter. It had jade, black coral and sharks teeth. She loves it and wore it to school to show it off today.

 

We hopped on the free shuttle back to the ship. We arrived back to the mini mall and picked up some more trinkets, a paper mache figure for $4 some vanilla for $6. I really liked some of the chess sets but I didn’t feel like carrying one of those badboys back home. One thing about Progresso, they seemed to have the cheapest prices on item out of all the ports we visited.

 

This was a fun port and definitely worth getting off the boat for IMO. Next time I might book a snorkel tour, but if not, I am definitely gonna rip up the waves on a jetski and score another lunch at Le Sainte Bonne.

[Bzygirl66]

Thank you so much for the information and wonderful photographs. I check this board every day for information on Progresso and to see photographs was treat. We will be there Nov 9 and have the same plan as you did.

 

Again, thank you I'm now looking very forward to visiting Progresso.

[AshleyJones1978]

Can you use cash at Le Sainte Bonne, or do you have to pay in pesos?!? I've heard such wonderful things about the food.. we have to try it. Is it walking distance from the pier, and is there a swimming area nearby?

[hdawson]

Ashley. Try the whole deep fried fish. It's great even for those that don't normally eat fish.

[AshleyJones1978]

Hdawson, thanks for the advice! We are planning to go there, but we also really want to swim & hang out on the beach. Is it close by? (walking distance from the port?) Also, do you have to pay in pesos?

[hdawson]

The beach is only about 3 blocks from the plaza which the courtesy bus drops you. Le Saint Bonnet restaurant is right accross the street from the beach. The accept US dollars or pesos. I don't think they accept credit cards.

[AshleyJones1978]

Thanks! We'll make sure to bring some cash.

[mnsawyer]

Not sure what we are going to do in Progresso - are these photos of the beach area right in town? 3 blocks from where the shuttle bus drops you off? Are you constantly being bothered by vendors? Is this a pretty good spot to stay for a couple of hours? I love the tiki huts! Are there places to get snacks, drinks, etc. close by? Also, how far can you walk along the beach? What about our things? Certainly, we wouldn't leave valuables unattended but what about beach bag, towels, suntan lotion, etc.?

[mnsawyer]

Forgot one more thing...are there lounge chairs under the tiki huts? Looks like from the phots there are only tables and chairs? Does it cost to rent chairs, etc.?