Very nice day in Progeso....

[newbiewfromms]

This is taken from a very long and detailed review I am doing on the Fantasy cruise out of New Orleans on 11/24. I just had to let you know that Progeso is what you make of it and we had a blast in this port.

 

Day 3 -Progreso, Mexico

 

I had read mixed reviews about Progreso on these boards. I had really done research from all the helpful advice from the members of Cruise Critic and went to Progreso with an open mind. I am sure glad I did because I had read several posts that said they wished they had just stayed on the ship.

 

I loved loved loved Progeso. To me, it was an authentic little sleepy fishing village. Not the glitz and glamor of other Mexican ports but it has a real authentic charm to me. We got off the ship around 9 am. and walked to the first little area where they had a few bars around the pier selling coronas etc. They also had quite a few shops here with a variety of different things they were selling. You walk through these shops and wait for the free shuttle to take you off the pier. The pier itself is 5 miles long so you must use a shuttle to take you into the town of Progeso. They are big buses and most are not air conditioned. It is a short ride so I wouldnt worry about that too much. There was a military presence posted at several places along the pier which surprised me. There had been an alleged terrorist bombing which happened in India the day or night before which we heard about on the ship. I dont know if this is why they may have stepped up the guards or if it is normal for this port. It didn't bother me but I was a little surprised to see soldiers in full military gear carring weapons.

 

The shuttle let us off at a little market type place with a nice band playing and a little outdoor fleat market. My husband found his prized souvenier find of the trip in this little market. He loves old signs. Coke, beer, automobile related signs etc. He found an old metal sign that was turned around that a woman was using as a stand for magnets. On the other side it was an old Mexican Coca Cola sign that said "Es La Hora Coca Cola" which means It's time for coca cola. He asked her how much and she spoke very little english. She got another man who told him 20 dollars. he said..Oh no..too much and they agreed to 5.00 dollars. ( He would have paid 20 easy but loves to bargain). He was thrilled and carried that thing around like a banner the rest of the trip.

 

We hopped on the double decker tour bus which had a little stand there. 2.00 per person and was by far the best value of the trip. There were 9 of us again on this outing as we pretty much tried to stay together in port. Most of us sat on top and the rest sat in the shade on the bottom. My DS who is 18 went to a little store across the street and bought his first beer. 18 is the legal drinking age in mexico. He was smiling from ear to ear. The tour was excellent. We had a great guide on top with us pointing out various parts of the city, along the beach and around the city. He gave a very informative talk and we all enjoyed it immensely. It gives you a glimpse of the city and also helps you pick out where you would like to go back to once the bus dropped you off.

 

Along the beach we saw Buddy's which I had ready about here on the boards. This is where I wanted to go back to. What a GREAT choice. I can tell you that we had a blast at Buddy's. We let the boys go off on their own for awhile, they were 18 and 21. I read them the riot act about meeting up with us at Buddy's or else and also a few horror stories about jails in Mexico and what would happen if they missed the ship leaving port :).

 

We walked up to Buddy's a nice man named Walt asked us if we would like a table. I told him we wanted to sit on the beach and he ran accross the street and found us a nice table with an umbrella and chairs enough for all of us. We ordered some coronas and a couple appetizers. I heard the guacamole was AWESOME even though I dont eat it. The girls got a real bottled coke which they though was kinda cool. We walked down to the beach and picked up some shells. The kids got out in the water but it was a little chilly for me. The boys joined us after about an hour..whewwwww...Then my husband volunteered us for a game on the beach which the DJ was gathering up couples for. Im gonna kill my husband for that one some day...lol

 

They blindfolded the women and the men got up on chairs and we had to tell which ones were ours by feeling thier well...their.....Butts for the lack of a better word. Of course we had to feel all the men's butts (hey...im not complaining) and then the one we picked head to kiss us. I kinda cheated cause I knew my husband was wearing blue jean shorts. I picked him..he kissed me while I was still blindfolded. The D J then told him to take my blindfold off and when I opened my eyes another man was standing there............aHHHH...I freaked ...They had switched men at the last minute....I did kiss my husband but they wanted me to think I was kissing another husband....:o It was fun. We paid the tab....Altogether for 9 people drinking and eating for almost 2 hours the bill was only 82.00. You cannot beat that...We had a BLAST at Buddy's and just Progeso in general.

 

Yes, they do have vendors approaching you alot on the beach and up and down the street but a simple no, gracias and they will leave you alone. They had massage tables set up right there by Buddy's and we were going to get one but just ran out of time. You could have gotten two massages for 30 dollars for an hour.....unbelievable. We just didnt have an hour to spare. I could have spent more time in Progreso but we had to be back on the ship by 3:30. We did make a pit stop walking back to flea market at Corona Beach and had of course a Corona. We walked back a block or two and hopped on shuttle and were back on the boat by 3:15.

[Traveler353]

Good for you, You saw Progresso as it is, not comparing it to some cookie cutter tourist trap manufactured town. Excellant review.

[centerpoint]

thanks for the review...by the way, where's the rest of the review located?

[newbiewfromms]

It's under the Carnival board--titled Fantasy review Thanksgiving--long and detailed---not done with it yet but read what ive got so far...

[Magic City Cruiser]

Waiting anxiously for your review of Coz! Good to know about Progresso except I'm kinda planning on staying near the ship, not taking the bus into town. Did you get a chance to look at that area? I'm just looking for a nice beach bar.

[YucatanToday]

As soon as you come off the shuttle from the ship, you'll be right in town and can easily walk to the malecon (beach road). There you'll find plenty of great places to enjoy seafood, a cold beer, and the beach, such as Buddy's and Flamingos. Check out our map of Progreso here: http://www.yucatantoday.com/maps/eng-progreso-map.htm

[newbiewfromms]

Thought I would add a few pictures of Progreso since I just figured out how to do it.

[newbiewfromms]

A few more pics of Progreso, Buddys and Corona Beach

[newbiewfromms]

Again...progreso pictures....

[amberc]

Thanks so much for sharing your review and pics! I'm excited to check out Progresso in February! :D

[Magic City Cruiser]

As soon as you come off the shuttle from the ship, you'll be right in town and can easily walk to the malecon (beach road). There you'll find plenty of great places to enjoy seafood, a cold beer, and the beach, such as Buddy's and Flamingos. Check out our map of Progreso here: http://www.yucatantoday.com/maps/eng-progreso-map.htm

 

Yay! Thanks, much!