What to do in Progreso?

[gwinel]

What is there besides the Temple of the Dolls? I would like to see the Museum and will be there on a Wed. I have recently had foot surgery and probably put it off until another time.

 

Do you have other suggestions? We've been to Chichen Itza and Merida. Gotta get it all done before 2012.

[WilliamLawson]

Just called Dzibilchaltun. The museum is STILL closed and will be for another 3 months, apparently.

 

I would suggest Uxmal, if you are up to the walking. It's quite an extensive site!

 

And don't worry about 2012, the Mayans did not predict the end of the world, unless of course Sarah Palin gets into the presidency, then all bets are off :D

 

Happy planning!

[gwinel]

Thank you. We probably won't do much in Progresso. We will have a reason to return!!!

 

elizabeth

[gwinel]

What are they doing to the museum at Dzibilchaltun?

[WilliamLawson]

It has been undergoing "maintenance" for months now. It is a really nice museum, but was literally falling to pieces.

[irish_scouter]

Are there any beaches near were the Elation docks? What is the cost is and the best to book with?

 

Irish:cool:

[WilliamLawson]

Irish - the beach is right there!

 

All beaches in Mexico are public and there is no charge. You only pay if you want to go to the Corona "pen" which is a fenced in area on the beach; but this does not go to the water as that would be illegal.

 

What you get is an 'all you can drink' kind of experience which is pretty lame to be paying for, in my humble opinion, especially if you are on a cruise ship which feeds you 97 times a day.

 

Take the free shuttle into Progreso and then head to the beach. Enjoy a cool beer in front of Buddy's or Le Saint Bonnet along with some fresh fried fish. Have a massage, buy a pirate DVD and some trinkets for the folks back at the office. Relax.

[DebJ14]

Irish - the beach is right there!

 

All beaches in Mexico are public and there is no charge. You only pay if you want to go to the Corona "pen" which is a fenced in area on the beach; but this does not go to the water as that would be illegal.

 

What you get is an 'all you can drink' kind of experience which is pretty lame to be paying for, in my humble opinion, especially if you are on a cruise ship which feeds you 97 times a day.

 

Take the free shuttle into Progreso and then head to the beach. Enjoy a cool beer in front of Buddy's or Le Saint Bonnet along with some fresh fried fish. Have a massage, buy a pirate DVD and some trinkets for the folks back at the office. Relax.

 

Great advice. This is exactly what we prefer to do in Progreso. The food at Le Saint Bonnet is wonderful. We'll be there Aug 22 - our 8th time in Progreso.

[tdh8359]

We did the Mayan Ruins (Dzibilchaltun) & Beach Break Combo in Progresso last time. See below; It was worth the price of $79.95 in my opinion. You do feel a bit rushed at the ruins, I would suggest if you don't care about listening to the guide about the history to explore on your own when you get there, just make sure you're back on the bus before they leave. The other ruins require a much longer bus ride, these were the closest. We didn't get in the water at the beach break part but a few did. The beach in Progresso is nothing like Cozumel, not very attractive.

 

Excursion Description

Take a journey back in time to explore the ancient Dzibilchaltun Mayan Ruins followed by a relaxing beach break.

On this excursion you will:

Begin with an approximate 40-minute bus ride to one of the oldest and most populated Mayan cities in the Yucatan.

Explore the temples and buildings used before the arrival of the Spaniards.

See the Temple of the Seven Dolls, a tribute to the Mayan’s astronomical skills.

Visit the ancient cenote which was the life center of the city.

Be transported to one of the best beach spots in Progreso after exploring the ruins.

Take a refreshing swimin the swimming pool or just relax in your lounge chair overlooking the ocean.

Enjoy the beach club’s private beach area and domestic open bar.

Note: Guests are only permitted to take a camera and water to the ruins; personal belongings may be left aboard the bus.

[DADDYOFTHE7SEAZ]

I will be cruising w/ you Daddy. We dont know what we are going to do either. I think we plan to wing it. Check out the town maybe stop for a drink on the beach if nothing catches our eye we will head back to the ship. We also are traveling w/ teenage boys.

We will probably do the same thing. Check out the town and find the beach to relax and have a beverage or two or three or four. Will probably hang out a while as long as my sons are occupied if they want to go back to the ship we will. I had thought about the Ruins since we have never seen any but I'm more of a beach and beer guy. I have searched and searched but still confused on what to do. Buddy's, Reef Club Beach Resort, or Le Saint Bonnet are the options I'm considering. I gonna start a thread to ask if all these are on Malecon Beach and what's the best way to get there and how far apart are these three places:confused:

[hlb76]

I would love to see the ruins. I just dont know if I can handle all the bus rides to get there.And if I can't handle it the kids sure can't!! Plus we decided this was going to be our "sit on the beach and not rush all over" cruise. If we get to cruise this winter we will prob be more rush rush.

[DebJ14]

We will probably do the same thing. Check out the town and find the beach to relax and have a beverage or two or three or four. Will probably hang out a while as long as my sons are occupied if they want to go back to the ship we will. I had thought about the Ruins since we have never seen any but I'm more of a beach and beer guy. I have searched and searched but still confused on what to do. Buddy's, Reef Club Beach Resort, or Le Saint Bonnet are the options I'm considering. I gonna start a thread to ask if all these are on Malecon Beach and what's the best way to get there and how far apart are these three places:confused:

 

Buddys and Le Saint Bonnet are not far apart at all on the Malecon. Reef Club Beach Resort is about a 40 minute ride out of town. The buffet was lousy at Reef Club - definitely not worth $49.00 per person.

 

If you want great food then park yourselves on the beach in front of Le Saint Bonnet.

 

Before you go to the beach you might want to take the double decker bus tour. Cheap (about $3.00) and it gives you a sense of the area and still plenty of time left for the beach.

[b00kw0rm42970]

I have done several cool tours from Progreso.

 

Chichen Itza is a long drive, but it is Chichen Itza and a world heritage site and all that.

 

Dzibilchaltun is pretty close and is a neat site.

It would be a good place to go with kids 9 or 10 and up.

They can climb the ruins there.

The Temple of the Seven Dolls is impressive, but not scary high.

 

UxMal is my favorite so far.

It is set in green hills and the ruins are impressive and extensive.

The Pyramid of the Magician at UxMal has a fun and mysterous name and is really big.

 

I also have done the Progreso city tour and visited the cathedral.

It is a good tour when you want to do something and see some sites, but it's a tour you can enjoy while being lazy. Look out the bus windows, check out the cathedral and the government building and then get some drinks and nachos. Check out the park across from the cathedral and then back on the bus for a fairly short trip back to the ship.

 

The last trip we did the $3 bus tour.

It was fun and easy.

 

Uxmal was incredible...We were able to climb on the ruins (except for the Pyramid of the Magician) including the Great Pyramid (Scary big!). The ruins go for as far as you can walk. In addition to the excavated ones, there were many more to be "happened upon" while walking in the brushy landscape. The iguanas were cool too! One word of caution...In Aug. it was blazing hot. Water and light clothing were a must.

[Douglase]

We chose the ATV excursion/beach in Progreso and had a blast. We booked thru our ship-Carnival Elation.

[ginjam70]

Visit Chichen Itza or Merida....nice places...otherwise, there is not much else to do...

[WilliamLawson]

Chichen would be my last choice, because of all the driving involved. 2 hours plus in either direction, not good.

 

There is LOTS to do; all of it involves some driving.

 

Dzibilchaltun and Uxmal ruins. Mayapan and Pueblos. Markets. Food, ie gastronomic tours! Merida.

[gwinel]

What can I do that doesn't require much walking? I'm recovering from a broken bone. I like ruins and had planned on Dzibilchaltun but probably can't. I have climbed ruins and don't need to do that again. Please help!

 

What about the Mexican rodeo, advertised from Dzibilchaltun or Merida.

 

Thank you, Elizabeth

[wesail4fun]

What can I do that doesn't require much walking? I'm recovering from a broken bone. I like ruins and had planned on Dzibilchaltun but probably can't. I have climbed ruins and don't need to do that again. Please help!

 

What about the Mexican rodeo, advertised from Dzibilchaltun or Merida.

 

Thank you, Elizabeth

 

How much are the massages on the beach?

[Douglase]

Also beware downtown Progresso, the people dont speak or understand english. We needed to find close toe shoes for the ATV excursion and had a hard time communicating at several shops. We thought it was highly usual for them not to understand the american dollar:)

[WilliamLawson]

Highly usual indeed. I think people understand the American dollar quite well; they just don't accept them as readily as before since a new law prohibiting businesses from accepting them came into effect.

[cruising_kenboy]

It's not legal for businesses in Progreso to accept American money?

[cruisinatdawn]

I see that to consume alcohol on the Autoprogreso Reef Beach Resort tour you have to be 21, is that the case all over Progreso? We will have a 19 and 20 year old with our group. They are not big drinkers, but I'm sure they would enjoy a drink on the beach can that happen?

[WilliamLawson]

It's not legal for businesses in Progreso to accept American money?

 

No, it is not. On the street, in the markets it is a different story. But in the established shops, you may find resistance to payment with US dollars. This law was enacted some months ago to fight money laundering from the drug trade which is wreaking havoc in this country.

[WilliamLawson]

I see that to consume alcohol on the Autoprogreso Reef Beach Resort tour you have to be 21, is that the case all over Progreso? We will have a 19 and 20 year old with our group. They are not big drinkers, but I'm sure they would enjoy a drink on the beach can that happen?

 

Yes, that can happen. Probably because AutoProgreso is the 'official' company hired by Carnival to handle their ground operations, they adhere to the cruise line's rules. I'm guessing that is the reason.

[Smart Arsenal Fan]

Highly usual indeed. I think people understand the American dollar quite well; they just don't accept them as readily as before since a new law prohibiting businesses from accepting them came into effect.

 

No, it is not. On the street, in the markets it is a different story. But in the established shops, you may find resistance to payment with US dollars. This law was enacted some months ago to fight money laundering from the drug trade which is wreaking havoc in this country.

 

You are giving inaccurate information....

 

It only pertains to larger transactions (which typically get paid by credit cards anyway)

 

Businesses (including restaurants, shops, and Destination Management Companies) will only be able to accept a maximum of $100 USD CASH per transaction - but the number of transactions per customer is not restricted.

 

(btw, I was in Merida and in P.D.C. last month and my US currency was never refused once.)