Review of Progresso 9/24/07

[mountaingurl]

We got straight off of the ship(7 am) and booked an excursion with AutoProgresso. We purchased the Dzbiltalchun ruins and the Merida tour for $40 a piece(2 adults, 2 11 year olds) and $19 for the 5 year old. 10 and under get the 19 price. We then took the bus to town and hit the little flea market. After that we did the $2 bus tour of town and we really enjoyed it. Then we hit the beach for half an hour and came back to the flea market to change in the bathroom. By then it was 10:05 when we stepped on the bus for the tour which picked us up right at the flea market. They seemed very aggravated about us being 5 minutes late( actually it was 4 minutes, but whose counting). Our tour guide was Ivan, and he was very knowledgeable about the ruins and extremely proud of his Mayan heritage. Most of our tour was taken up with the ruins. They were beautiful, and I adored it.We got to climb to the top of them too. I got wonderful pictures. There was no time to swim in the cenote, but maybe we will get to do that another time. We then went on to Merida for "shopping" and the city tour. The city tour was wonderful and it is a beautiful town. He told us there would be no time to eat and for $9 a piece he would get us taco plates for the bus ride back. The "shopping" consisted of getting out at this one place where he got the taco plates(which he did not seem to want us to know) and he said we could shop in a store(right next to cafeteria where he got the food) for 5 minutes. He said the prices were negotiable, but they were not. It was a very expensive store and they would not bargain at all. No one bought anything. I left and went next door to get a coke (which he tried to talk me out of) and that is where I saw the food(it was about $3 per plate, not $9). It also cost less than $30 for all 11 of us to get into the ruins when he paid(the 11 year olds and 5 year old were free). I adored the tour and Ivan was an excellent guide. I wished that we had just done the ruins though. The Merida tour was so rushed it really was not worth it. Autoprogresso made sure that we arrived back on the ship one hour before it sailed, and for that I was very grateful. We had some people on our tour with mobility issues, and maybe that was why it seemed a little rushed. If I had to do it over again, I would have taken a taxi and bought my way into the ruins(figure I could have done it for at least $100 less), but it was very secure knowing that they would get us back to the ship with plenty of time to spare. The bus was in great condition and air conditioning was very cold. I was told it was very hot in Progresso and at the ruins. Ivan's clothes were saturated with sweat by the time we were done. I live in the humid south and heat really does not bother me, so I can't complain. Please wear a big floopy hat though on this tour. We all wore visors and all of us were at least a little sun burned after it was over. As for Progresso, I loved the town. I think we were the only family on the ship that did though. If you are looking for a fancy picturesque tourist town, this is probably not for you. Everything here was cheaper though, and it felt like real Mexico. The people were friendly (except the lady who got mad at me because I did not tip her for the piece of toilet paper she gave me before I went into the bathroom, honestly I had a screaming 5 year old who was tired and I had no money in my pocket). We did spend quite a bit at the flea market. Some people I felt the need to hagle with(the ones that pestered me) and other I paid what they were asking. They were cheap little souvenirs. I bought 5 $1 fans from this one lady and she kissed the money and made the sign of the cross. She was very nice, and never once tried to get me to buy anything. I really like people like that. Hubby found 2 Pittsburgh Steeler fans(men selling things in their booths) at that Market. One had a tee shirt he was wearing and the other had a tattoo of the emblem on his arm. He thought that was the coolest thing he had ever seen. He made me take pictures of him with them, and he bought a bunch of crap from them. I couldn't even get away from football in Mexico. Who knew they were Mexican Steelers fans? All in all I loved Progresso. It was real, and I liked that. It was exactly what I thought it would be, and I would go back. I do wished we would have been able to eat there. Almost everyone was so friendly, and I got the feeling they were genuinely happy that we were there. They were very proud people, and you could see that they wanted us to be aware of that. This was our most expensive port. We spent almost $450 here alone. Oh, I got two hammocks, one I paid $20 for, and one I paid $16.

[kingfish78734]

That's awesome Mountaingurl. We love Progreso too because of the down to earth nature of the people there. Sorry about the bus tour. We always just walk around Progreso and hit the restaurants on the beach (which are fantastic and cheap).

[mountaingurl]

Another couple who had time to eat before our tour told us about the place they ate at. They had a full course breakfast for two with eggs, juice, fruit plate, and other things. It all came to $6 (us). The beach was not as bad as everyone said it was. Yes, it is a gulf beach, but there were tons of seashells, and the kids loved looking for those. We don't have access to any beaches where we live, so the kids did not care at all. There were little fishing boats right beside the kids. The beach was about a block from the little flea market. I would have loved to just be able to walk around the town. We WILL go back again. I can't wait.

[goLC]

Thanks for all of your reviews; I've read them all this morning. We leave tomorrow for NOLA and sail Monday. I'm so excited! We are HUGE Steeler fans and I've got so much "steeler stuff".... I wouldn't mind taking some to the people at the flea market you were describing; they might like it. Can you describe where this flea market is, and/or where these particular vendors were? I'd be tickled to give them something special... but I'm packing tonight, so if you get this in time, let me know!

[mountaingurl]

The flea market is the first thing they take you to in progresso after you get on the bus from the pier. Trust me, it's not very large. The men were in the middle of the flea market. The one with the tattoo was right in the middle. I hope you have a great time! The one guy said he had been a steeler's fan for about 30 years.

[Carolinamamasita]

wHAT A WONDERFUL REVIEW

 

Thank you so much Mountaingurl !:)

[St. Louis Sal]

Thank you so much for the great review. I love flea markets and just wandering around town. I've been wondering what I should do there and some of your suggestions sound perfect.

 

St. Louis Sal

[KLV2cruz]

Loved your review, but were the other ruin tours offered on the ship, like Uxmal or Chitzaniza?

[mountaingurl]

Yes, the ruins(all 3) were offered on the ship and they were almost double the price. That is why we chose to go it alone. Auto progresso has a VERY good reputation, and we had no fear of missing the ship. He must have told us 5 times we would be back there 1 hour early and we were. Plus our group tour was only 11 and we liked it that way. Have fun in Progresso. We can't wait to go back. And to think, I dreaded this port:rolleyes: