What shore excursions in Cozumel and Progresso.?

Question

First time Cruiser.. I need to know what to do ?????? Please recommend things to do.. Kinda cheap.... On a budget...... Not afraid of anythihg,water or parasailing...PLEASE Give me feedback ]Thanks ....... I want ti have the best time possible..........

Answer 1

Hi!  Congratulations - you will love cruising!  Without knowing what cruise line you are one, I can only give you a general idea of excursions.  Below is a link to a private excursions operator that you could hook up with - there is a large variety of things to do.  I would check with your cruise line to see what they offer as well.

If you are a diver, I would definitely recommend scuba diving as it is some of the best around.  If not, a snorkeling trip would suffice - at least you would get to see the underwater marine life.  If you are interested in some history the Mayan ruins (Tulum) would be a great choice as well.  There are adventure type (Jeep Safaris, ATV rides, etc).  Something is available for everyone and all tastes.  

I would definitely recommend some underwater activities as a top choice!

Answer 2

There is lots to do for tourists in Cozumel that doesn't involve a bunch of money. Snorkeling is impressive there and I know that lots of locals selling tours hang out by the ferry dock so I'm sure that the same thing would be true of the cruise ship dock. They would likely be cheaper than those tours organized by the ship. The beaches are very nice too if you just want to hang out and relax.

Also, if you want to catch the ferry over to Playa Del Carmen there is lots of shopping and restaurants there. The ferry ride would be about $18-$20 round trip, it takes about 35 minutes each way.

Depending on how much time you have, once you got to Playa Del Carmen you could go to the ruins at Tulum. I'm sure you can take a taxi or rent a car in PdC. The cheapest way to get to Tulum would be to take the colectivo, from PdC it would only be $2-$3 one way. Entrance into Tulum would be about $3.50 - $4. A guide would be about $25 for a 40 minute tour. You can also ask at the "information booths" that you see set up by the ferry dock. They are actually selling tours and ferry tickets. Again, they would be locals so the tours are likely cheaper than what the cruise ship offers. Personally I think Tulum is ok, the ruins are small and always crowded, but the beach is very nice. They are worth seeing for sure but if you are only going to see one set of ruins save your day of ruin touring for Progreso. From Progreso it is much easier to access much more impressive ruins. Chichen Itza, Uxmal would be the best choices from Progreso for ruins.

For Progreso (one s btw), it's not as touristy as Cozumel. There are some nice restaurants along the malecón, some will set up tables right on the beach when the cruise ships are in. So you can hang out and have lunch or play beach volley ball and such. There is also a market set up that sells crafts, T-shirts, silver,  hammocks and so on. Progreso is a nice town but unless you are really into just sun tanning or drinking cheap beer then there's not that much to do. You will exhaust all the shopping pretty quickly and while the beach is nice it's not the beautiful clear Caribbean water that you will at Cozumel. I would look to either see some Mayan ruins, see the colonial cities of Merida or possibly Itzamal or maybe go see a hacienda or two in the area.

I'm pretty familiar with Progreso, if you have any tours in mind that your ship offers I can likely tell you what to expect there. Not necessarily on the tour itself but about the destination.