Wondering what to do in Progreso, Mexico on a cruise?
When I told people we were getting off the Disney Magic in Progreso, Mexico, I heard the same thing over and over:
“Don’t bother getting off the ship.”
I’d even had several travel-agent friends tell clients to stay onboard during their Progreso port day because there wasn’t much worth seeing or doing. I wasn’t convinced.
After more than 20 cruises, I’ve learned that sometimes the best cruise experiences require a little digging. So, in typical Taylor fashion, I did a lot of research.
And I’m so glad I did.
Our day in Progreso ended up being one of my top three cruise excursions ever.
Why I Was Hesitant About Progreso
This particular cruise was a quick getaway on the Disney Magic with my two girls and my mom. I had recently lost my dad, and my mom and I desperately needed some fun.
A Disney cruise felt like exactly what we needed.
But when I started looking at Progreso, I just wasn’t too excited about the stop.
I knew I wanted to see a cenote though. The photos online were gorgeous, and swimming in one sounded like an amazing experience.
But a lot of the cenote excursions I found looked like large-group operations where we’d be loaded onto a bus and shuffled from one stop to the next, and that wasn’t what I wanted.
That’s when I found Yucatan Cenote and their Wet & Warm: 2 Cenote + Maya Lunch Excursion.
And it was exactly what I was looking for.
Our Favorite Progreso Mexico Cruise Excursion
The excursion was private, which meant it was just our group: my mom, my two daughters, me, our driver and our bilingual guide.
We were picked up at the cruise shuttle terminal in Progreso and headed out for the day.
Our first stop was the Henequén (Sisal) Export Relics, which gave us a little history of the area before we continued on to the cenotes.
Two Beautiful Cenotes
The real highlight was, of course, the cenotes.
The first one was almost completely empty. There was one other small family there, but it genuinely felt like we had the place to ourselves.
The second cenote had a few more people, but it was still nowhere near the kind of crowds I’d been worried about.
Both were beautiful, and my girls absolutely loved swimming in them.
There was also a jumping platform at one of the cenotes, which was a huge hit with my kids.
It was high. Too high for me, but they had a blast.
Life jackets and snorkel equipment were provided, so we didn’t have to worry about bringing our own gear.
Lunch With a Local Family
After the cenotes, we drove into a much more rural area and arrived at the home of a local family.
They welcomed us into their home, showed us their animals—including chickens, dogs and cats—and taught us how to make handmade tortillas on a comal.
Then they prepared a delicious, multi-course meal for us, including accommodations for our dietary preferences.
They didn’t speak English, and we don’t speak Spanish, so our guide translated for us. And honestly, that was part of what made the experience so memorable.
My kids weren’t just looking at Mexico through the window of a tour van. They were meeting a family, seeing their home, learning how tortillas are made and sitting down to share a meal.
For me, that was one of the best parts of the entire day.
What About Getting Back to the Ship?
I’ll admit it: this was the part that made me nervous about booking independently.
When you book an excursion through the cruise line, you have the comfort of knowing the ship knows where you are. If the excursion runs late, that’s their problem.
When you book independently, that’s not necessarily the case, and if you’re late getting back to the ship, you may be left behind.
But we didn’t even come remotely close to being late.
We were dropped back at the cruise shuttle terminal with plenty of time to spare. We even had enough time to walk the short distance to the beach, spend some time playing in the water and soaking up some sun.
Was It Worth the $472?
This wasn’t a cheap excursion.
We paid $472 for the four of us, plus gratuity.
That’s considerably more than many of the budget-friendly experiences I normally write about, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise.
But for us?
It was a 10/10.
The private transportation, two beautiful cenotes, our guide, the flexibility of a private tour and, especially, the experience with the local family made it worth the money.
Sometimes you really do get what you pay for.
This is one of our favorites in Mexico, but see our other favorites from all over the world here.
Would I Recommend This Progreso Excursion?
Without hesitation.
I went into our Progreso port day wondering if we’d regret getting off the ship.
Instead, it became one of the experiences I still talk about when I think about my favorite cruise memories. And after more than 20 cruises, that’s saying something.
I am not compensated for this recommendation. I booked this excursion directly through Yucatan Cenote’s website, and I don’t receive anything if you book it.
I just loved the experience enough that I’d happily recommend it to a friend.
If you’re stopping in Progreso on a cruise and wondering whether it’s worth getting off the ship, my answer is a pretty enthusiastic yes.
Just do a little research first; I’m really glad we did.