I've read on this site about passengers who were supposed to go to Cozumel, but were diverted to Progreso for "propulsion" problems. If we pre-book our excursions in Cozumel and end up in Progreso, what happens? Is that $$ lost? Is it best to wait until you enter port and then book your excursion and hope it's not too late or hope the lines to book aren't horrible? Please advise.

lyz:

what happens? Is that $$ lost?

Refund.

lyz:

Is it best to wait until you enter port and then book your excursion and hope it's not too late or hope the lines to book aren't horrible?

Book excursions as soon as you know what you want to do.  If that's not until you get on board ... then that's one thing.  If you know what you want to do and wait, they can be sold out and then you'll just have to wander aimlessly in port

I really do like your web site I have learn alot I wish I had known about it before our first cruise. I have heard alot of bad things about Jamaica I have a friend her son went there went out on a boat tour the people intend to take them to a island and rob them before that happend the boat turned over and everybody drowned. I heard it is best to stay in the town and do your own thing. Thank you Lynn

Hi Lynn - I'm having a hard time understanding the story.  If everyone drowned how does anyone know they intended to rob them? 

You want to go with reputable vendors - there are many out there.  Jamaica is a very poor island and there is crime.  Do not go off the beaten path and always stay with a group.  We really enjoy Sunset Beach Resort and have a great time in Jamaica.

Has anyone ever done the Powerboat and Beach excursion in Cozumel?  Driving our own boat to a private beach looks fun, but pricey - $99 each.  We want an active excursion where we will get wet and have a nice, long experience.  Did the Sail, Snorkel and Beach party - same comment as others, nice boat, nice crew, snorkeling somewhat disappointing b/c only lasted 30 minutes, no big sights, but private beach nice - food good, papalpa available. 

 Just wondering abou the power boat thing...and also, has anyone done the Isla Passion, the wild boat thing?  Looks interesting.

I'm actually currious about the shopping in Merida since my wife & I plan to take that excursion on Christmas eve.  Has anyone been on that one & what to expect?

I heard Merida is better then Progreso they had more to see and Progreso is high in price then the Duty free shopping at the port. I like the Duty free shopping more then Cozumel on our next trip in Feb going down town cozumel hope it is better then right by the port did not like that duty free shopping. Hope this helped let me know how you liked it so we can go there too. lynnktx@aol.com  Happy cruising. And Merry Christmas.

lightkeeper77338:

I'm actually currious about the shopping in Merida since my wife & I plan to take that excursion on Christmas eve.  Has anyone been on that one & what to expect?

We cruised in September and took the Autoprogreso tour to Merida.  It was a little disappointing.  There wasn't a lot to see and the shopping is not worthwhile.  The tour gives you time to shop in town but it is not geared toward tourists at all.  It is blocks and blocks of shopping for Mexican residents - clothing stores, fabric, toys, a few restaurants, etc.  We found one indoor marketplace that had some Mexican pottery, artwork, etc. as well as traditional Mexican embroidered blouses, etc. but not much of interest.  If I were to do it over again, I would take an excursion to see the Mayan ruins and do my shopping at the dock when I got back.  The shops on the pier were by far the best shopping at that port (either Progreso or Merida), pricewise and selection in my opinion.

In Cozumel, I would highly recommend taking a taxi to Nachi Cocom beach.  It is a beautiful, natural, quiet beach club.  There are no crowds, loud music, vendors, etc. - just beautiful beach, a swimming pool and restaurant/bar.  It is an all-inclusive resort.  For $49, all of the above is included.  You get a 3-course meal to eat at your leisure (you can spread out the courses throughout the day) and all-you-can-drink.  It is easy to get to.  It's a straight shot down the main road from the pier and all the taxi drivers know where it is.  There are taxis waiting whenever you are ready to leave.  You can also have excursions such as parasailing or snorkling arranged by the club employees or you can book the whole thing in advance at http://cozumelcruiseexcursions.com/CozumelBeachBreak.htm (recommended because the excursions are cheaper booked this way than arranging them at the beach).

I haven't ever been to Progresso but have been to Cozumel and did the Playa Mia Deluuxe Beach Break. It was a lot of fun, they offered free buffet lunch, underwater replica mayan ruins, water trampoline, jet skis, parasailing, iceburg climbing wall in the water, showers, massages, etc. The beach was beautiful.

I was reading somewhere that the pier they used to use will be reopened by then, it had been closed since the hurricane a couple of years ago and is now reopening and it was a really good place to shop.

On the jeep rental, I would be leary....I read on one of these threads about a couple that rented one and when they came back they accidentally bumped the taxi in front of them and it barely even scraped the taxi's taillight and he made a really big fuss and the police came and took the couple to jail and told them they had to pay as best I can remember somewhere in the vicinity of $800 and they had even taken out the auto insurance (which did them no good because they were after cash) finally they let the wife leave and go to the ship to get money and she had to scrape together the cash from their bank card to get them out of this mess. All the while trying not to miss the ship.

I was thinking about doing an excursion in Cozumel this time that isn't on Carnival's list, but I am also scared not to do a Carnival one, because if you go on Carnival aren't they responsible for seeing to it that you get back to ship on time and if you take another one is it worth the risk of getting in a jam and not getting back there? I am so undecided.

faith31617:

I was thinking about doing an excursion in Cozumel this time that isn't on Carnival's list, but I am also scared not to do a Carnival one, because if you go on Carnival aren't they responsible for seeing to it that you get back to ship on time and if you take another one is it worth the risk of getting in a jam and not getting back there? I am so undecided.

It is definitely worth the risk, because in my opinion, there is not much of a risk if you allow plenty of time to get back to the ship.  Plan on doing your excursion first thing when you get off the ship and leave a couple of hours before you need to be back on ship.  Then you can do your shopping or whatever right at the dock with no worries about whether you'll make it back in time.  Also, take a taxi.  They are very familiar with the roads and know where they are going and if they get into a minor accident, it's their problem, not yours.  You will save a lot of money by not booking your excursions through Carnival, especially if you are a family with multiple people to pay for.  Remember, large numbers of people arrange their own excursions (not through Carnival) on every cruise, and I've never heard of anyone getting left behind.

Well, whatever you end up doing, just relax and enjoy!  You will have a great time and everything will be fine.  Have fun and drink a Mai Tai for me!

My daughter and I went to Merida on the tour (our husbands went to the Mayan ruins) and it is a beautiful city! There are lots of shops and a beautiful park in the downtown area. We were very impressed. Since it's the capital of the Yucatan, it is clean, well kept and we felt very safe there. There also is a magnificent old church that you can go inside of. There are also a lot of carvings and things on the outside of it. All this is right on the square where your bus will let everyone off.  We really did enjoy it. I think you would too.  Jill

Deanna,

My Wife and I were routed to Progresso during the Hurricanes. There is a small flea market type shopping area just off of the pier.(the shuttle busses dropped us off their). Not having any idea what or where to go we booked a tour of Merida. We looked around the market while waiting and picked up a few gifts. The tour was trip to Merida guided by a semi-retired gentleman who not only had a good knowledge of the history but all of the local gossip and scandals!:) we had a great time. Due to the storms we and late docking time we did not get to see as much as normal, but did see the town square ( some vendors and a lot of local life) had dinner across from the square and LARGE cathedral that was built around 1570. Did i mention that it was LARGE? Got to walk through the governors mansion. It was an enjoyable afternoon and an excellant lunch.