Progreso Port Review: What to Know Before Disembarking

[@sosopepper]

Progreso is super nice and beautiful. I truly thank God that it is NOT Cozumel. If you have been to both places, then you know WE have have turned Cozumel into a western city. I am not sure why anyone would travel to another country and expect it to be exactly like home. Hmm? So I found it ironic that every negative thing you had to say about Progreso is a total positive for me. Thank you for the video and truly reminding me why we stay away from "tourist" spots. Blessings.

[@ftbeat]

Different tastes for different people. It does remind me of Cozumel in 1986 when we went there. Glad you enjoy Progresso, we may have also if the weather was better. Thanks for watching.

[@Trwanddon]

Agree! We stayed in Progreso. We had relatives in Merida that we stayed with too. Great quiet beaches, wonderful food! I hate cruise ships. We did one that went to Cozumel. All touristy crap, down to hearing the same crappy US cruise ship music. Horrible. Nothing Mexico.

[@scottwatkins9367]

I am the same. Thumbnail said worst port ever. But everything mentioned in the video as a 'negative' was something I liked.. I laughed when said this is not a party port like Cozumel, but a more authentic port. Massages on the beach, authentic Mexican town with real Mexican people and restaurants... yes please!! - Our next cruise has this as final stop. Will see if he was right or if we love it.. But looking more forward to it now. ☺️

[@ftbeat]

@@scottwatkins9367 Actually the thumbnail was a question not a statement. And it is not the worst we have been to, Colon Panama was. We hope you enjoy it but we did not and will never hide our opinions., thats what people want when they go to our channel. Hope you enjoy!

[@angelgregio]

Lol you said "western" city da heck does that even mean. This is the western hemisphere. Now "touristy" I get it. People forget that many parts of the U.S. are rundown and not "western" at all.

[@teehawk75]

Great video!! This actually makes me excited about stopping at Pregreso on my January 2026 cruise. I like places that are authentic and less touristy. I also appreciate you showing the free shuttle ride. I plan to take the shuttle to the beach and relax. Hopefully I can find a nice little restaurant there too. Thanks so much for sharing!! Thumbs Up. 😁

[@sharitate4926]

We absolutely loved our excursion in Progreso. Yes it's 90 min bus ride.. But so worth it! Look up the Progreso caverns! Amazing! Can't wait to see go back

[@ftbeat]

I’m glad you enjoyed it. Not every port is for everyone and an experience can change based on day, weather, etc. Thanks for the feedback!

[@sandraw.6633]

We are from Canada and live in the area. We had some "wow" moments and some laughter as we watched and listened to the inaccuracies. This is authentic Mexico, not Cancun, and the area has very low crime and that is why foreignors are moving here in droves. The Yucatan is the safest state in Mexico and I'm not sure why you did not know this. Also, the city of Progreso receives cruiseships every Tuesday and Thursdays, and sometimes more including Disneyships. The city of Progreso has dumped a very substantial amount of money into the port over the last 4 years for tourism, it's a good thing you didn't visit earlier but if you had, you would certainly see the improvements. As far as the pier goes, thanks for sharing those boring photos because as a resident, we aren't allowed on the pier, only commercial vehicles. I had no idea all of the shops were there! So even though you thought it was boring, thanks for showing us who never get to see.

[@ftbeat]

There are no inaccuracies in my video, only opinions which we are all entitled to. All I can say is with 22 years of law enforcement experience, this port stop felt “unsafe” when we visited. It isn’t Cancun and that’s why I did this video. I’m glad you enjoy living there, much warmer than Canada!

[@sastalekcreativetravels2946]

Yucatán Is by far the safest state of México. Look in the US Goverment internet sites (which anyway tend to exagerate a lot) Yucatán and Campeche are the only two Places in México without Travel alerts in a long time.

[@deborahblaney5370]

@@ftbeat Your crime sense is way off.

[@jerrynix5580]

That's one of our stop on our second cruise, thank you for your information

[@ftbeat]

Your welcome. Hopefully you have a better experience and better weather. Enjoy.

[@joetx7646]

Great video!! I definitely enjoyed seeing the whole process from the ship going into town

[@sak0318]

This is a stop week be making in a couple weeks. Doing my research now. Thanks for your video.

[@ftbeat]

Please come back and let us know your thoughts after your visit. Thanks for watching.

[@JackB_Nimble1]

Me too!! I'll be on Carnival Valor this coming 28th! soooo excited!! Hope you enjoy your trip!

[@blam8969]

As far as safety. This probably is the safest port you can go to in Mexico. Metida is 20min away and is the second safest city in North America after Quebec. Confusing more built up with safe is a mistake in mexico (Cancun, Mazatlan, Acapulco are all more built up but not nearly as safe). I think you confused more humble with safety. I live a good chunk of the year here so i can attest to this

[@tracierojas4539]

Going on a Carnival Cruise with a stop here. Thank you for the very informative article 👍🏻

[@Lyricmami85]

I went in 2017. I loved it because it was a regular Mexican town. The beach was nice. My mom and sister got massages. The locals were really nice and were interested in where I was from. I got to practice my Spanish. Even though I was there on a cruise, I felt like I really was able to visit the country.

[@ftbeat]

True. It's definitely more authentic and reminds me of Cozumel in the 1980s.

[@qmtcop]

Which beach did you go to?

[@Lyricmami85]

@@qmtcop I believe it was the main beach in progreso. Google search Nuevo malecón internacional - El Playon de progreso

[@Lyricmami85]

@@qmtcop playa de progreso

[@alishavilla3055]

I appreciate your videos thank you.

[@ftbeat]

Thanks for watching. More to come!

[@shroats]

We spent 3 nights in Progresso and we loved it. The restaurants were great. You did not go down the Malecon far enough. Lots to see. This was a side trip for us from our month stay in Merida.

[@ftbeat]

Thanks for the info. Maybe it was a bad day that day.

[@arianaedwards6793]

I’m thinking about moving there in a couple months so I appreciated your content. I want to go because my preference is a more relaxed vibe. But thanks to your video I was able to see there are actually more nice stores than I expected. You are allowed to not like it, everyone is different. Thank you again.

[@dottiestaxx]

Thank u for the info

[@Purvis-dw4qf]

We have been to Progreso many times and we generally enjoy it. Luckily, each time we rode the bus is was air-conditioned. The beach is not that good but it reminds me of some Gulf Coast beaches.

[@ftbeat]

Everyone’s experience is different and I’m sure we will visit again. Hopefully the experience will be different. Thanks for watching

[@UnicornKyle90]

Longest drive ever from port to the town, i agree with most of this review

[@ftbeat]

We try to be honest about our experiences. Some may be different than ours.

[@MaryBurnett-z1s]

Been there almost 20 years ago. But took a tour so I am not familiar with this. Thanks for the info.

[@ftbeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@janicegardner6835]

We went to a all inclusive resort and a excursion by Carnival and we had a blast. But I agree that it is run down and if we didn’t go go on the excursion I would have stayed on the ship!

[@ftbeat]

Which resort did you go to?

[@JackB_Nimble1]

Heading there on the Valor this month! I'm hoping the port is still pretty low maintenance in terms of people lol versus Cozumel which ive been several times and its pretty chaotic especially if there are several ships in port which usually there are! lol thanks for the video i needed to see this! At least you didn't have people trying to sell you drugs like in Cozumel, last time I was there at least 5 different guys came up to me trying to sell me something illegal.

[@shellysauseda6603]

Wet helpful next time we go back 😊

[@ftbeat]

Thanks for watching

[@timjohncrouch]

dam fine shot.

[@ksfishingadventures]

Do they accept usd at vendors and restaurants? Or do we have to exchange currency once we get there?

[@sastalekcreativetravels2946]

They do take dollars. Let your bank know you're coming to México, you can use your card in many places too.

[@jblkcns]

Wow your bias was strong in this video. I do appreciate that you did acknowledge that Progreso is safer than most American towns. Progreso is wonderful and I hope people get to see it before it gets too Americanized.

[@ftbeat]

It’s my opinion based on 22 years of policing, visiting hundreds of cities and my personal experience. There is no bias as I love Mexico and foreign travel. I also know when a situation is less than safe. Like people impersonating Carnival employees wearing a Carnival name tag. I hope others have a better experience.

[@pakoluna08]

@@ftbeatglad your not a coper no more with that bias 😂

[@ftbeat]

There is no bias. It’s an expert opinion based on experience. It’s very ignorant to label someone as bias because you disagree. Oh and the term is “police officer”.

[@pakoluna08]

@@ftbeat that’s my expert opinion as a Yucatan resident, copper opinion is bias by saying place is not safe by the humble looks. Yucatan one of the safest places in the whole continent that’s how we know you have a bias copper opinion, I’ve seen several comments mentioning the same

[@terrysmith5792]

Not my cup of tea, grandson’s phone was picked up when is set it beside him. It was a pretty run down port in 2022. Plain to check it out in March of 2025

[@ftbeat]

I’m hoping it has improved a bit. I know some Disney ships call there now. Thanks for watching.

[@belltoll1918]

Terracotta or Talavera? Big difference! Cruise ship people. There for a few hours and know little about what they are talking about. In the 15 years that I have lived in Progreso/Chelem ... I have never felt afraid. The people are kind and hospitable. We are in one of the Lowest Crime States in the Country. When you talk Cozumel or Cancun, you are in the state of Quintana Roo. Not as crime free as Yucatan. FYI ... Yucatan, Tlaxcala, Chiapas, Tamaulipas and Nayarit are the safest states in Mexico. Personally I find it insulting for a day tourist to make disparaging comments about a place that they know so little about in fact. We have huge expat communities in the Yucatan. Most of us are quite satisfied with our homes and community. Let me review your State ... New York ... Rats are a top concern for New Yorkers alongside crime, homelessness and exorbitant rents. Previous measures such as widespread traps and the use of poisonous bait have failed to successfully eradicate the problem. We don't seem to have these issues. SMH

[@zgrothus]

I appreciate the review and don't understand the negative feedback. Progresso and Cozumel are completely different ports. Progresso is much smaller and more tame. It's a great place to go if you're looking for a much more chill environment. Cozumel is great, but it gets so crowded with tourists. Both ports are great in their own ways, and anyone who is cruising to these destinations and has never been should go check them out.

[@rudythewaverlykid4189]

This video should have been called Ken and Karen visits Progresso. Should have stayed on the ship. Thought you said at the beginning of the video you were not going to go negative?

[@ftbeat]

Oh trust me I could have gone much more negative lol. And please keep your racist labels to yourself.

[@samirgomeznovelo746]

You felt less safe because there were not a lot of americans? Do you believe Cozumel and Cancun are safe? why would you want every place in the world to look like USA? I am a local, I live in Mérida, 40 minutes away from Progreso, and precisely because it is a small port town it is 10 times safer than any town or county in the USA, specially if you are a foreigner, even criminals know that you should respect the foreigners, you can only expect to get marginally scammed with dumb touristic services like photos or slightly higher prices than the locals pay in restaurants and gift shops, you would never be mugged like in the USA and Europe. And even in Cozumel and Cancun, foreigners are sometimes victims of a crime but it is because they get involved with drug dealers, since most Americans treat Quintana Roo (Cancun and Cozumel's State) as their lawless backyard, thats why we regional locals call it Cantina Roo (in reference to a canteen). Anyway, the video says more about you than Progreso, a great example is taking offense at a local with a clear friendly smile making a lenss with his hands to cheer up you footage rather than frowning or totally ignoring your existance like an American would do.

[@ftbeat]

I felt less safe based on my experience in 22 years of being a police officer and having visited literally 100s of cities and countries all over the world. I actually was very kind in the video. Progresso may be a very nice place to live, but not a great place to visit in our experience and opinion.

[@sastalekcreativetravels2946]

​​@@ftbeatIt seems your 22 years experience were not enough to check your Goverment sites. You would have realized Yucatán is recognized by the US as the safest área in México

[@badugeebee9490]

I will be there in August. Can you give us any suggestions on sights to visit or places to experience or some places to have a great meal? We’re very excited to learn about this place!

[@deborahblaney5370]

@@ftbeat Well, your crime sense was way off,

[@jblkcns]

Americans are the dangerous ones

[@pakoluna08]

Good video but not well informed, Progreso y a fishers town and honestly lots of Yucatecans we prefer our beaches to stay humble not like Cancun or Cozumel. We like it to keep it that way. And by the way don’t judge a book by its cover, do a better research Progreso y super safe, much safer than the tourist areas in Cancun or Playa del Carmen.

[@ftbeat]

I didn’t say it wasn’t a great place for locals. It’s not a great cruise port in my opinion. And I don’t need to do any research to explain my experience or opinions. I do know there were people there impersonating cruise ship employees.

[@pakoluna08]

@@ftbeat facts are way more important than opinions buddy

[@mikeclark1830]

I been to Progre 5 r 6 times, it’s ok, not Cancun, thanks

[@shawncochran4354]

What to know... #1, how to spell (aka ATD, Attention to Detail). It is "Progreso", NOT "Progresso") #2, if you're gonna be passive-aggressive in your negging, just own it. Otherwise, stop before you start. And IF your channel here is that of "a couple", then where in the almighty is "the other half" in this presentation?

[@ftbeat]

Thanks for commenting and helping the channel with the Facebook algorithm. Please continue so it goes even further up in search results😂😂😂

[@garth217]

I wish this video was in English. But I couldn't watch it anyways. So poorly done.

[@ftbeat]

So you didn’t watch it, but formed an opinion anyway and don’t even know what language it was? 🤣

[@garth217]

@@ftbeat yes

[@blaster-zy7xx]

@@ftbeat Not sure, but I think they were making fun of your very noticeable New York or should I say New Yawk accent.

[@pascalfo6014]

Are that dumb ?

[@ftbeat]

I don’t understand. Are you calling the People of Progresso dumb??? Very rude

[@pascalfo6014]

@@ftbeat being rube is legual

[@ftbeat]

What????

[@cncdigitalCNCMachines]

This guy knows nothing