VIP Chichen Itza and Cenote Ikkil with Lunch Excursion (PGO21) Question

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

We just got back from our cruise including a stop at Progresso. We, too, loved the Uxmal tour. We're heading back in DEC and were going to do the Chichen Itza tour (sucking it up for the loooong bus ride). Were there more ships docked in Progresso than Magic?

 

[CarolynFH]

The only bad thing about Uxmal is there is a fair amount of climbing there.

Climbing stairs or climbing hills? I ask because we had to cancel our tour of Uxmal in January, and I’m already thinking about another cruise so we can try again!

 

[MrMagoo]

We just got back from our cruise including a stop at Progresso. We, too, loved the Uxmal tour. We're heading back in DEC and were going to do the Chichen Itza tour (sucking it up for the loooong bus ride). Were there more ships docked in Progresso than Magic?

There was one other ship there but it was not a regular cruise ship. It was more of a clipper ship and I can't remember the name. I was going to get a picture of it but it had left before we did and I didn't get on before we left for Chichen Itza.

It was about a 2 hour bus ride to Chichen Itza and a lot of people were napping on the way back!

 

[MrMagoo]

Climbing stairs or climbing hills? I ask because we had to cancel our tour of Uxmal in January, and I’m already thinking about another cruise so we can try again!

Mainly stairs built by the Mayans! You can not do this excursion if you are handicapped.

2 different stairs! It was almost easier to crawl up them!!! (Wife got escorted up by one of our guides!)

 

[MrMagoo]

Sounds pretty miserable. Even if it hadn't been advertised as VIP, one should never expect a shore excursion that is so poorly executed - even if it were, say, Carnival, much less on a Disney cruise. Disney really should have offered the guests something to make amends.

We really weren't complaining to Disney to get compensated but mainly just to get it straightened out for any future people booking the excursion.
We have had some great excursions with Disney and some BAAAAAD ones. If Disney does not hear from the guests they cannot get things straightened out and we told one couple this as they said they didn't want to complain but I believe they did after talking to us. After all, Disney knows a bad excursion reflects poorly on them!

But yes, it would have been nice to be offered something. I think they just ended up with too many complaints.

 

[auntlynne]

@jalapeno_pretzel @MrMagoo @dad of 3 addicted to DCL

Thanks for adding to our knowledge bank. Progresso is such a one-off port stop, there’s not much reporting on it (and seems, not a lot of excursion offerings).

 

[CarolynFH]

Mainly stairs built by the Mayans! You can not do this excursion if you are handicapped.

2 different stairs! It was almost easier to crawl up them!!! (Wife got escorted up by one of our guides!)

IOW, stairs you can’t avoid, right? You can’t just stand at the bottom at watch others climb up and back down. I was going to bring a hiking pole for balance, but I don’t think I’d have made it up a stairway that steep! Thanks for the photo.

 

[auntlynne]

IOW, stairs you can’t avoid, right? You can’t just stand at the bottom at watch others climb up and back down. I was going to bring a hiking pole for balance, but I don’t think I’d have made it up a stairway that steep! Thanks for the photo.

I had the same question. I think I have visited archaeological sites where we left people at ground level.

I would not attempt that climb - more for the coming back down than the going up. I want a handrail available.

 

[MrMagoo]

No it is basically one way. The tour does not go up and back down.

I believe the people at the bottom did turn around and go back on their own without a guide.
But there was more to see from this point so they did miss out on some.

I would not attempt that climb - more for the coming back down than the going up.

It would be easier to go up than down. Going up you can lean forward and crawl up with your hands catching you on the steps and you can see where you are going. And it is not that much of a lean forward! Going down it would be easiest to sit down and slide down on your bottom if you were afraid of loosing you balance.
The best way they told us to navigate the steps was to go sideways not straight. And it did help.

 

[MrMagoo]

@jalapeno_pretzel @MrMagoo @dad of 3 addicted to DCL

Thanks for adding to our knowledge bank. Progresso is such a one-off port stop, there’s not much reporting on it (and seems, not a lot of excursion offerings).

Yes, the main excursions are the Mayan ruins and of course some beaches.
But the Mayan ruins are the big draw.

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

No it is basically one way. The tour does not go up and back down.

I believe the people at the bottom did turn around and go back on their own without a guide.
But there was more to see from this point so they did miss out on some.



It would be easier to go up than down. Going up you can lean forward and crawl up with your hands catching you on the steps and you can see where you are going. And it is not that much of a lean forward! Going down it would be easiest to sit down and slide down on your bottom if you were afraid of loosing you balance.
The best way they told us to navigate the steps was to go sideways not straight. And it did help.

If you're referring to the super narrow & steep stairs near the end of the tour, there's a handrail on the far right of the stairs. I've got pretty good balance, but still used the handrail

 

[MrMagoo]

If you're referring to the super narrow & steep stairs near the end of the tour, there's a handrail on the far right of the stairs. I've got pretty good balance, but still used the handrail

No, there was no handrail for these stairs.
These stairs were before those.

 

[CarolynFH]

No, there was no handrail for these stairs.
These stairs were before those.

It’s now very clear to me that if we ever get back to Progreso, Uxmal is not on the list of ruins for us to visit.