March 7, 2025 Progreso, Mexico

The ship arrived at Puerto Progreso, Yucatán, México today and was cleared for passengers to get off just before 8 a.m. The sun was shining, there was wind and the temperature was probably around 24°C.

The Elite breakfast was buffet style again today. We joined Zegrid who was sitting with John from Adelaide, Australia and later joined by Garry and Joanne. Just before we left Tom and Marion joined the table. There were not many people in the dining room.

There is a 6.5 km (or 8 km as our guide mentioned) long pier which was built with reinforced concrete. The long length is necessary to allow large ships to dock since the Yucatán coast is very shallow due to the Limestone shelf that extends many kilometres into the Gulf of Mexico before gradual falling away. The pier was originally 2,100 meters long and was constructed between 1937 and 1941, replacing a wooden pier that was built in the beginning of the last century. In 1988, an additional 4,000 meters was added to its length increasing the pier’s cargo and container vessels handling capacity.

The continental shelf in the area is very shallow so swimmers need not worry about sharks. The cruise mooring is less than ten meters deep. We could see a collection of wind turbines on shore at the eastern side of Progreso. There was a free shuttle to take passengers to shore and into the town and back to the ship.

We went to the Celebrity Theatre to be assigned a tour number and given a sticker to help the guides identify their group members. One of today’s excursions left at 8 a.m. for the over two hour drive to the Mayan ruins of Chichén Itzá hopefully the traffic will allow them to return in time for Constellation’s scheduled 5 p.m. departure. There were about 80 people registered for our excursion that were divided between two buses. There were many container trucks on the 6.5 km pier road into Progreso. The drive was another 50 km into Mérida, which is Yucatán’s capital. Mérida has a population of over one million. The price of regular (87) gas was 23.99 pesos per litre, about $1.70 Canadian.

For this tour, Flavours of Merida Walking Tour, our driver was Sergio and our two guides were Roxie and Luis. Roxie gave some history of the area, but I had purposely left my phone in the cabin and forgot my notebook.

Mérida was founded on January 6, 1542, on the Maya city of T’hó (also known as Ychcanzihó). The Spanish soldiers established their camp on Bakluumchan Hill — now the Plaza Grande. Mérida was laid out on a grid plan. The main street of the city is Paseo de Montejo, where some of the oldest and most beautiful houses in the city are located, some now operate as museums.

Our first stop was Le Templo bar for fresh tacos. We sat with two women from Vancouver who mentioned that they enjoyed watching us dance. Every day on this cruise someone has told us that they like watching us dance. There was a square nearby with a statue which was called Monumento Niño Heros. This area contains many historical buildings with national heritage status. Next we were driven to nearby Casa de Montejo, a 16th-century mansion, which is a landmark of colonial plateresque architecture. The mansion was completed in 1549. It had several open courtyards which included a Jícara tree with green fruit about the size of a large grapefruit. The house was furnished with period furniture, but not the original furniture, which was burned as a rite of renewal centuries ago. There was a painting of the house as it looked in the 17th century. The rooms had five meter high ceilings. We saw half a dozen rooms including the dining room with a painted timbered ceiling.

We walked the 500 meters to meet the bus near the Plaza Grande to see Mérida Cathedral. It was built in the mid 16th century, but we were unable to see its interior. Like a lot of the 16th century Spanish buildings it was built on the site of an ancient Mayan temple, which was dismantled and its stones were used to build the cathedral from 1541 to 1549. It is a gathering place for citizens. Historically a Mayan shrine was located there, then it was a site for pledging allegiance to Spanish kings, where colonial gallows stood, and the epicentre of citizen protests and festive celebrations. During the Mexican Revolution, workers and citizens gathered in Plaza Grande to protest against the establishment. One notable event took place on Nov. 24, 1915, when a crowd, incited by anti-clerical sentiment, stormed the Cathedral, destroying religious artifacts and burning Catholic icons.

Several blocks away the next stop was in Mérida's central market, Lucas de Gálvez Market. The market started with only a few stalls in 1887 and now covers 4,500 square meters. Here at Loncheria Rani we were served two Yucatan classics: "panuchos" (tortillas stuffed with black beans, then fried and topped with chicken or turkey, lettuce, and pickled onions) and one ”salutes” (crispy, fried tortillas with similar toppings).

The final stop was a gelateria, where both tour buses arrived close together. Everyone ordered a scoop of one of the dozen flavours of traditional gelato. Then it was back to the bus for the return journey to the ship.

As we turned onto Paso de Montejo, the large Monumento a La Patria sculpture appeared. It commemorates the reunion of Yucatán with Mexico. It depicts Mexican history from the Mayans to modern day. Yucatán had separated from México in 1842 as an independent state. In 1949 it became part of México again.

For a walking tour we logged a little over one kilometre. The shortest walking tour, whether with or without the food part, that we have taken. We were back at the entrance to the ship’s dock about 3:30 p.m., giving us time to browse the dozens of shops within a covered mall. Just before the checkpoint by the ship is Progreso spelling with colourful one metre tall letters. We joined the line of several couples to take turns photographing each other.

Constellation departed shortly after 5 p.m. for the voyage back to Tampa. We went to the Elite Happy Hour in the Rendezvous Lounge and danced to the Nu Image band.

Randy and Beth were already seated and just as we were going to order Irish came. Peyton and Cher arrived ten minutes later a little tired from their day at a beach resort. Cher said that Fred had been turned away from the dining room since he was wearing shorts. The policy is that no shorts are allowed at dinner time in the dining room - and tonight’s dress code was Evening Chic, so a little dressier than usual. Fred and Kathy did not come back. Peyton and her mother, Cher, both ordered two entrées instead of appetizers and one entrées. Because Cher had taken advantage of the included alcohol at the resort she was “tired” and excused herself after the first entrée. When Peyton finished hers, she asked the server if the remaining entrées could be packed for her to take back to the room. All Irish ordered was an entrée so she left too. We along with Randy and Beth enjoyed our desserts which included Baked Alaska. The others also missed the grand entrance of the kitchen staff who paraded around the Deck 5 and 4 dining room with the diners waving their white cotton napkins to the music.

There was an introduction of the Senior Officers in the Grand Foyer at 8 p.m. They were introduced and lined the Grand Staircase. We returned to the Rendezvous Lounge and danced to the Pesto Pora. A quick stop at our cabin before going to the 9 p.m. show, we found a plate of small desserts and a 750 ml of Duc de Valmer Brut sparkling wine on our cocktail table. The note from the Hotel Director said extending a warm welcome to you as you continue on your next cruise with us. When we finish this eight night cruise we are staying on for a seven night cruise.

Tonight featured another full production company show called Rock City with tunes from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Up on Deck 10 by the outdoor pool there was a Full Moon Party with dance music provided by the Nu Image band and later the DJ. People were encouraged to wear white and enjoy the warm temperature.

Steps 9,550