Exploring Mayan Ruins with Disney Cruise Line

Going on a Disney cruise is a great way to escape the long, chilly winter. I didn't think twice about booking my family a Caribbean cruise this past January. My oldest daughter was studying the Mayans and learning Spanish at school, so a cruise stopping in Progreso, Mexico was the perfect fit. My husband and I surprised the girls with the trip on Christmas and sailed out of Galveston, Texas on the Disney Magic three weeks later.

The cruise was scheduled to stop at Cozumel and Progreso. While I love my beach time, I was most enthusiastic about visiting Progreso and exploring the Mayan Ruins. Disney offers several port adventures to the Mayan Ruins. After a little research I chose the Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins port adventure. Chichen Itza is recognized as one of the seven new wonders of the world. Although Chichen Itza is a 130-minute drive from the Progreso port, which was a slight downside, it seemed worth it for this exciting adventure.

Well, as much I planned and prepared for our Chichen Itza port adventure, the weather had different plans! We experienced very rough seas and heavy winds the night before our stop in Progreso. I received an alert on my phone that our Chichen Itza port adventure had been canceled. Since it wasn't guaranteed we could dock on time the 130-minute drive made this adventure no longer viable. As you can imagine, we were a bit disappointed.

This disappointment was short-lived. I headed to the port adventures desk on board for assistance. The crew member was very knowledgeable and helpful and booked us the Uxmal Mayan Ruins port adventure. This Mayan site was only a 90-minute drive from the port!

My experience kept getting better. The next morning we got up excited for our Mayan ruin adventure. The tour guides greeted us with an air-conditioned bus at the Progresso port, sharing fascinating facts about Progreso and the Uxmal Mayan Ruins along the way to the ruins. Our guide shared these impressive ruins are less visited than Chichen Itza because they are not as close to Cozumel which receives a lot more cruise ships. Progreso averages about 25 cruise ships a month and its primary industry is fishing not tourism. Our guide also shared the current US dollar to peso conversion rate which was very helpful.

Once we arrived at the Uxmal Mayan Ruins we had a guided tour. Our guide spoke English, and most other people who worked there did not. We were given history, able to ask questions and had time to walk around. There were very few people there. There were no other tour groups at the time we visited. I'm very happy with the pictures we were able to capture with so few people. There are a few small shops, drink stands and a restaurant. We grabbed frozen drinks for the kids before heading out. If we had more time I would have like to eat at the restaurant and enjoy some authentic Mexican food. Our experience was wonderful. The only upgrade I would add to this experience is a little more time!

If you want to visit Progreso and experience the Uxmal Mayan Ruins Disney Cruise Line currently offers 4 to 5 night cruises out of Galveston sailing November through March!

Would you like to learn more about a cruise with Disney? I'm Irene, a travel agent with Mouseketrips, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and I would love to work with you! My planning services are free, and I price monitor to save you time and money! Request a no obligation quote here or email me Irene@mouseketrips.com with any cruising questions!