After sailing Carnival said they could not take us to Cozumenl due to engine trouble. They took us to Prgresso, Mexico and told us it was just as good as Cozumel. Progresso is a very poor town and did not at all compare to Cozumel. The ocean was dirty and everything seemed to be deserted. A local woman offered her 1 month old baby to one of the cruisers to take back to the US.
Carnival stated that in order to exit the ship while in Progresso we had to purchase our excursions before disembsrking, as once off the ship no excursions would be available. We paid $75.00 each for a trip to an all inclusive resort that included all the hotel amenities with a full lunch.instead we could only have snacks and were told we could not have the lunch.
We were also promised an option to stop in town for shopping before returning to the ship, but this was not offered from the tour operator. We learned later that several people purchased the same excursion directly from the tour operator after disembarking for $30.00.
Others in our group purchased an excursion that included a 35 minute horse back ride along the beach for $95.00 each with a 1 1/2 hour stop at the beach club. On the tour bus en route to the excursion the tour operator said there had been a "slight" change and that 3 of the horses were sick. 4 horses were still available, but 1 was needed for the guide and 1 for the bodyguard (!!), so only 2 people could ride at a time and for only 15 minutes.
Since we were already on the bus, it was too late to get a refund and they had to go ahead with the excursion. How ridicuous! No discout was offered and they clearly had knowledge of the ill horses before the tour buss left the dock. This was another pre-conceived plan to rip off passengers.
We also learned that the ship completely stopped at 1:30 am about 15 miles off shore from Progresso and waited several hours before continuing to the dock early the next morning. Clearly we had plenty of time to make it to Cozumel. When we arrived in Galveston Monday morning the engine trouble was "miraculously" fixed and the next group of passengers were going to Cozumel. We also learned Carnival did this same thing a few weeks earlier and took their passengers to Progresso.
Carnival gave everyone a $50.00 credit on their ship charges, but this does not begin to cover the disapointment. I strongly suspect that Carnival owns the resort in Progresso that most of the passengers went to. The resort was deserted when we arrived and it was clear that our tour was a huge boost to the financial influx of the day.
I would never have agreed to go on a cruise to Progresso and feel this was a deliberate decision by Carnival to intentionally mislead and trap people into going to a lower quality destination.
I will NEVER cruise with Carnival again!
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