Ahoy there, Tabitha, and welcome to planDisney! Your
Marvel Day at Sea cruise is sure to be an epic adventure, so I’m glad you sailed by with this question.
It’s been quite a few years since I’ve visited
Progreso on a
similar itinerary, but you are correct: to visit the beach, you will need to book a Port Adventure. In full disclosure, we didn’t experience the best weather on our day in port, so it wasn’t the ideal beach day. I can’t remember exactly which excursion we booked, but the beach area was fairly small and the sand was not as smooth as we were used to, especially compared to the beautiful beaches of Castaway Cay.
I can tell you that we booked the excursion because of a special we found on our
Disney Cruise Line Navigator app the day before we docked (It's my favorite way to save money!). I always prefer booking activities in the ports of call directly through Disney Cruise Line for two reasons: not only is each operator vetted by Disney, but when you book through DCL, you never have to worry about transportation in the port of call or the ship leaving without you.
Some of my
fellow planDisney pals had similar experiences with the beaches and also made another good point. They said some of the activities offered are spectacular, but you’ll want to pay attention to the travel time and distance between the port and the destination. For instance, with the
Family Fun Beach Day, it lists the activity duration at about 5 hours, but you’ll notice it’s about a 45-minute drive to the Beach Club, so you’ll only have about three hours there. I just wanted to make sure you saw these details before making your final booking decision.
I don’t know about you, but I love taking advantage of all the
Disney Magic has to offer while many Guests travel ashore on port days (like shorter lines on the AquaDunk!). But with Progreso being your only port of call on this itinerary, I also understand wanting to play with your family in the waves and sand.
Whatever you decide, Tabitha, you are sure to make magical memories to last a lifetime. If you think of any other questions before you set sail, I welcome you to visit us again here at
planDisney!
Bon voyage,
Sami