My Cuba Cruise

Try clicking on the link to the name 'Panorama' in this article:-

[url]http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=6330[/url]

Now that is a pretty boat - just the sort of thing my husband likes to dream about. His head is in the clouds tough as we could not afford that sort of cruise. Edited July 29, 2015 by tring

[quote name='tring']Now that is a pretty boat - just the sort of thing my husband likes to dream about. His head is in the clouds tough as we could not afford that sort of cruise.[/QUOTE]


Me, too!

I have always wanted to go on a tall ship (Star Clippers) with a sports platform and a crows nest that passengers are allowed to climb up to and sit on the cozy settee. How cool would that be!

That is on the top of my to do list as soon as I cash in the $30,000,000 lottery ticket that is sitting in my purse. I haven't checked it yet, but I have a good feeling.

[quote name='burm']Me, too!

I have always wanted to go on a tall ship (Star Clippers) with a sports platform and a crows nest that passengers are allowed to climb up to and sit on the cozy settee. How cool would that be!

That is on the top of my to do list as soon as I cash in the $30,000,000 lottery ticket that is sitting in my purse. I haven't checked it yet, but I have a good feeling.[/quote]


Brilliant.

Barbara

[quote name='burm']That is a really interesting looking ship. The lowest level of balconies looks barely above water level. It would be pretty scary during a storm with rough seas.

[IMG]http://images.cruisecritic.com/news/2015/pearl-mist.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
That would be scary even in the waves when Cristal was leaving Montego Bay with the water hitting your balcony door.



[quote name='burm']Me, too!
I have always wanted to go on a tall ship (Star Clippers) with a sports platform and a crows nest that passengers are allowed to climb up to and sit on the cozy settee. How cool would that be!

That is on the top of my to do list as soon as I cash in the $30,000,000 lottery ticket that is sitting in my purse. I haven't checked it yet, but I have a good feeling.[/QUOTE]
Cam and I will volunteer to be your paid guests for some company.

There was a tall ship moored adjacent to the Crystal on our last cruise. We noted how young and fit the passengers were as we understood they too had a hand in the workload aboard. We are long past that but for the young it must be most invigorating.

We agree, the Pearl looks more suited for the Mississippi than the waters around Cuba. And again when one adds the additional costs to do, see and experience the same itinerary as the Crystal, the ship would have to be mighty luxurious and with the most unlikely superior service to justify the additional cost.

And burm as long as that ticket remains unread and in your purse it is worth $30,000,000. So sell the purse.....

[quote name='ONT-CA']There was a tall ship moored adjacent to the Crystal on our last cruise. We noted how young and fit the passengers were as we understood they too had a hand in the workload aboard. We are long past that but for the young it must be most invigorating.

We agree, the Pearl looks more suited for the Mississippi than the waters around Cuba. And again when one adds the additional costs to do, see and experience the same itinerary as the Crystal, the ship would have to be mighty luxurious and with the most unlikely superior service to justify the additional cost.

And burm as long as that ticket remains unread and in your purse it is worth $30,000,000. So sell the purse.....[/QUOTE]

I don't want to go on one of the tall ships that make you work!!!! (Although of course I would fit in with all those young and fit people ;))

Ron, I would be very happy to sell you the purse at it's true value- $30,000,300. I would be pleased to refund a full 50% of the money if the ticket does not win. You could keep the purse.

Oh, wow... I had not heard about the Pearl Mist sailing to Cuba. The Pearl Mist is a gorgeous ship. I toured the ship last year in Windsor, Ontario. If you think the balconies on the sides are low to the water, check out what the stern looks like:

[IMG]https://scontent.fdtw1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/1610816_735357406539056_4850779788646943941_n.jpg?oh=f73571c2ed439bf5f75c8b5b6dc7796f&oe=560F72D9[/IMG]

I found it incredible that the ship is constructed this way, as it seems easily vulnerable to the waves on the Great Lakes, not to mention the Caribbean... They have already sailed a winter season in the Caribbean, so presumably it does hold up somehow.

Thanks for sharing that photo of the back of the ship. Wow!

I think I would be sleeping with my life jacket on.

Kerri, if I win the $30 mil, I would be happy to have you as our guests.

[quote name='burm']
Kerri, if I win the $30 mil, I would be happy to have you as our guests.[/QUOTE]
Yes! Woo Hoo! ( fist pump)

[quote name='burm']Ron, I would be very happy to sell you the purse at it's true value- $30,000,300. I would be pleased to refund a full 50% of the money if the ticket does not win. You could keep the purse.[/QUOTE]

This brings back memories (long long long ago) of my first visit to the race track. I anxiously awaited to see the winner receive his purse...

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"][COLOR="Purple"][B]We had booked this cruise back in March after following along with this thread for the past 2 seasons. I feel as if I already know many of you as I contribute regularly to a thread that includes Kerri, Burm and Jo. I just started following again because I know there are many great tips posted by previous visitors aboard this ship. I am aware that the itinerary has changed but still should be able to benefit form your shared knowledge.

We will sail from Montego Bay on Jan 22 because we are travelling with dear friends of ours that we met while cruising around South America in 2010. I cannot express how excited we are to be going on this fantastic voyage and seeing the places, meeting the people, experiencing the adventure of all that is Cuba and exploring what the Crystal has to offer. The idea of perhaps travelling with a full ship as opposed to your former less than full cruises is a little disconcerting, but even the tp situation in not new to us and therefore not a problem. I may from time to time have some questions for you experienced Cuba cruisers and will pose them here. Ron, it is my understanding that you are booked again for sailing in the new season, and I wonder if we will be able to meet up. I certainly hope so as it is my understanding that we are almost neighbours. We live just south of Bancroft with plans to move to Kingston in the spring.

Every time I log in to this thread, I get just a little more excited about the upcoming adventure and often get that familiar feeling I experienced as a kid early on Christmas morning. That is entirely due to the wonderful way you guys have expressed your joy about your Cuban adventure over the past seasons. So thanks very much. I look forward to continuing to chat with you over the next few months as part of the cruise anticipation.

Nikki[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] Edited July 30, 2015 by gubby

[quote name='gubby'][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"][COLOR="Purple"][B]Every time I log in to this thread, I get just a little more excited about the upcoming adventure and often get that familiar feeling I experienced as a kid early on Christmas morning. That is entirely due to the wonderful way you guys have expressed your joy about your Cuban adventure over the past seasons. Nikki[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

It is a pleasure to share of love of cruising and the various ports with kindred spirits. Most people we know in "real life" do not share this passion.

I believe that all the cruiselines should do more for Cruise Critic groups. Not only does this forum feed our addiction (Like you, Nikki, we would never have heard of Cuban Cruise were it not for CC. There is nothing like chatting with hundreds of cruise addicts daily for making us HAVE to book that next cruise)

Not only do we provide free marketing for the cruiselines, we also provide free passenger opinions, quality control, etc. The president of Oceania cruiseline used to claim he read every single post in their forum to see what was going on. Companies pay plenty of money for that kind of research. Yet Oceania does nothing other than provide a space for get togethers. We were already paying for that space with the purchase of our ticket. All they are are doing, basically, is making sure there are sufficient bartenders on hand.

Did I go off on a tangent? LOL.

I wouldn't worry about a full Louis. It is not an overly large ship.

We just have to worry about all those other ships! :p

One of the nice things about there now being competition for the Crystal is that when we read a nit picking complaint about a minor situation aboard our magnificent but elderly ship, we will then be able to say, "You could always try Brand X" without the need to add "at double the price."

And you are correct burm, these postings are directly responsible for doubling the number of passengers who have been welcomed aboard the Crystal. The interests expressed for what a full house might bring are not as much of a concern to us as is the introduction of groups.
It is our understanding that group bookings are not only being offered but may in fact be sold out. However with so much shore leave allotted within this cruise I can't see it being much of a problem. Certainly not like a trans Atlantic.

[quote name='gubby'][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"][COLOR="Purple"][B]... Ron, it is my understanding that you are booked again for sailing in the new season, and I wonder if we will be able to meet up. I certainly hope so as it is my understanding that we are almost neighbours. We live just south of Bancroft with plans to move to Kingston in the spring...
Nikki[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

Yes, we will be coming aboard when you reach Havana so we have a few days to catch up to one another. As mentioned we are in Cabin 6000. I'm sure you know and are accustomed to Kingston in making plans to move there. We fortunately are in one of the outskirt villages. I say fortunately as having been in town today handling the beginnings of the long weekend traffic it brought back memories of my living in the three largest cities in Canada. The secret of Kingston is out I guess. Like ourselves, many of the residents or large urban centres have and are heading our way upon retirement. I hope you are prepared for the "big time" :D

Chimo

Ron Edited August 1, 2015 by ONT-CA

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"][COLOR="Purple"][B]Ron, we went to school and I began my teaching career in Kingston. This was the first place we lived after getting married, so it seems quite appropriate that we move back there. One son lives in Belleville and our younger son and now our DGD are in Ottawa, so we will be closer to the entire family.

I began going through this entire thread this week, and have been cutting and pasting tips so that I can re-organize and compile a booklet to help make plans for our January cruise.

I made note of your cabin, Ron, and will make contact when you embark in Havana.

Nikki[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

We booked the Cuba cruise for Jan 8,2016 on Celestyal Crystal , Should be interesting. Our departure port is Montego Bay Jamaica, We are with a group. We know very little however, it sounds like a trip of a lifetime, She had an accident with a barge in June 2015 . Back on the sea according to other posts???

[quote name='Marco4444']We booked the Cuba cruise for Jan 8,2016 on Celestyal Crystal , Should be interesting. Our departure port is Montego Bay Jamaica, We are with a group. We know very little however, it sounds like a trip of a lifetime, She had an accident with a barge in June 2015 . Back on the sea according to other posts???[/QUOTE]

Welcome to the Cuba Cruisers. Yes, the Crystal is back in service and will be making the trans Atlantic crossing in December. There are two aspects to this cruise. One you will be going to a country that has been in isolation for a long long time and as a result the commercial trash we became accustomed to in other Caribbean ports is missing. :) There is no question you are in another land. Things are old but fun and memorable. The people are delighted to see us and it shows. The overnight in Havana is new allowing time for the tastes of the Cuban night life. VIVE LA DIFFÉRENCE

The other is the ship. She is not new but in very good shape with a lot of hands-on labour moving about to keep her that way. The staff are comprised of many cultures and speak many languages. There are a lot of staff who are Cuban who to us have been the joy that has made us want to return for this our third season. There is no formality in dress, with much to occupy you while aboard including the abundant sunshine up on deck. What more?

What is the best clothing for this cruise? I usually cruise on Holland America and see by the comments that this boat is more casual. Also what to wear in Cuba? I am on the December 18th cruise leaving from Montego Bay. Can't wait for this cruise.

[quote name='aqhaone']What is the best clothing for this cruise? I usually cruise on Holland America and see by the comments that this boat is more casual. Also what to wear in Cuba? I am on the December 18th cruise leaving from Montego Bay. Can't wait for this cruise.[/QUOTE]

On the assumption that we are referring to male attire, when the [I]Daily News[/I] bulletin calls for CASUAL in the dinning room, it states the following:
"Passengers are reminded that the wearing of tank tops, flip flops and swimwear is not permitted in the Restaurants at any time (shorts may be worn at breakfast and lunch only - not at dinner time) and that the Restaurants are non-smoking areas."
So for dinner, men wear either slacks, chinos, or "dress" jeans (no holes) with an open collared shirt. There was one ELEGANT ATIRE OPTIONAL evening where men added to that a jacket or a blazer and with some a shirt and tie. A Tux in my opinion would be out of place. But in Cuba a guayabera shirt is considered most formal and while very casual by our standard, some including myself will wear one of these on that evening. A quick check on the net will show you this style of shirt and if you can't purchase one locally then they are found reasonably priced throughout Cuba. And finally there was one CASUAL ALL WHITE evening which I wonder if it will be repeated due to either lack of interest or availability to comply.

I will leave the ladies attire to another poster.

As to what to wear while touring Cuba, with the heat and humidity just dress as one would at home when going to the beach. We saw no dress code in any restaurant. Edited August 5, 2015 by ONT-CA

[quote name='aqhaone']What is the best clothing for this cruise? I usually cruise on Holland America and see by the comments that this boat is more casual. Also what to wear in Cuba? I am on the December 18th cruise leaving from Montego Bay. Can't wait for this cruise.[/QUOTE]
Never done a HAL cruise, but the only difference between this cruise and our others was that I didn't take a cocktail dress and heels because I was trying to pack smarter since there was only one dress up night.
In Cuba I wore shorts, capris or skorts with t-shirts. I also take two dresses that I dress up or down to do casual dinners and excursions or a cover up. I rotate and mix up some of my day wear into casual dinners before to save on packing since I don't wear them long at night. I have an Excel spreadsheet that I do all my vacation clothes on to help me plan. I don't look at it on the ship though.
For the dress up night I took black dress pants and a lace top. I also wore the pants with different tops on two casual nights.

Dh wore shorts and t-shirts on board and in ports.
Dinners he wore long pants and a casual button up shirt or golf shirt.
This was the only cruise so far that he did not bother to pack a suit and he wore dress pants with a long sleeved shirt and tie for the dress up night.

I don't recall an all white evening on our cruise. Edited August 5, 2015 by KandCsailing

Do men really need to wear a jacket for the 'elegant attire' evening or would a smart shirt and tie suffice? Bringing a jacket across the Atlantic to be worn on one evening of a four week holiday seems a bit excessive. Buying a special shirt that will only be worn once in a lifetime seems a bit silly as well.

We are normally very happy to have formal clothes with us for a longer cruise but in this case it is a bit of a problem. Edited August 5, 2015 by tring

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"][COLOR="Purple"][B]DH did a dance when I told him about the casual dress code for this cruise. He hates hauling shirts and ties, dress pants and jackets to wear one or two nights on a cruise. However, as this is my only chance to dress up, he does it. I will bring a dress and a couple of tops to wear with black pants. That way, I will feel like I am dressing up and DH can wear dressier golf pant and a nice polo shirt. We will both feel comfy and happy. We need to fit everything into a carryon each as we will be leaving from our winter home in S/C. We need to pack well as our vehicle needs to carry all we need ( including golf clubs) for our three months away. And I need room to carry new purchases back home.

Pants and tops and a sundress should fit the bill ( and the carryon) nicely.

Nikki[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[quote name='tring']Do men really need to wear a jacket for the 'elegant attire' evening or would a smart shirt and tie suffice? Bringing a jacket across the Atlantic to be worn on one evening of a four week holiday seems a bit excessive. Buying a special shirt that will only be worn once in a lifetime seems a bit silly as well.

We are normally very happy to have formal clothes with us for a longer cruise but in this case it is a bit of a problem.[/QUOTE]

I certainly would NOT bring a jacket on Cuba Cruise. Those that do must feel compelled to but they are by far the minority. As far as the Guaybara shirt is concerned do not sell the idea short. They are comfortable, easy to care for, have four handy pockets and help to conceal the waist line. :D I wear mine to local summer functions as they denote something above casual. Edited August 6, 2015 by ONT-CA

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[quote name='tring']Do men really need to wear a jacket for the 'elegant attire' evening or would a smart shirt and tie suffice? Bringing a jacket across the Atlantic to be worn on one evening of a four week holiday seems a bit excessive. Buying a special shirt that will only be worn once in a lifetime seems a bit silly as well.

We are normally very happy to have formal clothes with us for a longer cruise but in this case it is a bit of a problem.[/QUOTE]
No, a jacket is not required. Dh wore dress pants with a long-sleeved shirt and tie. There were many different looks on even all the men on board.
When I googled Guaybara shirt I found that Dh already owed two similar looks that he always takes for casual nights. Similar to a bowling style shirt.