My Cuba Cruise

Hi Barbara. This was our experience on disembarking.

 

All that being said...in your case collect your luggage and head away from the buses and confusion. The old square is right across the street and you can wait there and enjoy people and car watching. A 12:30 pick up would be lots of time and likely too much. I would suggest 11:30. Any transport you arrange should wait, although there are lots of taxis right there at the port and square all the time so I would not bother with pre-arrangements and waiting.

 

Hope this helps.

Thank you very much for that, it makes the situation much clearer. We do not speak Spanish and from details on TA it seems that picking up a taxi on the day will leave us paying a lot more for what is likely to be a less reliable vehicle than those used by the transfer company we have identified. So we will go for the pre booking, but your suggestion of 11.30am sounds good. That will get us to our hotel in Varadero for about 2pm.

Looking at pictures on Google Earth there are lots of cafes iat the beginning of a road called Oficious, just the other side of Lonja del Comercio, which is opposite the cruise terminal to the RHS of the square. So we can sit in one of those cafes if we are off the ship earlier. It sounds like we may want to get off the ship reasonably early to make sure our luggage does not go missing! We will be in Cuba for 4 weeks in all and have booked premium flights from the UK, so we will have a fair bit of luggage.

Thanks again, your help is very much appreciated,

Barbara

It would be a good idea to collect your luggage as the area did not seem very secure to us. It was hundreds of bags all sitting in the open bus terminal. It would likely be fine for awhile but it would be hard to relax on the ship while worrying about luggage. Too bad as the ship's card is good until midnight.

Varadero amenities may be disappointing after the week onboard. The beach will be perfect though.

I got that impression about luggage after you gave your disembarkation experiences. Perhaps we will aim to get off early and debunk to one of those cafes across the square.

The person who organises the transfers is apparently prepared to have email exchanges if necessary, so we can ask his opinion on how to arrange meeting up, but it would be nice not to head off on the road too early anyway.

We will have had ten nights in Havana pre cruise, (one of which we may actually spend in Vinales) and we will travel out here and there from Varadero, as we did a couple of years ago, so it should not be too bad, even though it is out on a limb. We did an overnight to Cienfuegos, Trinidad and Santa Clara on our last visit as well as other things. We are staying at the same beach hotel (Blau Varadero), which was excellent compared to ones we have visited around the world and constantly has good reviews - books up very early though. We initially planned just 4 nights in Varadero this time, but for not much more we got another week so decided it had to be 11 nights.

We have got one of the new balconies on the ship, so that should help with the disadvantages of being at sea, but we tend to travel on smaller (and hence older), ships all the time, so know what to expect - well apart from the toilet problems that is. I do not understand why they do not sort the plumbing out, but Greece is well known for that being the norm, so that is presumably why they get away with it most of the time.

Two weeks we will be in Havana, so not long now,

Thanks again for all your help,

Barbara

We will be taking Euros to be able use the slots in the casino. In the slight chance that we don’t win and wish to continue playing, can we buy Euros at the casino on our shipboard account?

Cheers,

Don

We never entered the casino, but they were handing out fake USD to spend inside, and from what we heard, was USD to play. Not sure if Euros were still accepted.

On the fake $10 USD bill "money" it says Complimentary non-cashable 1 voucher per person per night. Can be played at American roulette, Black Jack tables, or slot machines together with cash $10.

We had a fantastic trip to Cuba returning last Friday, Feb 5th through Charlotte NC for our US entry port. I had read that most people didn't have any issues upon returning from Cuba and the site info for US travelers on yourcubacruise.com assured us also : "If you receive a customs form to complete or are asked by US immigration or customs officials what countries you have visited, do not hesitate to say Cuba. This is a completely legal trip. You are allowed to bring back $400 of goods purchased in Cuba with up to $100 in rum and cigars (plus unlimited value of art and informational materials)." Other US visitors had written to print out and take your p2p documents although they had not been asked for them. Since our experience was different, I wanted to share.

We did put down that we visited both Jamaica and Cuba on our forms. We were questioned on our initial customs stop and then unknown to us were stamped for secondary customs questioning. When we reported for the 2nd questioning, we were questioned why we went and did we have a license and paperwork proving our license? I gave them our p2p paperwork and the lady questioning us read through it all and them said she was going to have to talk to her supervisor. Upon return, she told us that we were not allowed to bring anything back into the US from Cuba and would have to search all our bags. We had brought back minimal items: 1 bottle of rum, t-shirt, and other little items totaling $48. We had to tell her each item that she removed that was from Cuba. Then she conferred with her supervisor again, finally allowed us to keep our items. We were informed again that we were not allowed to bring anything back because we didn't come directly to the US from Cuba and that they were letting us bring those items in even though not allowed. I told her that I had checked the state department site before leaving and I didn't see anything about that requirement. She said the rules were constantly changing and what was in effect today might not be the same yesterday or tomorrow. She again informed me that was the rule and not to trust "these groups". Now, I completely believe that the People to People group is legal and our trip was also. We followed the program completely and brought back very little. My reason for posting this is to be sure that the US passengers do have your p2p paperwork with you just in case and to know that we did have this experience in Charlotte. Maybe the customs official was just having a bad Friday night. Go and enjoy but have your paperwork with you just in case. I think ours was the exception not the rule.

I have just been looking at photographs posted with a new review of the ship and one shows a tiny wardrobe with very little hanging space and no full length hanging space at all. That picture is of an inside cabin, whilst we are booked on an outside towards the front of deck six, (light blue on deck plan). I think it was called an XE grade, but it now has one of the new balconies.

We will be in Cuba for four weeks and intend to take three suitcases between us as we have a hold baggage allowance of 30kgs each, though we hope not to have to unpack all for the cruise. Does anyone know what the wardrobe and other storage space is like in those cabins or similar ones on deck seven, (shown in pink)?

Will we be able to fit suitcases under the beds? We are thinking of taking a couple of hard cases which will open in two halves and can usually slide under cabin beds when open, to effectively be used as extra drawers. That will make it easier to just unpack part of a case.

I need to decide which cases and belongings to pack within the next few days as we fly out on the 19th. February.

Any help appreciated,

Barbara

We had a fantastic trip to Cuba returning last Friday, Feb 5th through Charlotte NC for our US entry port. I had read that most people didn't have any issues upon returning from Cuba and the site info for US travelers on yourcubacruise.com assured us also : "If you receive a customs form to complete or are asked by US immigration or customs officials what countries you have visited, do not hesitate to say Cuba. This is a completely legal trip. You are allowed to bring back $400 of goods purchased in Cuba with up to $100 in rum and cigars (plus unlimited value of art and informational materials)." Other US visitors had written to print out and take your p2p documents although they had not been asked for them. Since our experience was different, I wanted to share.

We did put down that we visited both Jamaica and Cuba on our forms. We were questioned on our initial customs stop and then unknown to us were stamped for secondary customs questioning. When we reported for the 2nd questioning, we were questioned why we went and did we have a license and paperwork proving our license? I gave them our p2p paperwork and the lady questioning us read through it all and them said she was going to have to talk to her supervisor. Upon return, she told us that we were not allowed to bring anything back into the US from Cuba and would have to search all our bags. We had brought back minimal items: 1 bottle of rum, t-shirt, and other little items totaling $48. We had to tell her each item that she removed that was from Cuba. Then she conferred with her supervisor again, finally allowed us to keep our items. We were informed again that we were not allowed to bring anything back because we didn't come directly to the US from Cuba and that they were letting us bring those items in even though not allowed. I told her that I had checked the state department site before leaving and I didn't see anything about that requirement. She said the rules were constantly changing and what was in effect today might not be the same yesterday or tomorrow. She again informed me that was the rule and not to trust "these groups". Now, I completely believe that the People to People group is legal and our trip was also. We followed the program completely and brought back very little. My reason for posting this is to be sure that the US passengers do have your p2p paperwork with you just in case and to know that we did have this experience in Charlotte. Maybe the customs official was just having a bad Friday night. Go and enjoy but have your paperwork with you just in case. I think ours was the exception not the rule.

We had friends on the Jan 22 trip (we had to cancel). They also came into Charlotte and they said that it was really chaotic, had to jump through extra hoops, etc. and they almost didn't make their connection, but they were not asked for the P2P forms. Unfortunately, you just can't argue with people at customs and immigration - like you said, have the required papers with you.

HI all!

Some interesting & helpful discussions going on on this thread!:D

I've been reading the reviews & everybody seems to love the cruise especially Havana.

I can hardly wait 'til Ron gets back to see what he thought of the new cruise. I see they don't have all the flowers on the outside of the ship that they had previously. It also doesn't seem they have the Steak house.

We took the Pride of Panama cruise on Thomson Dream which we'd seen on the Cuba cruise & really enjoyed it. It also has an itinerary which overnights in Havana.

Happy Valentine's Day!

~ Jo ~ :)

I have just been looking at photographs posted with a new review of the ship and one shows a tiny wardrobe with very little hanging space and no full length hanging space at all. That picture is of an inside cabin, whilst we are booked on an outside towards the front of deck six, (light blue on deck plan). I think it was called an XE grade, but it now has one of the new balconies.

 

We will be in Cuba for four weeks and intend to take three suitcases between us as we have a hold baggage allowance of 30kgs each, though we hope not to have to unpack all for the cruise. Does anyone know what the wardrobe and other storage space is like in those cabins or similar ones on deck seven, (shown in pink)?

 

Will we be able to fit suitcases under the beds? We are thinking of taking a couple of hard cases which will open in two halves and can usually slide under cabin beds when open, to effectively be used as extra drawers. That will make it easier to just unpack part of a case.

 

I need to decide which cases and belongings to pack within the next few days as we fly out on the 19th. February.

 

Any help appreciated,

 

Barbara

We had a new balcony cabin on deck 6 as well. Loved it! We felt it was spacious with more than adequate storage, although we packed for 1 week, not 4.

The large suitcase did fit under the bed with some pushing. We always take extra hangers everywhere we go. There was a large shelf for shoes along the bottom of the closet to use if you removed the life vests and placed them above where the extra pillows go. The wardrobe had 3 doors and 2 sections. The single door section was good for hubby to hang his shirts and also contained a bank of drawers. The double door part has the safe, shelves and larger hanging space to one side. It had 2 bathrobes and extra pillows in there too.

The closet is a little short if hanging a long dress but good for sun dresses.

The shower had a sliding door...very good water pressure and lots of hot water. There was a storage shelf under the sink in the bathroom.

Note: I suggest to pack facecloths as there were none provided, typical in Cuba, so we had our own packed and never ask if they had any.

We were very comfortable and got a lot of use of the balcony and our binoculars.

We had a new balcony cabin on deck 6 as well. Loved it! We felt it was spacious with more than adequate storage, although we packed for 1 week, not 4.

 

The large suitcase did fit under the bed with some pushing. We always take extra hangers everywhere we go. There was a large shelf for shoes along the bottom of the closet to use if you removed the life vests and placed them above where the extra pillows go. The wardrobe had 3 doors and 2 sections. The single door section was good for hubby to hang his shirts and also contained a bank of drawers. The double door part has the safe, shelves and larger hanging space to one side. It had 2 bathrobes and extra pillows in there too.

The closet is a little short if hanging a long dress but good for sun dresses.

 

The shower had a sliding door...very good water pressure and lots of hot water. There was a storage shelf under the sink in the bathroom.

Note: I suggest to pack facecloths as there were none provided, typical in Cuba, so we had our own packed and never ask if they had any.

 

We were very comfortable and got a lot of use of the balcony and our binoculars.

Thanks very much for that, it is really useful. We were not going to take our binoculars, but as we are on the port side of the ship, land should be visible at times so we may see if we can manage them.

I am just trying t get my head round what to put in which case as we have three different bases (10 nights, then cruise, then 11 nights). I am thinking of using at least two hard cases which will open in two so we could just have them open and can leave some things in them.

Thanks again,

Barbara

Barbara, they offer same day laundry service onboard. I looked up the info on one of our daily's. Fill the bag provided with as many items will fit in and they will wash and fold for $24.95. Wash, press and fold is $29.95 per bag.

With 4 weeks to pack for I would be using that service! I find I like to wear the most comfortable things over again. It is casual onboard although a few did have really formal wear for Wednesday night at the Captains cocktail party. Not many ties to be seen but there were some.

You will likely have the same team of room stewards as we did. I wish I had gotten the one lady's name, she spoke terrific English and was always smiling. She always had a few kind words to say. She was from the Maria la Gorda area and her Mom is a huge baseball fan. Anyway, she is a pleasure to see coming to and from your cabin.

Have a wonderful trip!

t is casual onboard although a few did have really formal wear for Wednesday night at the Captains cocktail party. Not many ties to be seen but there were some.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

You say it is casual on board. My clothes are not a big problem as I use sleeveless T shirts and over tops of differing qualities depending on how 'posh' I want to be. My husband is not so easy - do most men tend to wear shirts in the evening or do some just wear decent polo shirts? He is taking a good, long sleeved shirt and poss a tie for the formal night, but was thinking of mainly short sleeved shirts for other evenings.

The laundry sounds worthwhile, The 'per item' prices can work out to be quite a bit. I would be cautious about putting any good things in there though as we have had items shrunk on a Costa ship in the Far East.

I will look out for your stewardess.

Cheers,

Barbara

Polo shirts will be fine. It was warm in the evenings even at the open air bar I did not need a sweater or long sleeves. None of the bar/ lounge areas are formal and a lot of men wore walking shorts all the time except to the a la carte dinners. Even in there shorts are fine at lunch time.

Thanks again Bryna123. I have just looked a photos from a few reviews of Paladares on TA as well, (since are spending 10 nights in Havana), and the dress looked fairly mixed there as well.

That information is very helpful in deciding what to take. It also means that when we decide to get a bit more dressed up, it will feel like more of an occasion.

Well I had best get some sleep, then attack the packing.

Will write a review when we eventually get back, but I may take a bit of time before I get around to it. That is the main problem with going away for a month at a time - we tend to come back exhausted!!

Cheers,

Barbara

Firstly, Transat has several and different flight to Cuba. I believe if you booked the package, cruise plus air you will be taken to Veradero with appropriate land transportation. But we booked our cruise first a year ago and then later made our reservation with Transat. This Transat flight arrives at Ciudad Libertad Airport. Those previous years flights with Air Canada went into Havana's Jose Marti International and main airport. You know me, a pictures is worth a thousand words.

 

Attached

 

http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag158/ONT-CA/Cuban%20airports_zps5ata5pnj.jpg

I must apologize for this misinformation. Our Transat documents said that we would land and take off from Havana at the Cludad Libertad Airport. As we arrived late we were none the wiser of the fact that we landed at Jose Marti. And when it came time to come home we had to fight with the diver not to take us to Jose Marti. But in fact the flight did leave from here. Apparently the old airport no longer is in use. When we asked Transat why our documents read Cludad Libertad they just shrugged and said they did not know why. Nice

We never entered the casino, but they were handing out fake USD to spend inside, and from what we heard, was USD to play. Not sure if Euros were still accepted.

On the fake $10 USD bill "money" it says Complimentary non-cashable 1 voucher per person per night. Can be played at American roulette, Black Jack tables, or slot machines together with cash $10.

The Casino operates in US dollars. (Ignore the Euro signs). Slots take 5-10 and 20 denominations. The promotion with the "fake"10 dollar US bill works like this. Give the Casino cashier the "fake" bill plus a real 10 dollar US bill and they will give you back a 20 US dollar bill with which to play either the tables or the slots. But this transaction of this exchange took slightly longer than it did the machine to gobble up the 20 bucks... We then left as I think most people did.

PS Slots vary with 2 cent, 5 cent and 25 cent. The larger denomination were ignored

Hope to see you onboard in Feb/March oneidealvacation. We are in our mid sixties and my husband is 6 foot with a beard. I always wear glasses and am average size with shortish hair, probably brown - but that depends if I have got the hair dye out! I also blink more than normal because of a medical condition. We should be able to make better plans nearer the time.

 

Barbara

The time is drawing near :) I will be in 6017; from what I recall your stateroom is in the same vicinity. We may wind up at the same muster station. Looking forward to meeting you and hearing about your journey. Safe travels!

Kathryn

The time is drawing near :) I will be in 6017; from what I recall your stateroom is in the same vicinity. We may wind up at the same muster station. Looking forward to meeting you and hearing about your journey. Safe travels!

 

Kathryn

Yes, we are in 6011. We leave home for an airport hotel on Thurs and fly out Friday. The description I gave sounds awful - well there goes and I will not have time to get the hair dye out!

Just got to get some more weeds out of the garden and get the packing done now. Hope to see you in a couple of weeks.

Happy travels,

Barbara

CRUISES #4, #5 AND #6

THE DEAL

It was disconcerting to read a 2016 review that referred to the “nickel and diming” policies of this company, having so enjoyed the Cuba Cruise aboard the Celestyal Crystal for the past two years. But with this, our third year of cruises with her, I would expound on that and say that, at least to we Canadians we are being “Loonie & Toonied” * unashamedly. On but one page of the daily information sheet we find no fewer than twenty varied conditions, options and offerings, all preceded by the “$” sign. This is our first experience with any ship’s dining room where menu upgrades are being offered at a healthy price of from $15.00 - $35.00 per person per meal. This system was introduced in lieu of the specialty dining room. So while one may dine on a Ragout of sorts, your table mate may be enjoying a Filet Mignon. This applies even to the optional glass of fresh OJ, offered for $3.45 US but requiring an additional payment of only $1.90 US, should you have purchased the original drink package without the upgrade or super upgrade… All inclusive seems to be an oxymoron…

We were fortunate enough to have booked and paid in Canadian dollars. This included our tips (service charge) however we did decline the offered beverage package and shore excursions, the latter having been taken in previous cruises. But in order to actually consume the alcohol package so as to make it wise financial decision, one would have to, or as some should well have done, skipped dinner altogether. The expression “Booze Run” was used often during these cruises. But observed at times were those trying to get a waiters attention for a drink before dinner without much success. That said, passengers, perhaps somewhat vindictive, were observed ordering from their package to then only take a sip, place the drink on the table and leave for the dining room. Trays of unconsumed drinks, some brim full, were seen being returned to the bar and dumped. This obviously contributes to the costs and hence price of these packages. How we miss the sensible “2-4-1 Happy Hour” offered on our previous cruises. Our daily cocktail hour (and a half) came in at a fraction of the cost of that of the Booze Run packages, upgraded, multiple upgraded or not, and this involving my call brand, requiring preparatory mixing and served with appropriate and traditional garnishes. So being one cabin occupant ordering alcohol while the second, non-alcohol drinks without “plan” restrictions was of course the answer. I am led to believe that the inclusion of a drink package is now mandatory for both cabin occupants.

*The Canadian one dollar coin bears the image of the Loon, hence “Loonie”. The two dollar coin therefore, the “Toonie”

THE FOOD

Sustenance may be the best description of the food aboard the Crystal; wholesome and filling. But if you are seeking the fare once offered by the larger cruise lines, you will find it wanting. Currently the galley is turning out excellent pasta; al dente with simple and delicious dressings. This included the very good puttanesca with all the customary flavours and accoutrements in proper balance, unfortunately with the exception of garlic which the kitchen seems to administer with apprehension. But requesting additional garlic infused olive oil was met without hesitation.

Fish dishes are good; a nice piece of Cod cooked to perfection, the trusty staple Salmon in a pleasant Maple Syrup sauce, but also Flounder, a personal treat, and large tender shrimp served in the full shell were moist, delicious including the seldom served roe. So fish whether served lightly battered, stuffed or pan fried, was appreciated but with one exception, a disastrous mummified Swordfish, the spoiler of this category but perhaps a one off. However we did not attempt it again.

Meats were a carnivore’s nightmare! The entire category, beef, pork, chicken and lamb was a disappointment in both quality of preparation and presentation. On one offering the pork was so over cooked that the sinuous remains, void of protein had been infused with salted gravy. Chicken a l’orange if there be such a thing was so dry and tough that even the skin was unpalatable. The beef presented at the carving station for the Sunday Brunch was a Cobbler’s dream in strength, durability and colour with a gristle content to support the heel. How, in budgetary restrictions, a simple, delicious, quantitative and inexpensive recipe like Chicken Provençale is not attempted, is a bewilderment. No kitchen is found without some fault but for this one to fail encompassing this entire viande category was disheartening. And this so unlike the previous years when we were guests aboard this ship. Whether by excessive budgetary constraints or perhaps a more cynical view that these were attempts to have us purchase upgraded food through the chargeable menus, it should be remembered that the reputation of any cruise line rests heavily upon its culinary offerings and the memories of such by its passengers.

THE STAFF

This is the highlight of this cruise. What wonderful people to have about you no matter where aboard. Friendly, courteous and efficient. Some with a marvelous sense of humour others also informative about the itinerary, excursions and especially about their home countries, for the crew is comprised of a sampling of United Nations. There is a team spirit here and the goal was obviously our comfort and satisfaction. There was less time to spend with them this year than previously due to the increase in the number of passengers. Because the dining room on the deck five in addition to the regular onion deck eight was open this year there were many familiar faces we seldom saw and with whom so little time to socialize. Appreciatively we have been drawn into the family circle as a result of the times we have spent aboard, they sharing with us the photos of crew members’ wedding that have occurred upon the bridge, introduction to family and friends aboard and their news since we were last aboard. A cruise can be so enhanced by taking the time and effort to get to know the staff and crew as we have, in treating them with respect as professionals and with financial expressions of gratitude where and when warranted.

CRUISE

Within our three rotations around Cuba, two of the three attempts to land at Maria De Gorda were successful and mercifully, rough seas prevented the third. I cannot see the value of a stop at a beach, any beach that, given its composition could be located anywhere. There are excellent beaches in the immediate vicinity of Havana if it be mandatory. But if it must be a beach call then they should return to Isla de la Juventud, chosen for the inaugural cruise and thereafter until this year. Here there is no rocky shoreline. Here the ship may anchor. At Maria la Gorda, due to the Coral reefs, ships may not anchor and can if they choose to visit just run their engines so as to maintain a constant navigation position. I bet we wasted so much fuel doing just that, perhaps more than enough to take us to the next port of call. And by marking time, those aboard were subjected to the constant rattle of this ship’s operation.

Note that at the new beach Maria la Gorda, one now pays for the Barbeque luncheon, whereas at the former, it was gratis…

Of the 8 cruises we have had with the Crystal we have never experienced such a rough ride as we did passing from Havana to Montego Bay, not even on the TA with them. Even the crew and staff agreed. As a matter of fact, we have never experienced such a rough ride on many cruise we have taken. Furniture tossed about, shelves emptied, and a sleepless night. All wondered if the stabilizers were inactive due to time constraints and delaying weather. Others came to the more obvious conclusion….The new balcony additions on each side at deck levels of 6 and 7

LANGUAGES

We all love our Cruise Director Danny and his ability to speak a multitude of languages. BUT…on these cruises every announcement was made in four languages; English, German, French and Spanish. When one is in cabin one can simply lift the receiver of their telephone and further announcements will cease (with the exception of safety announcements). However in the dining room, in the halls, on deck, in all public and private spaces these announcements border on a personality egotism to the point of passenger harassment. Yes, there are foreign passengers present but does that mean just because the announcements can be made in their language that they must? There were Chinese Passengers, there were Japanese passengers that survived the language barriers. All crew members are obliged to communicate with one another in English. By far the majority of passengers are now American due to the People To People program and I feel that international travellers are well accustomed to working around the language situation, enough so that announcements simply made in English would suffice. The MSC Opera with some 3500 passengers and docked alongside of us in the port of Havana were heard to make their public announcements in English only

Welcome home!

That is a good review for anyone taking this cruise for the ship experience and cruise only, but I hope for those taking it to experience a little of Cuba and be active can see past the negatives mentioned.

We loved this trip compared to other stays on land in Cuba, mostly due to the food, comfort and service offered onboard.

We are not cruise ship savvy and prefer land vacations, so our comparison would differ greatly from yours, which is good for all types of travellers looking at this trip.

We found the bar menu really varied and did not see the waste you described during our week. We had all inclusive everything package since we booked later when they had changed the packages, and compared to the one other cruise we were on, was a fantastic deal.

Food we found from good to very good. The roast meat stations were always satisfying, maybe luck of timing, not sure. :) Maybe we were so hungry from exploring we would have eaten a boot!

Thanks for sharing so quick after arriving home. I always need a vacation after the vacation and then the good memories hopefully take over any negatives. I did not enjoy the Transat travel portion of this trip.

I don't mean to totally contradict your review but wanted to point out how experiences can differ depending on expectations. I appreciate reading your opinion.

One other note on the stabilizers vs. new balconies. They are hydraulic fins and not as stable as a large ship, but there was a very bad weather system that turned a Royal Caribbean ship back on about Feb. 8th on the Eastern seaboard so maybe you experienced this?

Because the dining room on the deck five in addition to the regular onion deck eight was open this year

 

At Maria la Gorda, due to the Coral reefs, ships may not anchor and can if they choose to visit just run their engines so as to maintain a constant navigation position. I bet we wasted so much fuel doing just that, perhaps more than enough to take us to the next port of call. And by marking time, those aboard were subjected to the constant rattle of this ship’s operation.

 

Note that at the new beach Maria la Gorda, one now pays for the Barbeque luncheon, whereas at the former, it was gratis…

 

Of the 8 cruises we have had with the Crystal we have never experienced such a rough ride as we did passing from Havana to Montego Bay, not even on the TA with them. Even the crew and staff agreed. As a matter of fact, we have never experienced such a rough ride on many cruise we have taken. Furniture tossed about, shelves emptied, and a sleepless night. All wondered if the stabilizers were inactive due to time constraints and delaying weather. Others came to the more obvious conclusion….The new balcony additions on each side at deck levels of 6 and 7

Thank you for the updates, Ron. I can't say these changes sound like an improvement. If you could elaborate on the dining room situation, I'd be interested to know how the Deck 5 vs Deck 8 worked out. Was a specific restaurant assigned to passengers (based on cabin location, for example)?

I'm very surprised about the ship being required to keep the engines running the whole time off Maria La Gorda, but the reef explanation makes sense.

While I think the balconies sound like a fantastic upgrade (and I wish I had known ahead of time that they would be installed so I could have chosen one of what turned into instant upgrade rooms), you may be correct that they have possibly destabilized the vessel. The ship last year seemed remarkably steady and the sailing was very smooth, particularly for an older and smaller ship.

Oh well, in 2 weeks I'll be in warm temperatures and watching the sail away from Havana, so it's not all bad :cool:

HI all!

Ron ~ when did you get back & welcome home? The weather is atrocious today isn't it?:eek:

Very interesting to read your review of this year's cruise.

Did you happen to notice if Ricky was still on board as a photographer?

Do you think this is your last Crystal cruise?

I noticed in a photo the flower decorations outside the ship are gone & I presume inside too, correct?

Did you ever see Thomson Dream in Havana, that's the cruise we took this year to Panama & we really enjoyed it except for the bill in GBPs!!;)

Thanks for reporting back so quickly.

~ Jo ~ :)

Thank you for the updates, Ron. I can't say these changes sound like an improvement. If you could elaborate on the dining room situation, I'd be interested to know how the Deck 5 vs Deck 8 worked out. Was a specific restaurant assigned to passengers (based on cabin location, for example)?

Both dining rooms retained open seating but like ourselves the 8th floor room seemed to be preferred, for it was constantly queued up prior to opening. All hands were on deck at all times when taking down and relaying tables, waiters, captains and even the maitre d', Carlos. The room remained busy right up to closing. We did not try the 5th floor room as we enjoyed our small table. The Deck 8 room is also used for breakfast which is buffet style but with three varieties of Eggs Benedict being offered with table service. It is also used for Sunday Brunch in the same format as well as lunch on certain days.

To deal with the beverage plans they now have many "wine stewards" for want of a better term. They were chosen from the more senior and experienced staff being replaced with new younger and novice waiters.

Each time you require a chargable beverage your cruise card must be presented to the steward who electronically zaps the bar code and punches your order into the electronic hand held unit. This I believe applies to the refilling of a wine glass. For cocktails, he/she must go to the bar to have it prepared and then delivers it to your table. A cocktail comprised of more than one item lists the separate items and the value of each ingredient with for example a zero cost to the full plan holder, a partial cost for the basic plan holder or a total for the non holder who must sign the form, retaining a copy. There remains no area for the adding of a gratuity. We tipped in cash which was much appreciated.

HI all!

Ron ~ when did you get back & welcome home? The weather is atrocious today isn't it?:eek:

Very interesting to read your review of this year's cruise.

Did you happen to notice if Ricky was still on board as a photographer?

Do you think this is your last Crystal cruise?

I noticed in a photo the flower decorations outside the ship are gone & I presume inside too, correct?

Did you ever see Thomson Dream in Havana, that's the cruise we took this year to Panama & we really enjoyed it except for the bill in GBPs!!;)

Thanks for reporting back so quickly.

~ Jo ~ :)

Hi Jo

Arrived late yesterday and stayed at a hotel in Toronto. But the weather forecast brought about a 4:30 am departure for home which ended up to be a white knuckle drive of five hours. The roads were almost non existent. Arrived home to a foot and a half of snow, unable to get to the house until hours later after neighbours assisted us in opening up the driveway. THAT was suppose to happen while we were AWAY...

Ricky was not with the ship and in fact is, we were told, with another Louis vessel right now somewhere in the Orient.

Perhaps we'll take a break from this cruise but will return again. And we will board not in Havana as previous but at Montego Bay. We realize that wanting to add some land time to this winter cruise in, say, Florida, is not possible disembarking at Havana.

The ship was void of all "Cuba Cruise" floral markings with emphasis now on Celestyl totally. Sorry to see the former concept go for we enjoyed it so (including the Canadian prices)

The only other cruise vessel seen at any Cuban port was the MSC Opera and that was in dock at Havana.

My comments on the cruise were written aboard daily and updated as and when necessary. I had most of it ready to post when I arrived home.

Managed to set up our bird feeders so as not to run out during our absence. So our feather friends are still hanging around.

Chimo

Ron