kc20202

We just returned from a seven day cruise which began and ended in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Or, you could take the same cruise Havana to Havana, and spend more time in Cuba before or after the cruise.

Just finished looking at all the days, fantastic steamboats, thanks for posting! One comment made me wonder - how rough was the ocean overnight, and on the way to Jamaica when you were out in the open sea?

Thanks for sharing your trip with us steamboats, great photos and report :)

Thanks for Part 2 steamboats! As for the alcohol - I am to try all the cocktails over the course of the week :p

Fantastic photos steamboats, Celestyal should hire you! Were you the first on the boat? There are no other passengers in the photos!

"Cuban cruise", but only one port in Cuba - Havana.

I'm doing a land based tour after the cruise which includes two nights in Vinales. As part of the tour we are visiting an organic farm and having dinner at the farmhouse watching the sun set over the valley. It doesn't list the name of the farm though.

You could book a private tour - TaxisVinales apparently has a good reputation and they do tours to Vinales

http://www.taxivinalescuba.com/?secc=tours&lang=english

Or, just relax and wait until you go back and see more :)

FYI about on shore -

 

Since I'm Canadian I try to avoid using USD because of the exchange so I bought CUC with our $ only to have the transaction based on USD anyway. The on shore tour guides and drivers were some of the best I've ever had anywhere so while I used CUCs to tip them, I'm sure they would appreciate USD or euros instead.

 

Shar

But then they would have to go to the bank and queue up to exchange them (I've heard the queues are very long), pay the exchange fee of 3% or whatever, and if you give them USD there is an extra 10% surcharge on the exchange for USD only.

Better to tip with the local money so they don't have the hassle.

Sorry, I was thinking that Celestyal had dropped more ports. Most of the other lines only go to Havana, and that is a shame.

 

It is great that you will have extra land time in Cuba to see more. Cuba is such a unique and fascinating place. Even the "warts" are interesting if you view them with an open mind. I am hoping to go again in April with my SIL, who has only stayed in resorts there and would like to spend some time with me in private homes.

They have dropped Antilla and Punta Frances since you did your cruise. The only ports in Cuba now are Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba.

I won't really miss the beach stop at Punta Frances (not my thing) but my sister would have loved it!

That sounds like a great itinerary burm. We picked this cruise because of the number of ports it had in Cuba. I don’t think $50 really compensates for losing one, but not much we can do.

My sister and I have some extra time in Cuba too, one night before and then 10 days afterwards to go on a tour. We’re going to Trinidad via Santa Clara, Cienfuegos, Vinales via Bay of Pigs and then back to Havana. I’m really looking forward to it all!

And the gift shop!!! Also medical services, if there is need.

 

It is funny how, with all the cruiselines that are now stopping in Havana, there is still no other itinerary that compares with the wonderful one we enjoyed a couple of years ago.

Fingers crossed we won't need the medical services!

What was your itinerary burm?

I'm doing the week after. Did you try the roll call forum? (the "All other cruise lines" one)

With the fare pricing arrangement this year, whereby the gratuities could be prepaid, the beverage bill is prepaid and tours are prepaid it seems like one might have to use a little ingenuity in finding a way to spend this credit. Especially those of us doing a back to back...but we'll manage.

Internet minutes, laundry services (my cruise is in the middle of a 6 week trip so I will definitely need these!), room service, spa services.

I don't think $50 will go very far, lol

Hmmm. On another thread someone posted that they saw men wearing the Cuban style guayaberra shirts. (They are sometimes even worn to dress-ish occasions in some places in FL. I used to live in Tampa and saw men wearing them all the time.) Someone also posted that the only shoes not allowed in the dining room are flip flops. I don't know about that, but wouldn't expect jogging or exercise type shoes (like Nikes) would be allowed in the D.R., but my husband has some "nice" sandals that cover most of the toes and much of the foot that he prefers to wear. Don't know how strict this ship is, but I made him take dress shoes to an all inclusive where the dress code for men in the dining rooms (not buffet) said "no sandals". Turned out he didn't need the dress shoes at all. So I got the ol' "I told you so" speech. :rolleyes: Guess it's better safe than sorry!

Thanks for the reply.

I'm guessing they're not very strict, because on the website it definitely says no sandals!

"What is the dress code for dinners?

Smart casual, no shorts or sandals for the gentlemen. For the Captain’s dinner and gala event, elegant attire is encouraged but is entirely optional. Swimsuits and flip-flops are not allowed in the restaurants. Shorts or Bermuda shorts may be worn at dinner time in the Leda Casual dining on deck 9."

Hi, you're in the wrong forum here, this is for Celestyal cruises, not Celebrity. If you repost in the Celebrity forum you may get the answers you need :)

Thanks for your response Steamboats :)

Jalynn, my sister and I are sailing from Havana on the 13th of March, so we will have a few days on the same sailing.

Thanks Nancy. I probably should have said what currrency do they bill you in, but it doesn't really matter.

Laundry sounds like a good deal, we have tours before and after the cruise so that will definitely come in handy!

Thanks for all the information and your review Nancy :)

Can you tell me what currency they use on board? Can you change money on board at all? And did you use the laundry service, and if so, how much was it.

Thanks in advance :)

Thank you for your review Nancy, we have all been eagerly waiting for a review!

It's a shame about Punta Frances, they still have it listed as a stop online. I'm not going until March, hopefully they'll have something figured out before then.

It's both a shame and amazing that you were there during the period of mourning. It's a pity it went on for the whole week you were there, but it will certainly be a story to tell in the future!

Ohh yes, a review please Nansi!! I hope you had a great trip and am looking forward to hearing all about it!

My countdown is down to double digits now, getting closer lol

Internet Charges -

 

The first time I called the agent wasn't sure about the pricing and did say they might go up as of January.

 

I called today and got this answer from an agent who verified.

$10 for 1 hour

$26 for 3 hours

$36 for 6 hours

 

All US funds of course but the hours are not continuous so if I log in then log out my time stops and only starts again when I log back in. This is a nice change from some of the other lines.

 

Thanks for all of you help. Shar

That's great, pretty cheap compared to others

From the Cuba Cruise website FAQ's:-

"SHIPBOARD SERVICES: INTERNET FACILITIES

All vessels offer internet facilities, the use of which is charged to your shipboard account and is available through wifi in all cabins and numerous Access Points and common areas of the ship."

So there is definitely wifi available on board, but it doesn't say how much. Hopefully no more than the prices Christian posted for us (thanks Christian!).

mlbcruiser, whilst on land you don't need to go to an internet cafe, you can purchase internet access cards from ETECSA phone company and go to a wifi hotspot. Still not easy though, queues are long and the connection is slow!

From the Cuba Cruise website FAQ's:-

"FOR YOUR INFORMATION: SMOKING POLICY

Smoking is permitted only in one part of the Thalassa bar, deck 5, aft. The ship's staff can direct you to these areas. Please check the ship's daily program for further guidance."

I guess that means no smoking on balconies, which is a good thing.

I've been reading a book called "My Seductive Cuba A Unique Travel Guide" by Chen Lizra.

I'm not up to the seductive bit yet, I've just read Part 1 about the political situation!

Remember, there is no formal night per se aboard the Crystal. Everyone is very casual although meeting the dining room requirements. A large plastic bag can be found in each cabin which when filled with laundry can be washed and folded, for twenty bucks, delivered the next day. We have yet to meet a passenger who didn't say "Brought too many clothes".

Thanks for that information ONT-CA, very cheap deal on laundry!

The ship is almost to Montego Bay, I'm excited for the new season to start and to see some new reviews.

Not long for you to go now Nansi, I hope you have great time! I still have a bit of a wait.