Texex2
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Posts posted by Texex2
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On 8/12/2018 at 12:11 PM, Cruisin4 said:
Our tour via Blexie Havana Tours was with Blexie. He did an outstanding job weaving history, politics, social issues, architecture, common life into our day.
He is easy to find. Your exit the cruise terminal and walk across the street to the plaza and Blexie was there at the appointed time of 10am. The tour lasted 6 hours. He was born in Cuba and has never been off Cuba. His english is perfect. He takes you to the government rehabbed plazas, then also a block over and you can see where the real Cubans live.
Among the places we saw were
-Walkthrough old Havana,
- Walkthrough the 4 main squares in the old city to see the Cathedral and mainmonuments and historical sites.
- Fort,People's House/capitol, Drive along Embassy row.
- Drivedown the malecon towards Fusterlandia which is an entire neighborhood covered with mosaic tiles. Walk Fusterlandia (*** THIS IS A MUST SEE- Fuster's work was inspired by Gaudi)
- Visit the Plaza de Revolucion to see the square where Castro gathered million and he gave a 6+ hour speech there.
- Lunch - we skipped lunch and kept touring
- Popped into to see"Hemingway’s" hotel and also at "his" bar, Floridita. Too crowded to stay but fun to see
- Stopped to do a Rumpurchase/Cigars purchase/Coffee purchase. The only place that had Air-conditioning...
We had hoped to see insidethe cigar factory however they were on break (they reopen in Sept.)
Tour was 130 CUC plus tipextra The tour is for up to 4 people. So two couples toured, so we spent 65 CUC per couple plus tip. The first third of the tour is a walking tour with Blexie, the second and third part of the tour his friend Lou joined us who had an old fashioned well maintained car (that had A/C- YEAH)... he drove us to see different sections of the city and Blexie was with us the entire time. The tour was informative, we stopped to see one of the medical clinics as I am a nurse. Blexie is very knowledgeable. I would highly recommend him and his tour.
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Nailed down a tour with Blexie in Havana 6/27. Based upon the multitude of great reviews, feel certain we will have a great time. Any suggestions on lunch at a local palador? Thoughts on the Tropicana? I have read some that day it is over the top turisty and some that say it is great fun.
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On 2/8/2019 at 1:40 PM, ezi-amy said:
My husband and I booked a tour with Blexie tours and had Rosio as our guide last week. She was fantastic. Her English was perfect. And she was able to customize our itinerary to the stops that we requested to see. We highly recommend Blexie tours to everyone. You will not be disappointed.
Thanks!! So many great reviews for Blexie....just sent a request to nail down a tour while in Havana in June. Any suggestions on what not to miss, priorities etc?
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Thanks for the feedback. Anything you can share about excursions, what to Do or not do regarding Cuba? Jim
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Any feedback on Majesty of the Seas for Cuba n cruise? How is the ship? Took Brilliance in Med last year and a bit disappointed. Thoughts?
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Just found out we are cruising to Cuba. I hear that Blexie is a great option for our day and a half on RCL. Do not like the ships excursions! Can someone share a link and suggested itenary for 3 couples of 60'ish folks. Absolutely any info would be appreciated. Thanks Jim
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Thanks much for the feedback. Still researching but strongly leaning toward HAL Zuiderdam. Probably going to do ocean view and bypass a balcony room as it indeed may be a bit cool in May. We absolutely use private tours. Took me a few cruises to figure it out but better tours and much less cost. Again, thanks for the info, anything that can be shared that would help our decision would be great. Thanks all! Jim
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We have a Celebrity Baltic cruise sailing out of Southampton on June 9th (just two weeks away!). Temps are supposed to be in the upper 60's to low 70's. We picked this cruise for several reasons. First, I had never been to London, so we preferred a Southampton departure over other ports. We will be spending a week in London before boarding our ship. Second, we are also in our 60's and early 70's. I can no longer handle a port each day. Third, we wanted three days in St. Petersburg. Most other lines offered only two days.
Hope this helps!
thanks much! Please give us a complete detailed review upon your return of you don't mind. Hotels, food, ports, excursions, etc. Have a great time!! Jim
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We are booked on Holland America's 10 day cruise RT from Copenhagen July 19 on the Zuiderdam to celebrate our daughter's high school graduation. My extended family is from Denmark, so we plan to spend a few days in Copenhagen and surrounding areas before the cruise visiting many of them in person.
I have it narrowed down to this cruise or a Princess out of Southampton. Have you cruises the Zuiderdam previously? The reviews have been very good all the way to shop is not in good shape. Leaning toward HAL as the size of the ship just seems better. Big decision. Keep us posted on hotel in Copenhagen, what you plan, etc. Never too early!! Thanks Jim
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Thanks for the feedback. Leaning toward departure out of Copenhagen as I would love to spend a few days there. The researching pre cruise is actually part of the fun.
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Hi All
First time Princess later this month. Are men OK in slacks and a polo t-shirt in the MDR on an evening?
Thanks
Yes....never as formal as advertised. More than fine
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My wife and I intend to do a cruise to Baltic in 2019. Cruise quite a bit but never to this region. I think we have it narrowed down to either...Sapphire Princess. 14 night out of Southampton. Or....Holland American. Zuiderdam. 10 nights out of Copenhagen. Both in early May and ports are very similar. Is there anyone who by chance who has cruised on both? If not, just general feedback would be more than welcome. Lastly, is this time of year decent for the Baltic? We are both in our 60s for an age baseline. Sorry for being long winded....thanks in advance for any help! Cruise Critic was so helpful with our Mediterranean cruise last year. Thanks! Jim
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Looking at a couple. Leaning toward Holland American in May out of Copenhagen. Cruises the Mediterranean last year but first trip to Baltic. Any suggestions or feedback would be appreciated. Jim
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Celebrity does not have a September 2018 sailing. If you are looking at a late August sailing with a stop at Rostock, you should know that the travel time one way to Berlin is about 2.5 hours. On your Princess cruise the travel time from Gdynia to Gdansk is only about 30 minutes.
Thanks for all of the tips and feedback provided! I think you all have tipped the scale for me and we will try Princess Sept 2018. In particular, the feedback on St Petersburg tour will be helpful. Any other experiences or suggestions always welcome. Jim
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Trying to decide between Sapphire Princess out of Southampton or Celebrity Eclipse out of Amsterdam for a Baltic cruise next year. Ports of call almost identical. Any feedback from anyone familar with both? Price is very close but Princess is 14 days whereas Celebrity a 12. Pros and cons? What about departure ports? Is one perhaps muvh cheaper for airfare? Wife and i are 60 so a party boat is certainly not necessary. Lastly, best price is for a September cruise. How cold will it be? Good month? Sorry for the ling note but would welcome any feedback. Thanks Jim
Just came back for Havana used Blexie OMG
in Cuba
Posted
Some in our group may not be up to a lot of walking. Can it be adjusted to have more time in car and less walking? You guys do lunch? Lastly, I have heard the guides appreciate some items that are hard to get in Cuba. Did you give anything other than a tip? Are tipping guidelines similar to US? I know it varies in Europe but want to be appropriate as I am sure the service will be great!