36kruzes

Thanks for the great Majesty review. Cuba has been on my list since my first cruise in 1981. Of course, no one could cruise to Cuba then.

Just booked myself on 7 night cruise, Empress of Seas, an old favorite from the 1990’s. Deck 7 with a window, at stern of ship. Sailing from Miami early January 2019. Always wanted to see Key West and Havana plus this itinerary includes Grand Cayman and Coco Cay. Sounds good to me!

My only question is whether we must book SOME tour of Havana at all. Have heard conflicting reports about that and some say you can just get off the ship and walk around on your own. Does anyone know for certain.

If you do not spend money in government owned hotels and restaurants or on government owned transportation and other services you WILL be putting money into the pockets of the Cuban people by spending your tourist dollars in the thousands of privately owned and operated businesses. There are now 240 types of businesses allowed to operate in private hands. YES they must pay taxes, but every business in the United States pays taxes as well. There are currently thousands of these private businesses operating legally in Cuba.

 

Take a private cab, check out some reviews of paladares -- privately owned restaurants and bars. Do some shopping at locals stores.

 

If you do the big government or foreign owned hotels and places you are putting a large percentage of your dollars into the Castro regime but the privately owned, family owned places are creating a growing, vibrant middle class that will one day do a heck of a lot more for the Cuban people than a fifty plus year old political vendetta of an embargo.

 

Do some research into the growing entrepreneurial spirit and culture in Cuba. .

 

Do some research how open agricultural and manufactured goods trade between the United States and Cuba will create millions of dollars and thousands of jobs on our shores and make serious improvements in the lives of the Cuban people. If done correctly time will pass as the Castro regime has to bend with the times as long as we allow the times to change.

 

 

Of course everyone is free to go or not to go, but it is nice to know we the American people can finally make our own decision.

 

OMO

 

bosco

YES ^^^^^ You said it all --- Cuba here we come!!!!!

Many of you have already said it all about visits to Cuba, and SO WELL! Cuba, here we come!!!!! I was in the old Soviet Union during the cold war -- twice, and THOSE people really were in the dark about the 'western' world. Far from helping the Soviets keep control of citizens, we visitors helped open that place up via our visits and our donations and gifts to the people!

So happy to book a cabin on the Empress -- one of my favorite smaller ships anyway -- this will be my fourth sailing -- other sailings were all in the 1990's.

Totally agree with a number of these positive posts. I visited the old Soviet Union in 1977 and 1985 before the fall of the 'Berlin Wall' and all the major changes in Russia took place. I have no regrets about that and was so pleased to be able to interact a bit with the Russians -- we took little gifts for them and they couldn't wait to meet us on the streets -- everyone agreed it was our governments that were to blame for all the turmoil and not the citizens.

No doubt it is the same with Cuba. The more of us who visit from other locales, the faster improvements will be seen in the lives of the Cuban people. Yes, tourists have gone to Cuba for years from Britain and Canada, etc., but not in the numbers that make much difference. And the accommodations have been so lacking, that not too many WANT to visit via land tour unless they don't mind bad conditions and just want to sit on a warm beach for a few days as is true for Canadians and Brits.

Cruise ships are the best way possible to get an introduction to Cuba and her people right now without waiting for massive hotels, resorts, etc., to be built.

We are not, as tourists, contributing all that much to the current Cuban govt. if we mostly wander around on our own and interact with entrepreneurial Cubans who are selling items of interest to tourists. I'm GLAD we have the opportunity to visit Havana now and can't wait!

Booked April 30,2017 on Empress out of Tampa.

 

So excited to go somewhere new!!

I just booked -- got notified via e-mail and signed right up -- April 30 -- thought about Fathom earlier, but glad I held out............. haven't been to Cozumel since 1982 and have never seen Belize so this is a win-win with the inclusion of a full day in Havana.

Waaay back in 1981 on my very first cruise ever (Carnival's "Carnivale" ship built in the 1950s), I said I wanted to see Havana via ship and now all these years later it looks like reality. Bravo!

I personally know of three families canceling trips to Europe right now..........

Glad I saw it when it was nice ---- this scourge has actually been descending on the region since the 1970's -- and at the invitation of European govts. For shame!

They're the only ones that stayed in California year round.

Thanks, Sadie, for your candor. Yes, there is a dearth of ships sailing from L.A. and of course we have virtually NO destinations worth visiting around here plus cold waters so that's the reason.

Some say Carnival is like Hometown Buffet meets Circus Circus and I would agree -- slim pickings here so you have to make up your mind to ignore all the garbage around you and just stare at the sea and try to enjoy the ports. One couple on a Cabo overnight cruise, repulsed by the Miracle and its customers, split from the ship and stayed one night in a lovely land resort.

After some 36+ cruises over many years, I just KNOW I am too old and too finicky to deal with Carnival again, but a friend wants to do the Mexican route again because it's "cheap." Well, to me that's like throwing money away no matter how little it is, because I know I'd be miserable for the duration. Most reviews of the Miracle (ha) read like horror stories of a filthy ship, obnoxious children, bad service, mystery food, etc. But, hey, it's CHEAP so it apparently attracts a certain crowd (described by some as NASCAR/Costco).

Did you know Carnival is so accustomed to major complaints that they now PAY people to leave their ships when things are going badly for them? That in itself tells the tale. They won't do a better job and fix the many problems, just get rid of all complainers instead. Great way to run a business, eh?

Question: We are thinking about a cruise out of Los Angeles to Hawaii, returning to Los Angeles also via ship. It's a 15 night cruise, I believe, with several days (3 or 4) 'at sea' both at the beginning and end of trip.

Are any days at sea warm? If so, how many? Or are temps too cool for sunning and other outdoor activities the entire at sea time?

When sailing to Mexico from L.A., at least the first full day out, or longer, is generally cold, warming up about halfway down the Baja peninsula. We were wondering what the story is with Hawaii and all those days at sea.

We want to totally avoid flying and would enjoy being at sea but not if every at sea day is cold. THANKS for any details anyone has on this issue.

Yeah I'd sail. It's Noro not Ebola after all.

Re the old post, above, about Noro virus versus Ebola.... Who else besides me has questioned in recent days how well cruise lines will deal with this scourge, Ebola? It's nearly impossible to control the rest of the viruses much less this DEADLY one.

What concerns me most is all the plane flights into and out of Africa to all the other countries of the world, and who might be sick and not yet know it while flying. If they're not yet showing symptoms and thus are not passing it on, they will be spreading it when they show symptoms.

All of us flying to cruises or wherever are thus risking being exposed if we touch anything they've touched. Imagine bathrooms aboard planes, just as an example.

Then there's the issue of close proximity to many people aboard a ship, AND the multitude of countries the ship's employees hail from, coming and going from their homelands to the ships and back again after doing their stints aboard ship, sometimes for just a few months.

I knew what a nightmare AIDS would be way back in '81 when a newspaper put a few sentences about it in my local paper. At that time it was 'gays' visiting Haiti who were coming down with it. Right then and there I KNEW it would be a world-wide crisis and it was.

This Ebola will make AIDS look like the common cold. I've already taken nearly 40 cruises; perhaps it's time for a break.

So do we! DH loves the fact that he is able to wear either shorts or long pants (chino) with collared shirt in the evenings.

 

No jackets.

We found that on Norwegian Sun last year ONE of the main dining rooms permitted men to wear jeans, shorts and/or sandals, but not the other 'main' DR.

We never ate at the specialty restaurants so have no idea what their dress codes might be. It's a little limiting but he absolutely refuses to wear long slacks/jeans at in a warm climate so that limits where we dine. I don't much care either way and don't dress up myself, so we like NCL's Freestyle.

We did find that the buffet food which was pretty good and available nearly around the clock, tended to kill the appetite for DR food. During the day I believe everyone can wear shorts in the dining room --

I would definitely sail NCL again and loved the old Norwegian Sun.....great large aft deck with tons of open air tables -- we spent more time there than on our balcony or anyplace else.

Thank you for the link!!!!! I checked it -- EXPENSIVE! Guess it's the same on all ships now. Remember when the highest rate was $.50 per minute --- now it's $.75 without a package 'deal.' Need to try to stay 'off' line!

Have not sailed on Norwegian in years but will do so soon.. What do they charge for use of their computers in internet cafe????? Anybody know? Thanks --

Agree re HuffPo/AOL and certainly CNN -- vile creatures there who post their obnoxious messages daily. Probably NOT people who would routinely take an ocean cruise. Awful!

I wonder what those on AOL are writing, wait I mean, The Huffington Post who has hijacked AOL since purchasing them. The Huffington Post makes CNN look like angels. What vile people they have posting on AOL now.

 

Now more importantly, prayers go out to this very desperate woman's family and friends. I've personally have gone through this with my nephew's suicide and I deeply feel so for the family this woman left behind. Only time will lessen this dreadful pain they are now suffering.

Thanks for the news that there are beach towels in the cabin. Very good news!

Going to a beach for the day, yes, you can take the beach towel from your cabin, however, make sure you bring it back with you, otherwise, you'll be charged a fee, I think it's $25 per towel.

Good to know hairdryers are in each cabin... What about beach towels? Do they offer them up as people leave the ship in port, and if so, at what cost? Surely we do not take towels from the cabins, right? DH wants to take his own rather small colorful beach towel but I think that's a waste of space.

Yes there are

Safe sailing

What? No bar soap? Is the only soap in the container in the shower? Good to know -- will ASK for it if there is none at the sink. thanks for the tip

It's just human nature to be silent when things go as they should but speak up when they don't. If you buy a cake mix and it does not rise when you bake it, most people would contact the company to let them know. If the cake turned out great and was eaten most people are not going to contact the company...

 

Everything is in context. I now have long hair and need conditioner. Knowing that it was not in the cabin would cause me to bring it. Of course now I have learned that if you ask, most stewards will get you some, same as bar soap...I still bring some, just in case. ;)

Waaay back in 1988 I was on a Costa cruise in the Caribbean and it included the port for Caracas, Venezuela. A large bus picked up the groups and drove some 10 miles thru mountains to Caracas. Once there, before exiting the bus, our guide came through the aisle and told everyone to remove all jewelry and hide it -- nothing visible.

I was wearing a thin gold chain with a tiny charm around my neck. I asked if that was worth removing? He said 'Take it off -- someone will rush by you and grab it off your neck, causing you to have a nasty cut and/or bruise. I did as he suggested but did not feel unsafe as we roamed around the city.

Still, it was best to take the guide's advice, after all, he lived there! Crime is nothing new and not limited to any one place or region. Sad that we have to leave everything home when traveling but it's been true for a very long time...........

We were on a Princess tour 5 years ago and on a walk on the trail above the waterfalls,3 men with guns came out of the jungle and had everyone lay down and took wallets and all jewelery-leave your rings on the ship.

For a number of years cruise lines cut back on visits to St. Lucia but it was mostly because they were charging so much per head, per ship. The lines did not want to pay the port taxes.

Mazatlan in Mexico is another place with high crime and most cruise lines have dropped it, at least for awhile -- this is not the first time. The obvious poverty is horrible, much worse than in some of the other ports.

St. Kitt's had some trouble in the Caribbean a couple of years ago when a bus tour was accosted and everyone robbed. The affected cruise line dropped that port until St. Kitt's begged them to come back and assured them they had upped their security.

Crime is everywhere -- no great shakes here in California, either!!!

I think that's a little much -

I'm currently looking into St Lucia & cannot decide on what to do because there is so much on offer.

 

Eliminating St Lucia as a cruise port will reduce the tourism on the island & increase poverty & related crime.

 

What we should all take away from this is that crime can really happen anywhere, anytime, even on holidays. being aware is key, & if you can't afford to lose it, don't take it.

I have been to St. Lucia via ship multiple times since the 1980s -- yes, there is plenty of crime there, as there is on St. Kitt's, St. Croix, and yes, certainly on Puerto Rico and in St. Thomas among others.

In Castries, and walking around alone, I did get nervous a time or two so cut out of there right away -- the old marketplace was fun -- once -- I wouldn't tempt fate twice.

If you want to see the Pitons up close and personal, take the helicopter from the pier at Castries -- A real E-ticket ride if you are old enough to know what that means... You never exit the helicopter and the whole event takes less than 30 minutes. Well worth it, though. Spectacular views.

Once I rode with a dozen other 'captives' in a broken down minivan (a ship's tour!) through the banana fields and south to Soufriere and the 'volcano.' It was an incredibly beautiful but fairly unnerving experience and the roads were horrible. This was many years ago and we also visited a Batik 'factory' and Marigot Bay, which was great.

I have never had a problem anywhere but many people have -- all over the world. I remember long ago during a visit to St. Thomas when everyone was upset because the male halves of two married couples who walked from their hotel one evening to return a VHS tape to a local store near the big port in Charlotte Amalie were robbed and stabbed to death.

My cousin was robbed on a popular Greek island in the early eighties -- lost her camera and more -- and anyone going to Naples had best beware!!! Lots of pickpockets and worse. It's everywhere -- we can deal with it or stay home.... and no guarantees there, either!

They just reported today a celebrity tour was held up at gun point - all 50 on the tour bus going to Soufriere,

 

St lucia is not safe. I was there on a cruise in January and was shocked, I hear of so many people going on their honeymoon there so I thought it would be nice. If I arrived there on my honeymoon, I would have cried!people go to st lucia bc it is cheap and they do not know any better.

 

Even in main town Castries, there are random people wandering the streets, very sketchy. I have been to over 15 Caribbean islands and st lucia is one of the worse.

 

I wonder if the cruise ships will scale back. They scaled back on Mexican ports when it became sketchy. No one will want to go there if there are reports of them attacking cruise ship tour buses. The only reason to go there is to see the pitons, which really are not that terrific anyway. Other than that st lucia offers nothing beyond what any other Caribbean island offers..