LynneL

Looking into day passes for August 2023 cruise. 2 Riu properties offer them & Barcelo, which we used a number of years ago. I’m reading here issues with getting beach chairs. Not only do we need chairs but an umbrella or palapa in a must for me. I am a melanoma (skin cancer) patient. Thoughts or suggestions from those that have been to Aruba recently & got passes or other? Thanks for any help! 

3 yrs a T1D and on a pump so my needs may be different than your's but I found cruising almost a bit easier than eating at home - example: grilled chicken & fish, when at home my husband likes beef.  More salads & veggies, etc. As others stated I would go easy on white bread, pasta, starches, carb laden foods. Same as at home but sometimes harder when there for the taking on vacy. For dessert I asked for fresh strawberries with whipped cream every night.  Even though not on menu our fantastic waiter had it waiting for me each night so I wasn't tempted to even look at dessert menu.  I LOVE sweets but I avoid them & this satisfied my sweet tooth while keeping numbers in range.  I would suggest skipping those sweet drinks like pina colada, mud slides & such & go with a light beer (Michelob Ultra has about 5 carbs) or a white wine that isn't sweet (also about 5 carbs for 5oz).  Walk around the deck after each meal to enjoy that sea air & keep your BG down.  

Have a great time!

I applied for my refund for a April 19th Panama Canal cruise mid-March.  Kept getting different stories regarding refund....a couple of weeks, must wait until April 19th, mid-May, 90 days from cancelling, end of June... Finally, we just got the refund put on our credit card account a few days ago.  No email from NCL letting us know. Keep checking your credit card for it because when my husband called NCL again about the status the rep said nothing was done yet.  My husband then called our credit card to start the dispute process & found out it was already on the card.  

At any rate, we got it. Whew!  I was not one who was having a lot of faith in ever seeing it, though my husband was more optimistic.  Cruise lines, as well as most businesses, will be hard pressed to recover from this.  Delta gave a refund of the flight down.  AA a future credit which never showed on my account.   

Def want to see Yesterday.  Maybe A Dog's Journey & Lion King.  Already saw Bohemian Rhapsody & The Upside & enjoyed both.  Saw Aladdin with granddaughter & it was cute.  

We did a cruise last Feb with the free air & booked transport thru NCL.  I would never do it again!  There was a huge line of people waiting to have their transport vouchers checked, then herded to an area where we had to stand since not enough seating, & just waited & waited until our group number was called.  It is not just a group for your ship.  I could have taken Lyft or Uber for a fraction of the cost (4 in our party) & been at the pier 1 1/2 hrs. sooner.  Oh...and for this high cost we got a bus driver who went on & on about how we better have passports or we're not getting on the ship (wrong!) & remember he's the one responsible for getting your luggage safely to your cabin (yea, I'm sure I saw him pushing the luggage cart down the hall of the ship).  All the while this nonsense continued we were all told we could not speak as he was in charge of the bus & we must listen to him.  Heading home was more orderly, not a lunatic driver, but still regretted having pre-booked the transportation & not going with Lyft for a less expensive ride with just the 4 of us.

Unless Captain Marvins moved since we've been there 3.8 km (2 1/3 miles) cannot be accurate. I recall it taking us approx. 10 minutes to walk there & we are not young. Just make a left when you get thru arrival area & walk to storefront in a strip mall.

I like to be early for everything so not stressed. I'd just get up early & try to be one of the first tenders. If you are too early grab a pastry & coffee from a shop you'll pass on the way (if bakery still there).

Used Captain Marvins 4 times. About 12-15 on board. Although the sandbar is large so room for all, the benefit we found of Captain Marvins was his crew member held the stingray for you, eased you into holding it for pictures, very accommodating with picture taking even though they had someone videoing for DVD sale later. We noticed people from other boats trying to edge into our group to be more interactive with stingrays.

One thing to note if booking on your own, Cayman Islands do not observe daylight savings time. When booking take into the possibility that there may be an hour time difference if your ship does not change to local time.

Most shops will close by 6 pm unless you are here on a Thursday then some in Punda will stay open until 8 pm for Punda Vibes.

If you enjoy shopping for souvenirs- t-shirts and such, then shop. There are some "shops" in the port area as well.

I highly suggest to anyone coming to our home island to get out and see the island. There is so much more than just beaches- the beaches are fabulous- but there is so much culture here too.

 

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What would be some of the cultural highlights you would recommend?

Just took this tour. There still is not a lift. Shuttle van had narrow aisle between seats. Definitely could not accommodate a wheelchair or scooter. There are a few tables & chairs on the first level but the passenger would need to be able to walk to get to them. The stairway to the top level, where almost everyone sat, is narrow & curves.

Here is a link to TripAdvisor that may give you some insight into the sewer problem(s) on the island:

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g147262-i230-k10069882-o210-Sewage_problems_on_South_Coast-Barbados.html

So after reading so many posts I'm beginning to wonder if I should just go to a beach further north on the island than the south shore area where the cruise ship docks. Skip my planned trip to Boatyard if water questionable. Do you know of beaches north & how far a cab ride they would be. I have heath issues & am now worried about compromising my system.

Our first Alaskan cruise was last May 28th out of San Francisco. Neither my DH or I really were interested in going to Alaska but we did so on a bet. We have been on 20 plus cruises to warm areas and going to a cooler area was not exciting for us. We could not have been more surprised and we lost the bet which was dinner and a bottle of wine. We loved Alaska and are going back again on May 26 out of San Francisco. We took the bus tour to Canada and the Suspension Bridge which ended with a Salmon feast in a reenactment tent city outside of Skagway. This tour show us some of the spectacular scenery you will ever see. Plenty of mountains, mirror image ponds and was so breathtaking. The Salmon feast was also wonderful and for those who don't like Salmon they also served chicken. The salmon was cooked deep into coals and they were cooking at least 200 pieces at a time. My DH thought he died and went to heaven. We also walked around the tent city and saw a lot of mining history. Afterwards the bus driver give us the choice of being dropped off in town or taken back to the ship. We walked around town and shopped then took a bus to the ship. It was a great day. You can also take a ferry ride to Haines which is one of the ports if you are on the Glacier Bay cruise. White Pass train is also a wonderful relaxing tour that gives you the same views as we saw on the bus. We chose the bus because it included the Salmon feast.

Did you book the Salmon Feast Tour independently or thru your cruise line? I usually like to book independently.

I am trying to assist 2 friends in planning their end of April/Begin of May cruise out of Seattle on NCL Pearl.

When I was in Skagway I did White Pass RR. I loved it; my traveling companion fell asleep during it, so I'm checking other options for these 2. They are salmon lovers so this may be a great option!

I will probably go the taxi route now that I know it is a flat per person fee and not per person plus meter. It's stressful when you are traveling to an unfamiliar city for the first time, thanks for taking time to help me out! :)

 

Tracy

Up to you Tracy but we just did a Uber; driver Lyft too so poss why he could be airport p/up & same situation from New Orleans port back to airport at end of trip. At airport there is a designated area for app pick up rides. Very organized, just ask someone at airport where to go to meet the driver. App showed how far away driver was & he was there promptly. Less than a cab when you have 4 people even when we ordered a larger sized vehicle because of all the luggage the 4 of us had.

Just did the same. Took my 77 year old Mom for 4 days and stayed in an Airbnb with a local family in a residential area just outside Havana. Had a wonderful time. Everyone I met was very welcoming.

My daughter & a friend cruised there last month and like you found the people to be so very nice. They did a walking tour with a local woman. My daughter remembered she didn't buy the cigars my son requested. The woman offered to buy them for her & meet her by the ship the next day to give them to her. My daughter handed her the money with trust that she would return the next day as promised & the woman did as promised.

Like the OP, I am interested how the current embassy situation will effect my cruise to Cuba, which I was hoping to visit in about a week. I wanted to see if people are planning on continuing with their cruise plans if the itinerary isn't changed or are they going to try & pressure NCL to change the port. I am especially interested on hearing from those whose cruises are leaving in the next couple of weeks.

This thread has now digressed to implied cursing & arguing over political views. That is not the purpose of cruise critic. There are other sites to argue political views if one feels the need to do so.

Thank you.

Back to the original question....

 

Poster tommui987 just reminded me of a place in the Playa neighborhood, a club that has a private beach. 20CUC pp/day

Club Havana

5ta Avenida e/188-192

Reparto Flores, Playa, Havana

tel. 537 204 5700

How far a cab ride is Club Havana from cruise ship port & any idea on how much we could expect a cab to charge us to go there? Once there would it be easy enough to get a cab back to the ship? Thanks for any further info VidaNaPraia.

If we book a convertible car tour and it gets way to hot can the drivers put the tops up? Or do to the age of the cars is that not possible? Do these cars have ac? (meaning i know they have ac but do many of them have working ac lol)

 

We are arriving on the 28th and I am ready to book something this week. Thank you!!!

What was your experience with this? Did you get a car with a/c?

We haven't been yet and I am no expert, but I hear the Parisean at the Hotel Nacional is indoors, air conditioned and smoke-free. I believe the Tropicana is outdoors, weather permitting, and smoking is allowed.

 

I believe the shows are fairly similar, Vegas style. Youtube should have samples of both.

 

Based upon the advice of those that have gone already, I bought our tickets for the Parisean in advance, online and we will just DIY the taxis. https://www.hotelnacional-decuba.com switch to your desired language and currency.

I see there are a few options. Did you choose the show & drink option or go with dinner, show, etc.? Have you already gone? If so, your thoughts.

From the cruise port, it's about a mile. And since we were staying at an apartment about 1/3 mi away, the 10cuc taxi isn't really applicable.

 

For just the cover charge, I'd suggest going to their web page- our bill was just under 100cuc- dinner, three drinks (we got 2 mojitos and a bottle of water), and the show. Again, dinner was ok, but the best part about it is that you have to get there earlier, which gives you better seats.

 

We managed to make reservations in advance, but I understand that you can find hotels that sell the tickets when you arrive. For advance reservations, 50% had to be paid up front- and we have a friend who was able to do that (he was the owner of the apartment). BTW, reservations don't really mean you get a desireable seat- just that you get one. So we arrived a few min before 8pm, which is dinner was supposed to start, and there were a handful of people already there. We ended up with a table for 2 at the end of the runway- thinking that closer was better- but IMHO, we had great seats, since most of the singers and dancers came down the runway to perform.

 

The question of dinner on the ship or in the theater? Unless your ship is one of the better food ships, and you just can't miss that dinner, I'd do the theater. Again, it's not great, but good. Drinks are nice, and the seats and show makes up for it.

 

Hope that helps!

Perfect! Thanks so much!!(y)

The Legendarios del Guajiroto show starts at 9pm, which may be earlier than the Tropicana show. It's also in Old Havana, which Tropicana is not. The food is ok, but the show is really good- we were there this last Friday, and really enjoyed it. Very international crowd, too.

Was this walking distance from the ship? If cab how much did you pay? Cover charge to get in or just cost of dinner? Did you have to stop there ahead & make reservations or you just showed up a 1/2 hr or hour before? Could you give a general idea of what to expect for pay for food (did you have dinner there or on ship & just nosh type food) & a drink? Sorry for so many questions! Thanks for any help you or anyone else can provide.

The first time we visited the island, we took the train excursion through the ship. It was excellent...beautiful scenery, a look at how a lot of the islanders live, and great information about the sugar plantation industry in its day. Highly recommend. This last time we did Greys Tours. It Included many lot of the "must sees" and Mr. Grey was delightful and well educated. We were on a small van and were very comfortable. I would do either again.

Is there a web page for Grey Tours or could you please provide contact info? Thanks!

My husband,I & a friend are going on NCL Jewel Dec 6th & flying in the day prior. We have booked the Crowne Plaza. We are looking for an inexpensive way to get from LAX to CP. I see ads for Super Shuttle & the hotel recommended another shuttle company which got terrible review from travelers. Actually Super Shuttle's weren't great either.

Any suggestions to get from LAX to CP? Any idea of costs? How about when we get off the ship. I'm guessing it's an expensive cab ride, especially if we get caught up in traffic. What have others done?

Also I read mention on here that Crowne Plaza provides a shuttle to the pier. They do but charge a nominal fee of $5. per person for them to take you. Actually the person at the desk when I called was a bit clueless insisting they have no shuttle. When we booked the hotel that person said they did have one. Finally she switched me to the bellhop desk & he said there is a shuttle but has a fee. Someone mentioned a cab being around $10. so if you have a few people it may pay to just take the cab at whatever time is convenient to you.

Thanks for any help with the transportation issue.

Sailed on Caribbean Princess in March (2nd Princess cruise) & took my 20th Carnival cruise on the Pride just 2 weeks ago so I don't have equal experience on both.

I certainly enjoyed my Princess cruise - not limited to goat meat & Indian food at any of the meals I went to. I was sick one day & didn't eat that day but believe me I would have heard about it if my husband only had those choices. I enjoyed each night's dinners on both cruises.

Some differences:

Hated the buffet set-up on the Caribbean Princess. You were corraled into an area & if you wanted to go back for a dessert it required waiting on line with those waiting to fill their plates with food. I like Carnival's spread out areas - just walk up to the dessert area or get some cheese & crackers at another, etc. I did love the International Cafe on Princess where I could grab that delicious chicken salad or other light items.

We had anytime dining on both. On Princess we were always seated with others at a large table. We met really nice, interesting people but one night I just didn't feel like I wanted to exchange small talk with new people. We asked for a table for 2 but were basically told no. It worked out in the end because 2 of the 3 couples they placed with us that night were people we met at prevous nights' dinners & they were all great. On Carnival they never sat us with anyone else & I was fine with that too. Many more tables of 2 & 4 available on Carnival if you did want quiet nights alone.

I liked the look of the Piazza area on Princess & the occasional daytime entertainment. Seemed cozier than the atrium on Carnival ships, though the Pride had some great singers in that atrium. Overall the entertainment was about equal; however my husband preferred Carnival's shows to Princess'.

Carnival wins for me on cabin size/set-up. I also found Carnival to have friendlier staff. Everyone greets you in the hallway with a smile & good morning/afternoon even if not your cabin steward. Didn't find that on Princess. Certainly no one was rude - just not as friendly.

I liked Movie Under the Stars with the nice chair covers on Princess. Very good choices of movies on the March sailing. Carnival now has Dive In Movies but I didn't care for the movie choices so never went to see any.

I definately found Princess to be more subdued. That was the biggest difference of the 2 for me. I'm thisClose to 60, barely drink & no late night partying for me so certainly not looking for any rowdy crowd, which thankfully neither cruise had, but I like to see people laughing & having fun. I'm sure the Princess cruisers had fun too, but it was just a little too low-key for me. All in all though I've never had a bad cruise!

We are actually getting married and having our honeymoon on the Pride :) Hoping to have the piano bar for the reception.

Congrats...That's awesome!!!

Thanks for the helpful info Tony O!

Did you try anytime dining? Did you encounter any wait for dinner? We're planning on eating probably in the 7-7:30 pm time frame.