Review of MSC Opera from Havana

We have just returned from an MSC cruise from Havana. Information available online was pretty limited so I’m posting this to help anyone who’s interested!

We arrived in Havana a few days early, and stayed at a Casa Particular (like a B&B) – Casa Vladimir in Habana Vieja. Yudy, the owner, doesn’t speak English, but with the help of a phrasebook we got by :) It cost 40 CUCs per night per room plus 5 CUCs per person per day for breakfast. The breakfast was excellent – fresh fruit, nice bread, eggs cooked to order, really good coffee. The room was small and basic, but had an en suite with modern toilet and shower (and the odd visit from a small lizard and a cockroach :eek: ). There was also a living room which was available to guests with a large flat screen tv, and a small terrace. It was interesting to see where and how people live – granted this family would be more affluent than the average due to the extra income from letting rooms. The appearance of the building and the street outside was dilapidated but inside was fine. We preferred this to the hotel we stayed in on our last night which cost much more.

We loved Havana. Reading some reviews, I think some people are put off by the fact there are some obviously neglected buildings and you will get lots of people offering you taxis, cheap cigars etc (these people will usually call after you with “Hey my friend” – we didn’t know we had so many friends in Havana!), but saying no thanks and walking away worked. The only trouble we had with someone seriously trying to scam us was the taxi back to the airport at the end. The hotel found us a taxi – a beaten up old Lada, not an official government taxi with a meter. He agreed 25 CUCs up front, then drove like a maniac and nearly killed us (he hit a pothole driving too fast, and skidded all over the wet road into the paths of oncoming trucks!). At the airport he kicked off because we didn’t pay him a tip – I’m not going to tip someone who nearly killed me :rolleyes: We had used several non -metered taxis throughout the stay and this was the only one we had a problem with.

We found the food excellent – we ate at mostly paladars – Dona Eutimia, Los Mercaderes, El Chanchellero and Mama Ines. But also had lunch at a couple of state owned places that were also very good – one on the malecon I can’t remember the name of and Hanoi in Habana Vieja. Anyone who eats only on the ship is missing out on some very good food in my opinion - it was better than the food on the ship.

We also made it our mission to try mojitos in as many places as possible (someone’s got to do it :D ) – my favourite was actually in the bar at the Havana Club museum. The cheapest were in state run bars/ restaurants – they all seem to add bitters to theirs.

We took a tour in an old 49 Chevy – go to the end of Parque Central by the Capitolio and they are all lined up there for you to choose one you like.

We also toured the Partagas Cigar factory – get tickets from Hotel Saratoga. The Romeo y julieta shop is also round the corner from the factory. This was interesting to learn about how cigars are made and seem them in action. The other tour we found interesting is the free tour of the Hotel Nacional at 10am and 3pm every day in the lobby. We had Estelle, a fabulous 74 year lady who can talk about Cuba pre and post revolution - I think everyone fell in love with her!

Our last night in Havana we went to Tradicionales de los 50s, with Buena Vista Social Club style music and some of the well known old performers. This cost 30 CUCs for show and 3 drinks, or 50 with dinner. The location is a great old building, although not ideal for a show as many seats struggle to see the performers.

As for the cruise itself, I would rate it 3 stars. The cabin was fine, could have been cleaned a bit more thoroughly. Food was the biggest let down – often not hot enough either in the MDR or buffet. The best was pasta if you could get it fresh and hot – cooked perfectly and with really good sauces. We chose this cruiseline and ship purely for the itinerary (there isn’t a huge choice if you want to include Cuba) and from that aspect we were happy – although could have done with longer in Grand Cayman.

We didn’t do any ships excursions, as usual these were all way over priced. In Jamaica we used Courtney Taylor Tours to do a private tour of the Bob Marley museum followed by lunch at Scotchies. This was a really interesting day and I recommend using them. In Cozumel, we just grabbed a taxi driver to do an island tour, including San Gervasio ruins and some beach time. We paired up with another couple from the ship and paid $130 for 5 hours for 4 of us.

Rum is the same price all over Havana - it's no cheaper at the duty free. Cigars did vary a little in prices.

When you first arrive at the terminal, if you do not have an MSC transfer, you will approach from the street. You need to go through another set of the doors at the rear to drop off your luggage, and then go upstairs and check in. Only took us 15 minutes to get onboard, and that was before the official 7pm check in. We never experienced long waits to get on or off the ship.

There were two gala nights, the first sea night and the Grand Cayman night, I would say about 90% dressed formally for the first one, maybe 75% for the second.

Visas to get back into Cuba will be delivered to your cabin and 15 euros per person charged to your account (all on board billing is in euros). When you arrive back in port, there is a price list for official taxis for various locations, including the airport and Varadero etc, so no need to book in advance.

I would only sail MSC again if they were the only cruiseline offering that itinerary as in this case. It's not that they were really bad - just that there is so much better which I am willing to pay for. If you treat it as a 3 star hotel (think Holiday Inn) it's fine.

Very interesting review. Glad you made it to the ship. Thanks for posting.

Thanks for your review.

Thanks for sharing! Still a pipe dream to us Americans, who can't visit for tourism yet.

Yes, Thanks for your review

Were there any passengers that embarked in Jamaica? I had read on line that this was possible but have not found it on-line. I even went to a travel agency to ask about this but they looked at me like I was green.

They didn't seem to know about this cruise either and tried to sell me a different cruise line.

Thanks for the report.

Were there any passengers that embarked in Jamaica? I had read on line that this was possible but have not found it on-line. I even went to a travel agency to ask about this but they looked at me like I was green.

 

They didn't seem to know about this cruise either and tried to sell me a different cruise line.

I believe you could board in both Montego Bay and Cozumel in addition to Havana. However the UK site didn't give us that option (we wouldn't have wanted it anyway).

Another thank you for the report.

Six of us are heading out to Havana in November to cruise on MSC Armonia, and the information that you have put in your post is really useful for us. We intend to eat and drink in Havana while we are berthed there, and one of the restaurants you mentioned has already been recommended to us by my sister in law who ate there a couple of years ago. We want to get as much out of the time that we are there so your info will help us to plan our days. Thanks very much.