Insignia Cuba cruise December 1st

We boarded on Friday for this cruise. At the terminal There was a desk for the health questionnaire and then a queue for the Cuban visa which took a while. We had booked before June ?16th and the date was hilighted on the form we had to sign which had the reasons for visiting. I don't know what the form was like if you booked later than June.We then had another queue to check in, which was the usual credit card and photo procedure. Then we boarded the ship.

Insignia is the smallest ship we have been on, especially the bathrooms which are tiny!

Today we were in Havana. The ship was delayed by an hour due to the berth being occupied by a late departing ship. We should have docked at 1pm, but we docked after 2pm. Our tour was scheduled for 2pm in the theatre and that was unchanged. Unfortunately we were still in the theatre at about 3.30 and then took ages to queue for immigration. We then went to change money and down three flights of stairs into the bus station. Our tour left at 4.15pm and returned at 7pm.

We had a good tour , with a good guide who was very informative about life in Cuba. The last part was in the dark though. He said that it was unusual the way the delays happened.

I can't see how anyone would know if you were on a bus tour or a private tour. There was such a Melee around the terminal and no questions were asked.

We went out alone for a drink in a bar tonight and it was quick and easy to leave and return to the ship. We were told that 400 people were on evening tours to Buena Vista or the Tropicana!

We are going into Havana to walk around and take photos tomorrow . It's a 10 minute walk into old Havana and we expect it will be much easier tomorrow. One of the reasons for the delay today was that the MSC Opera is docked next to us and arrived before us.

I hope this has not been too boring but I know there has been a lot of interest in how Cuba cruises work.

Thanks for taking the time to let us know how your embarkation and first day went. I know that there are many of us who have been waiting for a report of how the new rules are being handled, if at all, by Oceania.

Enjoy your trip and if you can, please keep us all updated.

Many thanks.

Bon Voyage and thank you for posting.

Keith

Thanks for posting. We were on the Insignia cruise to Cuba that left on November 14, just days after the new regulations went into effect of November 9. We stood on line for a full hour to check in. I understand from several people that that was very unusual. We had all the proper visas etc. but I heard that some people did not. There was no explanation.

We normally try to avoid the ship excursions but since it was Cuba, we only booked one private tour ahead of time. Considering that it was the first time that the insignia docked in Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba, the excursions went well. In one port, lunch took longer than expected and we missed the walking tour and free time. I'm sure that will be corrected. We took a the ship's tour in the vintage cars and it was great. It was fortunate that I speak some Spanish as the driver's English was "muy bad". You can get a car right outside the terminal for much less money, but I'm not sure you will get the same amount of explanations. The ship's tour had guides arranged for Revolution Square and the cemetery.

I hope this information is helpful to future cruisers.

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Thank you for taking the time to post. I was glad to hear your experience. We booked earlier than the change date so hopefully the procedures will improve as they become more familiar. We're stopping in Havana next October. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your journey. Happy sailing.

Thank you for taking the time to post. I was glad to hear your experience. We booked earlier than the change date so hopefully the procedures will improve as they become more familiar. We're stopping in Havana next October. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your journey. Happy sailing.

I am new to Cruise Critic so I hope I am doing this right. Happy to share more info. You can email me at ghorlick at gmail dot com. Gail

Thank HappyCruisingUK and Decafnight for posting your experiences. We leave this Friday and I am excited.

Look forward to your post. Leaving right after you!

Thanks to everyone who shared their Cuba experiences! I'll be on the Dec 8 Insignia Cuba cruise and really appreciate hearing first person testimony. Hope any others who get there will post their experiences too.

Look forward to hearing your experiences and impressions of Oceania. Bon voyage!

I had started a thread to ask for Cuba cruise reviews, and so appreciated the time you can take to let us know ALL the details.

Have a great time. Both of you, that is.

We are scheduled for the Dec 8 departure. Today our travel agent contacted us and said our Rum and Cigar excursion was canceled. Something about it being Sunday. Too late to book anything else online so we'll see what the shore excursion desk can come up with. Hopefully the Hemmingway excursion is not book full for Sunday. Looking forward to the adventure.

So looking forward to how the O shore exc. go,,,which to avoid,etc.

Wonder how the Cuban people are treating us,,,maybe hard with all the restrictions.

How about private tours,,,anyone?

We went out for a drink the first night in Havana, and it was really quick and easy to get ashore. There is little in the way of street lighting but we had a map. We heard of some people who got lost and had to take a taxi back.

We had a drink at the Hotel Ambos Mundos on the roof terrace. This was a hotel that Hemingway frequented. We then wandered til we found a bar with live music. People were very helpful and we felt quite safe.

The second day we went ashore on our own and followed a Lonely Planet walking tour. We had a drink at a colonnaded hotel and also at a microbrewery in Plaza Vieja. There was a six piece band playing there and it was very good.

There were band all over and also singers on stilts in costumes. Lovely buildings everywhere ans some were very dilapidated and some renovated.

Drinks were about 3 or 4 CUC each. There were very few shops that we saw. We loved Havana.

Yesterday we were in Cienfuegos. We went on our own into town and there was no inspection of passports or visas at all, we just walked through. Cienfuegos is a very poor town and it was very hot. We had a look at the square and a few buildings there. We walked down a shopping street where people were queueing for rations and bought a bottle of rum for 8CUC. There was one street of stalls selling souvenirs. We got a taxi back to the ship. Probably best to take a tour here. There were quite a few horse drawn traps and also bicycle rickshaws, called by one man his Cuban Lamborghini!

Thanks for taking the time to post happycruisingUK. There are many anxious for details readers and I am sure you have quelled some concerns. Sounds like you are having a good trip. Your description of Havana brings back great memories of our cruise in the Spring. Looking forward to more posts if you have time. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

Good tips about both ports. Glad you felt safe and plenty to do.

Look forward to more port info.Thanks.

Our last day ashore was yesterday in Santiago de Cuba. It was a short day in port as we arrived at midday and left at about 5.30 pm. We went on a tour about the birthplace of the Revolution. We toured the hillside and barracks which was involved in the fighting, then visited a museum about the Revolution. We had a short time in the centre of Santiago on our own then a talk by a city official. Lastly we went to the cemetery where Castro is buried and saw the changing of the guard. We were told the guard changes every half hour, it was quite a spectacle with specially composed music. Santiago looks more prosperous than Cienfuegos and we thought it was very interesting. We felt we understood the Cuban history better although it probably resonates more with Americans.

It was extremely hot. No problems going through immigration, just a cursory glance at passports. They took the visas and gave us a transit token to get back to the ship.

It has been a good cruise and we have really enjoyed it. Our two previous Oceania cruises have been on Marina and we prefer the larger ships and larger bathrooms! We think the food choices are wider too especially in the Terrace Grill, but we primarily go for itinerary so wouldn't discount these ships.

I hope the following Cuba cruisers enjoy Cuba as much as we have done. I would definitely love to visit Havana again, but it is a very long way from home.

Will remember that shore exc. ,,sounds interesting.

Re.the heat,,haha,,I live in Orlando FL and used to it.

And I agree about larger ships, have to book a PH to get a tub on the smaller ones, but on Sirena will have to make do with shower only,,,no tubs anywhere.

Sadly, unless hot destination,would NOT book those ships.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise,and can now look forward to mine ,,with ease and less worry.

Also on Dec 1 sailing.

Tour excursion descriptions do not match what the excursion actually is.

Would avoid the cigar tour in Cienfuegos as it is not more than 15 minutes in the factory and they have too many people in a tour group to get a good look.

Thanks for sharing your experiences @happycruising UK and @stipmom. I appreciate the stories.

We are sailing today! Looking forward to meeting @Rosietomato, @Go-Bucks! and the rest of the gang on the Insignia.

Bon Voyage! Hope you all have a wonderful cruise.

Thanks to everyone who has post their experiences in Cuba. Every detail helps those of us coming after you.

Bogeybob,,,would be great if you can continue on here, or start new thread about your experiences.So many are interested.

Any updates on priv tours? Have fun.