My Cuba Cruise

[ONT-CA]

Much excellent information about the cruises so far now on Trip Advisor Cuba Travel Forum "New Way to Cruise Cuba".

 

Could someone please give us an internet address to access this information.

[retiring soon]

Hi again!

 

Thanks for all the helpful info! Love those models & guayaberas on the site you recommended insider 1649.;) I'm thinking about the white one with eyelets? that's on sale. My sometimes neighbour here in cottage country is actually from Kelowna. We've driven that way a couple of times & it sure is beautiful country.

 

ONT-CA ~ yes I got that email too. It's of no use to me.:p

 

Balloon Man ~ I'll head over there after I'm finished here. Thanks.:D

 

Who's going on the 10th? That's getting mighty close!

 

Here's the link, scroll down to where it says 55...

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopic-g147270-i91-k6487342-New_Way_to_Cruise_to_Cuba-Cuba.html

 

~ Jo ~ :)

Edited January 2, 2014 by retiring soon
have to add something

[On y va!]

Hi Carolyn,

Sounds like you may be right above us! Maybe to connect we can agree to meet at a time and place. I could make a dinner reservation for the day you board (or day after if you prefer). Need to decide which restaurant.

As for touring I think my husband is leaning to doing some towns just exploring ourselves so yes it would be fun to do together.

If you are interested in the dinner thing, let me know your preference for day, time and restaurant and we'll set it up.

Janet

[Love to quilt]

Hi Insider 1649

 

Thanks for the Vinales info. I think the tour with Jorge is similar to the one with Potato. We're paying a bit more. He quoted $374 for the four of us which I think is US$ believe it or not. He will direct us how to send the money to him when we decide exactly what we want to do. We have made arrangements with him to be picked up at the airport, taken to our Casa, tour Havana and then transfer from the ship to Varadero at the end of the cruise.

[Atomica]

I don't normally post on CC much anymore, but I have been following the fantastic tips and insight here for several weeks now, so I thought I'd share, too.

 

I'll be onboard the January 10-17 voyage, and I will be blogging about it daily:

http://www.fromthedeckchair.com/2013/12/23/live-voyage-preview-circumnavigating-cuba-cruise/

 

If anyone has any questions while I am onboard, I'll do my very best to answer them!

 

-Aaron

Edited January 2, 2014 by Atomica

[insider1649]

Thank you. I for one, will be looking forward to reading your blog. :)

[ONT-CA]

Thank you Atomica. I am sure everyone will be glued to your site. Many thanks and Bon voyage.

 

Jo, you might enjoy this. Decided foolishly to see if the guayaberas could be purchased locally. Because I am not sure if I am pronouncing the name correctly, I printed out a photo of the shirt and took it with me downtown. The clerk in the first shop took one look at the photo and said, "No, sorry, we don't sell bowling shirts..."

[burm]

Jo, you might enjoy this. Decided foolishly to see if the guayaberas could be purchased locally. Because I am not sure if I am pronouncing the name correctly, I printed out a photo of the shirt and took it with me downtown. The clerk in the first shop took one look at the photo and said, "No, sorry, we don't sell bowling shirts..."

 

 

LOL. Love it!

 

Don't forget that you need the right hat to complete the look.

 

 

And ladies, you might want to go for your own Cuban look:

 

[retiring soon]

Hi all!

 

ONT-CA ~ that's funny, I almost spit out my tea!!:eek:

 

burm ~ like the 1st look, not so much the second. I think I saw that lady in Grenada back in '75 doing roadwork.;)

 

Aaron ~ thanks so much for posting.:D I look forward to your blog. Have a great time! Have you booked any excursions yet or been to Cuba before?

(See I have questions already, I'm full of them!):o

 

Think warm thoughts until we can get away from here!

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[retiring soon]

HI again!

 

Aaron ~ I've just started reading your blog so see you have not been to Cuba before & also see you'll be on Carnival Breeze after the Cristal.

I was on Breeze for 6 nights in Nov & loved it. My review is pending on CC.

I'm new to Carnival & loving their product after trying their 2 newest ships.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[Atomica]

Jo - That's brilliant that you enjoyed your time on Carnival Breeze so much! Of all the cruises I have taken, I've never been on a Carnival cruise, so I am very much looking forward to that trip. After, of course, Cuba :)

 

I have booked four excursions - the day and night walking tours of Havana, the cultural tour of Holguin, and the Cienfuegos city tour. I'm quite impressed with the diversity of the excursions they're offering - they're longer than most and some of them even include lunch or dinner. Pricing is pretty reasonable, too, which is always a bonus!

 

Thanks to everyone here for the warm welcome :D

[jinky]

Look forward to reading your blog Atomica. We go the 20th Feb and so looking forward to it!:)

[DUHCAR]

Look forward to reading your blog Atomica. We go the 20th Feb and so looking forward to it!:)

 

Hey Jinky, we're getting on in Habana Feb 24.

[kahlolin]

On y va ........... good morning Janet - my computer isn't cooperating this morning.............. would you care to email me so we could perhaps make plans to meet on the ship?

 

kahlolin@gmail.com

 

When do you leave for WARM weather? We don't go until next Friday - I can't wait! :o

 

Try to keep warm ........ it is -16 here in London at 10:20 a.m. :mad:

 

Carolyn

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

Atomica ~ I didn't try Carnival until my 23rd cruise & am sorry I waited so long. I'm itching to go on another but have 3 cruises already booked this year which is stretching my budget, the Alaskan one in particular.

 

Sounds like great excursions you've booked. DH & I still talk about the meal we had on our VInales trip. The roast pig at our last AI was to die for. The poor guy had to hand turn the spit.

 

I just checked availability & see the next cruise has MANY cabins available but ours & Feb. 14 only have 87 if I counted correctly.

 

I wonder if they find more bookings starting in Jamaica than Havana.

 

Have a nice weekend. We're going to check out Dukoral today, anybody use it?

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[Rikka]

I don't normally post on CC much anymore, but I have been following the fantastic tips and insight here for several weeks now, so I thought I'd share, too.

 

I'll be onboard the January 10-17 voyage, and I will be blogging about it daily:

http://www.fromthedeckchair.com/2013/12/23/live-voyage-preview-circumnavigating-cuba-cruise/

 

If anyone has any questions while I am onboard, I'll do my very best to answer them!

 

-Aaron

 

I am really looking forward to your blog. We are boarding on the 17th when you are leaving the ship. Your insights and impressions will be really valuable for all of us. Have a wonderful time.

[Atomica]

I am really looking forward to your blog. We are boarding on the 17th when you are leaving the ship. Your insights and impressions will be really valuable for all of us. Have a wonderful time.

 

I hope it will whet your appetite then! I think it will be a really cool voyage.

[burm]

I am still chuckling when I think of the "bowling shirts".

[ONT-CA]

I am still chuckling when I think of the "bowling shirts".

 

Sophistication is not one of Kingston's many attributes...:D

[ONT-CA]

I am among several who have expressed concerns about the vacancy situation aboard the Cristal, wondering if the first few sailing will be typical. It is good to see that on our sailing the vacancy is dropping. I am sure I am not alone in wishing this company success for I would like to see it flourish and be there for me when I need to get away and thaw out.

 

But one of several advantages this venture must have is the fact that they can tailor their staffing numbers at Havana with each rotation around the island. This eliminates the customary air shuttle of employees to, say, Asia. Fuel consumption should be minimized by the speed the ship needs to travel within the more tranquil waters around the island. And the one port supply point must too have its advantage. For me these and I'm sure other points create the prospect of success.

[retiring soon]

Hi all!

 

burm ~ me too!:D

 

ONT-CA ~ I was so happy to see this cruise finally happen as it seems to have stalled a year or so ago. Hopefully all has been worked out & the cruise will be a success & be offered next year. I'm pretty sure burm & someone else is interested for 2015 if all goes well this year.

 

Doesn't Kingston have some sort of connection with Cuba, maybe a twinning? We used to get the Whig where I think I saw something about that mentionned. Kingston might not be sophisticated but it sure has a lot of other attributes, you're lucky to live close by it.;)

 

Atomica ~ so looking forward to your cruise & blog! This time next week you'll be in Cienfuegos/Trinidad CUBA & we'll still be here in the cold.

 

Have a nice weekend.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[doublebzz]

Here is a link to the first review of Cruise Cuba that I've seen: See Thread #31 in Link.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g147270-i91-k6487342-o30-New_Way_to_Cruise_to_Cuba-Cuba.html

Edited January 4, 2014 by doublebzz

[ONT-CA]

My somewhat disparaging comment about Kingston was based on the minimum number of people we meet who have travelled beyond the Ontario boarders. Fortunately that is rapidly changing but when discussing our travel adventures we are looked upon as though citizens from Mars...:D

 

And you are correct on the twin city, which we were totally unaware of. Kingston is twinned with Cienfuego, capital of Cienfuegos Province. It is located about 250 km from Havana, and has a population of 150,000. The city is dubbed La Perla del Sur (Pearl of the South).

 

Well done ~ Jo ~, we learn something new every day. And ironically, here is the sight of the many US cities, which have twinned themselves with those in Cuba...:)

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_twin_towns_and_sister_cities_in_the_Caribbean

[retiring soon]

HI again.

 

ONT-CA ~ boy that surprises me about Kingston plus I would never imagine all those twinnings especially between the US & Cuba.

 

Today I watched a PBS show about the Christmas bird count & they went to Cuba. That got me even more excited for the trip. I sure hope I get to see this little bird, the Cuban Tody. Doesn't look real does he? It reminds me of those little toy chicks at Easter time, so cute!

 

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[ONT-CA]

.... I sure hope I get to see this little bird, the Cuban Tody. Doesn't look real does he? It reminds me of those little toy chicks at Easter time, so cute! ~ Jo ~ :)

 

There is little wonder at the use of such vibrant colours in the Latin cultures when surrounded with Mother's Nature's bounty like these. Our best Avery enjoyment is likely the return of the Gold Finch's vibrant Canary yellow plumage in the spring when they have had enough of winter.:) And that, I can safely say, makes two of us...:D