Cuba one day on empress of seas

[njg999]

Confused...how much is a visa?

Can you just walk around on your own?

Is it worth it? How long does it take to get off the empress of the sea if you are not going on a tour?

How was empress of the seas? How was the ship? All that is left is a guarantee ocean view. How was the entertainment?

Thank you

[Snit13]

There have been quite a few execllent reviews answering all of your questions. Some were posted here and others were posted on main Royal thread. Search Empress posts or reviews.

[djacobson]

Confused...how much is a visa?

Can you just walk around on your own?

Is it worth it? How long does it take to get off the empress of the sea if you are not going on a tour?

How was empress of the seas? How was the ship? All that is left is a guarantee ocean view. How was the entertainment?

Thank you

 

The visa is $75. You may be able to obtain one from RCCL. I ordered mine from a company that NCL recommended and got mine in two days. Unfortunately I know nothing about the Empress of the Seas.

 

I am hesitant myself to walk around Havana without a tour planned, but I have a week to figure out something to do before my evening excursion.

Edited August 29, 2017 by djacobson

[flczr]

You will be charged 75.00 to your Set Sail pass for your Visa the first day. You will fill out the paper work when you board and hand it to the Cuban officials when you embark in Havana and they will stamp your passport.

[hannibal54]

Confused...how much is a visa?

Can you just walk around on your own?

Is it worth it? How long does it take to get off the empress of the sea if you are not going on a tour?

How was empress of the seas? How was the ship? All that is left is a guarantee ocean view. How was the entertainment?

Thank you

 

Yes, you can walk around on your own. Cuba actually has a low crime rate, the people are friendly.

The Empress is a small ship with a big heart, it is easy to get around. Be aware that the cabins are small, it's a short cruise, have fun. I enjoyed my time on her, I don't go to the shows so I can't answer about the entertainment

[alfaeric]

The "worth it" question it really up to you.

 

We really loved it, so much so that we are planning to go back on our own, soon, and have some cruises planned for next year.

 

The people, the history, the cars, the food, etc- it's all so new to Americans that it's really cool to us.

 

There are some good self guided walking tours, AND there are a lot of choices for guided walking tours, too. We used Tour Republic, another used Tours By Locals, Airbnb has tours, and I know there are some that you can organize directly. As a matter of fact, we are planning to go on a free guided tour that I plan on posting about. Certainly plan on leaving a tip.

 

You can also get a personal guided car tour- cheaper than with the cruise line through many of those choices, too.

 

Great place to visit.

 

BTW, we found the Empress to be small- like old school. But the crew is so very clearly excited about cruising to Cuba, they are totally awesome. Again, no hesitation to take another cruise on her to Cuba.

[bluegirlum]

The "worth it" question it really up to you.

 

We really loved it, so much so that we are planning to go back on our own, soon, and have some cruises planned for next year.

 

The people, the history, the cars, the food, etc- it's all so new to Americans that it's really cool to us.

 

There are some good self guided walking tours, AND there are a lot of choices for guided walking tours, too. We used Tour Republic, another used Tours By Locals, Airbnb has tours, and I know there are some that you can organize directly. As a matter of fact, we are planning to go on a free guided tour that I plan on posting about. Certainly plan on leaving a tip.

 

You can also get a personal guided car tour- cheaper than with the cruise line through many of those choices, too.

 

Great place to visit.

 

BTW, we found the Empress to be small- like old school. But the crew is so very clearly excited about cruising to Cuba, they are totally awesome. Again, no hesitation to take another cruise on her to Cuba.

 

Did you post a review of your cruise anywhere? If you did--sorry, I can't seem to find it. Please help a Wolverine out. :) We just booked Empress for May so I'm trying to read as much as I can. Thanks!

[alfaeric]

Did you post a review of your cruise anywhere? If you did--sorry, I can't seem to find it. Please help a Wolverine out. :) We just booked Empress for May so I'm trying to read as much as I can. Thanks!

 

Here's a thread about the whole Empress trip in July- http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2523379

 

Here's one for a weekend we just spent in Havana- http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2541183

 

And I'm not sure how to find the specific CC review, but it's pretty much identical to the original thread for the empress in July.