Just off NCL Sky Cuba, FANTASTIC!

Had a wonderful time this past week 05/22/17 sailing NCL SKY. Cuba is a Beautiful country with beautiful people. Renovations are underway everywhere you look. Hidden lush courtyards, huge original carved wooden arched doorways, beautiful buildings, cathedrals and forts. Colorful, cared for American classic cars everywhere.

NCL Sky is an older, smaller ship but she is a beauty. Easy to navigate, food was great!

When I finish my proper review, I will post it.

Will be following along.

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Awesome pics!! Thanks for sharing:)

Thanks so much! One for the bucket list!

Thanks for the notes! We board Monday.

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Glad you loved it.

Enjoying your review will be following for more information as we are book for April 2018. Thanks

Hi everyone! I have submitted my "official" review to Cruise Critic but I thought I might post a copy here also in case someone is looking for more detailed, fresh information.

So glad to have cruised on NCL Sky to Cuba and Great Stirrup Cay this past week. Embarkation was a breeze. Arrived at port at 11:00 and was on the ship "lunching" in Crossings by 11:20 (amazing). Paid NCL for our Cuban Visas that were presented to us at check in. Cabin wasn't ready until about 1:30, so we had some time to explore.

Sky is a smaller, older ship, but still in great shape. Nicely decorated with newer looking carpeting. Cabin was 0020 a balcony on deck 10, mid-ship. A little tight since our son in his 20's was with us, but really just fine since we only slept there. Luggage all fit nicely under the bed and we had plenty of storage. Love seat turned into a bed for our son and he said that it was plenty comfortable for him. Small bathroom was clean and fine for us. Our favorite spot on the ship was Great Outdoors aft deck 11. We enjoyed this outdoor space for breakfast in the morning and cocktails in the evening daily. Nice ambiance and view, plenty of shade, nice Bartenders and we were always able to find a table. Service as usual for NCL was fantastic on board.

This cruise was a different type of cruise, only saw a handful of children and most folks were going for the educational experience of Cuba. Past 9:30, the public areas were empty.

First evening, we dined at Cagney's, my filet was perfectly prepared, the Mexican Caesar salad was fantastic. Hubby had grilled Garlic Shrimp as did our son and both enjoyed dinner. With the Unlimited Beverage Program, we really had to pace ourselves as literally right after you took a sip of wine, a Server was there to "top you off". We didn't see anyone out of control thankfully. No showing of cabin card for drinks, even while on Great Stirrup Cay, only if you wanted something special or the souvenir cup drinks.

Entering Cuba was no big deal. If you wanted early disembarkation you had to go to the Outrigger bar and get a numbered ticket starting at 7am, I went and grabbed our 3 tickets because we had a private Tour Guide waiting for us. We were off the boat by 9:15 and in the Cuban cruise terminal. Hats off as well as any glasses, one by one we entered the Officers cubicle then presented our passport as well as our Cuban Visa to the agent (they didn't ask to see our Travel Affidavit). A photograph was taken and away we went. Cuban officials kept our Visa and stamped our passports. I have to mention something that I saw in another review and then saw myself, check out the Cuban Officials in full uniform with a couple of the ladies probably not wearing the official pantyhose but in patterned fish net stockings :-). If you keep walking about 50 feet ahead is the money exchange area. Only about 8 folks in line. We exchanged US $ to Canadian before our trip then to Cuban CUC (pronounced Kook) so that we wouldn't be hit with the large penalty. Exchange was smooth and fast. Reminder, NO CREDIT OR DEBIT CARDS OR AMERICAN $ ARE ACCEPTED IN CUBA!

I actually went with low expectations for Cuba based on earlier reviews and actually I was blown away by Cuba's beauty and the lovely Cuban people who live there. Many were very happy to see us Americans. Day 1 in Havana we did a private tour booked through Cubaoutings@gmail.com $150 CUC plus tips for the three of us. Our guide Fernando was waiting right outside the terminal gate holding a placard with our name on it. He also was wearing a Cuba Outings polo shirt. We began with a three hour walking tour of Old Havana and a very thorough history lesson on all of the beautiful buildings, squares and churches. Husband and son are big history buffs so they were in heaven with all of the detailed information, if you are not, I am sure that a customized tour could be designed for you. WARNING! WALKING IN CUBA IS TRICKY! BE PREPARED FOR COBBLESTONE STREETS AND SQUARES, MOSTLY UNEVEN PAVEMENT, LOOSE ROCKS AND WET SURFACES! Sturdy walking shoes are a must! Difficult for anyone with mobility issues. Make sure as you are walking to peek into the many beautiful courtyards, parks and lobbies. Don't miss seeing all of the beautiful original solid wood tall arched doors. I had a "custom blended" perfume made for me at the oldest perfumery in Cuba, "Habana 1791". We stopped at the Cohiba cigar factory store, we don't smoke but it was interesting to see. Then a couple of stops at small museums and notable hotel lobbies. (Interesting program in Havana where feral dogs are assigned to museums and businesses. The dogs each wear a collar and badge that includes a photo of them, their name and who is responsible for feeding and taking care of them. If they are found around town, they are returned. Three dogs including Vladimir and Cinnamon were lounging inside the Old Havana Museum of Metalwork we visited, keeping cool, one little scrappy white dog named Cortico was outside of a hotel with his name badge on). We were then picked up by an arraigned Taxi driver that drove us and Fernando under the Almendares River tunnel to the other side of town to a fantastic family restaurant in the back yard of a home right in a Havana neighborhood called "Restaurant Dona Carmela". Lunch was grilled fish and chicken, sweet potatoes, beans, rice and a cold local beer to wash it all down, all were tasty. Live Cuban strolling music, buy the CD, it's quite good. Cute little orange and white feral cat greeting each table and looking for scraps but not pets. Our Driver and Guide insisted on waiting outside as we ate and were there waiting to whisk us to Revolution Square for more detailed historical review. BATHROOM DETAIL: They are few and far between. If you are eating or drinking at a bar or restaurant, you may occasionally find one. No toilet seat, sometimes unisex, no toilet paper so take your own and if there is an attendant, they expect a tip of a couple of CUC for keeping it clean. HEAT DETAIL: It is hot in Havana and the sun is intense. Hat and sunscreen are needed. Air conditioning is rare and if you find it, it is only cooling into the 80's. Buy the bottled water package on the ship so that you have one each to take into town. Also, no WIFI anywhere in town, so pay the $119.96 for unlimited WIFI onboard the ship, one person at a time in your party can be on. For the afternoon, Fernando took us on a tour of Havana "without makeup" as he put it, into the neighborhoods. Very beautiful buildings that have fallen into disrepair. Fortunately I am into old architecture and could easily see beyond the decay. The good news is that you will see renovations going on everywhere! Fernando and our driver returned us to the ship terminal after about a 6 hour information packed tour. Busy, hot day, so we were happy to each take a cold shower then head to Crossings for a delicious Cuban themed dinner. After, terrific live Cuban music was being played outside at Great Outdoors by El Sol so we enjoyed a couple of drinks then hit the sack like everybody else.

Day 2 in Havana we did on our own. Some of the highlights were refreshing Daiquiris at La Floridita (Bar made famous by Hemingway), shopping for local art and I scored some colorful locally done paintings, a visit to a military museum, a fort and a fun ride in a beautiful classic convertible Chevy car up and down the Malecon and to a beautiful lush park along side of the Almendares river. $40 CUC plus a $20 tip, well worth the money. The brightly colored, beautiful classic car "Taxi's" are everywhere in town, if you see one you like and no one is in it, ask "how much for a ride?" like we did. We felt safe at all times while in Havana. There are some folks in town that will hound you to take a picture with them or draw your picture or take you for a tour for CUC of course. Just firmly say "no gracias" and keep walking. We headed back to the terminal around 2:00, picked up lunch in the Garden Cafe (Buffet), and took it outside to Great Outdoors and enjoyed the view as we sailed out of port. We saw many, many Cuban families that had come down to the Malecon to wave and yell goodby to us on the ship. Also as classic cars drove by, they were all beeping the horns and waving. Loved Havana!

Next was Great Stirrup Cay. At 8am I went to the Outrigger to pick up our tender tickets. We were in group #1. The tender boat we were on held about 400 people and was a double decker. Swells in the ocean were high so we were a little delayed in boarding. Once onboard the tender boat I thought it was a bad sign when an NCL employee started handing out vomit bags, no worries though as the ride was smooth as soon as we pulled away from the Sky. On the island we were able to snatch up 3 loungers in the shade and headed directly into the ocean for a refreshing swim. Getting in was slightly tricky as there is a small line of stones (hurt the feet) about 5 feet from the shoreline that you had to cross before you got to the sandy bottom. No big deal and swimming was delightful. Even with SPF 50 on, I still managed to get a little sun burned, oh well. Picnic type of lunch was served but we weren't hungry so we just enjoyed our Pina Coladas (no charge) on our lounges for a while then tendered back. Enjoyed dinner at Cagney's again (our favorite). I was happy to see some folks turned away at the door for not following the dress code. There was a couple behind us in swim suits and flip flops, no lie. I was happy to have taken a couple of dresses that were more appropriate for a dressy restaurant. Cagney's by the way is A La Carte.

Disembarkation was super easy. We just walked straight off with our luggage at about 8:30. No customs paperwork as long as you didn't go over Max. amounts in cigars and liquor. Through Customs quickly and in a taxi to MIA by 8:45.

In closing, I am not a Writer or professional Reviewer, so excuse my mistakes. We enjoyed our trip and wanted to get our review out quickly in hopes that we would help someone else have a fantastic time exploring Havana. Thank you to everyone on Cruise Critic for your reviews that continue to help us have terrific adventures!