My Cuba Cruise

Again, thanks for the comments.

 

Burm, do you need to share a bathroom in a casa, or do some of them have en suite bathrooms? Also are you expected to be out by day, or could you just stay in your room and relax at times? These could be very silly questions, but I am totally ignorant of how casas work.

Those are valid questions because you can never assume that things will be exactly as they are in our home country.

Casa Particular means "private home" and that is exactly what you are visiting, someone's home. In order to obtain a licence in Cuba, the owners have to meet strict requirements, but there will always be a huge difference from house to house.

Like you, I am past the age where I would want to share a bathroom with strangers, so I confirm that I would have an ensuite.

It sounds like you stayed in youth hostels when you were young :) I recall having to stay out of the hostel during the day. No, a CP is not like that. It is more like staying with a favourite aunt and uncle. They are great for people persons, but I would not recommend them for people who don't want to be treated like family. After being introduced to any other guests, you will also be introduced to friends, neighbours, etc. You can always excuse yourself and hang out in your room for as long as you wish, but if you never leave it, your hostess will likely ask you if you are well and would you like some soup?

Unlike in a hotel, the owners are normally there 24/7 (a few might own a second place nearby and be in and out) and are happy to answer all your questions. They will offer invaluable advice and help you with making reservations, etc.

Hotels in Cuba are not American style, and will likely be shabby compared to what we are used to. Not only do private homes have more at stake in making their guests happy, but happy guests often leave them gifts that you are unlikely to benefit from in a hotel, such as nice pillows or face cloths. Someone complained that they paid $400 for a hotel room in Havana and had stained, tatty sheets. I slept on brand new Egyptian cotton sheets gifted by a grateful guest.

Their will be inconveniences in a CP because of the embargo and shortages of things we take for granted, but these shortages will be apparent regardless of where you stay in Cuba. Your host will be happy to talk about these problems and give you a much clearer understanding of what it means to live in Cuba. Staying in a hotel, you would just complain about the lousy plumbing and think no more about why it is like that.

Thank you very much for that useful insight burm.

We are actually looking at booking the Cuba Cruise for early next March, (when it comes on sale), and are likely to book 10 nights pre cruise in The Melia Habana and 4 nights afterwards in The Blau Varadero, which will give us less uncertainty at this stage. We have stayed at The Nacional and the Blau 18 months ago, so are not totally green about Cuba, and feel it could become a fairly regular holiday destination for us, which is largely why I asked about Casas.

We have looked into Vinales and are thinking of independently arranging at least one night there in a casa, whilst we are booked into the Melia. We have often done that sort of thing in other parts of the world and find it a useful way to experience a country - not totally under package restraints, but without having to take all our luggage with us. Perhaps we will learn a bit of spanish and have a more authentic experience in the future - it does appeal.

You won't have any problems finding a Casa in Vinales - it seems that almost all the houses there let rooms. :)

I think you are wise to try the CP for only one night if you are uncertain.

Can anyone tell me exactly what is in Antilla? We have done a short Cuba land tour previously and hope to have a land holiday near Holguin in the future, so are not particularly interested in any of the excursions from there, but do not want to spend all of the day on the ship - can you walk around a bit on land, or along a beach for instance?

 

If there really is nothing in Antilla, the trip we may consider is Alcala and Biram (Castro's birthplace), so can anyone give feed back on that please?

Just thought I would add our two cents!

We spent the day in Antilla rather than going on any excursions and we had a great time wandering the streets and exploring. The town square is very busy and there are musicians playing and singing. Benches to sit on and trees to sit under. Old trains on the tracks, a lovely waterfront-fishermen repairing nets. If you like mooching and meeting friendly people, seeing interesting buildings and just enjoying the local environment you will enjoy your day.

By the way- the people are so happy to have the ship in town that day it is a day off school and work for the locals. There was a very active basketball game going on at the local court on the main street. There is a charming concert hall that you can wander into. We thoroughly enjoyed our day. Spent close to 6 hours just soaking in the Cuban flavour. It is an easy walk into the town from the tender dock. Musicians greet you playing and dancers are dancing. There are horses and donkey carts or old cars for rides. There are open air multi people carts with horses.

Enjoy your day Hope this helps.

Thanks nightingalegirl it is always good to have another option - that sounds good as well.

Cheers,

Barbara

There are now 4 of us going on Mar 23rd

A few questions for those who have done this cruise

Can the men wear shorts in town? How much to they charge for a beer or cuba libre or small snack? I am trying to get a handle on how much cuban money we will need beside the exit amount

We walked around Cienfuegos one day when we stayed at the Rancho Luna and it is a very pretty town to walk around as well. Did a tour of Havana so just think we will walk around there as well. Thanks for the info on Antilla.

Anyone walked around Santiago de Cuba? I don't like organzied tours.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I understand there is on formal not very formal night

Sherrill Ontario Cruiser

There are now 4 of us going on Mar 23rd

A few questions for those who have done this cruise

Can the men wear shorts in town? How much to they charge for a beer or cuba libre or small snack? I am trying to get a handle on how much cuban money we will need beside the exit amount

We walked around Cienfuegos one day when we stayed at the Rancho Luna and it is a very pretty town to walk around as well. Did a tour of Havana so just think we will walk around there as well. Thanks for the info on Antilla.

Anyone walked around Santiago de Cuba? I don't like organzied tours.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I understand there is on formal not very formal night

Sherrill Ontario Cruiser

We just returned yesterday and loved the cruise. I could have stayed on an extra week. Yes, men can wear shorts in town and drinks are very cheap ashore, and also actually not expensive on board if you don't have a drinks package. We found that $300 in CUCS was more than enough extra cash and that includes the $50 exit fee. We did take the ship's trip to Trinidad, it was expensive but we were so glad we saw Trinidad, its delightful. As for Santiago de Cuba, if you walk around yourself you won't see much at all. Its a very poor place. You will be swarmed as you exit the port by taxi drivers, self appointed guides and rickshaw cycle riders. We did take a rickshaw cycle ride and we were quoted $5 CUCS per hour, after a very interesting three hour ride seeing an amazing amount of things other than the castle, which is some distance away, we were asked for $60. We felt it was worth it as he had cycled in the heat, up and down hills and was sweating to put it bluntly like a pig!! However it was far more than we were told. We met a couple who got charged $150 for a similar time!! Most people who did it alone, told stories of being ripped off there ...some threatened to call the police and then the driver backed down. Just be aware that there is no trip costing 5 CUCS per hour!!

The Captain's dinner (do be sure to be precise about how you would like your steak cooked that night and it should be perfect, as ours was) is an opportunity to wear a pretty dress or sparkly top if you want. Some men wore jackets and ties, but my husband wore a golf shirt, long pants and sandals and he was fine. If you don't want to dress up, go to the buffet - the food is equally as good there.

We went to the Steak restaurant and it was excellent .. whether it was worth the money or not I am not sure but we enjoyed it.

Go early to the shows to get a good seat. They are all excellent.

Go with no expectations or pretensions and you will have a fabulous time. We did and I could have gladly stayed on and cruised round again!

First of all, thank you to everyone who has posted information as a result of their recent cruise to Cuba aboard Louis Cristal. We are not fans of organized tours as they can be expensive, so it was good to read about those of you who just went on your own. Also were wondering about how much $$ to take to just wander around, take a ride, have a beer, etc. I believe I read somewhere that 3 people can rent a driver/car and do a tour for roughly the same price as the ship is charging per person. We are getting excited and eager to escape the frigid weather, sailing from Montego Bay Fri. 6th. Will post a review upon our return.

First of all, thank you to everyone who has posted information as a result of their recent cruise to Cuba aboard Louis Cristal. We are not fans of organized tours as they can be expensive, so it was good to read about those of you who just went on your own. Also were wondering about how much $$ to take to just wander around, take a ride, have a beer, etc. I believe I read somewhere that 3 people can rent a driver/car and do a tour for roughly the same price as the ship is charging per person. We are getting excited and eager to escape the frigid weather, sailing from Montego Bay Fri. 6th. Will post a review upon our return.

In Cienfuegos we went with another couple by taxi to Trinidad and the full day cost us 80 CUC total for the four people. There were a lot of taxis available. When we got back he took us for a quick tour of Cienfuegos as well.

There are now 4 of us going on Mar 23rd

A few questions for those who have done this cruise

Can the men wear shorts in town? How much to they charge for a beer or cuba libre or small snack? I am trying to get a handle on how much cuban money we will need beside the exit amount

We walked around Cienfuegos one day when we stayed at the Rancho Luna and it is a very pretty town to walk around as well. Did a tour of Havana so just think we will walk around there as well. Thanks for the info on Antilla.

Anyone walked around Santiago de Cuba? I don't like organzied tours.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I understand there is on formal not very formal night

Sherrill Ontario Cruiser

No problem with shorts in towns.

We changed $400 Canadian in the pier terminal and didn't need extra, but we're pretty thrifty on every vacation.

We bought 3 CUC Mojitos on the 6th floor rooftop bar of Hotel Ambos Mundos in Old Havana. Had no problem walking Old Havana.

We did the Cuba Life tour in Antilles, so that was charged to the ship. I think all we needed was for a bottled water I bought and tips.

We started to walk around Santiago de Cuba and found it impossible for all the 'friends' we kept collecting who would chat us up and offer tours, restaurants or rickshaw bike rides. We ended up circling back to the port and getting a taxi arranged by the first guy who had asked. 60 CUC for a tour in a 1954 Plymouth that also stopped at San Pedro de la Roca Castle, Plaza de la Revolución, Cementerio Santa Ifigenia and Céspedes Park. We paid for admission at the castle (3 or 4 CUC each?) and cemetery (1 CUC each)and photos (5 CUC). I also tipped our English speaking guide another 10 CUC. We also let him handle everyone else trying to poach his tourists.

146 by kandcsailing, on Flickr

In Cienfuegos we split that taxi ride with Burm. :D Plus tipped the driver and bought a very good lunch. We walked back to the ship from The main public square Parque José Marti.

We had enough left over for tipping the cabin stewards extra, buying snacks in the Havana airport and the 50 CUC that I had put aside for the airport tax.

Formal night was a bit of anything goes. Saw a couple men who may have chosen their outfits with the lights off for the colours and patterns they combined.

DH wore dress pants and a long sleeved shirt. I had dress pants and a dressy lace top. I did see a couple ladies in long evening gowns.

As much as we enjoyed our huge S1 cabin, the large deck has one major shortcoming - the rail is solid and you cannot sit at the table or in the Jacuzzi and see the water. I am only 5'1" and I could barely see over the high railing even when STANDING in front of it.

In other areas, the ship does have the bar type railings that you can see through.

So my question is to those of you who had the smaller balconies - could you sit on your deck chairs and see the water through the railings?

I have a couple of other suggestions for perfecting this cabin if the ship owners would care to contact me.:p:D

Ron, do you agree with me on this one: wouldn't it have been nice if they had put the bedroom closet on the side next to the bathroom so that you could see out the window from the bed? This would not be as nice for those who like a completely dark bedroom, but would be preferable for those who like to awaken in a sunny room and be able to see the water from bed on opening their eyes. The curtain could still provide some privacy and screen from full sunlight.

Of course, I would also put in full wall windows and patio doors to the deck. Why do architects never consult me? LOL

Would I take this cruise again? Oh, yes! There is so much more I would like to see in these very interesting ports. Also, I don't think we have ever enjoyed the crew more on any other ship.

In Cienfuegos we went with another couple by taxi to Trinidad and the full day cost us 80 CUC total for the four people. There were a lot of taxis available. When we got back he took us for a quick tour of Cienfuegos as well.

Chacas: See you on board as we will be boarding in Havana on the 9th!

My wife and I really enjoy going walkabout instead of taking most tours. She is quite anxious of just us two going by ourselves so my task is to connect with a few other couples and do exactly what Burm suggests and find a taxi driver that speaks at least some english and then design our own small group visit. Some cities we will still walkabout while others we will drive to other cities like Trinidad. I will post some post cruise comments upon our return. :cool:

As much as we enjoyed our huge S1 cabin, the large deck has one major shortcoming - the rail is solid and you cannot sit at the table or in the Jacuzzi and see the water. I am only 5'1" and I could barely see over the high railing even when STANDING in front of it.

 

In other areas, the ship does have the bar type railings that you can see through.

 

So my question is to those of you who had the smaller balconies - could you sit on your deck chairs and see the water through the railings?

 

I have a couple of other suggestions for perfecting this cabin if the ship owners would care to contact me.:p:D

 

Ron, do you agree with me on this one: wouldn't it have been nice if they had put the bedroom closet on the side next to the bathroom so that you could see out the window from the bed? This would not be as nice for those who like a completely dark bedroom, but would be preferable for those who like to awaken in a sunny room and be able to see the water from bed on opening their eyes. The curtain could still provide some privacy and screen from full sunlight.

 

Of course, I would also put in full wall windows and patio doors to the deck. Why do architects never consult me? LOL

 

Would I take this cruise again? Oh, yes! There is so much more I would like to see in these very interesting ports. Also, I don't think we have ever enjoyed the crew more on any other ship.

Agree on all points! The sold wall railing is very silly. My DH spent his spare time in the cabin redesigning so the bedroom could be bigger and brighter and he even reduced the balcony size to accommodate this. We enjoyed all the space but felt it was wasted on us so would not likely book this again. They should add some perks- perhaps free room service. As it was we were out most of the time drinking, reading sunning, although we did do SOME of that on the balcony!

Who says there are no perks? I hear the other cabins didn't get face cloths or chocolates on the pillow. LOL Did they get towel animals as we did?

Yes, free room service would have been wonderful on the mornings when we had to meet at 8:00 or 8:30 AM for excursions.

Santiago was our least favourite port, much to the disappointment of many Cubans in Havana who asked. They seemed to consider this city to be their spiritual home.

We wandered aimlessly for a bit in Santiago taking in the sights and finally agreed to a tour with a guy who said his friend could take us out for 2.5 hr minimum for 20 CUC total for both of us (this was stressed over and over to his amusement). He had us hop into a taxi where a very angry driver started to berate our guide for the agreed upon price. Assuming that I could not understand a word of what he was saying, he said that there was no way he was going to waste his time on #%'s paying only 20 CUC when a ship was in and he could easily earn 70 CUC. Our guide still did not realize that I could understand and simply said that we would need to find another taxi. :)

Our guide was a boxer who I think had been hit in the head once too often. He kept telling me how smart I was, and that I knew Cuban history better than he did. Of course, my knowledge of Cuban history was limited to what I had picked up in Lonely Planet and the museums we had visited the previous week in Havana. We did go to the cemetery for the changing of the guard, to the fort, and a few other places and returned approx. 3 hours later. As they stuck to the original price, we tipped both well.

We had them drop us off at the Casa de la Trova where we sat and listened to a really great singer. There are about 3 rows of kitchen type chairs at the entrance where we sat with a group of locals. They all sang along and chatted with us and we bought a bar round. Then our guide came in carrying a children's hand made wooden potty which he said he had purchased for 10 CUC with our tip. DH thought this was very altruistic we should have tipped him more. My suspicious thought was that he kept the potty handy and used the same line on everyone so that they would think he was a fine person and give him more. After more than a week in Cuba, I was growing accustomed to some pretty interesting scams.:D The thing is, some of the scams are so much fun that you give them money anyway. The ones who didn't try to charm us, we found easy to ignore.

BTW, as we left the fort, our guide was approached by a couple of policemen and asked for his ID. The Cuban government feels that if anyone is going to profit from tourism, it is going to be them. One pair who guided us to a local restaurant (of course we ending up buying them each 6 CUC drinks) told us that if a policemen caught them, they could end up in jail for up to 3 years for "talking to tourists".

We didn't mind buying drinks for people who would happily sit and give us a peek into their lives, which are so very different from our own. No one was reluctant to express their opinions.

Who says there are no perks? I hear the other cabins didn't get face cloths or chocolates on the pillow. LOL Did they get towel animals as we did?

In our Obstructed View cabin we didn't get face cloths or chocolates, but we got towel animals.

My favourite was an elephant wearing my Winnipeg Jets hat.

elephant by kandcsailing, on Flickr

In our Obstructed View cabin we didn't get face cloths or chocolates, but we got towel animals.

My favourite was an elephant wearing my Winnipeg Jets hat.

 

elephant by kandcsailing, on Flickr

That elephant is sooooo cute!

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Hi all!

Back from the cruise Friday night but caught a virus on the sea day & don't feel well yet.:o

Just wanted to let you know that Conan O'Brien's show tonight was filmed in Havana last month in case you care to watch/tape it.

Liz54 ~ want to thank you for your Square info which allowed us to find what we wanted. After all the talk about the HOHO bus we didn't end up doing it as we were beat after walking around Havana.

Was nice to meet up with those we did.

Geritol Gypsies ~ sorry for not cabbing it with you but we waited on the bench outside the terminal 'til 10 & never saw you so took off.

Funny with the taxi rate at Mo Bay, it costs $35 from airport to port but only $30 from port to airport!:confused::eek:

~ Jo ~ :)

Welcome home Jo! As soon as you are feeling better we want ALL the details!!

Just wanted to let you know that Conan O'Brien's show tonight was filmed in Havana last month in case you care to watch/tape it.

Thanks for the reminder. I pvr'd it and even stayed awake to watch.

We have now booked flights, 10 nights in Havana and 11 nights in Varadero, with a week between the hotels for, (hopefully), a Cuba Cruise, so we will have a month in total in Cuba next year. I have been in email contact with the company and they are planning details for Dec -March 2015/6 with a Monday change over day in Havana again. We did not want to leave the booking any later as we wanted specific flights/hotels etc. and UK stuff books early.

Thank you all for the advice given and the very interesting posts we have been reading. Now we have our fingers crossed that plans for the cruise will continue to go ahead as planned, or we will have to find something else to do that week!

Any comments on different grades of cabins would be helpful. We are thinking we will probably go for one of the higher grade outside cabins, which seem a good compromise between cost and cabin size/location etc. We are seasoned cruisers so see the benefit of mid ship, quiet location etc. but are there any other points about cabin choice that would be useful to bear in mind on the Louis Crystal?

We are really looking forward to our return to Cuba. We have been before, but our 3 nights in Havana was just not enough.

Barbara

We have now booked flights, 10 nights in Havana and 11 nights in Varadero, with a week between the hotels for, (hopefully), a Cuba Cruise, so we will have a month in total in Cuba next year. I have been in email contact with the company and they are planning details for Dec -March 2015/6 with a Monday change over day in Havana again. We did not want to leave the booking any later as we wanted specific flights/hotels etc. and UK stuff books early.

 

Thank you all for the advice given and the very interesting posts we have been reading. Now we have our fingers crossed that plans for the cruise will continue to go ahead as planned, or we will have to find something else to do that week!

 

We are really looking forward to our return to Cuba. We have been before, but our 3 nights in Havana was just not enough.

 

Barbara

Congratulations on your booking! In our experience, sometimes when things don't work out exactly the way we wanted, they work out even better. :D

Any comments on different grades of cabins would be helpful. We are thinking we will probably go for one of the higher grade outside cabins, which seem a good compromise between cost and cabin size/location etc. We are seasoned cruisers so see the benefit of mid ship, quiet location etc. but are there any other points about cabin choice that would be useful to bear in mind on the Louis Crystal?

If we did it again I would try to at least get one of the outside cabins. I saw Retiring Soon's on deck 6 and the cabin and shower were quite a bit larger than our Obstructed view cabin only 3 doors aft. I would say our cabin 6017 was around the same size as an inside.

Had some peeks at the indoor cabins when walking by and they have a huge photo mural on the back wall, which to me is nicer than just paint.

Deck 6 was a good location for us since we take the stairs a majority of the time. One deck down to the deck 5 walk-around, 2 decks up to the show and restaurant and 3 to the Lido deck.

We have now booked flights, 10 nights in Havana and 11 nights in Varadero, with a week between the hotels for, (hopefully), a Cuba Cruise, so we will have a month in total in Cuba next year. I have been in email contact with the company and they are planning details for Dec -March 2015/6 with a Monday change over day in Havana again. We did not want to leave the booking any later as we wanted specific flights/hotels etc. and UK stuff books early.

 

Thank you all for the advice given and the very interesting posts we have been reading. Now we have our fingers crossed that plans for the cruise will continue to go ahead as planned, or we will have to find something else to do that week!

 

Any comments on different grades of cabins would be helpful. We are thinking we will probably go for one of the higher grade outside cabins, which seem a good compromise between cost and cabin size/location etc. We are seasoned cruisers so see the benefit of mid ship, quiet location etc. but are there any other points about cabin choice that would be useful to bear in mind on the Louis Crystal?

 

We are really looking forward to our return to Cuba. We have been before, but our 3 nights in Havana was just not enough.

 

Barbara

We had the big suite in part because it was so reasonable relative to suites on the mainstream cruise lines. In the end, although it was beautiful and we enjoyed it, the fact that you could not see anything when sitting (due to the solid railing) and had to stand, we did not use it all that much.

There are very few balcony rooms. Suggest you book by phone the exact day sales begin in order to get one. We did that and then met a couple at dinner who said we were in "their" cabin as they had tried to get it. If you don't get a balcony, there were some nice looking oceanviews with sitting areas on deck 6 near the bow. That is what we would do next time.

This ship is compact and its easy to get to the outdoor spots.

Hope this helps!

Hi all!

Barbara ~ congrats on the booking!:D I would like to suggest an XE cabin which is found only on deck 6. This year we had 6014 on port side & last year 6212 on starboard. This type cabin is quite spacious, has a fridge & is close to deck 5 which is a fully walkable outside deck with the shops, guest services etc. The theatre & main restaurant are just 2 decks up.

They are quite near the elevators which was not a problem. The only noise I heard this year was when they were getting the luggage together early morning for people departing in Havana.

Here's a couple of pictures of the cabin.

~ Jo ~ :)

Thank you for all your replies about cabins, especially the photos. I was thinking of the XD cabins on deck 4 that look similar, but I can see deck 6 would have it's advantages, so XE sounds good. A fridge would be useful - do they let you bring non alcoholic drinks onboard to drink in your cabin? The British cruise lines have tea and coffee making facilities in the cabins, which we will miss.

We have 3 cruises booked for over the next few months, so I will make a list of well placed cabins which will make it easier to book online from wherever we are when the cruises go on sale. I assume the sea will be reasonably calm in early March, so we can look at nearer to the front than we normally would. We usually find that older ships have a lot of vibration at the rear - is that the case with the Louis Crystal?

Barbara