jalynn

Thanks, TexSea! I'll check into those links.

Jo Ann

 

We found the car another way. The four of us were put on a tour bus that was filled with a group tour with their own group leader. The group leader was arranging a taxi tour and asked if we wanted to come along, which of course we did. We just paid the taxi driver directly the 30 CUC and tip. Unfortunately, none of us can remember the name of the company. I looked at our pics and they only have generic taxi signs on them.

 

There are cars waiting by the terminal that you can negotiate with and hire on the spot. Before we left on the trip I was going to contact http://www.oldcarshavana.com/english and http://www.havanavintagecartours.com/booking-and-rates because they had good reviews on TA.

Thanks for your review. We leave a week from Friday and I'm very excited. A question about the tour by old car for 303 CUC...Were there people on the street or at the pier offering these? Or did you find it another way?

Thanks again for posting your review.

Jo Ann

Thanks, mlbcruiser, for the info and concern. I actually thought about the phone number issue after posting the message. I figured I'd find a way to communicate if it became an option.

And thanks everyone who is chiming in with suggestions and info. This is so helpful. I agree that, it the price differential isn't great, sticking with the cruise ship tours at night are the way to go this time. It's always nice to not be in a huge bus load of people, but then sometimes there's comfort in numbers...and someone who actually knows where they are going.

Please, those of you with Cuba experience, keep the info coming!

Thanks for that info. I hope I'm not bugging you with questions too much. Would you mind answering these questions?

Did you strike out on your own in Havana or were you on tours?

How did you find the paladero where you had the lobster? (and do you remember the name of it?)

Did you do the ship provided tours (the ones included with the cruise) or do the "optional" ones you pay extra for?

And...hope this doesn't sound creepy...would you mind me giving you my phone number and you call me at some prearranged time and let me pick your brain? If you're not comfortable with that, it's okay :-).

Thanks-

Jo Ann

Thanks, surfcitygirl. Do you mind me asking...how much cash do you think you spent? I'm trying to get a handle on how much cash to take. (I always stress over this for some reason.)

And that's quite an interesting list of cruise ships on which you have sailed! Makes mine seem so generic!

We are looking forward to finally getting to visit Cuba. If anyone else is on this sailing, please go to the "All other cruise lines" part of the Roll Call boards and join the roll call so we can communicate a little ahead of time.

We plan to spend a few days in Montego Bay prior to the cruise. We have a tour set up with a guide we have used on previous trips to Jamaica and are anxiously awaiting lunch at the Pork Pit.

Anyone who's already completed this cruise, do you have suggestions on excursions other than the ones included in the cruise? Should we stick with the ones that we can book through Celestyal? Or branch out with locals as we usually do on "traditional" Caribbean cruises? Neither of us speak the language, so that could be an issue.

Cash. I know that there's a surcharge on changing US$ to Cuban, but there's nothing we can do about that, as far as I know. When/where do you change money? Euro users, do you have a surcharge also? (I have some Euros leftover from a European cruise...is that a better deal?) And I read somewhere that you don't need a lot of cash because there's not much to buy. True or false? I always rely on credit cards, but understand that I can't this time.

Thanks for reading my random thoughts and questions. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who can answer my questions.

I'd like to add my thanks for the trip review. You included lots of helpful information. We are looking forward to our March 10 sailing!

We are returning to Jamaica in the spring, and will spend a couple of days in Jamaica before boarding a ship for Cuba. I had hoped to reach Patrice Bailey, the guide we have used previously, but she has not replied to my email. Does anyone know if she is still touring? After searching this board, the last mention of her was in Feb. 2016.

We will be staying in Montego Bay...any suggestions for fun things to do in the area? We've always been in the Ocho Rio or Falmouth area before.

Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the suggestions. I wondered about parking at Fulton St. and letting them shuttle us to the ship. Thoughts, anyone?

Jo Ann

Thanks so much for your suggestions!

Jo Ann

We are doing the same cruise next week. How was the traffic on the way to the port? An earlier poster said it was a zoo, but I was hoping it had gotten straightened out.

Thanks in advance!

Jo Ann

Going on a Thanksgiving cruise out of NOLA in 11 days (!!!). Went on one Thanksgiving two years ago and the traffic to the port for embarkation was horrendous. Like 2 1/2 hours to go 3 miles. How's the traffic been on the earlier cruises this month? I'm just trying to prepare myself. Maybe have some Valium handy in case it's the same...:-).

Thanks in advance!

Jo Ann

I need to find something for our group of 10 adults to do on our day in Belize. The group includes one 82 year old who can't walk long distances, but she's fine as long as there's a place to stop for frequent rests. I had planned on cave tubing until I realized that there is a fairly long hike to get to the water. Can anyone recommend a suitable activity and a local guide? (I hope I'm not breaking any CC rules asking for the guide rec. I did read the rules and think I am okay, but got flamed once for a post and it BURNED! :))

Thanks in advance-

We used Fabrizio's All Around Italy twice in the past. Once was in Tuscany and our driver was Sabrina. The other time was when we were docked in Civitaecchia and Fabrizio was our driver. They were both wonderful. I will definitely use him again.

We have used Fabrizzio twice, once with him driving from the Civitavecchia port and once with another of his drivers from Livorno port. Both were excellent. I would definitely use AAI again.

Jo Ann Lynn

Hey Tom and Sylvia--

You should check out the RCI Oct. 22 sailing out of Venice. It includes Naples and Florence along with some other great stops. We got a fabulous deal with an online TA.

And I second the advice about gathering your group on the ship and leaving together...no matter how small the group.

Jo Ann

Fleckle--I have had the same problem, but what an ingenious idea to photograph the newsletter the night before. Thank you for that tip!

Jo Ann

I got enough Euro from my bank to pay for the tour/tip (we were picked up at the airport and then toured) and about 50E extra. Then I got whatever we needed from an ATM. I didn't want to have to take time to go to an ATM upon arrival...I wanted to start seeing the sights! :-)

Jo Ann

Thanks for the great reply. When we were in the Mediterranean in October it was wonderful. In March it was chilly and rainy and even snowing in Italy. Don't know that we'll make it this November, but it bothers me to not have a cruise booked to look forward to. It'll probably be 2011 before we get over there again.

thanks again-

Jo Ann

We'd love to do a Mediterranean cruise in November, but I'm concerned about the weather. Since the cruise covers several countries, I'm cross-posting this question. Has anyone experienced Venice, Athens, Nice, Barcelona, etc. in November? How cold was it?

Thanks in advance--

Samavarcruiser simply provided a link to someone else's web site. The owner of the intellectual property you referenced (the Vernaza Awesome picture and the web site it appears on) is:

 

Tom Ogg

Tom Ogg & Associates

P.O. Box 2398

Valley Center, CA 92082

760-751-1007

TomOgg at aol.com (format like a regular email address)

Actually I assumed that samavarcruiser was Tom Ogg :-). Great photos, regardless.

What a wonderful "do it yourself" posting! Your pictures are wonderful and your instructions clear. Unfortunately, after two trips to Italy in the past six months (2 med. cruises), I probably won't be back in Italy for a while. But Cinque Terre is somewhere I want to visit, so I'll have your guide bookmarked. In fact, there are two of your pictures that I would love to try and paint. If you would be agreeable to sending me a larger format of the Vernazza harbor and the street scene you called Vernazza Awesome (which it is!), I would appreciate it. My email address is joann.lynn @ gmail.com. Thanks again for your posting.

Jo Ann (the OP of this thread)

We're doing this same cruise on the Jade in March. What other tours did you do? Any suggestions for us on tours or on board activities?

Jo Ann

Are these stops 'drive-bys' or will there be time to get out and look around? I would prefer to cut out a few of these stops, in order to have more time to liner at the ones we are most interested, so please advise on how it worked for your tour.

 

Thanks!

Some of these sights (Circus Maximus, Forum) were "drive-by"s on our tour but most were stops. I agree with the poster above...have a list of what you want to experience and they'll do their best to accommodate you.

Is there a typical percentage that one should plan to tip a driver or a guide on tours? If not, would you share what you consider a good, fair tip for a "reasonably good" tour and for an "excellent" tour? (After reading reviews for the company we're using, I'm assuming we'll have excellent service.)

Thanks in advance!