TERTOG

For those interested, currently on the Venezia. No split of Diamond/Platinum or Suites for embarkation. Just a general announcement for all the above to go at the same time. There appeared to be a few hundred people all trying to embark together. Then picking up the Platinum/Diamond gift and it was a 10 cent luggage tag. 

You would want the side above Rudi’s. Next to the pizza area is the outside smoking area which would make the balcony useless. Little to no traffic on the port side as there are no side doors on that side. 
 

Kids of any age are welcome in the cabanas. We had our grandkids with us age 9 and 12. 

Just looked at Marine Tracker and the magic hasn't even passed Nassau yet, enroute to San Juan. I would have thought they would easily have passed there by now, even with propulsion issues. Chart said 17knts.

That information is from 25 hours ago. If the color is a faded blue, it is old information. The Magic information is only updated once or twice a day on Marine Tracker.

The Magic is in San Juan today.

Slow or not ,,,, the Amber Cove live webcam shows the Magic docked right on schedule.:)

That was actually the Horizon.

I have not been in the aft wraps on the Vista but as you are aware, as the floors get higher the rooms tend to to get smaller with the slant of the ship. Did you did it more so on the Vista?

 

 

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We usually book deck 7 or 8 for aft wraps and it was definitely the smallest. Usually have a full vanity and the 3 closet set up. The balcony was deeper though. Luckily, the weather was good so we were outside a lot.

We had an aft wrap on deck 8 on the Vista and it was by far the smallest cabin we have ever had. When you entered the cabin, there was a 2 door closet on the left. One side was for hanging and the other was 3 drawers and 3 shelves. So you lose 1 closet that is in all the other balcony cabins. The bathroom door was at the balcony door and the bed was under a window less than 3 feet away. The far bottom corner on the bed was 6” from the wall. There was 1 chair and a table and a half vanity with only 1 small drawer and no shelves. The balcony was wonderful but I cried when I saw the cabin. This was our 15th wrap, so I had plenty to compare it to.

One more thing...is there a charge when converting the money BACK to USD or

 

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Not sure above fees. We converted 190 euros for 193 CUC's. Upon return, we converted 70 CUC's to roughly 64 US. Much better exchange rate for euro's. Also never had to show my passport when exchanging money.

How long does it take to reboard the ship? Also, do they stamp your passport?

Less than 10 minutes to re board. They stamp your passport on arrival but not departure.

Yes, I thought the SB side might be best. If the view on deck 9 balconies is blocked, which deck might have a better view? Maybe 8 or 7? Not sure where the lifeboats are located. Thanks again and sorry for the ??????'s!!:o

Other than the forward and aft suites, the only balconies are on deck 9. I'm not sure how good of a view you would have from an outside cabin because of the lifeboats. Sailing into the harbor, the starboard side faces Old Havana.

Thanks for sharing and please tell me if the Empress docked on the port or starboard side of the ship; which side was facing the port/land, so I can pick my cabin!! Thanks again!;)

We docked with the starboard side against the terminal building. Be advised that the lifeboats block any direct view down from the deck 9 balconies.

Since this was the first cruise, I'm not sure how long future cruises will take to disembark. I would allow an hour from the time you arrive.

This is my first review after 37 cruises, but since Cuba is a new destination, I thought I would share my thoughts. First, let me preface this by saying any cruise is a good cruise, if you have a good attitude and can relax. The Empress is the smallest ship we've sailed on, since the late 90's, when our first cruise was on the Seabreeze. We went with an open mind and can say for the most part we enjoyed it. The flaws without getting into a lot of discussion were the cabin steward and food quality. Entertainment for the most part was good and with the exception of one bar, bar service was good to excellent.

For the inaugural Cuba cruise, we were greeted at check in with live Latin music and smiles. Check in was painless, On the way to the ship, they offered Cuban coffee. On boarding the ship, there was a live Latin/Cuban band and waiters passing out Cuba Libres or rum punch. Cabins were ready at 1:00.

Muster drill lasted maybe 5 minutes and everyone's conversations continued throughout. Sailaway was on time. First seaday was rainy. Not many activities going on- a Cuba lecture, Bingo, dance classes,etc.

Men feel free to wear your shorts to the dining room- at least a third did. There was not a formal night.

Costa Maya- we went to Maya Chan and had a relaxing day. Second sea day- rainy in the morning but beautiful sunny afternoon. We had a second Cuba lecture.

Now comes the reason for the cruise. Early Sunday morning, we were up at sunrise to greet the pilot and sail into Havana. It was one of the most picturesque arrivals I can remember. Imagine our surprise at seeing the MSC Opera already docked (it does roundtrips out of Havana). We pulled in on the other side of the building and were greeted by the officials. Then came the fun(not). All shore excursions were delayed 30 minutes with the majority meeting in the Royal Theater and disembarking right next to it. When our time came, we exited the ship and immediately got into one of the many lines for immigration. You go through immigration one individual at a time- present your passport and visa and have your picture taken. They keep the visa, give you back your passport and you move on. This takes a while when almost the entire ship is disembarking at the same time. The terminal has multiple booths for currency exchange. To reconvene with your tour group or tour on your on, you exit the building by going down 42 steps. If you're on a ship excursion, you exit into a covered area and wait on the rest of the group to arrive before boarding the bus. There are multiple buses for all the different tours and everyone's experience is different. We were on the half-day Old Havana City tour which officially commenced at 10:04. We got off the ship at 9:15 to give you an idea how long it takes. Our tour did not follow the scheduled itinerary. Others did. Our first stop was the Christ museum, followed by a stop at a fort where the sole purpose was to buy cigars and rum. No tour of the fort. There were 2 on our bus that requested to see the synagogue so that added a good 30 minutes. Some wanted to see the Revolution Museum. It would have been a quick stop but somehow we lost 5 people and had to spend additional time waiting on them. The visit to the cemetery was wonderful. The last stop was at the market(think Nassau Straw market with people grabbing at you). We opted at that time to drop out of the tour(it was at the 5 hour mark), caught a pedicab into town and explored on our own, Had a late lunch at El Floridita and shopped in the few stores that were open on a Sunday.

Got back to the ship, exchanged our CUC's to dollars, went through immigration and reboarded the ship.

Havana is a wonderful vibrant city with friendly people. Very walkable as long as you don't require more than a cane. We can't wait to return, but are pretty certain it won't be on the Empress.

I am a little concerned about a comment from Karen who sailed on the April 19th inaugural, saying: ....... The VISA from RCL ....You can only leave the ship once. . our ship is an overniter, and we will be there from Wednesday around noon, until Thursday around 8PM...so I would want to get off the ship twice. Was your ship docked for just a short time ?

The Visa is good for your entire stay. You can go and come from the ship. You have to go through immigration each time. The first time they keep the visa and take your picture. After that they compare with the database they created to see how long the visa is for.

When you check in at the terminal for the cruise, you get your visa from the person who gives you your sea pass. It is automatically charged to your onboard account. We did the half day tour which was more than enough for us to get our bearings and explore on our own after.

There is only one cruise ship pier currently in operation, Terminal Sierra Maestro. The MSC Opera was docked on the other side of the building. For the record there are 42 steps to exit the terminal.

Everyone leaving the ship has to clear immigration. The buses carry 30-40 people. It takes a while for everyone to clear. If you're one of the first in your group, you'll have time, if one of the last you won't. From the time you leave the ship until the time you get on the bus- figure 45 minutes. We only went one place that took American money-the cigar place at the fort.

Everything was less painless than they make it out to be. Cuban people are very nice and welcoming.

Easy exchange in the terminal and any hotel. Should have time after immigration and before boarding your bus.

On board now. There was a medical emergency and Boston was the closest port.

Just ask the cabin steward. I left the request on a note with a request for an extra pillow. When we returned to the cabin that night, the bed was made with a blanket instead of duvet.

we would, but there are none available. Its the 12 day Hawaii to Ensenada. Last time we did it we had the aft wrap. Waited too late to book this time, but I still check for cancellations 2-3 times day.

Thanks Serene. None of the aft wraps are available, this was the closest to aft we can get. We've had 3 aft wraps and they are great.

Does anyone know the balcony size or have pictures of this cabin? I know it is next to the aft wrap but haven't been able to find a picture.

Thanks