X cruiser sails Azamara to Cuba Jan 15 to 24 2019

[LC1950]

Many happy returns Norris!   A bit late here, we're a day ahead here in Oz.  Hope you had a delicious birthday dinner and much good health for the forthcoming year.  Happy trails.

[tigerbeth]

Happy birthday Norris, hope you have a fab day .

Here's to a wonderful year & many more cruises 🥂🎈🎂

[hockeyguru32]

Happy Belated Birthday Norris hope you had a good dinner and rum was involved. I'm sure Sambuca was

[Bimmer09]

We are entering the channel to Santiago de Cuba harbor. I'm on deck 10, port side

 

I didn't know there was a huge fort guarding the mouth at starboard until we had passed it

(we will visit it on our tour tomorrow)

 

behind us

 

 

 

beneath us

 

 

More....

[Bimmer09]

 

 

 

 

 

We pass the restaurant that I had picked out from TripAdvisor reviews for tomorrow's tour lunch

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g147273-d5971066-Reviews-Restaurante_El_Cayo-Santiago_de_Cuba_Santiago_de_Cuba_Province_Cuba.html

 

People waving from Restaurante El Cayo

 

behind us

 

 I see Carol up on deck 10 starboard side taking pictures. I'm glad she is seeing all of this

 

More....

 

[Bimmer09]

Our itinerary and e mails of schedule changes from Azamara had us arriving at 5 p.m but today's "Insider" said 6 p.m and that looked like it was happening as 5 had already passed.

 

 

 

 

 

looking to starboard

 

 

 

More...

[Bimmer09]

The pilot boat and a local ferry are following us

 

 

 

 

 

the mighty refinery chimneys are very loud as you pass closely

 

we love industrial ports!

 

in scenic places

 

 

 

More...

[Bimmer09]

 

starboard view

 

 

Deck 11 was closed off

 

 

 

More...

[morbihan]

Is it tidal Norris? The houses won't flood?

 

Happy Birthday! The key at last😂

[Bimmer09]

 

 

it's 6.05 p.m

 

pool bar

 

the Captain drops the anchor (clumsy!)

 

 

This, thanks to Azamara, is our first entry to a port at sunset and will be our first time to tender ashore in the dark.

 

Coming up much later...

An early dinner in Discoveries 

Tendering ashore

An evening of Cuban music and rum in a club we are familiar with from Youtube videos

 

Norris

 

 

[Bimmer09]

22 hours ago, sajlm045 said:

Happy Birthday Norris! I'm loving your review as usual. On a different topic, I noticed in your photos of the buffet that the Azamara crew does not use sneeze guards anywhere. Was this the normal on the cruise?

James

No sneeze guards in the MDR but found in the Windows buffet.

Thanks for the Birthday wishes!

Norris

Edited February 21, 2019 by Bimmer09
add text

[Jasperdo]

Another excellent set of "sail in" photos. Bravo. And a happy belated birthday.

[SeaHunt]

A (belated) Happy Birthday toast from your friends at the Sunset Bar on the S.S. Mouser for Norris  

Here's wishing you many happy years of cruising ahead!

 

 

[Captain-John]

Happy Birthday - enjoy your meal! 🙂

[Bimmer09]

10 hours ago, Jasperdo said:

Another excellent set of "sail in" photos. Bravo. And a happy belated birthday.

Thank you for the photo comment!

My subject demanded I keep busy with both cameras. I had no idea of what to expect as there was less Youtube stuff on Santiago de Cuba than the other two ports. Humble dwellings, people waving, mountains, a massive fort, oil refinery, cargo ships, sunset- it had it all.

Thanks for the Birthday wishes!

And read on as Santiago was a great stop for us.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

On 2/20/2019 at 10:37 PM, mevs904 said:

Happy Birthday Norris!  And thank you again for the enormous pleasure that you are bringing into all of our lives.  Your wonderful review tempers the depressing winter weather that we are getting in the Albany area.  I hope that you and Carol enjoyed a lovely dinner celebration tonight.  Life is good!

I echo your last sentence!

Thanks for the great feedback.

Dinner was in Trulucks and I think I have given them two Excellent reviews on TripAdvisor in the past so now they will get number three. They can do no wrong for me! 

Norris, excited to show you Santiago de Cuba tomorrow.

 

[Bimmer09]

12 hours ago, morbihan said:

Is it tidal Norris? The houses won't flood?

 

Happy Birthday! The key at last😂

 

 Hi, I imagine it is tidal being on the ocean  but the difference in levels can't be great judging by how low some of the houses sit above the water. I think photo number 5 (roof issues) will suggest that they are probably in greater danger from water from above.

Norris

[NJ Gal]

Belated Birthday Wishes! 

After our cruise, I will be happy to let you know what changes we have noticed since our Cuba trip in 2012.  This time only 2 days in  Havana compared to week in Cuba on our last trip.  We did find both of the hotels used in 2012 to be fine and much better & updated than I expected.  Even the food at all of the restaurants exceeded my expectations. Often the portions were just too big.  We were told that the government regulated our meals.  Remember this was 2012.  Have things changed, who knows?  More Americans, more tourists,  cruise ships......

[Bimmer09]

Anchored in the spacious bay of Santiago de Cuba harbor just after 6 p.m we hit Discoveries for dinner before mustering for our Azamara Excursion to Casa de la Trova at 7.30.

 

 

shrimp cocktail, always available 

 

Carol's avocado, artichoke and Frisee salad

 

we both enjoyed the cauliflower soup

 

my NY strip steak and fries with Bearnaise sauce on the side (always available)

 

and Carol's Osso Buco ravioli (very yummy)

 

coffee gelato to finish another fine meal

 

Now we hustle our way forward to the Cabaret Lounge to join our group and head to the tender station on deck 3.....

 

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

3 hours ago, NJ Gal said:

Belated Birthday Wishes! 

After our cruise, I will be happy to let you know what changes we have noticed since our Cuba trip in 2012.  This time only 2 days in  Havana compared to week in Cuba on our last trip.  We did find both of the hotels used in 2012 to be fine and much better & updated than I expected.  Even the food at all of the restaurants exceeded my expectations. Often the portions were just too big.  We were told that the government regulated our meals.  Remember this was 2012.  Have things changed, who knows?  More Americans, more tourists,  cruise ships......

Thanks for the Birthday wishes and give my regards to Edison NJ!

They are fairly lavish with the food and I enjoyed everything I ate there although I only had 3 meals. They were pretty welcoming to us Americans (British in my case) and they need to be to keep us coming back which all of the people I have seen writing tourist reviews intend to do. We will certainly return and stop to smell the roses. I, of course, want to sit at a sidewalk cafe with a rum and a cigar and people-watch. The average person there has little of what we take for granted but that's Communism for you.  I recall talking to someone in Miami who had a couple of elder family members visit him and when he took them to a Walmart the ladies were in tears when they saw the variety of goods and the bright lighting and functioning restrooms.

 

We will be drawn back to the amazing architecture of Havana. To the classic colorful American cars from 60 years ago, to the welcoming people, the climate and how different it is from a typical Caribbean Island.

 

I would love to see American firms trading with Cuba and imagine container ships full of toilet paper, soap, toothpaste and paint docking in Havana someday. In the meantime we will gladly spend our tourist CUCs there and enjoy what they can currently offer.

 

Thank you President Obama for not living in the past.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Just a short video clip of our tender heading to shore. You can see many tour buses lined up on the dock. This is the dock that was supposedly being worked on over our fall/ winter but it looks like  100 years old of weathered concrete and no sign of repairs. The tender took about 15 minutes so I just show the beginning and end.

 

 

 

Norris

[MisterMet]

Norris,

 

As usual, another excellent review!   Your photos of Cuba are over the top my friend.  Carol’s notes and your commentary are painting a wonderful picture of Cuban culture and atmosphere aboard the Journey.  Pam (GrazieMommy) and I have thoroughly enjoyed this “journey” with you and Carol and are with you to the end.  Happy Belated Birthday.

 

Trip

[Covepointcruiser]

We will be traveling soon to Cuba on Azmara.   I have done some research on Cuba and illnesses/diseases.   Quite a few folks were treated by hospitals for serious stomach problems after visiting, a few died.   I checked on the CDC site and Cuba is now listed as having a Cholera outbreak in addition to some nasty parasitic infections.   We will enjoy Cuba but will not eat there.   We will also carry bottled water from the ship.   It seems there is a sewage treatment problem on Cuba as their facilities have not been updated in 50 years.   Needless to say with untreated sewage being piped into the rivers and the ocean we will also not be going into the water.

[Bimmer09]

2 hours ago, MisterMet said:

Norris,

 

As usual, another excellent review!   Your photos of Cuba are over the top my friend.  Carol’s notes and your commentary are painting a wonderful picture of Cuban culture and atmosphere aboard the Journey.  Pam (GrazieMommy) and I have thoroughly enjoyed this “journey” with you and Carol and are with you to the end.  Happy Belated Birthday.

 

Trip

Trip, so happy to know you are still out there reading and enjoying. Many thanks for the kind comments!

I know I have some good shots from day 2 in Santiago. I haven't looked at them since I took them and checked them on the back of the camera.

Work and life is keeping me away from the computer more than I would like.

First World problem.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Casa de la Trova

Our first tender trip in the dark and when we arrived at the dock our first Cuban band welcome-4 guys playing...."Besame Mucho!". Crowd barriers directed us to the Customs and Immigration building where bags were electronically checked and a "Transit" card slipped into our passports. Outside, the buses were waiting for various excursions. A young Cuban lady wearing a white shirt and a big smile beckoned us to our bus. A young female member of the shore excursions team was along for the ride (and the rum).

 

The drive wasn't far but it was steep-narrow hilly streets. The big bus stopped at the main square in town. There was a small park with trees and dozens of people's faces lit by the glow of their cell phones as there was a wifi signal here. Each was quietly engaged. I was surprised at how quiet everywhere we went in Cuba was. No musak, no bros hollering' to a friend 10 inches away, no cars going by with their bodywork rattling from the deep bass on their tricked out stereo. No "hey look at me". No ostentation as they don't have the money but also no overt begging. No dogs being walked but plenty of stray dogs that don't bark at you. No dog mess on the streets. No runners, except maybe 2 on the Malecon and they may have been from a ship.

No food trucks and very few cart vendors. Very few billboards.

 

We walked half a block and around a corner just yards from the square was somewhere familiar to us from Youtube videos. There were 25 of us and more on another coach that hadn't arrived yet.

 

The guide went in to clear us as there is a 10 CUC cover charge and we were led up a flight of stairs to the music room. No music was playing and we had our choice of seats. The waitress saw me take a chair in the front half of the room and asked if I wanted to sit at the back "it's loud here" she said. "Excellent" said I and dropped my gear on the table. I was halfway back in the room by a door to the balcony.

 

 

There was a complimentary Cuba Libre which she went to get for us. Carol wasn't going to take one but I insisted as it gave me two if she eschewed it upon arrival. The rest of the bus was filing in and taking seats up front. I needed an ashtray even though I wasn't planning to smoke in the room and went to the bar where this guy...

was giving me a huge smile and saying something in Spanish and giving two thumbs up.

"What's he saying?" I asked the tour guide. "He loves your shirt!" No it wasn't the one with the dancers just another shirt popular with Cubans apparently. The guy I would find out was the compere for the show and each time he saw me he flashed a big smile and the thumbs up.

I felt like "The Man".

 

Carol is very excited-buzzing-to be in this room. It is so familiar to us. Nothing fancy and it is small but there are congas and guitars on stage. The second bus arrives and the back of the room fills too. She tries the rum and coke but just a few sips as booze is anathema to her (except Prosecco or champagne). More for me but at 3 CUC a glass I will be ordering more anyway.

 

 

The band I had never heard of before, but then I don't read music trade papers or just surf Youtube for "Cuban music". They were called Los Jubilados and had just returned from a tour of Colombia. I had my camcorder along to capture some of the music and it will follow after the photos. 

 

To be continued...