Empress July 15, our trip to Havana.

Just got home from a very nice surprise birthday present from my DW- we took a 4 night cruise on the Empress of the Seas from Tampa to Key West and Havana.

We few to Tampa late on 7/14, and stayed downtown- took a taxi to the port around noon on 7/15.

Boarding at that time was incredibly easy- just a handful of people were there boarding with us at the same time. One very cool feature we've never seen before- we were allowed to store some luggage in the Royal Theater until the rooms opened up at 1pm. So while waiting, we took the time to set up our MTD reservations.

MDR dining was pretty neat- the menus are not the same as the rest of the fleet- and on night 2, the menu was actually Cuban. Roast Pork with tostones, Snapper with ripe plantain, Chicken with yuca, and some soups and salads. We've been wanting that kind of menu since we've been cruising starting 2001, and it was really nice to see that. The one other night we ate there was quite good, too. Night 3 we had a late lunch in Havana, and night 4 we ate in Chops for my birthday.

Chops is chops- and we like it. I even splurged for the aged NY Strip, which was pretty amazing.

Our cabin was 8686, an aft JS. As has been mentioned, JS's on the Empress are basically balconies on every other ship- small. The JS was even smaller than the normal Oasis balconies. But we wanted a balcony, and an aft one specifically. And were rewarded when we backed into the port in Havana. So our coffee that morning was staring at old Havana. Pretty awesome. Hard to say if vibration is a problem or not- the seas were super smooth, and the pace wasn't nearly fast enough to push things. But there is soot, so fair warning. 8686 has an extra large balcony- about twice as wide as a normal one, so we enjoyed that a lot.

Yes, the ship is dated, yes, the cabins look old, yes, the cabins are even smaller than what you are used to. But you do get to go to Havana. We enjoyed going on the Empress again- we sailed on her back in 2004. This is the first RCI ship with a multi deck centrum- so it was really cool.

In Key West, we just wandered around. Had a great lunch at Carolines, visited both open rum distilleries, and headed back to the ship. It was HOT, and the drinks were strong, so we headed back and slept. Not much to say there- since it was far from the highlight of the trip.

Havana.... wow. Just wow.

First, there were two seminars- one from a tourist and one from the ship. BOTH were great, and made is feel a LOT better about going to Havana the next day. We have to be honest- it is a little nerve wracking to go to Cuba- both because of what we are told is there and what our government requires. The seminars cleared up all of our questions so we were ready for the day.

Which I'm going to put into another post- so I can cut and paste into the Havana destination area.

During the seminar we were told to wake up at ~6:30, so that we can see us sail by El Morro (named the same as San Juan) at 6:45 or so. We ended up being about 45 min early, and thankfully, the lighthouse on El Morro woke me up. So from 6am to about 7:30, we hung out on our balcony- drinking coffee and eating some cupcakes that I got for a present.

Very cool to see Havana wake up.

Being in an aft cabin, we were not sure how the ship would dock, and was surprised to see that we went in aft first, so we just overlooked the city.

We booked a tour on our own, so we were not in a huge hurry to wake up and get off the ship. Nice and relaxing morning, and when we headed down to the Schooner Bar to leave (which is where the self organized were to meet)- we were directed right off the ship right behind a small tour group. The wait going through Immigration was fast enough- they took our picture, took our visa, and stamped our passport. The passport stamp is all you need to get on and off the ship even for an overnight stay.

Then we changed dollars into CUCs, looked at what they had in the store (so you knew prices before heading out), and then walked out.

We were a little early for our appointment, so we wandered around Plaza San Francisco. This is where we started satisfying our People to People Travel requirements- meeting a guard and some of the other independent tour operators. Take pictures, so that you can document all of this.

Then, our tour.

My wife had a long list of items that she wanted to see, and tried hard to work with RCI to put an excursion together. But it just could not get worked out. While doing that, she found Tour Republic. Tour Republic is a group out of Miami who help tourists connect to specific tour operators to meet all of the things YOU want to see. Since you pre-pay the tour before leaving, it's all in U$, and that satisfies the official tour operator requirement AND allows you to support the independent tour operator in Havana outside of the official government agencies. As a bonus, it's considerably cheaper than the ship's tours.

The arrangement was a 6 hour tour in a classic a/c car, and walking through old Havana. Turned out to end up being 7.5 hours- which was awesome!!!

Our driver was named Ruben, and he had a '59 Chevy Impala. With A/C. Oh, so cool. Being a hard top, we were not worried about getting too much sun in a convertible. Very cool.

He was prompt at the Plaza at 10am, the agreed meeting time. From there, we drove under the harbor over to the statue of Christ (holding a rum and a cigar, as the say). On the way, we saw a memorial to the October Crisis (we remember it as the Cuban Missile Crisis), which was really interesting to see- there were remnants of a shot down USAF plane, some SAM missiles, some anti aircraft guns, and even an MIG 21. Then up to the Christ statue, which has an amazing view over Havana and our cruise ship. A short drive took us to the El Morro fort remnants, where the harbor lighthouse is. Can't go into the fort as you can in San Juan. But the view is great, and there are a lot of other tourists up there.

From there, we drove back under the harbor, and back downtown. Past a monument to some military stuff (including Castro's ship from Mexico), we parked near the capitol building. Very impressive building in what looks to be great condition (and it's being restored). The whole plaza area is really nice, and a short walk from La Floridita Bar- a Hemingway haunt. We were slightly early for opening, and after a short wander around (seeing the development of very modern and very high end hotel and shops- which is pretty out of place)- we went back just as it opened. Perfect timing, as it was empty, and we were able to get pictures with the Hemingway statue all by ourselves AND get a daiquiri, which was invented in this bar. It wasn't long before the bar was packed with tourists. So we moved on.

We drove through some neighborhoods including a very old China Town onto Revolution Square. Nice to see the monuments, but it's a big paved area... A couple of buildings have steel sculptures to some of the revolutionaries- including Che Guverra.

By this time, it was about 1pm, and time for lunch. Some more neighborhood driving, and we ended up in a paladar- which is a private restaurant. This was featured in some magazines a while ago- called La Casa- and reading the reviews, it has improved a lot in 15 years. We had soup, roast pork, rice & beans, and some other root veggies (kind of a sweet potato). And sangria, bottled water, and coffee- all for 18 CUC's per person. We very much enjoyed the food- after eating in Cuban restaurants in the US, we had a clear expectation of flavor profiles. While it was close, it was also not the same in a very good and interesting way. While we were eating, the skies opened up. So we were there for a while.

After lunch, we drove through a small forest on the way to the Tropicana. Since this was the middle of the day, it wasn't open. But it was cool to see- we had no idea that this was so far from Havana. If we come again, it's not likely we will go there vs. a jazz club or the Buena Vista Social Club.

From there, we drove back to the long Malecon, along embassy row. Of course, all of that area is in great shape. Along the way, we saw both the old and new resorts along the waterfront, stopping at the Nacional. Spent longer there, having a drink and seeing some of the history.

We then finished driving the Malecon back to the port area were we started our walking tour. By now, we were past the 6 our target time, but Ruben insisted on going on and seeing Old Havana. We started at the Havana Club old distillery for a small tour, and then walked to all of the plazas in old Havana.

He wanted to take us to a Cigar factory, too but given how we took a lot of time, we were fine with not going there.

It was an overwhelming tour in the greatest way you can think- saw a LOT, learned a lot, and saw so many things to see in more detail the next time we come. The process of organizing a tour on your own turned out to be very easy, and Ruben was a great tour guide and driver. Very professional (including a gift to me for my birthday). I would not hesitate to use Tour Republic or touring with Ruben again. BTW, he does speak English, but we were some of his first US tourists. I expect his English will improve a LOT quickly, as more and more cruises arrive in Havana. He's been a driving guide for more than the legal 5 years, and most of his customers are from Europe (mostly Russia, apparently). While I would not say he's fully in favor of the people who run the country, his passion for Cuba is pretty clear. He's very happy to show off his home.

While it may appear that everyone is struggling and very poor- I've seen far more obvious poverty on other islands. And Havana is changing as we speak- many of the buildings in old Havana are being restored (thanks partially to UNESCO), and many resorts and stores are being put in. If you want to go, do it now.

But we can't schedule another trip until next Sept- so we booked a B2B, one of which has an overnight stop in Havana.

Nice informative review. We take this same cruise in September. Thanks

Thanks for the great review! We go in October. :)

I also had that JS-8686 on Empress, and it definitely is not a JS. The JS on Deck 9 are more like a JS on other Royal ships. Cabin 8686 did have a nice big balcony with a nice view off the aft. If I were you, and still wanted a JS...try the ones on Deck 9.

I'm glad you had a nice birthday cruise. I try to do that for myself every year. Thanks for the nice review!

Thanks for your review.

During the seminar we were told to wake up at ~6:30, so that we can see us sail by El Morro (named the same as San Juan) at 6:45 or so. We ended up being about 45 min early, and thankfully, the lighthouse on El Morro woke me up. So from 6am to about 7:30, we hung out on our balcony- drinking coffee and eating some cupcakes that I got for a present.

Thank you for an informative and concise review. Do you remember what side of the ship would have the best view of El Morro?

Thank you for your review and wish you had a great birthday!

Thank you for an informative and concise review. Do you remember what side of the ship would have the best view of El Morro?

Port on arriving, starboard on departing.

I also had that JS-8686 on Empress, and it definitely is not a JS. The JS on Deck 9 are more like a JS on other Royal ships. Cabin 8686 did have a nice big balcony with a nice view off the aft. If I were you, and still wanted a JS...try the ones on Deck 9.

 

I'm glad you had a nice birthday cruise. I try to do that for myself every year. Thanks for the nice review!

Normally, I would agree with you, but this is more of a port focused trip for us, so the feature of an aft cabin is what we want.

That, and this is a very good reply to anyone who is thinking of a JS on the Empress- a JS that is more familiar to you would be on deck 9, whereas the aft ones are more like traditional balconies.

Thank you for an informative and concise review. Do you remember what side of the ship would have the best view of El Morro?

Bob is right- port entering, starboard leaving. Or right behind you for aft... ;)

Thank you for your review and wish you had a great birthday!

As a cool present- we made sure the Cuba entry stamp was very clear, and then when re-entering the US, we had the agent put a US entry stamp right above the Cuba one- which bracketed my 50th birthday.

Which is really cool to me.

(and the US agent in Tampa was super nice about doing that)

Thank you for the great review. We will be in the OS next to your cabin and so happy to hear that we may back into port in Havana!

Virginia

We board the Empress on Sunday, and will be in Cuba on July 26 & 27.

Thank you for such a detailed review! I read it, and immediately went to Tour Republic... And booked with Ruben! The price is unbelievable, and the itinerary is exactly, what I want, as opposed to the generic tours, that don't have the best feedback.

We board the Empress on Sunday, and will be in Cuba on July 26 & 27.

 

Thank you for such a detailed review! I read it, and immediately went to Tour Republic... And booked with Ruben! The price is unbelievable, and the itinerary is exactly, what I want, as opposed to the generic tours, that don't have the best feedback.

Cool. Again, be patient with his English- he can communicate fine- but us Americans are new relative to the other European languages he has worked with for a while.

IMHO, having an closed car with a/c is far better than a convertible.

Normally, I would agree with you, but this is more of a port focused trip for us, so the feature of an aft cabin is what we want.

That, and this is a very good reply to anyone who is thinking of a JS on the Empress- a JS that is more familiar to you would be on deck 9, whereas the aft ones are more like traditional balconies.

We were on the same cruise as you and also enjoyed it immensely. We had a JS on Deck 9, 9110 - and even though probably only very slightly larger than a regular D1 on other ships it was fine for a short cruise, and we did have a large sofa in the room, however the bathroom was tiny. We did an RCCL shore excursion, walking tour of Old Havana, which was very interesting but such a hot and humid day until the rain started which was welcome. Incidentally we had been told by Royal before the cruise that in order to get off the ship we had to book a ship's excursion, which obviously was incorrect.

great review Eric. Why was it important to document (take a picture of) the guard and people? Did someone ask to see if you talked to them?

Thanks for the great review! you were fortunate to have such a wonderful guide too.

One suggestion. This is still a communist country with people being monitored regarding speech about the current regime. I wouldn't post his comments about "While I would not say he's fully in favor of the people who run the country..."

My husband lived in a country under communist rule similar to Cuba as a child so I know first hand from him how they feel about negatives about their leaders.

great review Eric. Why was it important to document (take a picture of) the guard and people? Did someone ask to see if you talked to them?

I'm not so sure this rule applies to a short visit by cruise ship but this this is what I found:

According to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s explainer on people-to-people, “Travelers utilizing this general license must ensure they maintain a full-time schedule of educational exchange activities intended to enhance contact with the Cuban people, support civil society in Cuba, or promote the Cuban people’s independence from Cuban authorities, and that will result in meaningful interaction between the traveler and individuals in Cuba.”

great review Eric. Why was it important to document (take a picture of) the guard and people? Did someone ask to see if you talked to them?

Just in case. As was pointed out, we have rules to meet the Person to Person requirements.

So we made a point to document what we did. Which is now an excuse for all of the pictures we took, which had to be in the high hundreds.

Thanks for the great review! you were fortunate to have such a wonderful guide too.

 

One suggestion. This is still a communist country with people being monitored regarding speech about the current regime. I wouldn't post his comments about "While I would not say he's fully in favor of the people who run the country..."

 

My husband lived in a country under communist rule similar to Cuba as a child so I know first hand from him how they feel about negatives about their leaders.

While that's a good point- it is MY opinion. Most certainly, it's not as if he obviously wanted to live someplace else. The people we met were proud to be Cubans, not shamed by what we might think of what is going on.

You really have to leave in a communist country to fully understand the total fear you live on, some one who was born and has lived in a free country has no way to get close to understand. It is sad very sad.

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great review Eric. Why was it important to document (take a picture of) the guard and people? Did someone ask to see if you talked to them?

One other thing- Royal Caribbean has an affidavit for you to sign https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cuba/content/uploads/2016/12/Royal-Caribbean-Alternative-Passenger-Affidavit.pdf

Which also points out the "full time schedule", which we read as documenting what we did, illustrating who we met with and where we were the best we could.

This is also the document that made it clear that passengers were allowed to make their own tour arrangements- as one can check "Part B"

– To be completed by passengers who plan to travel on a “self-guided” people-to-people educationalexchange program, including those passengers who plan to split their schedule between people-to-peopleactivities offered by Royal Caribbean and people-to-people activities organized on their own.

You really have to leave in a communist country to fully understand the total fear you live on, some one who was born and has lived in a free country has no way to get close to understand. It is sad very sad.

 

 

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You are welcome to feel sad. Our guide told us of some (very little) of his background. At this point, I would rather connect and be happy with the opportunities they are being given right now, and how they have been developing over the years.

IMHO, giving them business, and allowing the individuals a way to legally make extra money is a good way to increasing the freedoms that they are very slowly getting.

Enjoyed reading your review of Havana and your experience Thank you