where_to_next?

The casino is Canadian dollars (not the ship card). There were a dozen slot machines in the main casino and another bank of slots in the Sports bar. Plus blackjack, roulette and poker. Dollar minimum roulette, 5 dollar blackjack, I didnt play poker.

I took down Canadian and American dollars, and did not use my American dollars (other than taxi in Jamaica)

Our first port in Cienfuegos had a place to change dollars (CDN or USA) to CUCs. In Havana we found ATMs. Most of the other ports had easy to find currency exchange.

Good luck, have fun.

I am just back from Your Cuba Cruise, Montego Bay/Cienfuegos/Isle of Youth/Havana/Antilles/Santiago/Montego, Jan 17 to 24.

This was my first cruise, I always have been reluctant to cruise, as I thought I preferred land for more random decisions during travel. Was I wrong.

The Summary:

The cruise, ports and variety are beyond amazing.

Book as soon as you can to avoid disappointment.

Cuba will not be this way forever.

Some of the details…. Too many to mention.

Jan 17 Air Transat Toronto into Montego Bay, flight on time, Jamaican immigration appeared busy, but it processed quickly in 10 or 15 minutes, no problem mahn, taxi to the ship, (We shared a van with 5 people, $10 per person, taxi drivers appear to have this rate fixed.)

Boarding the ship was painless, dropped luggage at entrance to ship, and walked up to the ship reception, received room card, purchased a $30 cuban entry visa, room safe key and went straight to the 5th level Caruso bar to test my card and have a coffee and rum. Praveen who works the Caruso Bar was a great guy, sharing stories of his experiences. The coffee on board is excellent, I stuck mostly with Café Lattes and espresso. (Brewed coffee at breakfast was just fine).

I proceeded to my room on the 7th level, expecting a small cabin, I was very surprised by the amount of space, with lots of storage, a couch, 2 beds creating a large King…. And very clean.

My luggage was already there, so I quickly unpacked and started to explore.

Dinner was at La Scala. Beautiful linen, attentive service, menu was a choice of 3 apps, 3 salads, 4 mains and a variety of deserts, and changed every night. Say Hi to our main waiter Ronny who knew all our names after only one introduction.

Wine choices and prices were great, Malbecs, Riojas and Cabs, for just over $20 a bottle. I complement Your Cuba Cruise for having the opportunity to charge more, to a captive audience, yet they kept the prices reasonable.

Overall the food was great, I had four dinners at La Scala over the week, and found the variety and quality to be excellent.

Breakfast was at La Scala each morning, a buffet, with a great choice of fruits, meats, yogurts, cheeses, eggs, pastries…. And also cooked to order eggs, Eggs Benedict, Eggs Florentine, etc.

Saturday, first stop, Cienfuegos.

Entry into Cuba, hassle free, passport shown, (they do not stamp it, so no problem for those USA travelers who are of course “not spending money in Cuba, therefore not breaking the rules”.)

I met a quite a few Americans on board, none had any reservations about visiting Cuba. Just don’t bring back Cuban goods (cigars) to the USA… that is illegal.

We went by bus to Cienfuegos and Trinidad. In Cienfuegos we stopped in the main square, had a traditional mojito at a nice bar, and some of us had our sketches drawn for 1 cuc. Turns out I look like Quentin Tarantino!!!

Trinidad was equally beautiful. People and music everywhere. Everyone friendly. Lots of cigar sellers, but you soon ignore them. True cohibas are expensive, 20/25 each, but we found 3 and 5 cuc cigars that were just fine.

The ship sells great cigars at 25/30, and I was told well worth it, they were true high end Cohibas. I am not a cigar aficianadeeososo…. So I stayed with the cheap cigars.

Sunday into the private Punta Francis beach on the Isle of Youth. An incredible horseshoe shaped beach, pure white sand, middle of nowhere. Lounge chairs dotted the beach, it was not crowded with 150 to 200 people spread over the length. A great day of relaxation, with a Pina Colada, or at your option, dancing with the cruise performers in the shallow surf. I saw some teenagers find some great conch shells by exploring the length of the beach.

Monday into Havana. The ship stops directly next to Old Town. Passengers who took the morning walking tour loved it. Also the Flamenco was a great destination on the evening tour. The tours are well worth the money, as you cover two to three times more than if you went on your own. I have been to Havana twice before, so we opted to walk around on our own, find an ATM to get some cucs, and then take 2 seater motorcycle taxis into the nice area Playa, for a seaside restaurant. Many people took the old American vehicles from the 50’s around town, worth it just for the photo op. Went to the Revolution Museum, which covered the takeover of Cuba by Fidel and Che, very interesting (8 cuc entry). Havana is too large to see in a day, so don’t try to do it all. You will make the decision to return anyway.

Finished the Havana evening finding a random restaurant with 6 flamenco dancers, had a couple of Cristal ( 1 to 1.5 cuc), then back to the boat. In Havana the boat entertainment brings on a local group from Havana, who perform, and then leave the ship just before departure. Same thing happens at some of the other ports.

The entertainment was incredible, the ships band was 6 piece, and amazing. The acts were a mix of circus performers from Quebec and Cuban dance/music. A very creative, colorful, talented and original mix of artists. The Crew show was very funny, waiters performing Elvis, and original singing/dancing…. Whenever we left port, there was a Sail Away dance party on the pool deck. Live music, salsa, congo, and the majority of guests participated.

Hats off to Danny, MJ and Enrique for organizing such an eclectic mix of performers. When the trapeze artist is named Zowie, you know it will be creative.

The two mellow singers in the Rendezvous lounge are a couple from the Phillipines. Great singers.

Tuesday was at sea, a good relaxing day, get some sun on the top deck, recharge the post-Havana batteries.

There is a Spa….didn’t go, heard it was great.

There was an exercise room, did not go, walking tours were sufficient to pretend I was getting enough activity.

Wednesday was into Antilles, an old fishing town. Some took the 150 person catamaran for an adventure. Others went to Holguin or local beach resorts. I saw some passenger photos of the dolphin encounter, and if you do this you must organize to have the two dolphins lift you out of the water standing up, for a once in a lifetime experience. We decided to stay in Antilles and venture on our own. I had brought a quantity of school supplies to donate to a school in town. I found one just north of the main square, and they truly appreciated the markers, calculators and supplies I brought. We had local food for lunch, pork/rice/beans/yucca. The artwork upon walking back to the ship was the most authentic, original paintings for 25 cuc, leather goods, wood carvings, a good spot for a souvenir. Local bar near the boat was good for a Bucanero beer and 8 piece band before reboarding the ship.

Thursday, into Santiago. The guide showed us the original Bacardi factory, and interesting facts on how the Cuban Bicardi family transferred the Bicardi name to Bahamas so they could continue to sell under the Bicardi name post Fidel. The “original” Bicardi rum is now called Santiago. Or something like that, I was drinking rum when told this. The cities are beautiful and the architecture incredible. There is much to restore, but the imperfect condition is part of the mystique.

Friday 7 am, back to Montego bay, for a lazy 930 am departure back to Sangster airport for noon flight back to Toronto.

The casino on board and the Sports lounge were perfect. Not large, but also not busy. I won 2 hundred at Blackjack and gave it back the next night. The professional staff from Uzbekistan, or was it Turkistan?, were always dressed classy, which was a nice touch. The magician visits the casino to perform incredible magic tricks at times. I notice the casino locked up the chips when the magician arrived. :)

Dress was casual, there was a classy night, “Captains Cocktail”, I wore a jacket, no tie, which fit the bill.

We ate twice at the upscale Prime restaurant. You must try it at least once. The antipasto plate was served from 4 foot platters, seafoods, peppers, meats, cheeses, a meal in itself. A butchers block was brought to the table with cuts of Alberta beef, prime rib, filet mignon, ribeyes… Sides of mash, roast, beans….. Could also opt for ribs, chicken, fish. Ambiance, service, great food and wine… what more could you ask for?

If you are celebrating a birthday on board, let the kitchen know in advance. A live band will help celebrate tableside.

I suggest you experience a bridge tour, if possible during one of the port entries/exits. This ship has a 6 m draft and was entering 7 m and 8 m water next to the docks, where no other cruise ship can go. You cannot experience Cuba on the big USA boats, because 1) too large and 2) US owned. The narrow entries into the bays, and very specific navigation channels was interesting to experience on the bridge. Don’t worry, no risk at all. A good safety drill was performed on board.

The boat was very stable. Only one night, dancing in the 10th level Club 10 disco did I experience some movement port to starboard…. and it made me dance even better.

I tried to think of some negatives, to balance the glowing comments, but could not think of any. Tipping is added to the bill at $70 for the week per person. On the last day I thanked some of the extraordinary staff with additional tips.

In conclusion, my one week felt like 3 weeks…. a true complement to being away, being busy, and thoroughly enjoying every moment.

I will be back for more.

And next time, I can take a different direction at each port, and have a completely different experience.