LB_NJ

Presumably those laws only apply to US citizens and residents of the US.

Have no clue about the application of the laws past that US citizens have to comply with US laws.

However, this was on the state department's website:

webpage.

31 C.F.R. 515.560

Frequently Asked Questions

My Spanish is bad. I have a ship tour planned for the day but would like to try something on my own for the night. How hard is it to get around if you DON'T speak the language.

This is the official line that RCI must give it's passengers and it is technically true. US citizens really can't go to Cuba without being of some "official" people to people tour and all RCI tours do comply. So what is the reality? You will be a given an affidavit you must sign at embarkation in Miami. It is a legal US document stating you are on a cruise line sponsored people to people tour. However, once the ship docks in Havana and disembarkation starts - no one from RCI checks nor does the Cuba officials care. It would be a complete nightmare if security had to check everyone disembarkation the ship. If you do get off the ship with out doing an official RCI "people to people tour" then you are violate of your signed affidavit. However, there is no way the US state department would even remotely check to see if you were in violated your signed affidavit unless maybe you committed some sort of crime and were detained in Cuba. Again, you can freely get on and off the ship in Cuba and you are not required to take any RCI sponsored tour. So why doesn't the cruise line tell you this...because they really can't tell you to violate your signed affidavit plus they would prefer you to booked one of their overpriced tours which does satisfy US law.

FYI, it sounds like you would be planning to violate US law. FYI, not that many people go to jail for violating US tax law but there are some that do.

I don't know. I have been to many Caribbean islands but this one does not seem all that appealing to me. Should have researched this cruise stop further before booking. Thanks for posting all of these pics, they really give a good overview of what there is to see and do there.

It is really for diving, snorkeling, or sitting on the beach. Snorkeling is pretty nice which is what I tried through the ship. I am sure diving is also good because of the wall. Also did a short tour of the island it was OK but not exciting.

I don't know if they are still doing it however there was a coupon on their web site for a free shot of rum.

I thought you might be amused by this question I found on a different thread:

"

FYI, there can be an exception for some excursions where you need to cancel further in advance, just be careful or ask about a specific excursion.

The cruise on Royal Caribbean has a tender stop at Cienfuegos.

We are considering two tours that are being offered by the ship:

First one has highlights of:

Anastasio Cardenas: Learn about Cuba's cigar history and tobacco processing traditions while touring this prominent tobacco factory's facility.

Cuban culture: Enjoy lunch and cocktail tastings, plus an artistic show by locals and the beauty of Palacio de Valle.

Cienfuegos: Follow your guide on foot through Jose Marti Park past Tomas Terry Theater and Casa del Fundador for shopping

The other tour called Culture and Beauty of Cienfuegos lists highlights as:

El Nicho: A peaceful trek along forest trails leads to a powerful waterfall and natural lagoons.

San Juan Peak: Relish panoramic views of nature from the highest point in the Sierra del Escambray Mountains.

Cultural immersion: Performances and paintings await you at Jobero Verde Community Project, while Creole dishes are served for lunch

Anyone been on either of these?

Any thoughts?

We are booked on the 8 nt RCL Empress Best of Cuba itinerary (March 3 2019). Can anyone tell me:

 

1. What nights are formal night? I assume Tues and Thur as they are the at sea days? There is a 3rd at sea day, but it's the last day of the trip before returning to MIA. That's not a likely formal night option.

 

2. Does anyone have a Daily Planner from any at sea day for RCL Empress for any of the Cuba sailings? Doesn't have to be the 8 nt itinerary. We have friends traveling with us on this sailing who have never cruised before. They are concerned there may not be enough to do on board during at sea days. Figured the easiest way to ease this concern is to show them a daily planner/newsletter.

 

Thanks.

Booked but have not traveled. From what I read Empress is the smallest ship in the fleet, quite old and no formal night.

Forgot to mention I liked to walk around the promenade or just sit on a deck chair and watch the water go by. FYI, while this is a Royal Caribbean thread I personally would stick to somewhat smaller, ships no more than 3000 travelers. Personal preference.

Forgot to mention if you come in by Amtrak a little early and need something to do and don't feel like taking mass transit into Manhattan there used to be a nice little museum in downtown Newark. Haven't been there in a few years so don't know if it is still nice.

Hi Bob,

 

If you and Lee decide to stay in downtown Newark, please come to the east Coast Board to get our locals' opinions on walking from a particular hotel to a particular restaurant. I have dined in this area, but we were 5 people and we drove and parked right at the restaurant. Personally I also like the idea of "walking to a local restaurant", but I would never do it at night in downtown Newark. Local cabs are cheap.

I went to school (Rutgers) in Newark for several years. I have also gone to things in the Prudential Center. While I thought it acceptably safe to walk around some parts during the day I would not walk around after dark. While I understand staying at the Hilton if you arrive by Amtrak I can't see staying there if arriving by any other method.

That said there are good Portuguese restaurants in the area I would suggest driving to and from the restaurants.

hi everyone -i am keen to come to the Caribbean (from Australia) next year and do a cruise which includes Cuba but I cant seem to find many cruises that go past March 2019 - do you know if they are stopping or just haven't been released yet? Also, I am a RCC lover but the reviews on Empress of the Seas dont seem to be all that fabulous. I guess its more about the destination. Thoughts and feedback appreciated?

Oceania has cruises July 2019. I think there are just not that many cruises. We are booked on Empress of the Seas. We would have booked Oceania however they were already sold out in the cabins we could afford for when we wanted to travel.

I read the same reviews and we went ahead anyway because of the destination.

We live close enough to drive so we haven't done a hotel in the area.

I am assuming you are flying into Newark airport, you didn't say. ( If not Newark I hope it is Kennedy)

However, it depends on whether you just want a place to sleep (i.e., you are flying in to Newark late the night before) or you want to do some sightseeing (e.g., New York City, Statute of Liberty) the day before.

If it is late and you just want a place to sleep then a hotel near the airport, there may be airplane noise.

There is even a hotel (Marriot) at Newark airport.

If you are getting in early the day before you could stay in Manhattan and get in a day of sightseeing.

June is a very nice time in New York.

Also, lots of options to get to Manhattan without renting a car. To get to the port the next day you would probably need limo service.

All too often people only post of their bad experiences. :(

I think this is the main reason you see so many negative comments. In general, people who are happy will tell a friend or two that they enjoyed the experience while those who are not want to tell the world.

And bad experiences do happen. There was a cruise ship that sank people died and the captain went to jail. Norovirus will strike some ships. Bad weather happens. Sometimes just everything goes wrong on a particular cruise.

I have only been on one cruise, a Princess cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale. It was really cold in the northeast and we got a good deal on airfare to Florida and a good price on a 5 day inside cabin to the Caribbean.

So I now have 3 other cruises booked through August 2019. All different cruise lines, Royal Caribbean in January 2019 to Cuba.

The good, and why I have other cruises booked:

1. We didn't get seasick. Some others on the cruise did however we didn't and therefore we are willing to go again.

2. Altogether the price for a 5 day vacation in the sun was very reasonable compared to other options.

3. It was relaxing to only go to effectively one hotel but see 2 different islands.

4. Although it was an inside cabin and a little small it was comfortable and we were only there to sleep anyway. My July 2018 cruise is a balcony so I will see if it is worth the extra money to be able to sit out on a balcony and have a drink there or breakfast.

5. The food was OK, not great, but Ok and the service in the main dinning room was excellent. Like an excellent restaurant on land. We like to go out to dinner and get good service so it was like being at a hotel and eating in a nice restaurant every night.

6. We got to see two islands, Grand Turk and Dominican Republic. By the way one of the things I didn't like is you only get a taste of the location. I personally would prefer cruises that are in port for a longer period. The cruise to Cuba stays overnight in Havana and the cruise in August 2019 will stay several days in Bermuda.

7. The trips we have booked for the summer of 2018 and 2019 depart within an hours drive of where we live. No airports or airlines. YEAH!!!

8. The entertainment was OK, again not great but OK. So overall with the food, the room, and entertainment it was like going to an inclusive resort.

The bad as I mentioned was that cruise lines in general do not have the best food unless you go to a luxury line or spend extra money in a specialty restaurant. Also, except for some cruises they don't really spend a lot of time in any given port.

Bottom line for us is that we liked cruising enough to go again however, not enough to limit all our vacations to cruising.

My suggestion to those who have never cruised is to pick a cruise line that caters to your specific demographic (different cruise lines cater to specific type of cruiser), not go during spring break, and book a short cruise. If you like it then you'll go again. If you don't then not much lost.

Oh what a storm in a teacup! This is a site for diehard Cunard fans, who will want to resist any change that Cunard tries to make. However what you are unlikely to see is any comment from those people who do not cruise with Cunard because of the dress code. We live in a more casual, unstructured society where people no longer have Sunday best clothing and the cruise lines know this and will have done their research carefully. Okay they lose a few diehard cruisers, but they stand to gain these numbers over and over again from that sector of the marketplace which will not presently cruise with Cunard because of the restrictive dress code. Some you win, some you lose, but you can bet that Cunard are stacking the odds in favour of their balance sheet, where losing some loyal passengers is merely collateral damage.

Cunard does not exist. It ceased to exist as a company when Carnival Corporation bought it in 1999. It is merely a brand within Carnival. Just like Klondike, Ben & Jerrys, Popsicle, Breyers and Marmite are Unilever brands.

What Carnival Corp. should care about is the overall profitability of the entire corporation.

Personally, I think they may have made a market segmentation mistake because they have other brands (eg Holland America) that target cruisers who like casual.

Carnival PLC has made some business decision about Cunard. It will likely take a year or two to fully roll out whatever decision they have to made.

I have no idea if Carnival knows what they are doing or not. As a general statement one should not underestimate the stupidity of large corporations in a market that is changing.

I would have thought that there would be a sufficient market for a small number of ships that had a significant amount of dress formality in the mid to upper part of the mainstream market. It seems that Carnival PLC doesn't see it that way.

Given that it seems that Carnival PLC probably has at least one or two too many brands. Princess, Holland America, and now Cunard seem to be targeting the same markets.

The only real difference may be the itineraries they offer.

I realize that Cunard offers Grills however, if the onboard ambiance of Cunard changes to that of the other mainstream lines I am not sure why those who would book Grills wouldn't move to the luxury lines.

I think it depends where and the number of agents assigned to that location. The land border locations with Canada can vary significantly (fast or slow) depending on time of day or load.

I agree, A cruise with Cunard is, or was, a special event and the only time my wife and I got to dress up in formal evening wear. I never owned a tuxedo until I started cruising with Cunard over 10 years ago and the refined, elegant ambience of Cunard ships was the reason I chose Cunard over other lines.

I have a TA booked for July and will decide then if I will stick with Cunard or wave them goodbye as I sail into the sunset on another line.

 

I would have added some humorous comments but it appears that the moderators do not appreciate British humour and delete any such postings,so I will make no mention of only having to pack a vest , my budgie smugglers ,and a baseball cap to be able to access most venues on the ship.

I have a cruise booked on July 1. Since it is almost fully booked by people who hopefully read the old guidelines I am going to be optimistic that the ambiance won't change too much by then.

After that I would only book Cunard if the itinerary were what I wanted and costs were equivalent to say Princess or an equivalent line. Assuming of course that Cunard food quality in Britannia is at least as good as Princess (and the quality there does not drop); not sure why Carnival doesn't just merge Cunard and Princess at this point. Maybe they will in a couple of years.

I don't think, at least hope, Cunard does not fall to Carnival level which appears to be targeted at partiers under 30 or people who want to spend as little as absolutely possible on a cruise.

I don't think I would ever pay Grills price on Cunard, I would just book one of the true luxury lines.

The one exception to this is I do think there is still a very, very, small niche for TA crossings on the QM2. There will be some people who just want that specific experience, at least once.

I don't think we would do dinner in the Verandah however what about lunch? Is lunch there significantly better then lunch in Britannia?

Also, how does one see the menu either before or at the start of the cruise, is it posted outside the restaurant?

Unfortunately the trend for more casual clothing has been going on for a while. I just remembered the scene from Downton Abbey that goes as follows:

There are definitely changes, especially to day time. E.g., no ban on swim suits.

They seem to also be relaxing what can be worn in some areas of the ship at night, eg clean denim and T shirts (at least that is how I read it) in Kings Court, Golden Lion, etc.

At least for my cruise in July I am personally OK with the changes not going too far yet.

FYI, for good or bad the dress requirements in the US have been growing more relaxed over the last decades. There have been articles in respected publications describing this phenomena.

For example even in large Certified Public Accounting firms first there was the requirement that men wear suits with white shirts and ties, then there was casual Fridays (if not meeting clients), then casual during the week.

This is a trend across the US. I do not know Carnival PLCs take on this or what they think they need to do from a marketing perspective. Just that it is occurring more and more in the US with many restaurants lowering their dress requirements in order to keep younger generations used to the lowering of dress requirements.

Personally, I think they have gone too far in some of the US restaurants. I personally think Tshirts at dinner is too far in a sit down restaurant, however that is where US taste is going. FYI, some designer T shirts cost more than button down shirts.

They just put up the definitions on the website.

Hi,

 

Cunard should have provided the definitions of "Gala Evening" and "Smart Attire" at the same time that it added these new terms to the Voyage Personaliser. Because it changed the terminology, there must be a change in the dress code. However, this change is not clear until it provides the new definitions. I am guessing that the new dress code will be similar to the dress codes on Holland America and Princess.

 

Chuck

Actually Princess is more formal than Holland America. I was on Princess in January and for the most part men wore suits or tuxedos on "formal" night and it was still called formal night.

Although there was no restriction on what you could wear in other parts of the ship outside the main dinning room.

Although I saw it on the itinerary Princess does not really do ballroom dancing.

On other nights the suggested attire was smart casual which appears to be more formal than Holland America's other evenings.

It will be funny if Princess lines is more formal than Cunard for a period of time.

If the ambiance goes away and the food on Cunard is not really much better than the other cruise lines they will have to reduce their prices.

Anyone with a ticket can book fast passes for free, 60 days out for resort guests, 30 days for everyone else. You just need your ticket ahead of time. I definitely wouldn’t do it on a cruise stop.

I have been to Orlando many times. Love Orlando, Winter Park, and the rest of Florida are a nice visit, either drive or fly to Orlando. Off season you can get very cheap airfare and hotel rooms.

Only crazy tourists go to the theme parks when children are on vacation. Off season you can get sometimes get through most lines in 15 minutes. In season more than an hour per ride is not unheard of.

You didn't say when you are going. That part of Florida can get very cold.

Personally I have always liked space and would choose Kennedy. However, it depends on what you are interested in.

For giggles you might check the launch schedule to see if one is scheduled for the date you will be in port. PLEASE NOTE LAUNCH SCHEDULES CAN AND DO CHANGE.