sleepbestonships

Sorry for the delayed reply. We were on the Sky in September of 2018 and way back in 2001 (when she sailed to Alaska).

Some tips: The bar/observation salon at the front of the ship is very nice. It is quiet and the drinks are of excellent quality. They close it off sometimes for special events (like the Captain meet and greet).

For GSC- we were the only ship there on our day, so it was not crowded at all. We actually really enjoyed the jet ski excursion- we basically "followed the leader" and went full throttle. We had a little time to hop off the jet skis and we found a huge starfish, so that was fun. The rest of the day I really enjoyed renting a yellow float and just floating on the ocean. If you bring swim goggles, you could lay on your stomach and look down at the sea below. There were stingrays and some fish.

We mostly ate in Cagney's, as I had upgraded us to a suite and we really got to know the host/wait staff (because it is the venue for breakfast and lunch for suite guests). We ate in one of the main dining rooms on one of our other days and also found the food there to be pretty good. A lot of people seemed to never venture from the buffet- which I do not understand.

The ship should be newly refurbished for you- so hopefully the fresh ship will be a nice treat for you!

Yes, you will need to fill out a form online (the OFAC form). We chose "support of Cuban people" (I"m paraphrasing from memory, so it really should not be in quotes...). You cannot choose people to people unless you are doing a ship based tour (way over priced) or have arranged a tour with a U.S. approved agent in advance.

We never saw or heard of the form again once I filled it out online. They didn't ask about it on the ship and we had no pressure regarding taking a ship tour (though the standard announcements may have implied something about taking a ship tour, I could never hear the announcements).

If you are looking for a quiet bar, then the Outrigger would be the place to go. It is the observation bar in the front of the ship, you can go outside as well.

If you want to be part of the party, then go to the bar above the pool- a little less crazy, but still in the thick of things.

You will have a great time! I went in September and it was really lovely. The Sky is going to dry dock in January, so perhaps you will be the last cruise before dry dock??

We used Blexie (Raul was our tour guide). I would highly recommend one of the guides who combines a car tour and walking tour.

We paid through ours when we purchased our cruise through NCL. We were given our visa when we checked in at embarkation. They put the visa in our passport. Note that your visa is taken by Cuban customs, but you don't need it even if you go back on the ship and then back out again.

I'm pretty sure there are always classic cars waiting near the cruise ship. 25 CUC each way is the standard fare to Tropicana.

A friend of ours wanted cigars- but he knows his cigars, so he asked for something specific. To get a box of decent cigars was pricey (around 130 cuc for the cigars our friend wanted). So, if your friends want a cuban cigar because they know cigars, ask them specifically what they want and what they are willing to pay.

Regarding bringing things for the children of Cuba- all the children we saw were in school uniforms and going about their days as any child in a country with compulsory public education would. You can bring special things for your guide etc. if you would like- but your tour guide is probably one of the better compensated more affluent Cubans, as they are paid in CUC rather than the pittance of a government salary.

You also might want to look at what the room costs to which you are hoping to win an upgrade. On my recent sailing, prices dropped and I changed my room from aft balcony to aft suite (knowing exactly what was available and having priced it) by paying the difference. This was done by my travel agent. I also received the upgraded Free at Sea (two additional options) and extra OBC, making the extra I paid almost pay for itself (not factoring in butler/concierge tips).

I did the math on the whole trade to Euros or Canadian dollars and then switch to CUC in Cuba. In the end, it would have saved me about $25 on the exchange of $500- so that may be worth your time or not.

I was in Cuba and did a tour with one of Blexie's guides (Raul) a few weeks ago. We ran out of CUC due to a large cigar purchase for a friend, and we were able to make some transactions in USD. Cubans can apparently make the exchange without the 10% penalty (??)- so I think most are willing to take USD at a .97 exchange rate. This is not necessarily the case in stores. In the end, I'd say it is better to under exchange and bring extra USD than to over exchange and risk the money changing being closed. CUC cannot be exchanged in the US (not sure about other countries).

We were on the Sky. It was early September and I saw very few kids or teens. We popped into the teen lounge once passing by and it was empty. I would say they should be prepared for not having a crew of kids to hang out with- but they could be pleasantly surprised if there are some there. It is a short cruise- so maybe just a little more family time.

Once I filled my OFAC form out online for NCL, it was never brought up or mentioned again.

I would encourage you to book with one of the recommended tour guides in advance- no payment is required until the end of the tour for Blexie Tours- and the price of 130 CUC for up to 4 people (though this would require one person to ride up front with the driver and guide) is a great deal for 6 hours of touring. I have not yet read a single negative review of any of the tours arranged by Blexie. I know there are other excellent companies also mentioned on this forum. You really lose nothing by booking in advance.

Magnetchief- could you email me at skytocuba9.3.18@gmail.com with Raul's facebook info?

For us, Raul seemed quite happy to not be taking pictures all day- though he obviously does not mind doing so if that is what you want.

Just got back and had some amazing luck with weather. Rain was forecast for the day we were to be there, but in the end we didn't have a drop of rain while in Havana. It is still technically hurricane season though- so unless you have an attitude of "I'll have fun even if our ports of call are changed" you might want to wait until a "safer" time to travel.

Also- the Sky will be refurbished in January- so it might be really nice to cruise her after that.

sleepbestonships, yes, I would love to hear your thoughts after your get back from your trip.

Keith

So I am back from this trip. Our hotel (The Hotel of South Beach) was really lovely. The sound proofing was pretty impressive, because it was LOUD outside, but we heard more usual hotel noise (doors closing, people in the hallway) than noise from outside. We liked being able to walk to the beach and enjoyed people watching on Ocean Drive. Overall- though we might not choose this scene again, we are glad we did this time.

If we had realized our driver was waiting, we definitely would have left earlier. 45-60 minutes would have been just right for us (well, my husband might say 15 minutes would have been enough for him). We did talk to one group that had their driver take them to the cannon (this is at the fort not far from the where the ship is docked) at 9:00 and then straight to Tropicana. I would have preferred this!

Our itinerary called for us to be in port at 6 a.m. I think- we were pulling in at sunrise- more like 6:45 and then at the dock by 7:15. We had priority disembark (for being on a suite)- so got off in a very short amount of time (like 15 minutes). I could never hear any of the announcements, so not sure when we were all clear.

Raul was great. He commutes in about 70 miles to do the tours in Havana. He lives close to the big resort area in Cuba. He went to college with Blexie. His English is great and we really enjoyed a long conversation with him at lunch. If you ask, he will share his story about life in Cuba. If you have time to research Havana a bit and know what you are more interested in seeing, he will cover areas in which you are interested. We really loved Fusterlandia as something that was a bit off the beaten path (though definitely frequently visited by "tourists").

You will have a great time- I'm sure!

On the Sky (this may change after the January dry dock refurb)

Captain: Stefan Nording

Hotel Director: Jean Michel Dhelin

Chief Engineer: Tomislav Ruso

Food & Bev Director: Rumi Khatao

Cruise Director: Claire Booth

Executive Housekeeper: Bissoondath Maharaj (he was on the Sky when we were in 2001)

Executive Chef: Ganesh Panjami

Kadek Astawa: Concierge

Just got back from our first cruise in a suite. It was a short 4-day cruise to celebrate a big anniversary. We were completely spoiled with attention from the concierge. Our concierge helped change dining times, made sure if we were eating in the MDR that we had a fabulous table with a view, stopped by at every dinner to check in with us, and arranged for special things in our room. Our room steward carried out the extra special towel animal art (we had quite a menagerie including a koala, giraffe, elephant, sloth(?), swans that together made a heart, and a multi-layered cake (they got confused and thought we were celebrating birthday and anniversary). We also had decorations, a bottle of wine, specialty treats from the head of food and beverage, chocolate covered strawberries, cookies, and more. We didn't ask for anything- and as a result, our butler did not do much for us (but she left some of the special treats). I kept meaning to ask for a pitcher of ice water, but in the end didn't feel like it was worth the phone call and just had tap water.

We loved the priority disembarkation for shore days- which allowed us to have a leisurely breakfast and not run around to get tender tickets. We also really loved breakfast in Cagney's. The staff were so lovely and we got to know a few of them a bit during our four days.

We probably won't be in a situation that would allow the splurge of a suite again any time soon- but we really enjoyed the "special" treatment for our brief celebratory cruise.

I ended up buying the tickets two days in advance on the recommendation of Blexie (he said they frequently sell out to cruise ships). Probably because we were on a relatively small ship and were the only ship in port, our particular show was not sold out.

We bought the mid-level ($85) tickets. But- honestly- I did not see a seat in the house that would have offered a worse view than I had (I was near the side at the end of a table where many tall people were blocking my view). There were a few open seats and a woman at my table switched to a nearby location with a better view. I spoke with someone who sat right up front and loved being there.

I will say that the show did not start until 10pm and I would have been absolutely miserable if I had waited as far in advance as the cruise ship arrived. We arrived just before 9:30 and that was fine. My husband and I are not huge musical/dance fans and probably would have been fine with about a 45 minute show rather than a show of 1 hour, 45 minutes. But- I really should not have booked this for us knowing that to be the case. I did enjoy seeing the venue and the spectacle. My husband would have been happier sitting on the ship (or just walking around old town Havana).

If you want a particular car, you can ask- but I would caution setting yourself up for disappointment if that car is not what you get. I know a gentleman who was quite disappointed when his requested car was not what he got. Nonetheless, he said the guide and tour were good.

We did not care which car- and a good thing because our scheduled car broke down on the way to get us and they arranged something else on the fly. Interesting that our classic American car had a Mitsubishi diesel engine. Apparently there are very few original engines in the cars.

I was struggling with the same question. We saw Tropicana. It was an amazing venue- but honestly was not "our thing." And really- I should have known that would be the case. I at least appreciated the production value- but it was pure torture for my musical hating husband. If you love a big production, you will likely love Tropicana. I can't speak to the other option personally, but someone on the ship "hated it" for many of the same reasons we did not love Tropicana. On the other hand, another woman who was of Cuban origins absolutely loved the Hotel Parisien show- saying it was all the songs she remembered and loved from her childhood.

I used Blexie tours and was very happy. 130CUC for 6 hours with a guide and driver (part of the tour is walking, but we had a driver for almost the whole day).

Just off the Sky. We turned off cell data for the duration. You can use ship wifi to make calls via google hangouts or other wifi based phone service. Wifi was available at all times on the ship. I had 100 minutes "free at sea" and used that $75 credit to upgrade to unlimited wifi for the duration of the cruise (though it expired by the morning of disembarkation). I think the unlimited price was around $120 (so only $45 with the credit).

So I am back (and the typo on this thread I started is painful every time I see it).

For NCL- I filled out the OFAC form online several weeks ahead of time, choosing support of Cuban people). I paid for the Visa ahead of time through NCL. Upon check in for the cruise, they put the visa in my passport. There was no mention of the OFAC form at any point during the cruise.

On the day we were in Havana, upon entry our visa was taken and our passport stamped. We could come and go after that as much as we liked- they just checked for the stamp.

I do wish I had spent more time researching Cuba rather than just making sure I was following the regulations. I had a great tour via Blexie with Raul.

I just returned from a tour through Blexie (with Raul). He may have several days where there are not cruise ships in port, and on those days he may not be some place where it is easy to have internet access. I would be patient- he will get back to you.

lovely review, thank you! Do you think kids are allowed at the Tropicana show? Or that is more of an adult venture:)?

 

And wow what a difference one day makes , they cancelled GSC on 9/2 for us due to huge waves and wind but you had clear calm seas!

 

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Tropicana is 16 and up- I saw only adults. By the way- though I know most lived the show, we probably would have preferred something else.

We were at GSC just yesterday, September 6. It is too bad you missed that port!

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