VintageCheap

Thanks for the review. We are booked for 12/11 on the Summit. We'll do a Live Blog if no others appear.

And the bigger places take chip enabled credit cards.

Cruise passengers in transit are often not technically entering. Rarely are passports stamped on a five hour port call.

Thanks. Not a peep on any port changes. Usually these generate angry rants, demands for lavish compenation, trip of a lifetine ruined, etc.

Yes a $20 plus tip cab gets you to Old Town. The risks seem over hyped.

It is 90f here today- long walks seem ill advised. There were cheerful English speaking cab drivers at the port taxi stand trying to sell tours. Ask and or negotiate.

Take a cab to the Central Park or Havana Cafe. $20 plus tip from the port. Lots to see and do. Many tiny shops in back alleys. Felt safe.

We walked all over. Minimal problems. No Gracias works. We walk fast and do not engage in any drama.

We felt 100% safe. Leave your passport, diamonds and $3000 Rolex in the ship safe. Lots of police around.

The small street vendors, taxis and the port take dollars. Nicer shops and dining and attractions may not. Fort admissions Pesos cash or credit.

The ship docks in a container port a long hot walk + traffic from anywhere interesting. Spend the $20 plus tip and take a yellow cab to town and back. The tourist areas are organized and safe. Get some Pesos at the exchange window in the port.

Not for US cruise passengers this week we were aware of.

Yellow Cabs to/ from the port to Old Town and or the Fort were $20 USD for two of us we tipped $5USD. This brought happiness and smiles. You could certainly pay in Pesos.

We liked Pascal from the list for breakfast. The place feels safe. Get some Pesos - you walk by an exchange booth in the port. The nicer shops and restaurants cannot handle dollars.

Caregena. Lovely spot really. We went out early 0730 to see the massive fort. Lots of work and expense, but if pirates invaded every ten years this would be annoying. Across the street we dropped into the stylish Art Hotel for brunch. This city has two sides - you get classic dusty tourist areas - Old Town- or some Miami Beach level venues. Pro tips: On tours, dollars are fine. The informal economy can sort out exchange rates. In shops, nice restaurants or the Fort- Pesos. Cabs - seat belts are not universal - dollars seem fine. One cab driver was hyping the hilltop monastary. Lots of police and first aid around. Luxury apartments and yachts are a sign the economy has some upside. The place feels like Palma. English is common not universal. We lingered in the mini zoo a bit. It is a good port-side setup. It serves a few items and has quite a bit of shopping.

The reports back from the city were not great. We timed out at noon- the brunch was good and there were more places to try in the New York Times 2023 review, but it was 90 or 92 out. Taxis were plentiful and took dollars. Some shops did not. The areas -Old Town and Getsemani- felt 100% safe. Loads of police and uniformed military. You can find many items in shops- cell accessories, hardware, etc. The cute mini zoo at the port made us smile. Bands aboard tend to play a lot of jazzy numbers. We have been known to beg for old school dance numbers. Jazz fusion cannot be danced to really. MDR has found us tables for two every night. And are good at fish. We tried but did not like the spa food offers up on 10. We observed bacon and french toast being smuggled in. Need to track down Abdul on the bar snacks 4 aft. They appear and disappear randomly. I don't need more salt or calories however. Pizza was good again at lunch on 10. I was today craving lunch items only served on other lines- Poolside Mexican and Buffalo Chicken. We had a sale on cabin air filters on deck 2 port.

We are not in Kansas any more. After some swells last night (good to be on Deck 2) we are here. Cute parrots and monkeys in a tiny, free, secure rain forest at the port. Currency exchange by the parrots. We got some pesos. Taxi to Cafe Pascal for Acacado Toast $20. The city feels completely safe. DW liked the 0700 free stretch and sea turtle lecture yesterday.

Life in steerage aboard this week is good.

Tampa is a great cruise port. And will be a haven for smaller older ships. I was pointing out the lack of lines aboard. Like none at all for MDR at 7. Not bad. The Corporate dinner menus could use a few more choices. What was served - no complaints. Speaking of food the end cap pastry displays in the buffet work on me. I would like to see an early riser breakfast. Maybe by the pool to save on staff. There is room for one more chair in the library. I was telling the Cruise Director I always smile when a smaller older ship wins awards.

+ Michaels per the app.

Yes. Pizza starboard aft, pasta port. The pizza is not bad. BBQ Chicken yesterday. On a recent NCL sailing they managed to perfectly replicate low end frozen pizza crust via a machine. How about a water bottle filling station? Abdul gets a few of his headwaiters out of bed early to watch over MDR breakfast. On smaller ships the MDR matters still. On fancier larger ships 92% of the attention is on premium venues. Waffles and jelly. Mmm. Anchored off Grand Cayman. About 2.5 hours to get everybody ashore. Sunrise, Glory and Apex in town today. Perfect weather. Good stay on the ship port for us. I go stir crazy at the dock but we are at anchor. Shade, loungers and no yukky music on 11 port forward.

Here are a few menus. The head waiters stepped on table clearing tonight and kept things moving. I liked the Covina.

There are minimal lines. Plenty of room. The ship is sold out. This is a hidden secret of the old tonnage. The new designs add three more decks of cabins to the basic common areas.

The library / computer room is lovely and music free. This is not a feature on newer vessels.

MDR breakfast was well sorted. Sometimes these are a circus - the staff has never met. Out on our walk we got to watch a case study in maritime rules of the road - when crossing the vessel to starboard is stand on. Lunch was rushed the Loyalty Event was at 1300. Pizza was not ruined. I ran into Abdul again - F&B Director. He said if you want something- ask. I told him his team was doing well. They did employee recognition. The bands are good. The mood is chill. DW was fascinated by the funky salads in the Spa Cafe -Kale etc. It is over 70F again. The rooms are good- the bed was newer. It is a trend on some lines to make new ocean view cabins tiny again. The ship is nicely vibration and rumble free. There is a lot of topside paint being applied. Surface rust has become a passenger obsession. Not sure why.