burm

On a Celebrity cruise that stopped in Key West we got off early and were just wandering around, actually we were looking to rent a golf-cart like vehicle to go wandering.... we rounded a corner and almost ran into 2 "gents" that were dressed... in dresses with "Easter hat" like hats, gloves and high heels. Yep, dudes for sure, one had a beard, the other had not shaved that day(or maybe the day before), adam's apple sticking out, looked hung over for sure... BUT the dresses fit, the hats, gloves and shoes were all matching. It was obvious that this was not a spur of the moment thing, or some sort of bet that was lost, nope this was their everyday clothes, most likely out to get a bite to eat and some "hair of the dog".

 

They never noticed us (or anyone else that stopped and did a double take), it was KEY WEST after all... never will forget that.

That sort of thing only concerns me if they are prettier than I am. :D

But they have one very annoying flaw. As shown in the attached photo, the bulkhead forms the railing around the deck area.

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I totally agree. This was my great disappointment with this wonderful cabin. I had to stand on my toes to see over the railing. They should put a platform on the deck. The area is large enough to accommodate a decent sized raised area while still allowing privacy for those who wish it.

That is very good to hear but I still want to know what peak hours are so I can avoid them.

Why not drop into the restaurant at the beginning of the cruise while you are exploring the ship, tell them what you would like and ask them for their thoughts? Answers always vary, depending on who, when, and how you ask.

Also, it seems that things can change from day to day on NCL. What is allowed one day, may not be the next.

It is hard enough to get tickets to Stones concerts even when they are not free. Can you imagine the chaos?

Building capacity is 15,000. I wonder how many people they will squeeze in?

I am sure that the candies were chosen based on price, rather than to add to the Cuban experience, but I bet a lot more people would appreciate them if they knew.

Thanks for sharing this interesting tidbit. ☺

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Do you have any perks you would lose by accepting the upsell offer? I was told before our Jan 30/16 cruise that perks could no longer be moved over. We would have lost our drinks package by accepting.

Spectacular. I almost felt as if I were there. Thanks.

In the MDR, there were some things we liked, but a lot of things that were really not so good. Also, there were only 2 lunch menus that rotated in the MDR. For a 14 day cruise, it was pretty crazy and unacceptable. Food is much better in Celebrity’s MDR. However, I did like having more “casual” food – things like quesadillas and swordfish teriyaki, which we would never see on Celebrity.

Only 2 luncheon menus on a 14 day cruise? :eek: That is terrible! Was there a decent variety in the buffet?

Although we are very light drinkers, we have been looking forward to trying different drinks with our UBP. Now I am seriously wondering if I should change this to the UDP while there is still time.

We watched the 6th and final episode of Cuban Chrome the other night and are kind of in withdrawal. By the end, you really come to like the characters and are rooting for them to get their cars done in time.

For someone who does not care much about cars, I really enjoyed the series. It is about so much more than cars, it is about life in Cuba today.

We have one extra suitcase with gifts for the Cuban people and lots of 55 Chevy parts. I hope they'll be welcome.

 

They will definitely be welcome, more than you every imagined, especially the car parts. I hope you are able to give them to the owner of a '55 directly to see the reaction. :)

I took several teddy bears, intending to give them to children, but it appears that the mothers were the ones who kept them. The women all loved them. I gave one teddy to a driver whose company we enjoyed tremendously, as a gift for his first grandchild, due to arrive within the next week or so. He was so happy, he hugged me and spun me around, laughing.

We also took several baseball caps, again intending to give them to children, but they all seemed to end up on adults. At least they made people happy.

I gave a bunch of baseballs to a group of kids playing in the street outside a school, asking the teacher to hand them out as prizes. Huge excitement. It was really neat.

When you go on catamaran excursions or island snorkelling island tours, where do you leave your money, ID, etc?

For years we have carried Aquapac Whanganuis in two different sizes, one just the right size to carry a ship's card, a credit card, and a bit of cash. Even on board ship I will carry my card into the pool with my smaller whanganui.

They protect extremely well and you could even carry an iPhone, electronic keys or inhalers into the water. I have gotten a lot of use out of mine and have yet to replace them. There are cheaper ones, but these are worth the extra.

http://www.amazon.ca/AquaPac-348-Aquapac-Whanganui-Small/dp/B0044LS7YM

Things are pretty safe while left on catamarans, etc, but I don't take chances with anything important. Stuff happens.

Does anyone know if there is Zumba on the Sun? If so, do they hold the classes daily?

I have heard that they have Zumba classes on the larger ships.

Regarding taking old Chevy 55 car parts to Cuba, DH mentioned how they used paper engine caskets because rubber is hard to come by in Cuba. A little rubber gasket would be so easy to take and it would be worth gold to them.

In part 2 of the Cuban Chrome series, it was scary to watch them doing various dangerous things that a mechanic here would never have to do. For example, they have to come up with a homemade device to lift the car. I certainly wouldn't want to be lying under a car on a makeshift lift!

Spoiler Alert - I've posted all the photos with descriptions from our cruise at marksowers.com/cuba . However I will warn you that viewing these photos before your trip will likely spoil it, just like being told the plot of a movie before watching it can spoil it. If you haven't been yet, I recommend not viewing these photos until you get back. I'm sharing these more for folks who either won't go on the cruise, or who have returned and want to see photos from someone else's perspective.

 

Thanks for sharking your pictures. I wish there were a way that I could easily download them all. :)

Would anyone know if old American car parts (55 Chevy specifically) would be welcome by Cuban car owners? We have one (a 55 Chevy) and lots of spare parts that we'd be happy to bring along. The parts, not the car! Anything specific that someone may know would be helpful.

 

I believe that Jo (Retiring Soon) mentioned the television series Cuban Chrome. We just watched the first episode and found it extremely interesting. As the owner of a 55 Chevy, you would especially enjoy it. You would certainly come to understand what your car parts could mean to a Cuban.

If at all possible, do watch this show.

I was told that you can't make reservations on the Sun either for Teppanyaki, "due to it's popularity". It is the only one of the restaurants that does not come up online when you attempt to book.

Having looked under the hood of a few of the Cubanized automobiles I can tell you that ANYTHING in the way of car parts is revered.

Ron's post was bang on. I am sure that anything you could manage to get there would be greatly appreciated. Flag down a 55 Chevy taxi first time you need a lift in Havana (you won't have trouble finding one) and the driver will be your friend for life if you give him parts as a tip.

In Santiago we bought a beautifully carved wooden Holden as a gift for my DB, with moving parts for engine hood, trunk, and doors. Once we got it home, we realized that the carving was 100% authentic - one of the doors didn't work quite right. :D My first thought when I read your post was, "Take a door handle!" LOL

Attached are some of the daily programs, including a couple of the non-P2P versions.

I am pleased to see that they are still trying to provide a very Cuban atmosphere on the ship.

I just received a lovely Christmas letter from one of my Havana landladies. I wish I could be joining you all on the ship again this winter and spending much more time in Cuba.

Oh, well. To paraphrase 2 someone elses, don't cry for me, I'll be in Argentina. :)

CruiseDirections

 

Many original posters wrote TP should not be flushed on this ship. I have been on many older ships and never encountered this. Please tell me this is not true!

 

Thank you

It is true, but you find that you quickly develop a system. It is not as nasty as it sounds. We left our tp in the paper bags provided in the bathroom with the top folded, then put them in the waste bin with the lid. A magic fairy would remove them as we were off at breakfast and again in the evening.

You have to get used to putting paper in bins because this is the Cuban way. Their plumbing is old and parts for repair are hard to come by. As you enter the washroom of an elegant restaurant, an old woman will often rush up to you, point, and yell, "Papel en el cesto" -paper in the basket.

Many a time I heard angry attendants mutter about the tourists who put paper in the toilets and caused severe problems. Some of the comments were really funny because they didn't know I could understand them. :D

I think that is just a new policy as my PCC said he never saw this before as well.

That is what I was thinking. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we have more than $1,000 PP. It makes sense that with our loonie so low, they would impose a limit.

That's how it appeared for our multiple certificates on our NCL acct on our two cruises.

They have sent me individual confirmations every time I purchase, but they never show a total. On the most recent listing of my payments, they did show them all, but individually. Any time I have spoken with my cruise consultant, he confirms that all is correct. Their system is confusing.

Yup! We purchased OBC at par ! (Doing the happy dance)

Lucky, lucky, you. :D

I would find a CC refund more convenient, but I get a cheque in less than two weeks so as far as I'm concerned that's sufficient. Not losing 3% on my money over two extra weeks seems like a better deal.

I agree that waiting to get a cheque in the mail is no big deal. The US cheque would go straight into my US account where the money would sit until my next trip across the border. One way or another, any unspent OBC will not be lost.

However, with regard to "losing" the 3%, we take a lot of private excursions where the guides insist on being paid in US. In some countries, we even pay hotels in US (we will this February). This has always been a bit of a sore point, because it basically means that Canadian have to pay conversion costs twice.

By purchasing OBC at 11% and paying the 3% convenience charge, we are saving approx. 20% at this point in time. When you are talking thousands of dollars, the savings is quite significant.

The loonie is not expected to rise before our cruise in January, making this 11% exchange rate like a Christmas gift. In fact, this rate is what persuaded us to give NCL a try.

Interesting - please post an update after your cruise!

 

We booked about 2 weeks ago and got a 19% rate (although the rate for the actual cruise was close to par!) My plan is to get the bulk of the OBC in cash from the casino to use in ports etc...

 

I don't really want a credit on my CC - so I'm happy enough to wait for a USD cheque after the cruise that I can deposit to my USD account.

Unfortunately, I did not get these assurances in writing (although I don't even have much faith in that). At least it was not one, but three reps who said the same thing. One left me on hold for some time while he went off in search of a definitive answer.

I was very upfront with the reps, and told them that I wanted to use my OBC for port expenses and take the remainder home. Aside from any unexpected shop purchases, I have everything pre-paid.

Yes, I will be sure to let you know how it went. I am very grateful for the rate we got. This is a much better deal than the "10% off for Canadians on select cruises" that our favourite cruiseline is offering. Even if I had to wait for a cheque in the mail, I know that my money would never be lost.