studebhawk

3 hours ago, judythg said:

I would also like to add my appreciation for the information that notamermaid has been providing.  Knowing what the water levels are doing helps ease some of the anxiety - I don't like surprises when we are having such high expectations for our trip.  We will be flying from the US to Prague Sept 15, then boarding a Scenic ship in Nuremberg on the 18th headed down to Budapest.  

I think we are on the same cruise! Scenic Amber Gems of the Danube.

We leave from Dulles Airport on the 16th. It would bre great to meet you on the ship. We should swap ideas as we approach departure.

On 5/24/2019 at 8:15 AM, RJB said:

Some local street vendors will take U.S. Dollars.   Usually without the 10% exchange rate.   Just ask. 

For our Cuba cruise over the new year on Sirena, we used Euro.

No problems at all, and, no exchange penalty.

The Euro conversion rate for the states is very low now and easy to get from your local bank in the states.

1 hour ago, RTLS said:

We will be on the Sirena next February and have an overnight there. We arrive at noon on day 1 and hoping we can take a walk off the ship for a couple of hours before going on an evening tour. I've heard that we may be docked in an "unsavoury" area. Can anyone tell me where we will dock and what we might see if we walk off the ship.

 

Thank you

We were on Sirena for the New Year's cruise to Cuba. The ship was great, but, this port area was not. We did a ship tour of downtown Santiago. It was very nice, however, our own native tour guide, a resident of the city, told us not to walk off the ship in this area. There was nothing to see, and, it was far from the center of the city. Do an escorted tour. 

This cruise was excellent. Enjoy!

Yes, no politics intended.

The point was that Cuba is "splendid' in its dysfunction.

As Cuba moves forward without the Castro brothers, things will never be the same.

The Cubans that we met on our cruise admitted that.

We are talking about going back.

It was special, and, we want to go back before it's ruined when Starbucks and Burger King arrive.

After that, it will never be the same.

On 2/20/2019 at 1:47 PM, Paulchili said:

I think that is a wise choice - lots of unique sights and experiences to be had there.

Do the walking tour in the AM with a guide to get your bearings, if you can, and, then go out on your own walking tour in the afternoon. We did just that, it was a memorable day.

Look out for the street performers. Way worth it.

Go to the Plaza de las Armas.

We went on the Hemmingway tour. The house is well preserved, however, due to its size and condition, you are somewhat limited to looking in the windows from the porch surrounding the house. This leads me to my only complaint. We were there in January. The site was just overrun with multiple tour bus and independent tours. The crowds were very very heavy for such a small attraction. It was very hot and it was hard at times finding a window to take more than a quick glance, the crowding was that thick. It's a shame, with good Disneyworld type crowd management of this historic site, tourists would get a better picture of Ernest Hemmingway and the importance of his story to Cuba.

Note: This site is not for the mobility challenged. There are steep steps, a grade from the parking lot and a lack of guardrails everywhere. The on-site bathroom facilities would be a challenge. 

Link to my pictures:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/s48MwQbqk1yLWLoo8

On 1/10/2019 at 3:33 PM, kitty9 said:

Is there any shopping close to the dock in Havana?   Since I’m a scooter user, I don’t think there are tours that I can use, but I’d like to pick up a few trinkets.

 

Thanks. 

The ship docks right across from the main central square. However, the use of a scooter is a potential problem. Americans are accustomed to accommodations for people with disabilities. Not so anywhere in Cuba. There are no compliant bathrooms. There are high curbs and steps everywhere. No curb cuts, handrails etc. If you are completely scooter dependent, I would recommend a tour by automobile. It will be easier for you, and, you will see a majority of the sites. The large uneven cobblestones, the missing gaps in the streets potentially are a problem for you.

Shopping: They dropped us off at the local terminal market which was only a few blocks down from the ship. The quality of the artwork was very poor, punctuated by the pleading efforts of the local artists to sell us something. It was sad, and, the only place we were bothered by beggars in Havana the entire trip.

34 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Those buses look very nice - a lot better than many we’ve seen and used in some other parts of the world.

Chines made buses made in a joint production facility, in China, with American Cummins diesel engines. The buses were spotless and had A/C.

21 hours ago, riffatsea said:

Thanks for the advice. Can you say which ship tours you took in Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba??

Cienfuegos: The trip by bus to Trinidad. My favorite, so well worth doing. We also had a buffet lunch at the hotel in the town square with music supplied by local musicians.

Santiago: The walking tour of the city was more than sufficient. Our guide was very good. The home of Fidel Castro, the city is full of history and our guide told us lots of stories. He even showed us the house of Desi Arnaz and his family.

We have just returned from our Sirena cruise.

We only booked Oceania ShoreEx for this cruise.

However:

Havana: Just wonderful. I don't think it matters much which city tour you book.  We did the morning Historic Havana walking tour. Later in the afternoon, we walked the city on our own. It is easy to do, it is flat walking, however, you need comfortable walking shoes. The city is covered in historic, old cobblestones, a very rough uneven surface. You really need to look down as you walk as there were many open areas in the street that could set up a bad fall. High curbs and steps are everywhere, and, no curb cuts that Americans are accustomed to.

Cienfuegos: We docked in the port which is surrounded by a very rough six-block area that our guide did not recommend that we try on our own. We did the Historic Trinidad walking tour. It was fabulous, historic, charming even with the hour bus ride to get there.

Santiago: A charming historic city, well worth doing a walking tour with a good guide.

Notes: We really enjoyed this cruise. My of our fellow pax said they wanted to come back.

Hemmingway House: Overrun with too many visitors. You can only look in the windows, it was hard to appreciate due to the overrun state of this visit. Disappointing overall. Our guide here was very poor, this was a wasted day.

Due to the heat: Carry your own water, don't drink theirs and carry your own tissues etc.

Enjoy!

Yes it is supply and demand, Right now they are living fat. That OK for them. Just makes me want to do more price comparisons with Crystal and SS. Our next Crystal cruise is cheaper by far than the equivalent O cruise leaving the same week on a similar itinerary. I just cancelled our Sirena Cuba cruise as I did not want to pay $750pp for a 7 day cruise for a PH3. I am sure someone will pick up the cabin - since cruise is Wait listed -- but not me.

So sorry you won't be with us on the 27 Dec Cuba cruise. I thought I saw you on the roll call.

We started with Oceania in 2008. We were enthusiastic about the product. With just the 3 "R" ships we enjoyed wonderful port and ship experiences. It was not unusual to see many familiar crew members from cruise to cruise. With the addition of Marina/Riviera, we have witnessed a diminution of the ship atmosphere overall and a sharp decline in the quality of the crews. One night in the MDR we witnessed a very loud argument among some servers at a nearby station well within our hearing range. This would never have happened onboard the old Oceania.

Now with the new pricing going forward, and the decrease in the overall quality of the product that we have observed, perhaps it is time to move on and consider other options.

I find it very sad, but, nothing lasts forever.

studebhawk

jsl

I would appreciate any info on the ships tours in Cuba. I am on the Dec 17 cruise out of Miami. Has anyone done any of the tours and if so how were they.

 

Hinda

Hello Hinda,

Nice to see you back on these boards.

We are on the Cuba/Sirena cruise for 12/27.

Meme & Joel

A question, I have booked La Reserve connoisseur evening... and have a serious worry, about the sheer quantity of food served 7 courses...of which any 2 or 3 would appear to be an entire meal. I am no Ferdinand Ponte.

Has any one run into this problem...

I hate to waste great food and worry that half way through the service I would be stuffed to the gills.

 

Even when dinning at Michelin star places I seldom ever have more than 3 courses.... 7 scares me a bit as I am not a big eater any more.

Whats your experience...

It was just o.k.

Service was fine.

Some of the wines were not top of the list,one was from a winery owned by one of the corporate owners of Oceania. This wine comment was from one of the people we were seated with us who were serious wine people. One was featured in Wine Spectator for his wine cellar.They were not impressed. Overall they liked the presentation,but, thought everything was a little "off".

The food: Some of it very good,but,it needed to be served hot, this was a problem.

Conclusion: La Reserve: Nice to try for an evening,but, not a repeat for our next cruise in July.

Still worth a try for the first time.

On the Riviera last September, we had the same port stops with a few exceptions.

Barcelona, Spain

6:00 p.m.

Palma de Mallorca, Spain: We used Spain Day Tours/Top day Tours

8:00 a.m. 11:00 p.m.

Ibiza, Spain: We walked off the ship & explored on our own.

8:00 a.m. 11:59 p.m.

Valencia, Spain: Not last time,but, on a previous cruise. Very nice. Check with Spain Day Tours

9:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m.

Cartagena, Spain: We used Spain day Tours

8:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m.

Malaga, Spain: Alhambra a must. Use Spain Day Tours

8:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m.

Gibraltar, United Kingdom: Been there before, so we just explored on our own.

If first time, do the Rock tour.

8:00 a.m. 11:59 p.m.

Tangier, Morocco: We stopped in Casablanca instead.

8:00 a.m. 8:00 p.m.

Seville (Cadiz), Spain: Most people do Seville tour, been there on a previous cruise. We used Cadiz & Beyond Tours for a tour of Arcos de La Frontera & Jerez Sherry Bodega tour. Fantastic, better than our previous Seville tour.

8:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m.

Lisbon, Portugal: We stayed in the city center: Altis Anenida Hotel: Excellent

OK, we have deviated a bit off topic, so back to Spain! I appreciate the advice thus far. Our itinerary is the following

 

Barcelona, Spain

Provence (Marseille), France

Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Valencia, Spain

Cartagena, Spain

Malaga, Spain

Gibraltar, United Kingdom

Tangier, Morocco

Seville (Cadiz), Spain

Lisbon, Portugal

 

We plan to book our own tours or take the shuttle to city center for a DIY tour. Alhambra is a must - some have easily taken the train into Seville, others have done tours (with a guaranteed return to the ship! - I must admit I'm a bit anxious about missing departure!)

 

Also, in searching the board, it seems that the spa experience is a bit underwhelming. It seems there is a new thallasso therapy pool which is bigger. I was on a Celebrity cruise years ago where there was a huge indoor thallasso pool with about 10 massage stations - really worth the up charge. The pool (even the new one) on Marina looks dinky. True?

 

Thank you in advance!

We did this itinerary on the Riviera last September.

Almost all of the ports are the same.

We had a memorable cruise.

Contact me at: jlevthal512@gmail.com and I will send you more specific information if you want more information on the ports.