My Cuba Cruise

[retiring soon]

Hi all!

 

Ron ~ did you do any of their shore excursions last year? I did a few & really like that Cuba Life one. The countryside is beautiful & interesting. It was a long day tho,' the sun was setting nicely on our way back to the ship, looked like the one on the Comfort Inn logo.;)

 

I already know which tours I'm going to do this time. DH doesn't usually do excursions as he prefers to walk around the towns & see how the people live. He walks for an hour a day here so can easily do that.

 

Have a nice day.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[dontworry]

it would be fun and interesting to know what excursions people are considering. Be it Ship's excursions or independent ones they know of. :)

[ONT-CA]

Hi all!

 

Ron ~ did you do any of their shore excursions last year? I did a few & really like that Cuba Life one. The countryside is beautiful & interesting. It was a long day tho,' the sun was setting nicely on our way back to the ship, looked like the one on the Comfort Inn logo.;) ...

Have a nice day. ~ Jo ~ :)

 

Jo, we did a private tour of Havana which was most interesting. Although our driver was a little disappointed in us for not proceeding into some areas he had chosen to show us but where we felt walking could become a problem. As a result we completed the tour before the allocated time but that was fine. The one bus trip (and here is where I get lost) involved a stop at a famous hotel where everyone ascended to the roof bar for a cocktail. It involved some stairs to get to the elevator which then could only accommodate my chair with no other passengers. By the time I got to the top people were preparing to leave. That convinced us to thereafter do our own thing with taxis and pedicabs and the like which, as reported, afforded their own fun and problems. We should have, and as now planned, taken the bus wherever and whenever and then just passed on the hiking portions. It's not that I am an invalid but just like swimming you have to remember that the further out you go the more strenuous it will be to get back.

[retiring soon]

HI again!

 

Ron ~ that tour sounds like a place we went to in Cienfuegos or perhaps the Hemingway hotel in Havana.

 

dontworry ~ in January I did Botanical Garden & Cienfuegos, 1/2 day walking tour of Havana, Tropicana at night & Cuba Life Tour at Antilla (Holguin).

This time I want to do night walking tour of Havana & the Biran tour & maybe the tour of Santiago de Cuba that goes to the cemetery as I've never been there.

 

The one thing I'm really interested in seeing is the entry into the ports. Last time I only saw the one to Santiago de Cuba & it was lovely.

 

Who's next?

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

Liz54 ~ I see you're only 200 days away from Your Cuba Cruise!:D Apparently from my countdown clock I have 25 more days to wait than you.

 

Ron ~ I still am not as mobile as I'd like.:( For my Alaska cruise next month I've booked a whale watching tour in a small boat where the operator emphasizes must be able to do a large step. I'm not good at steps since my surgery so am a bit worried about that but figure can it be any larger than stepping into a bath tub?:confused:

 

Ciao.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[ONT-CA]

This time I want to do night walking tour of Havana & the Biran tour & maybe the tour of Santiago de Cuba that goes to the cemetery as I've never been there.

~ Jo ~ :)

 

Jo, part of our private tour of Havana (not sure if the ship's tour includes this) was the Havana Cemetery where their national hero José Martí is interned. We watch the changing of the guard which occurs each hour on the hour at the strike of the bell tower. The three officers marched in precision stride steps, waist high, balancing their upright rifle in the palm of their hand. We of course had seen this very ceremony conducted before at the Lenin Mausoleum on our tour of Moscow many years ago. It is a solemn military honour and one we wish we had better photographed. Perhaps this time.

[ONT-CA]

... I've booked a whale watching tour in a small boat where the operator emphasizes must be able to do a large step. I'm not good at steps since my surgery so am a bit worried about that but figure can it be any larger than stepping into a bath tub?:confused: Ciao. ~ Jo ~ :)

 

Jo. I think what they are referring to is the step off the dock onto the boat. Normally that is not a difficult move. But should the water turbulence that day be such that the boat, although tied, then suddenly pulls away from the dock creating a space of say one to two feet, you will be expected to make that leap of faith. I had to do that with a Chinese Junk way back when, and about three feet at that, but I could no longer do that today.

[wu687]

Jo. I think what they are referring to is the step off the dock onto the boat. Normally that is not a difficult move. But should the water turbulence that day be such that the boat, although tied, then suddenly pulls away from the dock creating a space of say one to two feet, you will be expected to make that leap of faith. I had to do that with a Chinese Junk way back when, and about three feet at that, but I could no longer do that today.

 

 

The problem that you might also have is the steepness of the ramp that goes from the shore to thefloating boat dock. With the large tidal range in Alaska the ramp could be very steep.

[burm]

But there is no other site like Punta Francés, to the south of Isla de la Photos - Punta FrancésJuventud. This is such a world wide known place that many divers come to Cuba and specifically to Isla de la Juventud with the sole purpose of diving in these waters. I suggest all tourists staying in Nueva Gerona and knowing diving, to do an immersion in Punta Francés. And snorkeling fans will find a marvelous coral reef here. For snorkeling and diving one has to make the reservations at Hotel Colony before 8:00 am, time of departure. The offer includes transportation on a ship to Punta Francés (an hour trip). Divers and snorkeling fans may rent the necessary equipment. Snorkeling practitioners has, as their base, Punta Francés´ beach, which is a virgin and long beach with fine sand and crystalline waters; however, there is an obstacle here: there are more than one thousand hammocks waiting for tourists of a cruise that once a week arrives at this place. I do not recommend anybody visiting this beach that day.

 

 

Has anyone made their own snorkelling arrangements in Port Frances? It sounds like there is no decent snorkelling directly off the beach.

 

Is the LC the cruise ship which people are to avoid at all cost, or is there a European ship that stops there? I don't know when the above information was written.

[burm]

Another question: I see that the CC does offer massages. Does anyone know if they have a massage therapist who is registered in Canada, and therefore covered by my insurance?

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

burm ~ I have no idea about snorkeling or massages, sorry, but there was another luxury British ship at Cienfuegos, PF & Havana (I got into their line coming back from Tropicana & feared missing sailaway!). The people from that ship shared the beach with us at PF but I don't recall any hammocks, I'll have to check my pictures. I'm pretty sure PF is a big island so maybe it's a different beach as there didn't seem to be anything near us except a nature place that DH saw on his walk. I just Googled & the island has 100,000 inhabitants & was once an American colony. It looked like a deserted island where we were.

 

Ron & wu ~ thanks for your comments on the step problem. I was okay getting onto tender boats but did have to practically crawl off the swamp boat in Miami.:o I'm getting on that boat somehow!

 

Enjoy your day.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

Ron ~ was there another ship in port with you at the same places as mine for your 2 weeks or were you the only ones at the beach?

 

burm ~ I looked through my papers & see there was a massage available but it didn't say much about it other than the prices. I did see a lot of yummy drinks I'd underlined but never drank & the $2.50 champagne offered at the bbq that I missed out on.:o

 

Have a great week.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[ONT-CA]

HI all!

 

Ron ~ was there another ship in port with you at the same places as mine for your 2 weeks or were you the only ones at the beach? ... ~ Jo ~ :)

 

As I remember, ours was the only ship at all the ports visited. That was one of the many nice thing about this cruise. However, it would seem that snorkeling at Punta Frances would not be feasible for our passengers due to time allocated to this stop which is not a full day. If the reef location is an hour's sail from where we dropped anchor there would be little time to enjoy the sport before a return. And as to the 1,000 hammocks I wish we could have but 50 for there were only a few lounge chairs placed on the beach where we made our landing. Standing at the one and only "Coconut Cocktail" bar, which of course we did, you could look in both directions to the horizons and see only miles and miles of pristine sand so where the "other" landing sights are I have no idea.

[Liz54]

I have used the same travel agent for some years. When I book directly with the cruise line I have never had a problem later moving the booking to the travel agent. Cuba Cruise has told her this cannot be done.

Obviously she likes the transfer so she gets the commission, but it is good for the client too. If there were a financial problem - cruise cancelled etc, Travel Insurance (IATA?) is provincial and so the Ont. Plan would not cover us as the booking is not Ont based.

Anyone had any luck making a transfer.

Not a deal breaker but.....

[burm]

I have used the same travel agent for some years. When I book directly with the cruise line I have never had a problem later moving the booking to the travel agent. Cuba Cruise has told her this cannot be done.

Obviously she likes the transfer so she gets the commission, but it is good for the client too. If there were a financial problem - cruise cancelled etc, Travel Insurance (IATA?) is provincial and so the Ont. Plan would not cover us as the booking is not Ont based.

Anyone had any luck making a transfer.

Not a deal breaker but.....

 

 

 

That is interesting, because two different agents called Cuba Cruise on my behalf to see if it would be possible to transfer. Both received affirmative responses, but they could not offer me any incentive to transfer, so I did not.

[ONT-CA]

That is interesting, because two different agents called Cuba Cruise on my behalf to see if it would be possible to transfer. Both received affirmative responses, but they could not offer me any incentive to transfer, so I did not.

 

I can see that it might be advantageous to have these bookings made as a credit to one's travel agent if in fact there is a benefit. We have always used a very popular on line system but have of late been very disappointed in them not working upon our behalf. But as it turns out there is no commercial communication with Cuba Cruise and this company anyway so there is no advantage for anyone but ourselves. Working directly with Cubacruise Inc.has been very successful and a delight for us for we are dealing directly with the company. They know the what, where and when's of the cruises. It is so much simpler to have a question answered directly rather than an agent who will take your question, then call Cubacruise to find out the answer and then in time call you back.

[burm]

They know the what, where and when's of the cruises. It is so much simpler to have a question answered directly rather than an agent who will take your question, then call Cubacruise to find out the answer and then in time call you back.

 

I could not agree with you more. It is far easier and more efficient to deal directly with the cruiseline. Often the answer to one question will necessitate asking another, and to wait while calls to go back and forth can be frustrating.

[Balloon Man]

There seems to be one holiday place TA in the UK that works with the cruise line. We booked with them because we are regular customers but didn't receive anything we would not have got by booking direct - except the protection of very strong UK customer protection laws.

 

The only other cruise ship we saw on our Cuba cruise last year was one of the Star Clippers, and that only in Havana. However I do know the tall ship visited other ports on the island.

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

Balloon Man ~ I'll have to look up the name of the ship in port with us at 3 places. It seems to me it was some luxury line from Britain but the cruise began in Nassau.

 

Ron ~ it was nice to see the video on the other thread of Cristal all lit up even if the music was funereal. She's a pretty ship.

 

Have a nice evening.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

Balloon Man ~ I looked at my photos from the cruise & see that the ship was the Island Sky, a Noble Caledonia ship.

 

Have a nice day! Each day brings us closer to our Cuba cruise.;)

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[ONT-CA]

Just a reminder to those who might be delaying their decision on the Cuba Cruise, you have but seven days, including today to take advantage of the 20% discount they are offering.

[burm]

I have booked a week in Havana before the cruise in a Casa Particular and three days post cruise in another in Old Havana. The owner of the second place has been corresponding back and forth with me and I am really looking forward to meeting this lovely lady in person. I already feel like I have a friend in Cuba. :)

[Rebellious]

Has anyone gone on their eon to the beaches at holguin fron the cruise? Wondering how far and if taxis are readily available.

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

burm ~ you're going to have an in depth look at Cuba. Nice that the lady is so friendly.:D

 

Rebellious ~ I took a tour so can't answer your questions. I know it seemed to take a while to get there & the scenery was lovely.

Here's something I found on Google:

 

Antilla, Cuba

 

 

1 h 7 min

In current traffic: 1 h 7 min

 

 

Holguin, Cuba

80.5 km

 

Don't know how accurate it is. Actually I guess the better question would be Antilla to Guardalavaca.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[Rebellious]

Yes, I mean to Guardalavaca. Has anyone out there taken a taxi on their own Antilla to Guardalavaca? I was wondering how far and if taxis are readily available going to and coming back from where the cruise ship is docked.