Cuban Cruise Review - May 1st, 2017 - The very FIRST Norwegian sailing!!!

[Shawnino]

Can someone post a sumary?

Sifting through pictures of planes and Uber receipts doesn't really help me.

[CTCruiser001]

Can someone post a sumary?

Sifting through pictures of planes and Uber receipts doesn't really help me.

Be kind please. The 1st cruise leaves today. There is nothing to report just yet.

 

If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all.

 

Thanks Shawnino. I hope you have a nice day.

 

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[LMaxwell]

Can someone post a sumary?

Sifting through pictures of planes and Uber receipts doesn't really help me.

 

This is all pre-cruise information and photos. Ship sails later today.

[K2play]

So happy you're posting this! We're going in September and can't wait to hear more about your trip. I'll see the Sky shove off this afternoon on the portcam. So excited y'all are on it. Have fun!! Bon Voyage!!! :D:D

[Mama Pajama]

Looking forward to your review! We'll be on board in December! Bon voyage!

[CTCruiser001]

Monday morning we ate a quick breakfast at the hotel – The breakfast room was in the basement and offerings were pretty basic. We quickly ate and then left to get an uber to the port.

 

Once outside the hotel, I requested an uber and it was in front of us within moments – Not even a minute…Wow! The address we put into the app was ‘Port of Miami – South American Way’. The address on the app self corrected to where we needed to be and we got to our destination without a hitch .

 

 

 

 

The Norwegian Sky was docked at Terminal C, and our driver dropped us off quickly. The porters were very helpful due to that we totally forgot to print our luggage tags which Norwegian sends with the edocs. The porter had tags which he was able to write in the cabin number and he sent us on our way towards the security line.

 

 

 

 

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[CTCruiser001]

We entered the line much later than we usually arrive to ports. It was 10:30 am when we entered the line and went relatively quickly – No issues with this at all.

 

 

 

 

Once we entered the check in terminal, we saw a HUGE line of people snaking around the rope lines…Not my idea of starting vacation. Luckily, we are Platinum cruisers an we were able to get to the front of the line by finding the Priority line which was at the very far end, next to the wall, of the check in terminal when you enter. We had a very little wait and were in front of an agent within seconds.

 

 

 

 

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[staceehowse]

Thanks as well - following as we sail June 26 - so anxious to hear about it all and what excursions if any you did - or ones on your own which is what I'm leaning towards! Thanks so much!

[corley05]

I'd like to know if Bruno is still the piano player in captain cooks. We sail next week. We love Bruno and hope he's still on the sky.

 

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[CTCruiser001]

At the check in counter, one issue I was not expecting, and I saw a lot of people getting tripped up with was that the agent was asking for the copies of our affidavits which we were told to only email back to Norwegian. It appears they also need to collect these at the counter, something not made clear to us before hand.

 

Thankfully I kept all of the paperwork in relation to this cruise, and was able to procure these quickly from my bag. Others around us at the counter were having issues since many did not have these forms with them. BRING THESE WITH YOU TO THE PORT!!

 

 

We were given our visas and cabin keys and sent on our way!

I've included a photo of my visa since several folks have asked about this - The labels are blocking my personal information.

 

 

 

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[CTCruiser001]

We were among the first board around 11:45 am. After stopping at the shore excursion desk to ask a quick question, we made our way to the open MDR in the aft of the ship, called Crossings. And here is where I leave you for the day as we start enjoying our lunch and exploring the ship!

 

Cheers!

 

 

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[autumnsunshyn02]

This is great information and thank you for keeping us aware of everything! We leave next week!

Ashlee

[marcyjane]

At the check in counter, one issue I was not expecting, and I saw a lot of people getting tripped up with was that the agent was asking for the copies of our affidavits which we were told to only email back to Norwegian. It appears they also need to collect these at the counter, something not made clear to us before hand.

 

Thankfully I kept all of the paperwork in relation to this cruise, and was able to procure these quickly from my bag. Others around us at the counter were having issues since many did not have these forms with them. BRING THESE WITH YOU TO THE PORT!!

 

 

We were given our visas and cabin keys and sent on our way!

I've included a photo of my visa since several folks have asked about this - The labels are blocking my personal information.

 

 

 

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Just checking other than boarding pass & Passport at the counter are saying that Norwegian emails you your Visa and you have to print off to bring with you. Is that the affidavits you are referring to. Thanks

[CTCruiser001]

Just checking other than boarding pass & Passport at the counter are saying that Norwegian emails you your Visa and you have to print off to bring with you. Is that the affidavits you are referring to. Thanks

No.

 

The affidavit is a form you fill out prior to 30 days of your sailing and we were told to email back to ncl@visa.com.

 

We did this and received confirmation that they had it and we were set. This is the form that shows you are self certifying that you are eligible to visit Cuba and here you will select the licence you wish to visit Cuba under. We and most others selected People to People licence.

 

If I remember correctly, we had to look for the form online the Visas section of the Norwegian website. They might be more proactive now and send these when you book.

 

Good luck!

 

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[dickandjanecruise]

Thank you for posting all of this! I'm paranoid & printed the certification (both the submitted edoc & the old one where you had to sign it and fax it). I always make sure I have everything printed. 99% of the time I don't need it but that 1% makes it worth while.

 

Thanks again!

Jenna

[CTCruiser001]

Our staterooms weren’t ready until almost 2 pm. Surprisingly late compared to our other cruises. We ended up just walking around the ship after our lunch. So far around this ship there has been very little fanfare for this being the first Norwegian ship visiting Cuba. Other than a few flags being waved by the cruise directors staff at when we stepped onboard the ship, there hasn’t really been any other mention of this trip going to Cuba.

 

It’s a little disappointing, but nothing to be upset about…After all, we are on a cruise and there are no bad cruises – I’ve been a fan of saying that every cruise is what you make of it. If you want to have a bad cruise, you’ll easily find your way to complaining about every little thing.

 

 

Don’t worry, Be happy!

 

 

Stay tuned…

 

 

 

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[CTCruiser001]

I'd like to know if Bruno is still the piano player in captain cooks. We sail next week. We love Bruno and hope he's still on the sky.

 

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I don't think Bruno is with the Sky any longer - The dailies show the pianist being named 'Al'.

 

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[CTCruiser001]

Thank you for posting all of this! I'm paranoid & printed the certification (both the submitted edoc & the old one where you had to sign it and fax it). I always make sure I have everything printed. 99% of the time I don't need it but that 1% makes it worth while.

 

Thanks again!

Jenna

I agree!! We think alike in the aspect that we bring all of our documents and paperwork. Better safe than sorry!

 

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[ksslms]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post details on this (hopefully) exciting and fun cruise! I look forward to all of your posts! Cuba is definitely on our future cruise list! Would love to hear if visiting cigar factories / cigar and rum retailers was an option (either NCL planned or safely On Your Own)!

 

Keep up the good work!

 

Best Regards, Ken (and Le'Ann).

[corley05]

I don't think Bruno is with the Sky any longer - The dailies show the pianist being named 'Al'.

 

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Bummer. Hopefully Al will be just as good.

 

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[Tiggertastic]

Following

 

 

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[OceanDreaming2]

We're going to Cuba on the Sky in October. Your posts are great! Thank you! Subscribed!

[CruiseNewby47]

Looking forward to reading more. Thank you for posting. We are sailing in a few weeks!

[chiapet]

Thank you for posting! We board in 2 weeks and can't wait to follow along with you :)

[marcyjane]

No.

 

The affidavit is a form you fill out prior to 30 days of your sailing and we were told to email back to ncl@visa.com.

 

We did this and received confirmation that they had it and we were set. This is the form that shows you are self certifying that you are eligible to visit Cuba and here you will select the licence you wish to visit Cuba under. We and most others selected People to People licence.

 

If I remember correctly, we had to look for the form online the Visas section of the Norwegian website. They might be more proactive now and send these when you book.

 

Good luck!

 

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Thanks