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Princess & Cuba

PrevailingConditions

By PrevailingConditions,
in Princess Cruises

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Potstech

Potstech

Posted
Posted

Have no interest in visiting there. I think the visits to Cuba have gotten harder under the current administration. Cruises were supposed to be "culture" in nature and required working with the Cuban people. Checkout so called FUSION cruises

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Coveguy4

Coveguy4

Posted
Posted

I am hopeful that Princess will go to Cuba in the not to distant future. I went for Memorial Day on RC and LOVED it. I want to go back soon but this time on Princess, as she is my line of choice! No real changes for Cruise Lines with the revamping of rules last month

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decamp303

decamp303

Posted
Posted

Several lines are already cruising there so it may not make sense for Princess to join the fray. From what I have seen in trying to book one many of the ships are sold out or near capacity. Airlines are cutting back flights because they over-estimated demand but the supply of cabins on cruise ships sailing to Cuba is only slightly outpacing demand.

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DaisyRose

DaisyRose

Posted
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I also booked Holland America for Cuba in February 2018. There is a stop in Havana and a stop in Cienfuegos. I have never been on Holland America, but have been wanting to try it. Since Princess does not go to Cuba, this was my chance to try Holland America. I like that their ships (at least the older ones) are smaller and carry less passengers.

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NavyVeteran

NavyVeteran

Posted
Posted

I went to Cuba last year on Fathom and enjoyed it very much. However the Fathom Adonia stressed the tourist infrastructure. I would love to take a cruise on the Pacific Princess with a stop in Cuba, but I would be hesitant with any of the larger ships.

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AtlantaCruiser72

AtlantaCruiser72

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Fathom failed more due to the high cost of operations for the Adonia. The Cuba cruises sold at relatively high fares but they had to basically give away the Dominican Republic "Vouluntousim" itineraries. The DR cruises were often being sold for as little as $199pp for a 7 day sailing. Carnival Corp quickly cut its losses by returning Adonia to P&O and moving to place the Carnival Paradise into the market.

 

NCL, Carnival and Royal Caribbean seem to be filling their ships at decent fares and so much so NCL just announced a second ship for the Cuba market, this time the Norwegian Sun from Port Canaveral.

 

With Oceania, Azamara and Regent competing in the premium/luxury segment and Holland in the mainstream segment I don't think that Carnival Corporation sees a need to try and deploy a Princess ship to Cuba.

 

Also at this point I'm not sure there is any open dock space in Havana, which is the Primary port being visited.

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caribill

caribill

Posted
Posted
Fathom failed more due to the high cost of operations for the Adonia. The Cuba cruises sold at relatively high fares but they had to basically give away the Dominican Republic "Voluntousim" itineraries.

 

 

NCL, Carnival and Royal Caribbean seem to be filling their ships at decent fares and so much so NCL just announced a second ship for the Cuba market, this time the Norwegian Sun from Port Canaveral.

 

 

Most Princess ships are too big to dock in Cuba ports. I do not know now feasible tendering would be. And the number of passengers on most of the ships Princess sails in that area would overwhelm all of the Cuba ports' tourist infrastructure.

 

 

The Fathom cruises spent several days at various Cuba ports. The NCL, Carnival and RCI itineraries spent just one day in Cuba or at most an overnight in one city, quite different from the all Cuba itinerary on Fathom.

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SteelMagnolia9

SteelMagnolia9

Posted
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I went with family on RCI Empress of the Seas from Tampa, Fl to Havana & Key West earlier this month and had a wonderful trip. It's a small ship and perfect for the itinerary.

 

I've started looking at a Bermuda cruise and discovered Princess doesn't sail there, although many others do.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Mapu

Mapu

Posted
Posted
Most Princess ships are too big to dock in Cuba ports. I do not know now feasible tendering would be. And the number of passengers on most of the ships Princess sails in that area would overwhelm all of the Cuba ports' tourist infrastructure.

 

 

The Fathom cruises spent several days at various Cuba ports. The NCL, Carnival and RCI itineraries spent just one day in Cuba or at most an overnight in one city, quite different from the all Cuba itinerary on Fathom.

 

One of the reasons the cost for Cuba cruises on Fathom was high was that shores excursions were included in the pricing which also included lunch in the different cities. There were a few optional extra cost excursions but basically in each city there were included excursions.

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matamanoa

matamanoa

Posted
Posted

I will share my husband's and my personal experience of our recent trip to Cuba on NCL Sky. We were on the cruise as part of a family member's birthday celebration. This was our first time on NCL and we personally did not enjoy the ship. I know that there are avid NCL cruisers out there, just as there are cruisers loyal to Princess or any other line, but having sailed so much with Princess, we were disappointed in the Sky. The ship was docked in Havana for two days and we took ship sponsored shore excursions, only because the relatives we were traveling with were not seasoned cruisers and therefore did not inquire or research private tour companies and as such, we opted to tour together and therefore paid much more for excursions than we would have done had we been on our own. Our first experience in getting off the ship was not a pleasant one. The immigration officers were very rude and this was not a good first impression. The washrooms in the terminal also had no toilet paper and I don't mean that they were just out of paper - there were no dispensers at all and I wonder how the staff expect someone to use the toilets without cleaning up. Hmmm? Our first guide was a young fellow who was taking us on a walking tour of the older section of Havana. He had a mic on him but it wasn't loud enough to compete with the street noise and having a large group made it near to impossible to hear him. We encountered beggars at every turn and that got to be a nuisance after a while. They are very insistent and although I acknowledge that Cuba is a poor country and people need to make a living, it was hard to proceed without them being in your personal space. Our guide pointed out mostly places that were shops or hotels and at one point took us into a shop selling cigars, rum and coffee. We got the impression that he most likely got a cut from what we bought as at one point he was behind the counter helping ring up the purchases. Aside from his presentation, we enjoyed the architecture of the old buildings and did learn a bit about the culture and people. Our second tour was mostly by bus and was hosted by a wonderful young lady who was clearly proud of her country and heritage. We saw the newer areas of Havana as well as some of the older ones and we enjoyed her tour tremendously. We also enjoyed a Parisien Cabaret one evening at the Hotel Nationale. Amazing show! Our third day of the cruise was spent at a private island in the Bahamas and then back to Miami for our return flight home. Are we glad that we went - YES. Cuba was definitely an interesting experience but we feel no desire to return there nor would we cruise on NCL again. I apologize in advance for the negativity but this was just my personal experience.

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matamanoa

matamanoa

Posted
Posted
matamanoa

 

Were you able to walk on your own? Or were you only take to areas that they wanted you to see? Did you see any Cuban every day life?

We never left the ship on our own but there were others who did get off and wander about town during the day. At the end of one of the tours I was on, people who wanted to go to the flea market and then walk back on their own to the ship were dropped off at the market and made their way back to the ship themselves. People would tell us that they felt very safe walking around the area where the ship was docked but after our tours, we used the time to relax on the ship and didn't feel the need to go back out on our own. We never talked to anyone who had gotten off in the evening to go off by themselves. I, personally would not have gone out at night, but that's just me. On our tours, we saw the good areas and the not so good. There are many derelict buildings, some that are abandoned and some still have people living in them. I believe that the country is trying to put on a brave face for the tourists but I also got the impression that things are not going to improve for the Cubans anytime soon.

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stevenr597 Great Review Rare

stevenr597

Posted
Posted

When President Obama announced an opening with the start of diplomatic relations, we thought that perhaps a new era of Cuban-American relations would be in order. However, Cuba has remained a police state, of even more concern, there military and secret service is apparently propping up the regeime in Venezuela. With that being said, I rather spend my money in Puertro Rico or the Virgin Islands. Just an opinion.

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Colo Cruiser

Colo Cruiser

Posted
Posted
When President Obama announced an opening with the start of diplomatic relations, we thought that perhaps a new era of Cuban-American relations would be in order. However, Cuba has remained a police state, of even more concern, there military and secret service is apparently propping up the regeime in Venezuela. With that being said, I rather spend my money in Puertro Rico or the Virgin Islands. Just an opinion.

 

 

Exactly! Not a good place to patronize at this time and I think it will get worse if that's possible. :(

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BritinSoCal

BritinSoCal

Posted
Posted
Exactly! Not a good place to patronize at this time and I think it will get worse if that's possible. :(

 

More space for those of us who travel with an open mind and aren't put off by the double standards of certain government administrations...

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BritinSoCal

BritinSoCal

Posted
Posted
Yes harboring COP killers. Great logic. Enjoy yourself.

 

 

Not sure what this has to do with allowing people to visit a destination that the rest of the world can visit freely should they chose, but since you started - harbouring a wanted terrorist charged with blowing up an airliner... See people who live in glasshouses shouldn't throw stones...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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