Norwegian Sky Review- Cuba 9/25-9/29

[shdixon]

Hello,

I just got of the Sky this morning

 

Overall I had a great time. I have cruised many times, third time on Norwegian. This was my sisters first time on norwegian. Sky is a smaller older boat than I am used to but well kept and I did not miss any of the supposed "glitz" of the larger boat. This boat was just fine and I now wont discriminate against smaller older ships :-). The first day some areas smelled really bad but by day 2,it cleared up.

Ill keep this brief and to the point as possible

Food-buffet, ok. Not a lot of variety. Some days they pretty much had the same food. I went there for dinner a couple of times because I wasn't hungry enough for the dining room. Burgers, hotdogs, salad, pasta, rice and Indian Dal were on the menu every single night, with a different meat carved each day and few few items added each night from different countries.

Lunch was pretty much the same type of foods as well. in all my cruising I was the least impressed with this buffet but not a big deal.

Dining room-good food. good service. I told my server I like my food hot and he brought it out hot. That almost never happens.

All inclusive-cant go wrong with that. I tipped a little when ordering drinks but I didn't see many others doing that. Gratuities per day seemed to go up since my last Norwegian cruise so I wonder if the gratuities for bartenders is factored into that as nothing on earth is really free.

Drinks were good and plentiful. In the past most of my on board bill was from photos and drinks so it was nice to have a significantly lower bill.

Havana Cuba- we booked excursions on our own. The first day we did a Havana Old Car tour for 5 hours. Three hours touring, 2 hours at the beach. We didnt spend too much time at the beach because it began to rain. It was us, an English speaking guide, and driver. They were so nice and after a little while they felt like friends we have known for a while. They took us all around Old Havana, explained history, Cuban government, how Cubans live, etc. They showed us government buildings, parks, forts, you name it. They allowed us to deviate if necessary but we just mostly followed their lead.

The first night in Cuba we went to Buena vista social club. Let me start by saying that nothing is free lol. Our guide took us there earlier in the day to make reservations. Dinner and show was 60 cuban dollars and just the show 30 cuban dollars each with 50% up front, We gave the reservation lady our money. She asked us if we wanted water or lemonade while we waited for her to set up our reservation. We said sure because we just came in from the heat. We sit down to drink our beverages while we wait and she then brings us a bill for the water and lemonade. $5. That kind of turned me off. Our fault for not asking if it was free. So instead of going back for dinner and show like we planned, we just did the show since we already paid for it. Show was very good and they get the crowd involved.

Toilet Paper!!

Bring your own tissue to public places. They just had a hurricane, so its scarce and most places wont provide or they will charge you. It was explained that a lot of the bathroom attendants at some restaurants and clubs do not get paid, but they bring the paper and you pay them for the paper. Some bathrooms have simply just dont have paper or toilet seats.

After the show there were a lot of locals outside begging for a dollar. I am used to that but they dont speak English so if you dont say no, they will just ask you again. Ignoring them with no words wont really suffice. I am from NYC so begging is a norm, but just like at home,I dont like people begging in my personal space and just make sure I clutch my bag a little tighter. Im in their territory so its wise to be extra cautious. But overall they werent pushy.

The next day in Havana we did "Food Tours Havana. I loved it. Tour guide was excellent. We learned some more about Cuba in general and more about their food resources and typical cuban cuisine. The food was good. Cuban food in the US vs Cuban food in cuba is different. In Cuba they use less spices as they feel it is not necessary. They also at times have less resources.

We started the tour with typical cuban breakfast, toast, butter, and coffee.

We then went to a produce/meat market where everything is locally grown where we sampled fruit and coconut water prepared right there for us. Our third stop was a private restaurant where we has ropa vieja, rice, beans. My sister doesnt eat meat so they replaced the meat with some sort of vegetable root fritter.

The tour guide explained the differences between state run vs private and said she never adds state run restaurants to the tour because they are not consistant and service is not always good.

Our 4th stop was to a seafood restaurant where we dined on lobster "enchilada" and mohito.

Last stop was a gellado place, where there are non dairy options,and many natural fruit choices.

In between each stop, we learned so much about the area, government and how much of an affect it has on the daily lives of cubans. I highly recommend.

We never made it to great stirrup kay. there was some sort of oil spill while we were in cuba, so the ship was not allowed in bahamas out of fear of contaminating

I took pictures but for some reason am unable to upload them on here

 

 

Thanks for reading

[owlgirl31]

Thanks for the review. who did you use for the food tour?

[shdixon]

Thanks for the review. who did you use for the food tour?

Hi,

 

We used Food tours Havana.

 

https://www.foodtourshavana.com/

[Gershep]

Nice review!

[Clarea]

Appreciate the feedback.

[easyboy]

Glad you had a great time.

[garvey818]

We were on the Sky. There was a major oil spill from the refineries across from Old Havana. It was there when we arrived although the crew did not know that because it was dark when the ship arrived on Tuesday. There was no attempt by the Cuban government to clean it up while we were there. The smell from our balcony was there for the entire time. Diesel oil smell -- not pleasant. No word from Norwegian about making it right for all of us who sat on the ship while it was cleaned instead of sitting on the private island. Can't imagine they will put another ship in that harbor until it is clean. The crew said the harbor was even dirtier when they arrive in May although it's very dirty now. You can see trash floating. Will write a longer review soon.

[OceanDreaming2]

Hi,

 

We used Food tours Havana.

 

https://www.foodtourshavana.com/

 

How long were you in Havana the second day? We're scheduled to leave at noon. I'm interested in this tour, but don't see how it would work out for us.

Edited September 30, 2017 by OceanDreaming2

[shdixon]

How long were you in Havana the second day? We're scheduled to leave at noon. I'm interested in this tour, but don't see how it would work out for us.

 

The 2nd day we had to be back on board by 4:30pm

[Keith1010]

I enjoyed your review.

 

Keith

[OceanDreaming2]

The 2nd day we had to be back on board by 4:30pm

 

 

Thank you. I wonder why we leave at noon? I can't seem to find anything that is for a few hours. We already have a 6 hour car tour the day before.

[Encore Vacations]

Thank you for your review. Do you mind sharing who you booked your day 1 excursions through?

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[shdixon]

Thank you for your review. Do you mind sharing who you booked your day 1 excursions through?

The name of the company is Old Cars Havana. We chose the tour with a beach option.

[shdixon]

I finally figured out how to upload. This is us in the car used for the tour. Our guides let us take as many pics as we liked.

[shdixon]

I enjoyed your review.

 

 

 

Keith

Thanks a bunch

[shdixon]

We were on the Sky. There was a major oil spill from the refineries across from Old Havana. It was there when we arrived although the crew did not know that because it was dark when the ship arrived on Tuesday. There was no attempt by the Cuban government to clean it up while we were there. The smell from our balcony was there for the entire time. Diesel oil smell -- not pleasant. No word from Norwegian about making it right for all of us who sat on the ship while it was cleaned instead of sitting on the private island. Can't imagine they will put another ship in that harbor until it is clean. The crew said the harbor was even dirtier when they arrive in May although it's very dirty now. You can see trash floating. Will write a longer review soon.

We seemed to be the last to hear the news. We were waiting around on Thursday for tinder announcements excited about parasailing when the people next to us said "we arent getting off". I thought they were joking. not sure how we missed the announcement

[garvey818]

There was a general announcement which we didn't hear. But we got a written explanation but from talking to others, this was random. Communication was poor. Also, people were asking if we'd be reimbursed for the missed day and no one knew.

[julzlei]

Nice review. We were on the same cruise. We did a bike tour (http://www.rutabikes.com) that was excellent! Great English-speaking tour guide who took us to many sites & was very knowledgeable. We'd highly recommend!

 

 

@ OceanDreaming2 - There are 2 versions of this NCL Cuba cruise. Every other week, they spend 2 full days in Havana (leaving at 5:00 pm 2nd day), then less time on the private island. The alternate weeks, they spend less time in Havana (leaving 12:30 pm 2nd day), then more time on the private island. This is listed in the cruise itinerary on the NCL website - 2 choices for the 4-day Cuba cruise.

[aquamarineprincess]

My husband and I were also on this cruise. We're first time cruisers and absolutely loved it. We were most looking forward to the Hemingway excursion, however, after booking and paying for it in advance of boarding we were told once onboard that it was cancelled due to damage from hurricane Irma. So, we chose the Havana bus tour as a substitution which was a great way to see the city. We wandered Havana on our own the second day. The city is very walkable and the people are friendly. We were disappointed that we were unable to visit Stirrup Cay, but we were refunded the port charges and it just gives us another excuse to book a second cruise.

[shdixon]

My husband and I were also on this cruise. We're first time cruisers and absolutely loved it. We were most looking forward to the Hemingway excursion, however, after booking and paying for it in advance of boarding we were told once onboard that it was cancelled due to damage from hurricane Irma. So, we chose the Havana bus tour as a substitution which was a great way to see the city. We wandered Havana on our own the second day. The city is very walkable and the people are friendly. We were disappointed that we were unable to visit Stirrup Cay, but we were refunded the port charges and it just gives us another excuse to book a second cruise.

Im glad you enjoyed. We cruise every year, this is the first year that I have cruised twice. You may become addicted. :)

[travelhawg]

Thanks for this timely review. We are leaving on the Sky Cuba cruise on 10/23/17 and this kind of information is great. I'm wondering what your impression was of the impact of the hurricane on Cuba and how it effected your time there? Are the roadways in decent repair? Is there a lot of debris from the hurricane? Did you ever feel like you were a burden for these folks in getting their lives back together? I have wanted to visit Cuba for years and I very much want to go on this cruise and I'm hoping it's the right time. Your review has really helped me get ready. Thanks for any thoughts. :D

[shdixon]

Thanks for this timely review. We are leaving on the Sky Cuba cruise on 10/23/17 and this kind of information is great. I'm wondering what your impression was of the impact of the hurricane on Cuba and how it effected your time there? Are the roadways in decent repair? Is there a lot of debris from the hurricane? Did you ever feel like you were a burden for these folks in getting their lives back together? I have wanted to visit Cuba for years and I very much want to go on this cruise and I'm hoping it's the right time. Your review has really helped me get ready. Thanks for any thoughts. :D

Good question. very Few areas we passed in Havana were affected by the hurricine. One of the restaurants on our tour had some damage, it is near the water. Im sure there were other area but none I passed. Our tour guide said the area we were in had little damage.

Before I left For the cruise I contacted my tour guide and she told me not to worry they were doing just fine there and they bounce back really fast. When I arrived I see that she was correct. If I had not watched the news I would not have known there was a hurricane from what I sae there.

We never felt like a burden. A lot of the citizens of Havana want and need our tourism.

Hope this helped

[travelhawg]

Good question. very Few areas we passed in Havana were affected by the hurricine. One of the restaurants on our tour had some damage, it is near the water. Im sure there were other area but none I passed. Our tour guide said the area we were in had little damage.

Before I left For the cruise I contacted my tour guide and she told me not to worry they were doing just fine there and they bounce back really fast. When I arrived I see that she was correct. If I had not watched the news I would not have known there was a hurricane from what I sae there.

We never felt like a burden. A lot of the citizens of Havana want and need our tourism.

Hope this helped

 

 

It's very helpful and reassuring. I'm getting ready for this trip!!! :D:D

[CruisinHeels]

Hey shdixon, great review! I was on the same cruise and I was also on the same food tour on Wednesday. I would recommend the food tour to anyone, it was very good and educational at the same time. Our guide, Ana, was great and no questions were off limits. Havana was fascinating! To the person who asked about hurricane damage, it is worth noting that the famous Malecon was closed (entirely closed to car and pedestrian traffic). The sea wall was compromised in several places and it will take them some time to repair. I also recommmend visiting the museums, the Revolution Museum was very interesting. Have fun!!!