Cuba Cruise Input - Viking, Azamara, Regent, Oceania?

[SD7077]

Hello! I am considering booking a cruise for a group to Cuba and am looking for input from people who have cruised to Cuba recently on either Viking, Oceania, Regent or Azamara - as those are the lines I am considering.

Prefer around 1000 passengers or less, a recently renovated or new ship, 5-6 stars, and 9 nights or less. The lines I mentioned all offer varying itineraries, and I am weighing these factors:

 

How long to be in Cuba? (Is 8 am to midnight enough - Regent's schedule, or 7-night all-Cuba like Viking)

Quality of food

Quality / comfort of accommodations on ship

 

I have searched and searched the reviews and boards but am not finding reviews of these lines.

Thank you for your input!

[SuzCruise]

I'm not sure how you aren't finding reviews of the lines you mention. They are in a different section of cruise critic, not the forums.

 

 

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[roothy123]

Our favorite lines are Viking and Oceania. We just back back from our Cultural Cruise on Viking. It was an effort, because the ship has to anchor in Cienfuegos rather than Havana, which means you need to be bussed to Havana (3 to 3 1/2 hours, plus a break, so ours was 3 1/2 hours). Viking gave us an overnight in Havana, though, which made the traveling a little better. They also gave us a fabulous itinerary, executed quite well by a Cuban travel agency. My photos are here: www.pbase.com/roothy123

 

I didn't get to see much in Cienfuegos because I took an all day trip to Trinidad, an hour and 20 minutes from Cienfuegos. I loved Trinidad, and Cienfuegos, from what I could tell, was pretty nice. Havana of course is full of great things, but I liked my day in Trinidad almost as much - great city for photographers who love color!

 

Therefore, if you're up for a good amount of rides in the countryside of Cuba, a fairly fast-paced touring schedule, and can do some cobblestones (present in some parts of Havana and lots in Trinidad) Viking might be great. The ship and service are excellent. If you prefer more non-stop activities and less effort in going to Havana and other places, you may not like it. Age group is about the same on Oceania and Viking; food is excellent on both in my opinion. Activities and entertainment are similar, although I think you'll find a bit more on Oceania.

 

From what I've heard, if you like a bit more younger crowd (though barely) and you like more activities and hands-on with the crew, you may like Azamara, although I have no idea what itinerary they use.

 

Oceania is quite good; we love them. They do go to 3 different cities, I believe, which sounds good to me. Havana is NOT the only worthwhile city in Cuba in my opinion!

 

We haven't been on Regent. It's my impression it's a lot like Oceania except more inclusive (excursions, alcohol, etc.) If you know you'll use these things, great. If not, maybe not so great.

 

Just my two cents.

 

There are SOME reviews of Cuba cruises/excursions in the Reviews section, but hopefully others will enter THEIR two cents' worth here so you can get a better idea of which itinerary and line to choose.

[Eaches]

Hello! I am considering booking a cruise for a group to Cuba and am looking for input from people who have cruised to Cuba recently on either Viking, Oceania, Regent or Azamara - as those are the lines I am considering.

 

Prefer around 1000 passengers or less, a recently renovated or new ship, 5-6 stars, and 9 nights or less. The lines I mentioned all offer varying itineraries, and I am weighing these factors:

 

 

 

How long to be in Cuba? (Is 8 am to midnight enough - Regent's schedule, or 7-night all-Cuba like Viking)

 

Quality of food

 

Quality / comfort of accommodations on ship

 

 

 

I have searched and searched the reviews and boards but am not finding reviews of these lines.

 

Thank you for your input!

 

 

 

We are on the Viking Sun and are just now leaving Cuba. The island of Cuba is great, we have spent 3 days there and loved it . A word to the wise - the Cuban people are so nice and welcoming but their roads are very different from those in the states (VERY BUMPY) We Moored in Cienfuegos which is on the south side of the island. We tendered in and Viking and their crew members did a Great Job making sure we where taken care of! We were set to do Viking overnight but had to switch to the the one day Havana shore excursion. Left early and arrived in Havana about noon . Had a wonderful lunch and then got a real surprise by getting a ride in a 57 Ford Convertible thru the historic area. We then toured the city and had time to shop - if you wanted to . Then a LONG bus ride home - it was worth every minute . The Cuban people are very nice and helpful . I liked the one day grueling trip over the overnight trip . The beds on the Sun are so comfortable that I didn’t want to change.

Viking did a wonderful trip to Cuba that I won’t forget. Now off the the rest of their WORLD CRUISE!

 

 

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Edited December 19, 2017 by Eaches

[Eaches]

We are on the Viking Sun and are just now leaving Cuba. The island of Cuba is great, we have spent 3 days there and loved it . A word to the wise - the Cuban people are so nice and welcoming but their roads are very different from those in the states (VERY BUMPY) We Moored in Cienfuegos which is on the south side of the island. We tendered in and Viking and their crew members did a Great Job making sure we where taken care of! We were set to do Viking overnight but had to switch to the the one day Havana shore excursion. Left early and arrived in Havana about noon . Had a wonderful lunch and then got a real surprise by getting a ride in a 57 Ford Convertible thru the historic area. We then toured the city and had time to shop - if you wanted to . Then a LONG bus ride home - it was worth every minute . The Cuban people are very nice and helpful . I liked the one day grueling trip over the overnight trip . The beds on the Sun are so comfortable that I didn’t want to change.

Viking did a wonderful trip to Cuba that I won’t forget. Now off the the rest of their WORLD CRUISE!

 

 

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I wanted to show the Buick Convertible in the previous review but it wasn’t the Ford we rode in :

Here is the Ford in all of her gorgeous wares.

Sorry the WiFi can’t handle the info at this time . Will try later

[roothy123]

I wanted to show the Buick Convertible in the previous review but it wasn’t the Ford we rode in :

Here is the Ford in all of her gorgeous wares.

Sorry the WiFi can’t handle the info at this time . Will try later

I hope to do a world cruise some day - very jealous. The amount of classic American cars in Havana, Cienfuegos and Trinidad was staggering. It's great that you got treated to a ride. We loved ours. (My photos are at http://www.pbase.com/roothy123)

 

If you can, you might want to post on MyVikingStory, which is where Viking cruisers can post pictures with captions. I think you access it by going to Viking's website and searching for it in the search bar. I just added some pictures, but I suppose they will end up buried back in the Dec. 6 pages, since recent entries from recent cruises are what are featured.

[Eaches]

Hello! I am considering booking a cruise for a group to Cuba and am looking for input from people who have cruised to Cuba recently on either Viking, Oceania, Regent or Azamara - as those are the lines I am considering.

 

Prefer around 1000 passengers or less, a recently renovated or new ship, 5-6 stars, and 9 nights or less. The lines I mentioned all offer varying itineraries, and I am weighing these factors:

 

 

 

How long to be in Cuba? (Is 8 am to midnight enough - Regent's schedule, or 7-night all-Cuba like Viking)

 

Quality of food

 

Quality / comfort of accommodations on ship

 

 

 

I have searched and searched the reviews and boards but am not finding reviews of these lines.

 

Thank you for your input!

 

 

 

We are on Viking Sun and just Cuba yesterday. We had a Great Time and Viking treated us right . We didn’t take their overnight excursion but did the 1 day in Havana. I think it was just enough time ! I like sleeping on the ship ! Cuba itself it really interesting and the people are very pleasant.

 

 

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[Go-Bucks!]

I just got back last week from Cuba (2 days & overnight in Havana, 1 day in Cienfuegos and 1 day in Santiago de Cuba) on Oceania Insignia. Because the ship is small we got to dock in Cienfuegos, giving us more time there. We loved Cuba!! Like others said, the people are very friendly and eager to hear about us and our lives. They all want to visit America. :D

[aussie travel bird]

I just got back last week from Cuba (2 days & overnight in Havana, 1 day in Cienfuegos and 1 day in Santiago de Cuba) on Oceania Insignia. Because the ship is small we got to dock in Cienfuegos, giving us more time there. We loved Cuba!! Like others said, the people are very friendly and eager to hear about us and our lives. They all want to visit America. :D

 

We'll be visiting from Australia and doing a 10 day Cuba intensive with Azamara (who we sailed with lots because of the small size - Quest 689 pax) from 28 March and they visit all the ports you mentioned, excitement is building!!!!. I have done a lot of research re the new Visa requirements and will be selecting the 'Support the Cuban People' section as we're doing both private and ship excursions. We can't wait, but we have been rather dismayed at the amount of hard sell for ships tours when this isn't the case, people are being misled. We have three days, two nights in Havana and one each in the other ports. Once in a lifetime opportunity. I probably should add we have only sailed, RCL, Celebrity, Princess and Scenic so am pretty biased about Azamara - ticks all the boxes for us.

[tinkr2]

That Azamara cruise looks great. I wish my husband had the time to take it. We loved Azamara and it seems like it would be a perfect size ship for a Cuba trip. Ill be on NCL for 4 days and just getting a glimpse of Cuba.

[Go-Bucks!]

delete

Edited February 4, 2018 by Go-Bucks!
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[cganesh]

Check out the 7 day 4 days in Cuba (3 cities) on Sirena. She was recently renovated and holds 750 passengers and doesn't have to tender anywhere. We don't have our Cuban cruise until Oct and booked last April. They also have other lengths of cruises including Cuba plus other Caribbean stops.

 

Cherie Ganesh

Memphis, TN

[Richard in Panama]

Another one you should look at is PEARL MIST ... small, intimate ship. Great crew and service. Great food. No lines. Open seating. Resort casual, no dressing up. Well-educated, well-travelled guests who have had fascinating lives and who are interested in the ports ... i.e., in Cuba! No lines. No waterslides. No casino. No climbing wall. No kids. Very, very nice. Oh, no art auctions, teeth whitening, or Botox and no nickle and diming. Everything included but gratuities. Full disclosure: I lecture on board, much of which you can get in my new CUBA book, but it is a special experience. We go to Havana, Cienfuegos, Casilda for Trinidad, and Santiago de Cuba, all around the island, not just one port. Per US law you need to participate in the excusions, which are included, but there is time when you can go out and do your own thing and meet some real Cuban people. Regards, Richard

[Go-Bucks!]

Per US law you need to participate in the excusions, which are included, but there is time when you can go out and do your own thing and meet some real Cuban people.

There is no law that says US tourists have to take ship tours. Some cruiselines have been confusing their passengers and instilling fear in them by telling them that they'll be breaking the law if not on a ship tour. Just another way to make more money for the cruiseline. Sad.

 

On the affidavit you sign, you check "Support for Cuban People." There is nothing that states what activities you can do to support the Cuban people. There is a list of forbidden places to go which is easily obtained.

[Richard in Panama]

There is no law that says US tourists have to take ship tours. Some cruiselines have been confusing their passengers and instilling fear in them by telling them that they'll be breaking the law if not on a ship tour. Just another way to make more money for the cruiseline. Sad.

 

On the affidavit you sign, you check "Support for Cuban People." There is nothing that states what activities you can do to support the Cuban people. There is a list of forbidden places to go which is easily obtained.

 

Actually it's far more complicated to comply with the law.

 

Persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction providing authorized carrier or travelservices that choose to collect the specific license number in lieu of the license must maintain arecord of that number, as well as the other required information set forth in § 515.572(b), for atleast five years.

15. What constitutes “people-to-people travel” for generally authorized travel?In accordance with the NSPM, OFAC is amending the general license for people-to-peopleeducational activities in Cuba to remove the authorization for individual people-to-peopleeducational travel. This general license now authorizes, subject to conditions, persons subject toU.S. jurisdiction to engage in certain educational exchanges in Cuba under the auspices of anorganization that is a person subject to U.S. jurisdiction and sponsors such exchanges to promotepeople-to-people contact. Travelers utilizing this general license must ensure they maintain afull-time schedule of educational exchange activities intended to enhance contact with the Cubanpeople, support civil society in Cuba, or promote the Cuban people’s independence from Cuban UPDATED NOVEMBER 8, 20176authorities, and that will result in meaningful interaction between the traveler and individuals inCuba. The predominant portion of the activities must not be with a prohibited official of theGovernment of Cuba, as defined in 31 CFR § 515.337, or a prohibited member of the CubanCommunist Party, as defined in 31 CFR § 515.338. A person subject to U.S. jurisdiction who isan employee, paid consultant, agent, or other representative of the sponsoring organization mustaccompany each people-to-people educational group traveling to Cuba to ensure that eachtraveler has a full-time schedule of educational exchange activities. Individuals traveling underthe auspices of an organization that is a person subject to U.S. jurisdiction and that sponsors suchexchanges to promote people-to-people contact may rely on the entity sponsoring the travel tosatisfy his or her recordkeeping obligations with respect to the requirements described above. Inaccordance with the NSPM, OFAC is amending this general license to exclude from theauthorization direct financial transactions with entities and subentities identified on the StateDepartment’s Cuba Restricted List. For a complete description of what this general licenseauthorizes and the restrictions that apply, see 31 CFR § 515.565.

This is why the price of these acrivities is INCLUDED in the price of the cruise, as in the case of PEARL MIST, so these activities are not "Just another way to make more money for the cruiseline." So don't be "Sad." So guests are required to participate, but on your own free time you can go off and enjoy Cuba, meet people, have dinner in one of the many Paladares, and do your own people to people interactions.

 

Regards, Richard

[Go-Bucks!]

This is why the price of these acrivities is INCLUDED in the price of the cruise....guests are required to participate

Maybe Pearl Mist (and Viking) requires all passengers to do their tours, but this is not how the other cruiselines are doing it. Some lines (Royal Caribbean, Azamara, NCL, Carnival) are being very pushy about trying to get passengers to use their tours, but they don't bar the door if you aren't on one. Other lines, like Oceania, don't say a word about it either way. They're being most honest....they have tours you can take but since there's no law that says all passengers must take a ship tour, they let each person decide for themselves. Many thousands of passengers have now sailed to Cuba and haven't used ship tours....none of us are in jail now! :')

[Richard in Panama]

. Many thousands of passengers have now sailed to Cuba and haven't used ship tours....none of us are in jail now! :')

When Obama opened the door to Cuba there were few restrictions. Fall of 2017 Trump put in new policies. These new regulations do not apply to everyone, just US Americans. Like all US Treasury Department regulations, you choose to comply or not to comply. You are correct, you decide.

 

Many US Americans have been visiting Cuba, going through Canada, Panama or other locations, for years. Illegal? Yes. But I haven't heard of people being put in jail for doing so. So, again, it's your choice.

 

The ship I lecture on, PEARL SEAS, legally is taking US Citizens, and others, not just to one port [Havana] but around the island. It is all legal, all according to the new regulations which require participation in the INCLUDED people-to-people adventures giving you a real insight into the culture and people of Cuba while at the same time enjoying the touristic sights. So folks just enjoy the experience with the cruise line taking care of all the legal details. There is time for all of the guests to go off and do their own thing and make their own people-to-people encounters. In my CUBA book I tell the story of one woman, in her late 60s who didn't speak a word of Spanish, who felt sorry for the dogs roaming the streets in Cienfuegos, so took a little plastic cup of cheese off the ship [not recommended or allowed, but anyway] ... and long story, in the book ... but through this she ended up meeting three similarly aged Cuban women, being invited into their homes, making friends, and actually being invited back to Cuba to stay in one woman's tiny little casita. That's people-to-people!

 

Good luck to you and happy travels! Regards, Richard

[Go-Bucks!]

.....the new regulations which require participation in the INCLUDED people-to-people adventures

You're not getting what I was saying.....the American rules DO NOT say that passengers HAVE to take a ship tour.....if the rules said that, then ALL the cruiselines would be doing that! Why would Oceania, and others, be flagrantly violating the law?? Obviously they're not.....Pearl Mist has just made up their own policy in order to sell tours (included in their fare, but obviously makes the fare higher). When you say that everyone has to ONLY go on ship tours, you're adding to the confusion and fear that might keep someone from visiting lovely Cuba.

[roothy123]

You're not getting what I was saying.....the American rules DO NOT say that passengers HAVE to take a ship tour.....if the rules said that, then ALL the cruiselines would be doing that! Why would Oceania, and others, be flagrantly violating the law?? Obviously they're not.....Pearl Mist has just made up their own policy in order to sell tours (included in their fare, but obviously makes the fare higher). When you say that everyone has to ONLY go on ship tours, you're adding to the confusion and fear that might keep someone from visiting lovely Cuba.

 

Definitely agree that the revised American rules don't say passengers have to take a ship's tour. Most of the people on our Viking cruise to Cuba did take ship's excursions, but probably only because Viking made them free to all of us, and when something is free, lots of people are interested in it! However, I would have gone off on my own in Cienfuegos had I had time to do that. I asked one of the destination/excursion employees on Viking whether there was any reason why I couldn't, and she assured me there were no restrictions. I could have passed on all the free excursions and just done my own thing - all day, every, or after taking a ship's excursion. I didn't, because Viking had some wonderful excursions planned and there was no extra cost. In that case, perhaps I would have had to select another check-mark box on the form I filled out - but I don't think I would have experienced any problems, or gone against the revised Treasury regulations.

 

Sometimes the cruise line information is misleading. That used to be the case for cruisers stopping in St. Petersburg. A frequent topic on Cruise Critic was (probably still is) whether you need to get a Russian visa to get off the ship there. In some cases you do, but in most cases you don't. But telling the truth doesn't sell many ship's excursions when it comes to St. Petersburg, where excellent third party excursions are available for a lower price.

[Go-Bucks!]

Definitely agree that the revised American rules don't say passengers have to take a ship's tour. Most of the people on our Viking cruise to Cuba did take ship's excursions, but probably only because Viking made them free to all of us, and when something is free, lots of people are interested in it! However, I would have gone off on my own in Cienfuegos had I had time to do that. I asked one of the destination/excursion employees on Viking whether there was any reason why I couldn't, and she assured me there were no restrictions. I could have passed on all the free excursions and just done my own thing - all day, every, or after taking a ship's excursion. I didn't, because Viking had some wonderful excursions planned and there was no extra cost. In that case, perhaps I would have had to select another check-mark box on the form I filled out - but I don't think I would have experienced any problems, or gone against the revised Treasury regulations.

 

Sometimes the cruise line information is misleading. That used to be the case for cruisers stopping in St. Petersburg. A frequent topic on Cruise Critic was (probably still is) whether you need to get a Russian visa to get off the ship there. In some cases you do, but in most cases you don't. But telling the truth doesn't sell many ship's excursions when it comes to St. Petersburg, where excellent third party excursions are available for a lower price.

You are so right. On Oceania we could get 2 free excursions or get OBC....my friend and I chose to take the tours, but one was cancelled. The one we went on was very good, but Oceania never said we HAD to take their tours or we'd be captive prisoners on the ship.

 

When I was in St. Petersburg in 2013, everyone getting off the ship had to have a visa, but one of the advantages of a private tour was that the company got the visa for us. Maybe that's changed by now. I loved St. Petersburg.

[river525]

Why do they make it so complicated for Americans the rules and regulations are so dang complicated. We leave in a week and I have handicapped parents who can’t walk for more than an hour yet we are now being told by the independent travel agent who we booked the cruise through that if we want to get off the ship we have to do a minimum of six hours of educational/guided tours?? I’m sorry but that sounds horribly boring and basically impossible for my parents. So we are now wondering if we will even get off the ship. We feel totally blind sided by him not telling us this upfront

[Go-Bucks!]

Why do they make it so complicated for Americans the rules and regulations are so dang complicated. We leave in a week and I have handicapped parents who can’t walk for more than an hour yet we are now being told by the independent travel agent who we booked the cruise through that if we want to get off the ship we have to do a minimum of six hours of educational/guided tours?? I’m sorry but that sounds horribly boring and basically impossible for my parents. So we are now wondering if we will even get off the ship. We feel totally blind sided by him not telling us this upfront

Your agent is wrong or maybe just misinformed.

 

What might be best in your situation is to hire a private driver/car/guide for however long you wish to go out for.....there are many companies or people recommended on this Cuba board....read some posts for the names. You don't mention the city or cities you'll be visiting, but all of the "big 3" have private tours available.

 

The rules and regs aren't really complicated.....there's one list of "forbidden" places (mainly hotels, businesses and restaurants) that you can find online. None of them were places that we wanted to go anyway. Just have fun....and keep a brief journal and take some pictures of you with some Cubans. You'll be OK.

[roothy123]

Your agent is wrong or maybe just misinformed.

 

What might be best in your situation is to hire a private driver/car/guide for however long you wish to go out for.....there are many companies or people recommended on this Cuba board....read some posts for the names. You don't mention the city or cities you'll be visiting, but all of the "big 3" have private tours available.

 

The rules and regs aren't really complicated.....there's one list of "forbidden" places (mainly hotels, businesses and restaurants) that you can find online. None of them were places that we wanted to go anyway. Just have fun....and keep a brief journal and take some pictures of you with some Cubans. You'll be OK.

I agree with this, and I personally wouldn't worry much about booking with someone else and/or waiting until you're in Cuba to find a driver that will take you around - preferably in a classic car. I haven't read the revised U.S. regulations in a couple months, so I'm a little rusty on what's in there. However, I DO remember that while there's some general info about full time activities for certain categories of travel, there's no specific mention of doing 6 hours of educational/guided tours.