Majesty of the Seas and Cuba.

[kskelley40]

We are boarding tomorrow for our 5 day cruise to Cuba. Itinerary is Key West, Cuba and Cozumel.

Have questions? We will try to answer any questions mainly regarding Cuba, procedures etc....when we return so leave them here.

 

Just an FYI, we are not foodies so will not be taking photos of menus but will note serving times, food quality etc...

 

1-day to go! This was a very last minute trip, booked it 2 weeks ago so while we are in a small inside cabin, it is still a cruise and one going to Cuba. Husband is more excited about this short cruise than our next one which is 14 days through Panama Canal in January.

 

Happy Cruising!

[sr5242]

My biggest question is ease and timing of getting off in Cuba

And ease of getting pool chair on sea day

Thx!

 

 

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[Magnetchief]

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1009

 

All you could ever want in details ref Cuba.

[Megtheblackbelt]

Your personal experience with currency exchange would be awesome to hear about. Thanks for the information! :)

 

 

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[ssb]

If you like, Exchange US dollars for Euros or Canadian dollars at bank, airport or AAA.

 

Cuba is a breeze . Go and enjoy !

 

Do not over think it ! Also see F B Royal Caribbean Cuba Sailings for more information .

[SilkySal]

We have 13 friends/family going on this same itinerary October 24-29th, so any info is greatly appreciated!:cool: Bon Voyage!!:*

[kskelley40]

Getting off the ship in Cuba - we had a ship excursion that met at 7am in the theater. The all clear was given at 7:30 and we were the second group called. We did the Old Havana Walking Tour and it was excellent!

A crew member walked each group off of the ship and steered us in the right direction.

Going through customs was not bad...maybe a couple of minutes to get our visa taken and passport stamped. I heard it was a longer wait later in the day but we were through in a breeze.

Then we went to exchange money. Again, a breeze. They had several stations opened and we walked right up to one. Gave them $100 and they gave us $87 in CUCs.

Then we met our tour. By 8am, we were starting our tour. So really fast!

Again, I heard from others that started later that the wait at customs was longer, not sure how long, but enough for them to mention it.

[kskelley40]

In Cuba....

We had the Old Havana Walking Tour and it was worth every penny. Not fast walking and the tour guide was very knowledgeable about Cuba and all of it's history. We toured all of the squares and then went into a cigar/rum store. Prices were reasonable. Some people bought items then and carried them with them for the rest of the day. We decided to wait, so we shall return later in the day.

 

After our tour, we still had 4 hours in Cuba. Oh, forgot to mention, as we were getting off the ship the Captain extended our time ashore by an hour, so yeah!

So lunch time....we found a charming place on one of the side streets that had seats outside so we tried it. They best Ropa Vieja (spelling?) we have ever had. Local beers were $2 each. We had a huge combo plate to split and 3 beers each. The total with tip was $40 - so not bad!

 

We did run out of CUCs but were able to find a bank and exchange more. Same rate as the port.

 

Old Havana is beautiful....saw some of Central and New Havana from the bus (part of the tour) and Central Havana looks like it just went through a war yesterday.

 

 

We are planning on returning next year for an overnight stay and to see 2 other cities.

 

After shopping, we grabbed a beer and sat on the curb across from the terminal and just watched the parade of cars. They were beautiful and so many of them! Just loved it.

[SilkySal]

Anybody wanting to receive travel alerts/warnings, you can enroll here:

 

https://step.state.gov/STEP/Index.aspx

[kskelley40]

Getting back on....

It might be hard to accurately state how long it took to get back on the ship. We were to be all aboard at 4:30. So at 4 we decided to head to the terminal just in case.

 

 

At 4, the rain came...and came...and came. So everyone made a mad dash to the terminal. We got through security no problem. There was a line for the money exchange, but we kept what little we had for souvenirs so didn't have to go there.

 

 

But the problem was....while in line to actually get on the ship, it stormed! So bad that they had to halt boarding because the ship was rocking too much. We were boarding on deck 4 so the gangplank was different than normal. They stopped boarding for 15 minutes while the storm passed. Fortunately, we were under cover. But everyone was wet from getting to the terminal.

 

The crew came out and not only passed out the cold washcloths and water but also rolled out tubs and tubs of warm pool towels. It was a very nice touch. When you are wet, the temperature drops due to the storm and you are out of the sun, a warm towel is so welcomed.

 

Once they were able to resume boarding, it went very quickly. Had to go through a small security screening in the lobby but that was quick. They let us keep any alcohol we bought because they said they did not have the storage to keep everybody's. So that was convenient.

 

I would say that we were back in our cabin by 4:45 and the ship sailed at 5pm.

 

Hope this answers any questions about Cuba. We will definitely return next year. Already talking with the TA about an 8 day cruise in October.

[kskelley40]

Sea day at the pool...

We only had 1 sea day. We got to the pool around 8am and there were chairs everywhere. I did notice that by 10am the ones closest to the pool were filling up though. Top level started to fill up by noon.

 

 

We did see the lifeguards talk to the pool attendants about chairs being hogged and several were removed when another guest asked about them. Also saw a lady next to us put towels and suntan lotion on 2 chairs in the shade and then go sit out for the rest of the morning on 2 more chairs in the sun.

 

But did not see an over abundant of chair saving early in the morning. I think that since our sea day was the last day, that everyone slept in. On embarkation day, it was overcast so the pool was very quiet.

[kskelley40]

One more thing about Cuba....like the poster mentioned earlier - don't over think it. The locals were so nice and friendly. They really seemed to appreciate us being there. The vendors were not pushy like in other ports. Of course, they would ask you to come in and look but were not in your face about it. We don't normally buy souvenirs anymore but we did in Cuba.

 

 

Just make sure you have your info packet from the cruise line filled out before you check in for boarding in Tampa/Miami. That held up a lot of people but if you do it ahead of time, no problem. They will give you the visa to fill out when you check in. It is $75 a person and charged to your cabin. Take it to your cabin and do it later.

 

You don't need it until you get off of the ship. AND you do not have to do an excursion. As they said in one information gathering on the ship - "RCCL will not stop you from getting off the ship, Cuba will not stop you from visiting but the US might ask about your visit later" take that as you will. We did an excursion just to get a feel for the place. Next time, we are going on our own.

 

Happy Cruising!