X cruiser sails Azamara to Cuba Jan 15 to 24 2019

[NJ Gal]

3 hours ago, dtagirl said:

Really enjoying your review.  I was in Cuba in 2015 also on a cruise, Cylestial Cruises.  Had to start in Montego Bay because US citizens could not fly to Havana,  we were doing a people to people trip.  We also stayed overnight in Havana.  Also did Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba and a beach day.  That was a wonderful trip!  And it is so nice to see your photos and the changes that have come! 

 

The Royal Horseguards,  Beautiful hotel and excellent location!  You will love it!   Just my 2 cents!

Also, really enjoying your review.  As I mentioned, we were in Cuba in 2012 on a people to people land trip. We were able to fly to Cienfuegos from Miami and spent 4 nights at the Jagua Hotel, then moved to Havana to National Hotel for 4 more nights. That was a wonderful trip.  Great seeing your photos which bring back memories. When we are in Cuba on the Journey in March, that is when we will the changes that have been made.  Really looking forward to returning to Cuba even though this trip is much shorter.

 

We stayed at the Royal Horseguards Hotel many many years ago.  Pleasant memories there, too. 

Edited February 18, 2019 by NJ Gal

[cl.klink]

On ‎1‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 8:56 AM, Bimmer09 said:

 …  At 2.30 we took our carry-ons and went down two floors to our home on deck 7, all the way aft which is where we like to dwell.

 

 

 

 

I've been reading your excellent review all this time before I realized that your stateroom is the self same 7116 that my wife and I will be in when we are on Journey and go to Cuba in December!  I hope you left it in good shape for us!

 

Like you, we love the aft location and on sea days like to sit and watch the ship's wake behind us. Did you find that the opaque steel balcony detracted at all from the balcony-sitting experience compared to the glass balconies?

On our cruise, we'll be hitting Havana last instead of first, like you did -- we will first be in Santiago, then Cienfuegos, and then Havana. I'm curious, do you feel that the order of which city seeing when would have affected your choices of what you did in each port?

 

Looking forward to the rest of your postings.

 

- Joel

 

 

[Bimmer09]

10 hours ago, dtagirl said:

Really enjoying your review.  I was in Cuba in 2015 also on a cruise, Cylestial Cruises.  Had to start in Montego Bay because US citizens could not fly to Havana,  we were doing a people to people trip.  We also stayed overnight in Havana.  Also did Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba and a beach day.  That was a wonderful trip!  And it is so nice to see your photos and the changes that have come! 

 

The Royal Horseguards,  Beautiful hotel and excellent location!  You will love it!   Just my 2 cents!

Thank you for your 2 cents!

I found that Royal Horseguards hotel by searching for Thames view hotels or something like that and we looked at a few of those. Carol loved the look of the R H.

 

Thank you for sharing your history with Cuba. We did the Support of the Cuban People on our visa application and we supported them with almost $1,000 U.S. Money well spent.

 

Where did you stay for your Havana overnight?

Norris

[Bimmer09]

7 hours ago, NJ Gal said:

Also, really enjoying your review.  As I mentioned, we were in Cuba in 2012 on a people to people land trip. We were able to fly to Cienfuegos from Miami and spent 4 nights at the Jagua Hotel, then moved to Havana to National Hotel for 4 more nights. That was a wonderful trip.  Great seeing your photos which bring back memories. When we are in Cuba on the Journey in March, that is when we will the changes that have been made.  Really looking forward to returning to Cuba even though this trip is much shorter.

 

We stayed at the Royal Horseguards Hotel many many years ago.  Pleasant memories there, too. 

Thank you! Another positive vote for Royal Horseguards.  We got them to throw in a free breakfast by signing up for the "Mucking out the stables" promotion. Not sure what that entails.

 

4 nights at the Jagua? Good hotel?

4 nights at the National? Same question.

I loved the look of the public rooms in the Inglaterra. Probably better though to stay at the new hotels I showed across the street with the rooftop bars.

I can see us returning via ship some January a year or two from now. Like you we are interested in seeing how Cuba develops and becomes a tourist destination. It's not a forest of construction cranes like Berlin was when we first visited in 2002. They still need paint and cement which were high on Fidel's shopping list.

Hopefully they will resist all efforts by Diamonds International and Margaritaville to infiltrate.

Cuba is a most unique Caribbean destination and I am so happy we went there a month ago.

 

This epic may still be trundling along when you get back in March and I would be happy if you came back and noted some of the changes you see.

Thanks for enriching the GSJ! (long Norris ramble)

Norris

[Bimmer09]

4 hours ago, cl.klink said:

 

I've been reading your excellent review all this time before I realized that your stateroom is the self same 7116 that my wife and I will be in when we are on Journey and go to Cuba in December!  I hope you left it in good shape for us!

 

Like you, we love the aft location and on sea days like to sit and watch the ship's wake behind us. Did you find that the opaque steel balcony detracted at all from the balcony-sitting experience compared to the glass balconies?

On our cruise, we'll be hitting Havana last instead of first, like you did -- we will first be in Santiago, then Cienfuegos, and then Havana. I'm curious, do you feel that the order of which city seeing when would have affected your choices of what you did in each port?

 

Looking forward to the rest of your postings.

 

- Joel

 

 

Joel, glad to have you reading this!

re 7116. Don't worry we left it in good shape. In fact we improved it somewhat. Carol put a bird feeder on the balcony which the seagulls really loved and I put some bookshelves up over the bed.

 

If before the cruise Azamara had sent me a note saying Havana would be our last port I would have written a letter. "Dear so-called Cruise Line..." as we were itching to see Havana. When we think Cuba we think Havana. Now, having been to Santiago de Cuba and Cienfuegos I would be OK with seeing those first. Our time in Santiago was particularly memorable and held two amazing highlights for Carol. You might not do the things that thrilled us so much.

 

In each port we booked a classic car tour with a guide and that would have been the case regardless of the order visited.

 

We had upright chairs on our balcony and we sit near the railing so the wake was always in our line of sight.

 

Hope this helps!

Norris

[upwarduk]

18 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

 

In each port we booked a classic car tour with a guide and that would have been the case regardless of the order visited.

Far, far nicer than a Ho Ho bus!

[Bimmer09]

After dinner it was up to deck 9 for me. White Night had already been erased from the deck.

 

At this time of night there would always be some cigar smokers and the talk would be of cigars and humidors. It was interesting to listen to them as it was their passion (or one of them)

 

 

next morning after another fine sleep in a cavern of darkness...

 

Oh,dear. Not a good start to a partial sea day as we sailed to Santiago de Cuba where we were expected to arrive at 5 p.m.

Coffee could still be had on deck 9 and that was a plus. I had the smoking section to myself

pretty much. No walkers on deck 10.

 

Hopefully the rain wouldn't follow us all the way. A nice breakfast would cheer me up ...

 

[Bimmer09]

I opted for the Discoveries buffet this morning. The omelet chef awaits a customer but the room is not busy yet.

 

he has all the fixin's

 

he also has eggs which is just as well

 

I browse

smoked fish and cheeses

 

just add milk

 

ham and salami and fresh fruit

 

yoghurt, muesli, prunes, fruit cups

 

The hot food is under a few steam domes. Bacon, sausage, pancakes, potatoes, eggs scrambled and poached, fried tomatoes, baked beans. You can of course order from the a la carte menu and supplement with goodies from the buffet tables.

 

A waiter carried my plate to our table without me having to ask. Nice touch.

[Bimmer09]

At home breakfast is one slice of toast. (They have toasters in the buffet section)

Here I have tempting choices. This is my first course which is a scaled way down version of what I eat in Germany which is our most visited vacation country. Love that autobahn!

 

I will not die of thirst

 

my hot plate

 

Carol had a fresh fruit plate to start and then...

a la carte with a buffet tomato. No Hollandaise sauce by request. Carol tells them to

"stick it where the sun don't shine" which today means exactly where the ship currently is.

 

Gloriously fortified to continue our relentless sail towards Santiago de Cuba and the sun is out!

Huzzah!

[Bimmer09]

This picture was taken at 10.35 and the sun was so out that the painter got to work on the promenade deck which is where Carol would relax until lunch.

 

I went up to the Living Room to take pictures of some of the art (as one does)

I see that one has the name Fidel on the stairway

 

Of course the sunlight streaming in through the floor to ceiling windows mars the shots

 

 

 

Back to deck 9. These were my most visited restrooms as the smoking section was right outside

always immaculate 

 

I took up my workstation. Banana daiquiri for the assist

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

After a couple of hours on the computer it was time for lunch so I fetched Carol up to the pool deck  to savor the Patio menu.

 

 

Carol's notes tell me I had the bratwurst, sauerkraut and fries and she had a chicken kabob , rice and coleslaw.  After that I had a superb dead to the world nap as we ate up the miles to Santiago de Cuba. 

I was back up on deck around 4 p.m

 

 

 

The Azamara Journey Orchestra were on the pool deck stage playing jazz versions of known songs that should be preceded by a warning from the bridge. Very good musicians but

noodling arrangements. Imagine Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely?" without vocals but with a bass solo, a drum solo, a sax solo, a trumpet solo and a keyboard solo.

 

far away it was raining. Please stay over there.

 

strawberry daiquiri

 

Sierra Maestra mountains

 

big smokestacks-an Industrial Port. Hooray!

 

 

The Captain came on the PA. There was a ship in the channel leaving the port so we would have to tread water until she cleared.

The band played on

 

The far away rain stopped

 

the ship that was formerly in our way passed by and hearing the jazz noodlings the Captain of the vessel ordered "full speed ahead"

 

The Journey continued. Our journey would continue with one of the coolest sail-ins we have enjoyed while cruising....

 

That's much later as I am off to work and later Carol is treating me to a Birthday dinner at a favorite restaurant.

Norris

 

[lola2013]

Happy Birthday!😃

Susan

[CRLess]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Norris!!!

[deedeeeaton]

Happy birthday and thanks for the great review!  We are boarding today, can’t wait😎

[Deck Chair Queen]

1 hour ago, singinalot said:

what? today is your birthday? HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

The Beatles. Roughly. 

 

Happy birthday to Cap’n Norris from me and Snowy! (Best way to catch his attention when he’s mid review.)

 

Carol, researching Norway excursions for September. ABP is our motto; Always Be Planning!

Edited February 20, 2019 by Deck Chair Queen

[Sadebud]

Happy Birthday, Norris!!!  Loving your review and appreciate the time and effort you put into all of you journals!!

 

Tracy

[sajlm045]

Happy Birthday Norris! I'm loving your review as usual. On a different topic, I noticed in your photos of the buffet that the Azamara crew does not use sneeze guards anywhere. Was this the normal on the cruise?

James

[parrothead33]

Happy Birthday Norris!  Have an amazing day.

 

[Bimmer09]

Thank you all for the Birthday wishes! I am home from work (on 4 hours sleep last night) and soon will go to a favorite restaurant in Chicago- a fine chain called Truluck's.

Last night some of the Chicago townsfolk sang beneath my window and of course ended up with a six-gun salute (everyone was packing heat). A few casualties, some intentional, as the opportunity to settle old scores was taken.

"and the only sound that's left

after the ambulances go,

is Cinderella sweeping up on..."

 

Norris, with thanks

 

[CRLess]

21 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

"and the only sound that's left

after the ambulances go,

is Cinderella sweeping up on..."

 

Desolation Row

[Bimmer09]

1 minute ago, CRLess said:

 

Desolation Row

I don't know how many times I have listened to that song, Chris. Favorite method was to put down a couple of pillows on my floor in London, turn down the lights and listen through a pair of AKG headphones. Then play it again. The audio equivalent of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Cheers!

Norris

[Host Jazzbeau]

13 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

The Azamara Journey Orchestra were on the pool deck stage playing jazz versions of known songs that should be preceded by a warning from the bridge. Very good musicians but

noodling arrangements. Imagine Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely?" without vocals but with a bass solo, a drum solo, a sax solo, a trumpet solo and a keyboard solo.

 

That's how real Jazz works [as opposed to Smooth Jazz] – they are a very good jazz band – and "Isn't She Lovely?" has become a jazz standard.  Give it a chance, you might discover you like it!

[Bimmer09]

2 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

That's how real Jazz works [as opposed to Smooth Jazz] – they are a very good jazz band – and "Isn't She Lovely?" has become a jazz standard.  Give it a chance, you might discover you like it!

 

Jazzbeau, I am not a stranger to jazz as I have seen Weather Report (11 times) Miles Davis, Return to Forever, Mahavishu Orchestra, McCoy Tyner, Keith Jarrett and so on, but noodling is noodling. We are not talking John Coltrane and Elvin Jones emoting a life's experience like Krakatoa erupting, through a saxophone or drum set,  but rather some ship's musicians  with the beats and the notes but no passion. No one was in a sweat with a direct link to my heart. I know I expect too much when the word Jazz rears it's head. Elevator jazz like Lee Ritenour with every note planned and its hair combed, or Kenny G chills me to the bone. I'll take the stairs.

 

My musical taste is more catholic and eclectic, than one can imagine. I can go from Led Zeppelin live to Pascal Roge playing Debussy's Clair de Lune on a solo piano.

 

Norris, music passionista

[mevs904]

Happy Birthday Norris!  And thank you again for the enormous pleasure that you are bringing into all of our lives.  Your wonderful review tempers the depressing winter weather that we are getting in the Albany area.  I hope that you and Carol enjoyed a lovely dinner celebration tonight.  Life is good!

[perfect match]

Happy Birthday, Norris! Hope you had a wonderful dinner!