X cruiser sails Azamara to Cuba Jan 15 to 24 2019

[FRMPEI]

On ‎2‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 1:47 PM, Bimmer09 said:

 

the Captain drops the anchor (clumsy!)

 

 

 

Now! that is funny! Love your humour.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

 

 

[CruiserRob]

20 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Robert, your last note from your mother gave the game away....it was signed "my mother"

 

Hangs head in shame LOL.

 

It was my second Oceania cruise with the first being a TA from Rome to Miami in 2017.  I do like the line and will consider them in the future for unique itineraries, but there is not enough happening on sea days for Oceania to be my favourite cruise line.  Celebrity usually has talented solo guitarists or duos in small bars around the ship that we enjoy following.  Oceania does have high end food though and that is certainly a draw for me J

Alas, there will be no review as I have neither your turn of phrase nor talent behind the lens.  I am thoroughly enjoying this review however and reconsidering a visit to Cuba.  As a Canadian it was always an option for me but I wasn’t interested until now.

 

Eagerly following

Robert

[Bimmer09]

10 hours ago, Cyber Kat said:

 

This whole conversation intrigues me. I’m reading your excellent review because we are sailing on the Journey in April - first time on the line and the ship. But we have also just booked Celebrity Equinox in a Sky Suite for next spring - also first time for both line and ship. 

 

Much of our earlier cruises were done on Carnival because it was what family, who we were cruising with, could afford, but we’re done with that whole scene for the most part.  I can’t say we ever had a bad cruise but we knew there was something better. We prefer smaller ships with less people. Equinox is at the top of our preferred size, but I think the suite will work out well. 

 

We have done 3 Viking cruises and have 2 more booked. We absolutely love the Viking onboard experience, but I keep telling everyone that we’re not going steady 😎. They are pricey and their final payment policy wrecks havoc when you are trying to book multiple cruises. Thus we have cruises booked with Azamara and Celebrity. I think both will be a good fit. 

 

Now I have to find your Celebrity reviews. 

 

 

 

Much as I don't want to crash my own review here I will include a link for you to read my first X review and hope that you don't read it and this one side by side. It took me a lot of effort to write the Silhouette review and I'll be sailing on her again in 7 months. I may use the same review again and just photoshop fjords instead of Caribbean beaches and include a lot of raw herring in the buffet shots.

 

Now back to Azamara, as I have just got home from a long day....

Norris, so glad to have you along!

[Bimmer09]

6 hours ago, villauk said:

Loving this thread. The videos of the evening excursion were fabulous - think I’d have definitely been ‘strutting my stuff’ 💃 🤣.

I'm glad to see people enjoying some of the things that appeal to me and Carol but may not be everyone's cup of tea but I like to (a) tell it like it was) and (b) encourage folks to step out of their comfort zone even just for second as that's all it takes to know if Cuban music arrests you or makes you flee into the night leaving your full glass of Cuba Libre for me, who watches for such abandonments.

 

What I loved on a par with the music and skilled Cuban dancers was the delight on the faces of those passengers who threw themselves right into the vibe in that little club. They were going to enjoy themselves without hesitation. And the Cubans loved getting to dance with them.

 

Thanks for the compliment! I have more to show and will have some time this week as I am at home recovering from a day (10 hours) at the dentists.

So stay tuned!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Back to the Santiago de Cuba classic car tour and we arrive at Santa Ifigenia cemetery 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Ifigenia_Cemetery

 

Notable in Santiago are the colorful bushes that appear frequently. They even adorn the traffic circles (British Roundabouts). 

 

 

you're a grand old flag and a highflying flag...

 

Maite tells us that we are in time for the morning changing of the guard which honors Jose Marti. We'll stick around for that! We really don't have time to walk into the cemetery and why would we anyway? The only person we know in there is Compay Segundo of BVSC.

 

We are standing in a wide boulevard before the graveyard. I didn't need to get close as there were tourists over there and I had a zoom lens (200mm). 

 

The couple of soldiers on the kerb behind us called Maite over and she came back to tell me that my camera bag, open at my feet on the boulevard, had to be held. I thought at first they were being a bit fussy and then thought about bags that sit on the ground and then their owner walks away and then there is a BOOM! and shrapnel everywhere...so it made sense as that is the kind of world we are living in.

The mighty Mausoleum

 

there was music playing during the changing of the guard so I had the camcorder running 

and two cameras from the bag over my shoulder. The Requiem for Marti lasted longer than I hoped and it was hard to hold the camcorder still all that time. I will include a note from Rob's Mother that will explain everything.

 

 

There are several notable structures at the entrance

 

Fidel wanted just a rock rather than a Mausoleum.

 

Raul agreed to his wish that no statues would be built in Fidel's name nor would there be streets, parks or towns named to honor him as he wanted to avoid a cult of personality growing beyond the grave.

 

a monument to the revolutionaries who died at the scene or were executed after torture by the Batista regime. Fidel was arrested and jailed for leading the July 26 1953 attack on the Moncada army barracks in Santiago de Cuba but let go a year or so later and moved to the Yucatan in Mexico where he and Raul met Che Guevara.

(Carol's birthday is July 26 and that always brought a smile of recognition to our guides when I mentioned it during their historical presentations)

 

A roll call of heroes from Cuba and abroad who joined the Castros to oust Batista in 1959 or played a part in subsequent military actions, including the Bay of Pigs invasion

 

the graveyard beyond invites us but we have to keep moving as we are heading up to the Sierra Maestra mountains

Norris

[Bimmer09]

I shot it so I'll show it as it adds flavor to the silent photos

 

 

 

Next up- Them Thar Hills! (a favorite Laurel and hardy movie) and Carol has a very meaningful experience in a very special garden....

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Taking pics from the backseat of a car isn't ideal but sometimes the only shot I have.

As we are heading up to the highest point in Santiago (La Pedrera a big rock atop a mountain)

Maite will point out a statue or art piece honoring people or groups who died for the Revolution.

Camera to the eye, no fussing with dials and slide rules just take the picture.

 

even if it means twisting to shoot through the rear window

 

then there are car reflections to deal with!

 

 "into the great wide open, under the skies of blue"

 

and we begin a climb to over 2,000 feet

 

On a steep and hair pinned road comprised, as roads in Chicago are, of potholes with patches of tarmac and fallen trees, we have Adrian who is working hard for his money and a V8 engine forcing it's way up and up. Adrian knows a little pull-off where we can get out and stretch our legs.

 

 

that's our ride and we are not alone

 

You can also see the roof of someone's home after the line of cars at right.

 

More...

 

 

[Bimmer09]

Onward and upward 

 

and the clouds are coming down to meet us

 

 

 

looking back

 

Next we will go up among the clouds and Carol will meet a kindred spirit.....

 

That's in the morning and I hope to see you then.

Norris

[CRLess]

8 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

"into the great wide open, under the skies of blue"

 

Tom Petty

[Bimmer09]

"Further on up the road....."

We turned off the paved pothole road onto a cratered dirt road. We bounced along this for a hundred yards or so until we could go not further, which was OK as we had arrived.

 

Bird of Paradise Botanical Garden

 

the treetops were in the clouds, which I'm told is where my head is

 

the ground was visible though

 

very atmospheric 

 

 

 

 

the rare pick-axe bird

 

Before we would go in Carol decided to use the restroom and her notes say "looks like somebody had taken a sledgehammer to the fixtures. No lights, water, flush handle, soap or paper." Cuba's priority number one to keep tourists coming should be restrooms.

 

We were here and we were going to get a tour led by one of the gardeners. Francisco by name. I think we paid 2 CUC each. The gardens were on several levels on the side of a steep valley.

Let's go in!

[Bimmer09]

 

Bird of Paradise

 

 

 

 

 

Carol, Maite and Francisco

 

More....

[Bimmer09]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More....

[Bimmer09]

There used to be a French coffee plantation on these grounds. There is one somewhere else in the mountains that is part of an OOTB tour but we cut that. 

 

Le mur Français 

 

 

Maite was translating for Francisco who obviously was devoted to his plants.

Carol told him in Spanish that she too was a keen gardener and his face lit up in a big smile

and now he found some English words to use in his descriptions. Ice broken by a shared passion for the plants. Now he would start cutting little stems for her to keep as souvenirs.

 

 

 

I love whatever this one is-an infant palm?

 

 

 

Chicago seems to be a million miles away as we walk out here on this hillside savoring the fresh air and the scent of flowers. This is what cruisers are for-taking me somewhere different.

 

More....

[Bimmer09]

We would go soon. We were not going to visit La Gran Piedra the big rock with it's approach of 459 steps.

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1272&bih=647&ei=iWx1XPeKLorWjwSCjaXQCg&q=la+gran+piedra+cuba&oq=la+gran+piedra&gs_l=img.1.1.0l3j0i30l3j0i8i30j0i24l3.2287.5633..8114...0.0..1.236.1214.10j3j1......2....1..gws-wiz-img.....0..35i39.CRSm6Q_v8bo

 

Rather we would drive back to Santiago and visit the fort before lunch.

 

 

we retraced our steps

 

 

 

some other tourists had arrived while we were out in the gardens so our timing had been good

 

 

We take our leave and I give Francisco a couple of CUCs tip. Graciously accepted with a big smile and strong handshake.

 

Carol with her gifts from Francisco

 

ready for the drive down

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Down from the mountain,

back to taking pics through a car window

 

 

 

traffic chaos

 

 

looks like the airport over there 

 

 

More...

[Bimmer09]

 

 

flowers grace the median

 

any chance they get

 

 

 

Next the fort and then lunch...

Norris

 

 

[Bimmer09]

Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca

a.k.a. that big fort we passed on the way in

There's a lengthy stroll to the castle gates and along the way there are tourist trinket stands for decent looking souvenirs including fridge magnets. There's also a lighthouse, a bar with a view and a restaurant with outdoor dining on the cliff top which was packed with diners under their shade umbrellas . Worth a visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the way in

 

* As you can see from the entrance this is not an Accessible site and has steep stone steps

to the many levels even if you did get help over the moat ramp. I didn't see much evidence in Cuba for consideration for people in wheelchairs. I will say I only saw one person (in Havana)

in a wheelchair and that poor man had no legs. Be aware.

[Bimmer09]

Carol managed to sneak past the French guard and avoid being blasted by his cannon. The wheeled cannon was the forerunner to the pistol and only came about when soldiers asked for

"something smaller that I can carry on say, a belt, spin around my finger to look cool. This thing is unwieldy!"

 

The views from up here are spectacular and a great reason to come visit.

 

 

The Journey sits miles away at far right, to the left of a big hill

 

 

 

There she is!

 

A beautiful straight-from-the-showroom ship enters the bay

 

It's hot up here and it is time for lunch so we leave to walk back to Adrian and the car. Maite tells me she knows a good place to have lunch but I am going to my TripAdvisor choice even if I have to go alone. I insist firmly.

 

We are going there now. I love mountains and botanic gardens and forts-mucho, but lunch is always a highlight of my day and if it can be eaten by the water with a warm breeze a blowin' then that's where you'll find me.

 

Let's go!

[Bimmer09]

El Cayo Restaurant

It's on Cayo Granma island in the  bay of Santiago and where Norris was determined to have lunch. Reached only by boat, in our case a catamaran. We had to walk down some stairs to get to the marina level where Maite got the tickets as lunch was on OTTB tours. There were just the 4 of us and two crew on the boat on the way over.

 

A biggish tour group had arrived before us.  We got the only table available on the lower deck (steep stairs to the top deck) which was fine by me and far from the group. 

 

There was also indoor dining on this lower deck and nowhere a sign or a menu.

Maite asked what they were serving and the answer was "seafood, chicken and pork". Nothing on paper, no long descriptions and French names for the dish. No wine pairings etc.

It's Cuba. Eventually they will get the idea.

 

 

We order. In my case I'll have the Fish. Fried. (it comes grilled)

 

Adrian and I pop outside by the large deck for overspill customers for a cigarette together.

There are a couple of locals doing the same. One of them grabs a long leaf from a palm  tree and starts to twist it and using a knife to make a couple of cuts produces a grasshopper in 2 minutes. Impressive. He makes me one and gives me the original which I bring to the table which now sports a plate of fish balls for each of us. Yummy.

 

Grasshopper or locust it's pretty nifty.

 

My drink was of course a Cuba Libre, my go-to in London all those years ago when it was a Bacardi and Coke. I took a sip and furrowed my brow. I passed it to Maite and asked her to taste the rum in it. She said it was weak.

The waiter came by and I said to him in something like Spanish "Donde es la Ron?" (where in god's name is the rum? Damn your eyes man! I'll have you flogged!). He walked away. A moment later he set the bottle on the table and with a smile said in English "Here, pour it yourself" and walked off. 

I don't mind if I do!

 

The fish was delicious, even though not fried and was served with rice and refried beans which I don't think are fried either. 

Back out for a smoke with my glass of rum. Guy who made insect there. As I finished my cigarette and went back up the few steps to our table he said "don't forget me". The peso dropped. I had change in my camera bag and gave him 2 CUC for both pieces of his handiwork.

Muchas gracias! said he. 

Time to move on and the catamaran was here again. Off we went. Berlin was leaving port.

 

Das Boot-beer on board, incase of shipwreck

 

The Helmsman

 

 

Offered the chance to steer a boat my answer is always "Aye Aye Captain!"

 

The marina is in sight

 

 

Back on dry land and refreshed with restroom visits. Expectations low and met.

Now Carol wanted to see Moncada Barracks where Fidel's Military Revolution got off to a rocky start on her birthday in 1953.

 

Norris

 

[Walt fan]

Your garden pics are off the charts.  Even your out the window pics are good.  What a day in Santiago.  I love Carol's smile with her garden samples.

[Bimmer09]

46 minutes ago, Walt fan said:

Your garden pics are off the charts.  Even your out the window pics are good.  What a day in Santiago.  I love Carol's smile with her garden samples.

 

Thank you very much for the compliments on the photos!

I just showed Carol the photo you mentioned as she doesn't see any of these Cuba photos until she sees them on CC like you but she is a couple of days behind.

On vacation she sees me with the camera but I seldom show her the shots on the camera's flip out LCD screen  as they are so small. She sees them on CC after I write something to go with them.

It was another fine day in Cuba. I enjoyed them all very much.

Cheers!

Norris

 

[Jasperdo]

On 2/25/2019 at 6:43 PM, Bimmer09 said:

Them Thar Hills! (a favorite Laurel and hardy movie)

You have excellent taste, my friend. One of Laurel and Hardy's many gems. Any of their films with Mae Busch in it is an instant classic. Add to that a great "tit for tat" scene with Charlie Hall. Now I have to dig out my DVD and watch it again.

(I'm sure you're aware that Stan is British. He came over to America on the same ship as Charlie Chaplin.)

 

[CruiserRob]

9 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

"Donde es la Ron?" (where in god's name is the rum? Damn your eyes man! I'll have you flogged!).

 

 

 

Norris

 

 

Thanks for the morning chuckle.  Once again, it's the humour that make your  reviews the best.

 

Robert

[Bimmer09]

6 hours ago, Jasperdo said:

You have excellent taste, my friend. One of Laurel and Hardy's many gems. Any of their films with Mae Busch in it is an instant classic. Add to that a great "tit for tat" scene with Charlie Hall. Now I have to dig out my DVD and watch it again.

(I'm sure you're aware that Stan is British. He came over to America on the same ship as Charlie Chaplin.)

 

 

Oh yes, I know about both of them as I had the John McCabe biography and recorded 50 or so of the shorts (with sound) when they ran on British TV in the early 1980s. I also added "Why, certainly!" and "isn't that gorgeous!" to my vocabulary from Them Thar Hills.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

After lunch we drove back toward the city to visit Moncada Barracks 

 

I took random pictures from the car

 

 

 

We arrived at Moncada which is now a school

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moncada_Barracks

 

bullet holes from the attack were filled in during the Batista regime and reopened after 1959

 

we arrived as the kids were getting out of school. One girl is taking a selfie with her friends lined up on the steps behind her in the shot

 

Maite gave us a rundown of the failed attack by the Castros with their generic weapons, including rifles from 1898. They were outnumbered. 

 

a soccer game with boys and girls playing after school

 

 

Now it was time to head back to the dock as the last tender would leave at 4 and it was about 3.20ish. No panic as it wasn't a long ride. As we drove I went into my camera bag to get the money to pay for the tour. 234 CUC. I had only 210! I had planned it all out but along the way overtipped here and there and bought drinks and got less CUC for my Loons (CDN$) than expected. Carol had some US dollars that brought the sum up to exactly 234 CUC. Saved!!

But no tip money left over. Aaarggghhh! We didn't want to leave Maite and Adrian without a tip.

 

Maybe we can go back to the ship? I had  $100 U.S in a drawer there for Nassau and Miami

incidentals.  Can I get there and back in 40 minutes?

 

When we stopped and parked by the CUBA sign we told Maite of the situation. She kept saying "Don't worry it's ok. You don't have to tip, it's ok, we understand" I said No it's not ok for us. We will give you a tip one way or the other!

They left after our thanks and handshakes and we stood there for a a few minutes so that Carol could get CUBA sign pics while I took pics of a mural.

 

 

 

We headed toward the tender that had arrived

 

The tender crew were packing up the tables with the water dispensers, signs  and the stanchions and putting them on the boat. Out on the bay I could see another tender coming from the ship so that was likely the very last one so there was no chance to going to the ship and returning.

The tip was not to be. Not today. I asked the blond ponytail tour guide from the night before who we happened to meet on the dock how people send money back to Cuba from the USA

and she said they either put cash in an envelope or use Western Union....

* When I got back to Chicago and began writing this, I wrote to Yoennis asking for his address and ID info  and explained the situation. Two days later he got $60 via Western Union for Maite and Adrian who were both delighted. My first and hopefully only Western Union experience and lesson learned. Had they had ATM machines on the dock that took US Credit/Debit cards all would have been well but those days are not here yet. I hope they come. 

 

cargo ship at a dock a few feet away that could take a cruise ship

We boarded the tender in a more desultory mood than when we boarded it this morning 8 hours prior. I was so embarrassed at myself. Next time-I over budget!!

 

Norris