X cruiser sails Azamara to Cuba Jan 15 to 24 2019

[Bimmer09]

On 1/28/2019 at 12:15 AM, mevs904 said:

Norris, I can’t tell you how much we value your reviews and the thought, depth, wit, and artistry that you put into them.  I’ve migrated over from the Princess forum to hear about your and Carol’s wonderful adventure and am enjoying every installment.  Every day it’s a treat to look forward to.

     I must say that you inspired us to book a future cruise on the Crown and we were reading your Regal New England review with interest as we will be on her Baltic/St. Petersburg cruise this August.  With this review of Cuba and Azamara I feel more inspiration coming on.  I hope that we will be able to meet you and Carol on some future cruise. 

Thank you for this wonderful comment and for basing some of your choices after reading my schtick.

I wish we could take more cruises and increase the chances of meeting some of the people I have known virtually over the past 9 years I have been on CC but until we retire we are stuck on a maximum of two a year. Last year it (and 2013) was only one as we had to go to San Francisco (which we love) to attend a Wagner Opera, which takes precedence over cruising.

Keep reading, as this combination of Cuba and Azamara is one heady cocktail of discovery and delight!

Norris

[EMS8]

Norris, you have whetted my appetite for Cuba.  I need to pour a glass of Cuban rum and lite a Cuban Cohiba and sit back and enjoy life!  I can’t wait to continue on your journey.

[Bimmer09]

We are docked in Havana and this is the first thing you notice

 

The Russian and Venezuelan ships have long since gone and there is decay

 

 

MSC Opera is with us today

 

It's an expansive harbor

 

 

As soon as I booked Azamara Journey to Cuba I got in touch with Blexie Tours of Havana as the Azamara Cruises tours were (a) more expensive and (b) offered less immersion. But that is typical of Cruise Line vs local tour operators so not a ding against Azamara.

Blexie was easy to deal with-as easy as falling off a log, something I have done many times.

His price of 130 CUC  (about $146) for a six hour tour with an English speaking guide was amazing. In a classic car no less! I confirmed with him on Christmas Day.

 

So we were excited to go ashore. There was no credit card transaction or deposit. Just show up and pay in CUC at the end. Hopefully some day US credit cards will be accepted.

 

So we are ready and walk down the gangway into the terminal hall. First step was through passport control where a photo was taken and our visas stamped. On to a security check.

Bags scanned. Take off hats. Then to currency exchange where there were plenty of tellers.

Our $990 Canadian yielded CUC 725 and saved us about $29 U.S so in my opinion barely worth the trouble as we had to go to a Chase bank to get it. US $$ you give up 13% so the $800 we spent on the Loonies would have gotten us CUC696.

 

After Currency exchange it was down to street level. Only the elevator to the right works as the left one has been broken-down for months. Havana is not St Maarten in terms of passenger preparedness but it is a much more interesting city and doesn't have Diamonds International, Starbucks, McDonalds, Margaritalville or Señor Frogs which earns it a big thumbs up in my book (currently at the Publishers).

 

Anyway, as this is a special place I am going to break my own rules which usually puts the photos first and tags the video on afterwards. No- I'm not mad (but I am) but for the sake of getting you immersed in Cuba pronto I will show you video first. Is that OK? (cries of "hell yeah!" mixed with "go get some therapy!")

 

So let me explain- the tour begins with walking the 4 major squares in Old Havana and then meeting our driver for the further away stuff. Much of the walking I didn't video as I was shooting off photos rapidly. I took a total of 589 photos in 2 days and those will show the detail of the places we stopped at. The videos will be out of the window shots. At one point our guide told me-you can roll the window down to get better shots. I looked down at the door. The window cranks were missing! LOL. No matter, just watch the video.

* Our guide was supposed to be Rollie so I was looking out for a big guy. He was sick so Lauren took his place. Our driver would be Raydel in a 1955 Buick Seville with white interior.

The 6 hour tour lasted 7 hours-for the same price. I will be giving Blexie a 5 Star review on TripAdvisor.

 

So video coming up next...

Norris

 

 

[Bimmer09]

22 minutes ago, EMS8 said:

Norris, you have whetted my appetite for Cuba.  I need to pour a glass of Cuban rum and lite a Cuban Cohiba and sit back and enjoy life!  I can’t wait to continue on your journey.

Now that's the kind of spirit I like to see in my Journals!

I can promise you a treat in store if you keep reading....

Many Cohibas were brought back on the ship and enjoyed.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

 

After this the Malecon

[Bimmer09]

Correction - I videotaped the Malecon on our 2nd day when we were on a HoHo bus.

Instead some video out of the window driving the backstreets to reach the Malecon.

I had thought of doing a walk around the depressed back streets on day 2 but I didn't want to see the poverty just yet. Next time I am in Havana I will make that walk.

 

 

 

Norris

 

Edited January 31, 2019 by Bimmer09
spelling

[Bimmer09]

Carol is, like me , a huge fan of the architecture and art of Antoni Gaudi whose work adorns the beautiful city of Barcelona which we visited in 2015. There is an artist in Havana whose work pays tribute to the master. His work is named after him-Fusterlandia and unknown to Carol we are going there next. We drive along leafy boulevards I didn't expect to see in Havana...

I thought when I met Lauren and heard her speak that she was American but she has never left Cuba and is a product of their school and University system. She is 26.

 

 

 

 

[lola2013]

Fusterlandia was one of the highlights of my trip to Havana.  Thanks for the great video.

Susan

[bartnath]

3 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Union Pier and occasionally Saugatuck. In 1999 we bought a cottage in Union Pier and 2 years later sold it and moved to a house on Lake Michigan in Sawyer where we lived from 2002 to 2018 when we sold it.

We also do fall Foliage drives up to the Mission Peninsula and Traverse City.

We will always love Michigan.

Thanks for the question and for joining us here!

Norris

Happy to, thanks for the answer! I lived in Grand Rapids for a spell but from Charlevoix (just north of Traverse City) originally - always love to chat with people who know the area.

[Bimmer09]

31 minutes ago, bartnath said:

Happy to, thanks for the answer! I lived in Grand Rapids for a spell but from Charlevoix (just north of Traverse City) originally - always love to chat with people who know the area.

Know it well. We always buy a big supply of fudge from Murdicks there and admire the Earl Young hobbit style architecture.

We've also stayed in the Weathervane Inn.

Norris

[p0240]

Loved the Havana videos Norris, and as a result, I watched some youtube of Cuba history and why the colourful old cars are there, so have had a history lesson today.  I had no idea of the amount of vintage cars there, what an impact the tourist industry has in Havana now that it has become a destination.   So looking forward to the rest of your story.

I note that you said Cuban cigars were brought back on board, even though there is a dedicated smoking section on the ship, obviously the cigar smell must waft around the ship - did this occur?  Or can you not smoke them onboard?

Pat.

[Jasperdo]

Loved, loved loved your videos, Norris. You always take such great shots of typical street scenes of the places you visit. That's something that very few reviewers show. They really give you a taste of how the people live. Can't wait to see more.

[perfect match]

I loved seeing Havana through your and Carol's eyes, Norris.  I've been looking for a specific car in your pictures. Specifically,  a 1955 Chevy Bel Air convertible, blue and white with a white top. That's the make and model car I learned to drive in. I loved that car, wish I still had it today. Really, though, all of the older cars in your pictures and videos are fun to see! 

 

I've been watching the weather in Chicago. I hope that you, Carol, and Snowy are staying safe and warm! 

Edited January 31, 2019 by perfect match

[Bimmer09]

7 hours ago, p0240 said:

Loved the Havana videos Norris, and as a result, I watched some youtube of Cuba history and why the colourful old cars are there, so have had a history lesson today.  I had no idea of the amount of vintage cars there, what an impact the tourist industry has in Havana now that it has become a destination.   So looking forward to the rest of your story.

I note that you said Cuban cigars were brought back on board, even though there is a dedicated smoking section on the ship, obviously the cigar smell must waft around the ship - did this occur?  Or can you not smoke them onboard?

Pat.

 

Pat , it was a cigar fest from Havana onwards and as someone who approached from the aft end of the pool deck to the forward end I didn't smell anything until I got to the smoking section. There were two windows out to the open air and the smoke dissipated. I didn't see any passengers pretending to be asphyxiated as they walked past.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

5 hours ago, perfect match said:

I loved seeing Havana through your and Carol's eyes, Norris.  I've been looking for a specific car in your pictures. Specifically,  a 1955 Chevy Bel Air convertible, blue and white with a white top. That's the make and model car I learned to drive in. I loved that car, wish I still had it today. Really, though, all of the older cars in your pictures and videos are fun to see! 

 

I've been watching the weather in Chicago. I hope that you, Carol, and Snowy are staying safe and warm! 

Nancy I will show you a lot of car pics and hope you can see the Bel Air among them.

I went out yesterday for 10 minutes on an errand. The streets were empty and it was very cold but I was layered-up and was fine.

I am going to work soon.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

7 hours ago, Jasperdo said:

Loved, loved loved your videos, Norris. You always take such great shots of typical street scenes of the places you visit. That's something that very few reviewers show. They really give you a taste of how the people live. Can't wait to see more.

So glad you are following along and liking what you see!

I won't be able to post much until after 7 pm tonight as I will be at work.

Norris

[garyl62]

13 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Union Pier and occasionally Saugatuck. In 1999 we bought a cottage in Union Pier and 2 years later sold it and moved to a house on Lake Michigan in Sawyer where we lived from 2002 to 2018 when we sold it.

 

Just one more way to me to build a connection with you as I follow along. Back in the 80's through mid 90's I made many trips to that little stretch of Red Arrow Highway. My inlaws owned the Harbert Swedish Bakery for a number of years and it was always fun spending time in that area....... Now back to Havana! 

[Bimmer09]

San Francisco Square

We knew in advance that our tour would begin by walking the main squares. San Francisco is the one where the cruise terminal Sierra Maestra is so it is your first glimpse of Havana. Th building with the tower at right is the cruise terminal.

 

As you saw in the video we met our guide Lauren in this square and we would spend 20 minutes or so here. While Carol was listening to Lauren talking about the history of the square and the purpose of each building I was taking photos, sometimes too far away to hear the narration.

 

 

 

 

The Capitol is some distance from here and is undergoing a restoration of the mighty dome 

 

 

An eccentrically and colorfully dressed man in shorts walks around with a dog on his head.

I feel underdressed. He does this to earn money by posing with you for a photo.

 

Colorful people on stilts with a band walking with them are here for the same reason.

 

Juniperro Serra

 

Norris, now off to work in freezing Chicago

Edited January 31, 2019 by Bimmer09
spelling

[DiamondDiva]

Loving every bit of this, Norris, as we were on Journey from Nov 24-Dec 4 for the 10 day Cuba.  You are bringing back memories already.  Rollie was our Blexie guide the first day, and we did get a 1955 red BelAir, as requested since my Dad had one.  As you said, Blexie's company was a terrific choice and I gave him a 5 star on TA as well. 

 

We too are great fans of BVSC (have you seen Raul Malo's program Havana Time Machine on PBS?) and being a Spanish teacher, this was a true Bucket List journey (on Journey!) for me.

 

Looking forward to more, as always, and thanks.

[EatonDoolittle]

15 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

 

* Our guide was supposed to be Rollie so I was looking out for a big guy. He was sick so Lauren took his place. Our driver would be Raydel in a 1955 Buick Seville with white interior.

The 6 hour tour lasted 7 hours-for the same price. I will be giving Blexie a 5 Star review on TripAdvisor.

 

 

Following and loving, Norris, like everybody else. Many thanks for taking the time. 

I'll be in Havana for the third time in April, and have booked my second day (and evening, this time) with Rollie and Ray from Blexie's company.  

I got a chuckle out of you looking for a big guy - here he is with Ray.  Short for Rolando, not Roly Poly 

FYI for anybody lucky enough to have this  team on a subsequent visit. 

 

[MisterMet]

On 1/25/2019 at 4:33 PM, Bimmer09 said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So now you know where I have been. Next I'll tell you all about it....

 

Norris

Norris,

 

EXTREMELY tarde to this fiesta pero  muy  felice to be with you again and enjoying your experiences.  I’ll be following along per usual popping in periodically.  Glad you’re back on the boards.  

 

Feliz Ano Nuevo

 

Trip

[Kauai Kid]

I'm enjoying your review and pictures. You always do an excellent job. 

Mark

[Bimmer09]

11 hours ago, garyl62 said:

 

Just one more way to me to build a connection with you as I follow along. Back in the 80's through mid 90's I made many trips to that little stretch of Red Arrow Highway. My inlaws owned the Harbert Swedish Bakery for a number of years and it was always fun spending time in that area....... Now back to Havana! 

 

We know the  the bakery well. We both love small town Michigan.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

2 hours ago, Kauai Kid said:

I'm enjoying your review and pictures. You always do an excellent job. 

Mark

 

Mark! Welcome, my good buddy. You are always very supportive.

Thank you for finding me.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

20 hours ago, Jasperdo said:

Loved, loved loved your videos, Norris. You always take such great shots of typical street scenes of the places you visit. That's something that very few reviewers show. They really give you a taste of how the people live. Can't wait to see more.

If I am not mistaken (and I usually am) you have appeared in all of my reviews. A box of ficticious pillow mints is on it's way! Oh, "the post office has been stolen and the mailbox is locked"

First song lyric quiz. 1966. Double album.Recorded in Nashville. "Oh , Mama can this really be the  end..?

Norris, quiz master