Norwegian Sky Havana Disembarkation Question

[MichelleLiebler]

Hello!  My husband, young son, and I will be on the Norwegian Sky and visiting Havana on June 11. We've purchased the visa through an outside company instead of through NCL, so we won't need to do that through the cruise line.  Can anyone with experience tell me how long the disembarkation process is, and what the steps are?  What are the checkpoints we should expect to go through?  Is there a difference in steps and time if you didn't get your visa through the cruise line?  I'm trying to estimate when I should book our tour for.

[travelingtink]

 

I was on MSC, not NCL, but here's my experience. 

 

I did use the visa supplied by the cruise line but did not book an excursion. We docked by noon, but since I did not have anything booked until the evening, I was in no rush to get off the ship. About 2 hours after our arrival, I was ready to go explore. I walked off the ship and ended up leaving at the same time as one of the excursions, so the lines were not as short as I had hoped. Even so, it only took about 15 minutes to get through customs and exchange my money. 

 

You leave the ship as normal, having them scan your cruise card. Once in the terminal you present your passport and are directed to one of the customs agents. This is where the lines are. There were about 5-7 agents available at the time I left and since i was behind an excursion, this is where most of my time was spent. I think there were about 10 lines total, which are probably manned when disembarkation initially starts. I presented my visa and passport to the agent, who reviewed the documents, stamped my passport, took my photo and sent me on my way. Next up is a xray and metal detector, just like the airport. 

 

At the end of the terminal is the currency exchange, which had about 15 people in line. However, our cruise director gave us a little tip. Go down the stairs on the left and there are a few more exchange windows. I went downstairs and there was no line whatsoever. 

[MichelleLiebler]

1 hour ago, travelingtink said:

 

I was on MSC, not NCL, but here's my experience. 

 

I did use the visa supplied by the cruise line but did not book an excursion. We docked by noon, but since I did not have anything booked until the evening, I was in no rush to get off the ship. About 2 hours after our arrival, I was ready to go explore. I walked off the ship and ended up leaving at the same time as one of the excursions, so the lines were not as short as I had hoped. Even so, it only took about 15 minutes to get through customs and exchange my money. 

 

You leave the ship as normal, having them scan your cruise card. Once in the terminal you present your passport and are directed to one of the customs agents. This is where the lines are. There were about 5-7 agents available at the time I left and since i was behind an excursion, this is where most of my time was spent. I think there were about 10 lines total, which are probably manned when disembarkation initially starts. I presented my visa and passport to the agent, who reviewed the documents, stamped my passport, took my photo and sent me on my way. Next up is a xray and metal detector, just like the airport. 

 

At the end of the terminal is the currency exchange, which had about 15 people in line. However, our cruise director gave us a little tip. Go down the stairs on the left and there are a few more exchange windows. I went downstairs and there was no line whatsoever. 

Thank you!  This is extremely helpful!