NCL(er) sailing the Vista Havana 2/22/20

[graphicguy]

Went to the Havana Pool, and it is indeed open.  Still, ¼-⅓ of the time it was closed on the cruise.

 

Going to post a little and go pool side and sip an umbrella drink.  

 

Here are a few more pics from yesterday in the meantime.

 

 

[graphicguy]

The towel animals that seem to be disappearing from NCL have emigrated to Carnival, where they received a warm welcome by the passengers....

[graphicguy]

My favorite bar on the ship....Alchemy Bar.  The mixologists there “get me”.  They found out the first night I like Buffalo Trace and Blanton’s bourbon.  They keep me very hydrated with their drinks....particularly, Nathalia.

 

Another compare and contrast, I love the mixologists in the Haven on NCL.  They are the best of the best in the entire NCL fleet, and it shows.  That’s how they end up in the Haven.

 

The mixologists in the Alchemy bar are every bit as good and it doesn’t cost a Haven fare to get them to make you happy.

[graphicguy]

I’ve purposely stayed away from libations (for the most part) today.  I had a “heavy head” this a.m.  I’ll fill in the gaps in the next several posts, which I will say is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had on any cruise ship.

 

Right now, I need to find me some hair of the dog and get this rolling again!

[Saint Greg]

6 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Want to thank everyone for hanging with me so far.  Hopefully, you find this info helpful.  

 

So, just got back from Cozumel.  This port stop makes me nuts (OK....more NUTZ than I already am).  You can’t get through the pier without winding through store upon store upon store, where they force you to go through a tourist trap maze to actually get out of the port area.  It’s become much worse over the years. I am vowing to stay on ship from now on whenever I take a cruise that offers Cancun or Cozumel as a port stop.

 

Take that first left and go behind the stores. But if you do go through the gauntlet just walk fast and say no gracias a lot.

 

13 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

 

Anyway, for giggles, the sales girl was giving me the hard sell on the counterfeit Ray-Bans.  It didn’t take a sleuth to see they were counterfeit.  The materials they were made from were cheap.  They logo was crooked on the lens.  They were $2 sunglasses that the vendor was charging $69 for.  They tried to make them look like WayFarers, but they were sad imitations.  I offered her $5.  She was obviously not having that.  I went to leave and she came darting out of the store, offering them for $29.  No thanks.  I waived and kept walking.

 

Reminds me of a time in Progreso this guy was trying to sell me these Oakleys. "They're real, they're real." He had a pair on the rack where the O sticker was peeling off. What about that? "Oh that's just a sticker. They're real, they're real."

[graphicguy]

So, on a whim, I booked Chef’s Table.

 

 

Edited February 25, 2020 by graphicguy

[graphicguy]

For those who are uninitiated, Chef’s Table is held in a special room in the Galley. You get a tour of the galley, you get a personalized menu prepared by the Chef.  He educated us (me) about how the dishes were prepared.  Everything presented to us was FRESH, not frozen.  And, even the sauces they used were prepared specifically for us.

 

There were 14 of us, and 6 servers, sous chefs and the Executive Chef.  Service was exemplary.  It included all the wine you could drink, and it was very good wine.

 

 

[graphicguy]

[graphicguy]

[graphicguy]

[graphicguy]

[graphicguy]

In brief, I’ve eaten in ALL the specialty restaurants on NCL, ROYAL, AND MSC.  None of them came close to this meal.  Moreover, even on tony land based restaurants, I’ve spent 2X what this dinner cost, and those still didn’t come close.

 

The food was wonderful, prepared meticulously, and was as innovative as I’ve ever had.

 

The service was exemplary, too.  It took 3.5 hours for the entire meal and tour.  The Chef gave us a pic of our group at no charge.  It’s rare that you can say something on a cruise ship is a great value.  This is one of those rare occasions..

 

This ranks as one of the best activities I’ve participated in on any ship.

 

 

[CruisinMama2003]

Wow that food looks delicious! And thanks for posting the menu, this looks like something I want to try on my next Carnival cruise 👍

[figmentfreak]

1 hour ago, CruisinMama2003 said:

Wow that food looks delicious! And thanks for posting the menu, this looks like something I want to try on my next Carnival cruise 👍

Just know that on some ships the meal is not in the actual kitchen it's just in a room, usually the steakhouse. On the dream class it's in the kitchen, but not enclosed.  It's still a spectacular meal, but very noisy.

[SailorMarg]

On 2/24/2020 at 8:48 AM, graphicguy said:

Entertainment (so far)....kinda hit and miss.

 

The video of the 3 Violin/viola players who play by one of the main bars are outstanding.

 

Sailing out of Texas, I understand having a group who specializes on country music.  Not my cup of tea, but I understand.  I like just about all types of music. There’s a duo (can’t recall their name) who play at one of the main bars who seem to specialize in country music for octogenarians.  They started a few songs that I perked up for (some ZZ Top and Jerry Jeff Walker) but never played the songs, preferring to stick to the “I love my Dog, my Truck and the Girlfriend I cheated on” songs.  Again, probably just not my cup of tea.

 

It’s been mentioned that there is music in and around the Havana.  There’s a group with a terrific horn section and a Latin group....all good in their own right...IF (the proverbial IF) it weren’t for the female lead singer.  Saturday night, I heard them in my cabin until about 3:00 a.m.  Would have been tolerable except for the female singer’s “fingernails on chalkboard” voice.

 

Would behoove Carnival to probably put a tall glass partition to block the sound of the bands playing from the Havana cabins, as they’re playing every night, into the early a.m.  I’m not a stick in the mud, but this is one of the big problems with the Havana Balcony cabins.  

 

I’ve yet talked to any of my neighbors in the Havana who like this.  At least have better bands playing.

My husband is a musician and on the first night of our recent cruise we walked through Ocean Plaza to take a seat to listen to the band just as this female lead started to sing.  My husband gave me a startled look and shook his head.  We kept moving.  🙉

[SailorMarg]

7 hours ago, graphicguy said:

In brief, I’ve eaten in ALL the specialty restaurants on NCL, ROYAL, AND MSC.  None of them came close to this meal.  Moreover, even on tony land based restaurants, I’ve spent 2X what this dinner cost, and those still didn’t come close.

 

The food was wonderful, prepared meticulously, and was as innovative as I’ve ever had.

 

The service was exemplary, too.  It took 3.5 hours for the entire meal and tour.  The Chef gave us a pic of our group at no charge.  It’s rare that you can say something on a cruise ship is a great value.  This is one of those rare occasions..

 

This ranks as one of the best activities I’ve participated in on any ship.

 

 

Agreed.  The Chef's Table is a bargain.  What a wonderful treat it is.  Reminds me of what cruising used to be 20 years ago when the Main Dining Room served food just as good, with similar service.

[Beachiekeen]

Are they offering any compensation for the closure of the pool? I would be so upset if I couldn’t use the pool after paying for the Havana!
 

I have GOT to do the Chef’s Table on my next cruise. 

[graphicguy]

14 hours ago, Beachiekeen said:

Are they offering any compensation for the closure of the pool? I would be so upset if I couldn’t use the pool after paying for the Havana!
 

I have GOT to do the Chef’s Table on my next cruise. 

I never said anything to anyone.  Generally speaking I use the hot tubs more.  Still kinda had my heart set on the pool.  I just made other arrangements in lieu of the pool.

[graphicguy]

Plans have been fleshing out since entertainment hasn’t been my cup of tea, so far!  Got the Brewery tour tomorrow.

 

Edited February 26, 2020 by graphicguy

[graphicguy]

Asked some folks about “faster to the fun”.  Apparently, you pay for the privilege of boarding early, getting your own line at Guest Services, and some services that seemed relatively minor.

 

Word to the wise....save your money.  The few times I’ve had to go to Guest Services, my “plebeian” line was shorter than the Faster to the fun/diamond line.  Moreover, I arrived at the pier at exactly the boarding time I was given.  Walked right on to the ship.

 

Again, to me, not worth it...not even close.

[grandmarnnurse]

12 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Asked some folks about “faster to the fun”.  Apparently, you pay for the privilege of boarding early, getting your own line at Guest Services, and some services that seemed relatively minor.

 

Word to the wise....save your money.  The few times I’ve had to go to Guest Services, my “plebeian” line was shorter than the Faster to the fun/diamond line.  Moreover, I arrived at the pier at exactly the boarding time I was given.  Walked right on to the ship.

 

Again, to me, not worth it...not even close.

To me, getting my cabin upon boarding is well worth it. And avoiding any kind of lines to keep my hubby in a good mood, makes it priceless. 

[Jerseygirl1416]

22 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Asked some folks about “faster to the fun”.  Apparently, you pay for the privilege of boarding early, getting your own line at Guest Services, and some services that seemed relatively minor.

 

Word to the wise....save your money.  The few times I’ve had to go to Guest Services, my “plebeian” line was shorter than the Faster to the fun/diamond line.  Moreover, I arrived at the pier at exactly the boarding time I was given.  Walked right on to the ship.

 

Again, to me, not worth it...not even close.

And don’t forget you get immediate use of your cabin upon embarkation which is great for us because we travel only with carryons so we’re unpacked before 11:30. And the priority debarkation is worth the cost alone to me. YMMV. 
 

I’m enjoying your trip report. Thanks for taking the time!

[Saint Greg]

5 minutes ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

And don’t forget you get immediate use of your cabin upon embarkation which is great for us because we travel only with carryons so we’re unpacked before 11:30. And the priority debarkation is worth the cost alone to me. YMMV. 
 

I’m enjoying your trip report. Thanks for taking the time!

I need to get some coffee in me. I read that as “we travel with only crayons.”

[Jerseygirl1416]

1 minute ago, Saint Greg said:

I need to get some coffee in me. I read that as “we travel with only crayons.”

😂 drink up! 

[graphicguy]

I only travel with carryons, too. Maybe that’s the gating factor.  My boarding time was 12:30.  I was checked in, on board, rolled my bags into my cabin at 12:45.