Worth it to go to Cuba? Questions...

[trout62]

But if you went to Cuba, you could get your Behikes just as they came off the virgin’s thighs.

And, no, not now, not never on Carnival. Spent 12 hours bobbing in the middle of the southern Caribbean with no power. None. Zero. No emergency lighting, nothing. Some kind of extreme computer glitch shut down EVERYTHING. No AC, no cooked food, couldn’t flush toilets, all of the water tight doors slammed closed because the electromagnets that hold them open had no power.

Nothing like the Carnival cruise that was stranded for days, but same kinds of problems and bad enough for me.

Trout


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[ChuckMejia]

But if you went to Cuba, you could get your Behikes just as they came off the virgin’s thighs.

And, no, not now, not never on Carnival. Spent 12 hours bobbing in the middle of the southern Caribbean with no power. None. Zero. No emergency lighting, nothing. Some kind of extreme computer glitch shut down EVERYTHING. No AC, no cooked food, couldn’t flush toilets, all of the water tight doors slammed closed because the electromagnets that hold them open had no power.

Nothing like the Carnival cruise that was stranded for days, but same kinds of problems and bad enough for me.

Trout


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Damn that’s rough. Did they offer you anything for the inconvenience?

Luckily we’ve never had issues. Love carnival.

 

[trout62]

It wasn’t much. Like a hundred bucks a cabin and future cruise credit.

It actually worked out OK. We were headed for Aruba and diverted to St. Lucia instead, which I prefer, and we wound up being there a good long while, like 6:00 am to 9:00 pm. Someone said inspectors from the states had to come down and bless the ship before she could continue. Anyway, that part was good for us.

The coolest thing about that cruise was it left out of San Juan, so we stayed at the Intercontinental hotel the night before. As the taxi pulled up, I saw that there was a 3 story tall banner across the front of the building that said “Welcome Miss Universe Contestants”

Trout


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[ChuckMejia]

It wasn’t much. Like a hundred bucks a cabin and future cruise credit.

It actually worked out OK. We were headed for Aruba and diverted to St. Lucia instead, which I prefer, and we wound up being there a good long while, like 6:00 am to 9:00 pm. Someone said inspectors from the states had to come down and bless the ship before she could continue. Anyway, that part was good for us.

The coolest thing about that cruise was it left out of San Juan, so we stayed at the Intercontinental hotel the night before. As the taxi pulled up, I saw that there was a 3 story tall banner across the front of the building that said “Welcome Miss Universe Contestants”

Trout


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That sounds great. We love San Juan, we have a cruise on the ecstasy this summer and it stops in San Juan.

 

[Master Shake]

+1 for Carnival. I've been on 6 different Carnival cruises including one that ended Sunday. If you like a party atmosphere and to always have something going on, Carnival is for you, with pools, hot tubs and bars all open late. I've done Princess in the Caribbean as well and the ship was mostly dead after 1030 or so, save 1 or 2 bars. Carnival always has something going on.

 

[Boudie]

So Carnival is the only cruise line that goes to Cuba??

 

[ChuckMejia]

So Carnival is the only cruise line that goes to Cuba??

No there are several. We were just discussing our favorite lines

 

[Lomey]

So Carnival is the only cruise line that goes to Cuba??

I'm taking Norwegian to Cuba from Miami. Norwegian also have a ship that goes to Cuba from Orlando. Our cruise is free open bar. That's a huge plus!

 

[trout62]

Ok, so you guys are going to make fun of me, but that’s fine. I’ve done multiple cruises on each of Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Carnival and Holland America and my favorite is Holland.

Why? Well, I love the corner aft suites, they were the last to ban cigars on the balconies and as a mid 50’s couple my wife and I are the hotties around the pool!

Trout


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[derboesekoenig]

Lol so If I'm half your age, which cruise line would you recommend?

 

[Boudie]

Do you like people drinking a lot, people soup in the pool, hairy chest contests, people, people, at a reasonable cost then Carnival.

I'm going to look at a small boat cruise or barefoot cruise around the Island. They have some pretty neat itineraries. Not cheap but something to save up for!!

They also have land/walking tours that visit the national parks and agricultural areas of the island that would interest me.

 

[trout62]

Lol so If I'm half your age, which cruise line would you recommend?

That’s tough, like asking which cigar do I recommend, and my needs are probably different than yours. However:

Frankly, I prefer land based vacations more than cruises, but will cruise when I want to totally relax and unwind. Itinerary is probably most important to me, so I pick that first.

Then I personally like suites. Sorry, call me a snob, but I do. People who say pick the cheapest room on a cruise cuz you’re never in the room are never in the room cuz they have a crappy room. More specifically I like I suite balconies and suite perks. Holland is best bang / $ in this category in my opinion. Norwegian has killer suites but they are pricey. RCCL does a nice job. Doing an Owners Suite on Jewel of the Seas, Southern Caribbean this Thanksgiving.

I don’t have kids and frankly don’t particularly like them, so again Holland is good for me.

Now that everybody has banned cigars, I like Royal for their cigar lounges on many ships, but not all (Jewel for example does not)

I don’t like loud obnoxious drunks so again, no Carnival for me.

(Also, btw, Carnival does not have redundant engine control rooms. That is what got them on the ship that was stranded at sea for several days...fire in the engine control room. RCCL and HAL are redundant. Not sure Norwegian. )

Nonetheless, not knowing your needs, I would probably steer you towards Royal Caribbean or Norwegian. HAL is probably too sedate, boring and stuffy for most...I kind of like it, though.

Trout


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[Master Shake]

I hate, hate, hate stuffy. Just did a Viking river cruise in October, old as dirt and stuffy af. Pompous old douchebags everywhere. And the entitlement, my God man...lesson learned, never again.

 

[ChuckMejia]

I'm taking Norwegian to Cuba from Miami. Norwegian also have a ship that goes to Cuba from Orlando. Our cruise is free open bar. That's a huge plus!

They kill you with the taxes on the free open bar tho. We have a norwegian cruise booked for next year but we had a choice for 2 free cruisers or free bar for two... went with two free cruises for our kids. If we wouldve grabbed free open bar the taxes alone wouldve been 1200

 

[ChuckMejia]

That’s tough, like asking which cigar do I recommend, and my needs are probably different than yours. However:

Frankly, I prefer land based vacations more than cruises, but will cruise when I want to totally relax and unwind. Itinerary is probably most important to me, so I pick that first.

Then I personally like suites. Sorry, call me a snob, but I do. People who say pick the cheapest room on a cruise cuz you’re never in the room are never in the room cuz they have a crappy room. More specifically I like I suite balconies and suite perks. Holland is best bang / $ in this category in my opinion. Norwegian has killer suites but they are pricey. RCCL does a nice job. Doing an Owners Suite on Jewel of the Seas, Southern Caribbean this Thanksgiving.

I don’t have kids and frankly don’t particularly like them, so again Holland is good for me.

Now that everybody has banned cigars, I like Royal for their cigar lounges on many ships, but not all (Jewel for example does not)

I don’t like loud obnoxious drunks so again, no Carnival for me.

(Also, btw, Carnival does not have redundant engine control rooms. That is what got them on the ship that was stranded at sea for several days...fire in the engine control room. RCCL and HAL are redundant. Not sure Norwegian. )

Nonetheless, not knowing your needs, I would probably steer you towards Royal Caribbean or Norwegian. HAL is probably too sedate, boring and stuffy for most...I kind of like it, though.

Trout


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snob

 

[trout62]

I hate, hate, hate stuffy. Just did a Viking river cruise in October, old as dirt and stuffy af. Pompous old douchebags everywhere. And the entitlement, my God man...lesson learned, never again.

I’ll take entitlement issues from old farts that have spent their lives scrimping and saving a lot better than I take entitlement issues from my millennial age nephew (for example).

Trout


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[derboesekoenig]

I think i'm leaning more towards just taking a week and staying in Cuba. Looking at hotels vs airbnb now. A/C will be a must in July

 

[SurpriseMVP]

I just booked a cruise that stops there for the day and night. Hopefully I'll find some legitimate home rolls and maybe some rum to bring home. I look forward to hearing what you find, Chuck.

How do you get rum back onto the cruise ship? I've only been on a few cruises and thought it was not allowed. On a short Mexico cruise my buddy had his bourbon (in iced tea bottles) taken before we ever left port. Can you buy it and they hold it until after the cruise is over?

 

[Boudie]

I feel like I'm posting using the Trout62 user name.

 

[ChuckMejia]

How do you get rum back onto the cruise ship? I've only been on a few cruises and thought it was not allowed. On a short Mexico cruise my buddy had his bourbon (in iced tea bottles) taken before we ever left port. Can you buy it and they hold it until after the cruise is over?

Yes its checked in at the security gate and the last night of the cruise you pick it up at the auditorium on the ship but the bottles must be sealed