twangster

I'm not done yet...

Day 4 - Sea Day

Breakfast

One thing about Empress, they treat Diamond Plus right.  Maybe because we have zero Pinnacle on board?  I'm not sure but I have the entire Chops Grill restaurant to myself for breakfast.

I started with some fresh fruit:

Followed with the Full Breakfast minus thing I asked them to skip.  Two eggs cooked to order over medium.

What a nice way to start the day...

On 8/3/2018 at 2:51 PM, rjac said:

Fantastic Twangster, thanks so much for taking the time to share with us. Cuba is on MY list, the wife, however, not so much because of the politics. Maybe I'll surprise her with a cruise for an anniversary gift that, "oh, I didn't realize Cuba was on the itinerary" and claim I don't even remember booking the cruise. She claims I am getting old and loosing my mind.

By the way, did you ever get off the ship in Cuba?

People cruise to other countries that are a much greater threat politically.  Cuba isn't scary at all.  Their politics aren't a threat to anyone.  The way they took property from residents and foreigners living in Cuba in the 60's is an issue but they aren't the only country that have done so.    

With a 6pm dinner I still had time to venture outside before we departed Havana. 

By this time the surface of the sun was no longer 250' from us and it had 'cooled' down.  I use that terminology loosely.  The humidity had dropped from 3,000% to 2,999%.  The Captain no longer used Kelvin to measure the outside temperature.  With my core temperature down and with an acceptable margin from boiling point I went up top to catch sail away.

Four names were announced over the PA system.  Yep... pier runners!  This is not the port I'd pick to be late back to the ship.  Looking down from deck 11 I watched as they walked back onto the ship at least 15 minutes late.  Ok, they haven't benefited from a shower and time in A/C to cool down so I'll cut them some slack for walking.

Soon enough the sun was beginning to set.

In better light compared to this morning here once again is the Christ of Havana.

Fully backed out we started making our way forward out of the harbor. Some locals fishing on the pier to right waved and wished us bon voyage.

One last look at Del Morro basking in golden hour this time.

The upper decks were quite busy.  Everyone wanted to capture one last look at Cuba as we sailed away from her.

It was a beautiful evening and everyone was enjoying it.

With the sun getting lower the Pool Bar caught my eye.

It's time.  I had the perfect drink in mind.

A Kraken Lava Flow.  No drink package but it was worth every penny. 

What a day.

After this it was time to head down to my balcony to do some blogging...

Day 3 - Dinner - MDR

Caprese Salad (sorry no photo)

Followed by Rosemary Braised Lamb Shank

Day 3 - Havana, continued...

Walking back to the ship

The 1/2 mile to the ship was interesting.  I start off walking along the waterfront.  It's quite nice and i shot some video to use in a scope later as well as took some photos.  I didn't have a distinct plan but there were several hours available.  I wanted to take a taxi at some point.

Those dark storm clouds were starting become noisy with the sound of thunder.  I made to the local ferry terminal before the rain started to come heavier.

I waited out a small rain storm before I headed across the street where there were some more classic cars also waiting out the storm.

At many times I was reminded of San Juan.

This is when the really big drops started falling.  Luck was on my side as there was a bar right where I was at that moment.  I ducked in side to wait out the storm.  I had several hours before all aboard so it was time to experience the culture.

Una cerveza por favor.

You can't see it in this picture but it was raining hard.

This appeared to be the bar for The Hotel De Hermanos.

A buggy driver got the same idea, leaving his horse in the rain.

From here the cruise terminal is a few hundred feet so as soon as it let up I made the final walk back to the ship.

Passport and ship card to enter the terminal from the street.  Upstairs back the way I came down.

The ship's entrance was to the right.  A quick pass through immigration who looked at my passport.  After this a long queue for the terminal xray machines and metal detector.  This lasted about 30 minutes.  After this outside to the gangway.  The ship had us go through their metal detector and xray setup once on the ship.  Finally, Schooner Bar in sight and it's Diamond happy hour.  

I grabbed a beverage and made my way up to my cabin for a shower.  I found this waiting for me:

Day 3 - Havana, continued...

After the excursion we had the option to be dropped off approximately 800m or 1/2 mile from the ship at the Almacenes San José Artisans' Market.  Our guide warned us to be careful of pickpockets.  This is close to the main train station for Havana and there are several old locomotives on display.

It was very organized but tired from my long day in the heat I decided to spend more time here on my next visit.

Something else the guide had said was weighing on my mind.

A draft beer brewery next door.

They had a band and a few locals were dancing.

Choices were light, brown or dark beer.  This is the brown beer which tastes like a nut brown ale.  The beer cost $4 but I suspect that was the tourist rate.  My waiter said the dark beer was sweet.  I used to like nut brown ales a while ago but they aren't my favorite anymore.  It was okay but I wasn't enticed to have una mas.

Outside near the water you can see the funnel of the cruise ships from here.  Larger dispensers were also available such as the one on this table.  

Day 3 - Havana, continued...

Hemingway's House

According to our guide, the Hemingway House in Key West was actually his wife's house.  The one in Havana is his real house.  15 kilometers from downtown The Hemingway house overlooks Havana.

He wrote For Whom The Bell Tolls and The Old Man and The Sea here.

The garage and guest house where other notable authors and guests stayed when visiting.

While you can't go inside, they have opened the doors with ropes to block access so you can view the interior.

A worker came by and offered to take pictures of the inside for me.  For a small fee of course.  I guess that makes her a professional photographer?

His typewriter.

 

Hemingway's Tower.

The view towards Havana from his tower.

His boat and the graves of four of his pets.

The swimming pool.  As our guide pointed out - "Now that you have experienced our Havana summer you can understand why Hemingway had to have a pool."

Of course there were more taxis waiting out front.

Back on the bus and time to worship the air conditioning outlets.

For me nothing changes.  I'll do what I've always done.  Look at the price of a particular cruise and compare it to other options.  

Price is a factor for me but so is ship and itinerary.  

Market demand will drive prices, not OBC.  At the end of the day if RC is pricing themselves above the competition, demand will drop and soon after so will prices.  

OBC is great but now I can see everything at face value.  

I'd be more upset if the opposite were true.  If they never offered OBC then announced this new concept of OBC but with higher up front prices I'd be left thinking "what idiot dreamt that up?"

 

On 8/2/2018 at 4:24 PM, Matt said:

Did Fusterlandia feel like a tourist trap at all? I purposefully avoided excursions there because I had no interest in seeing it.  Neat, no doubt, just not of interest to me.

Not a tourist trap exactly.  I saw some interesting art.   The average Cuban is likely not going simply because they have no disposable income.  So in that sense you'll find more tourists.  

Nothing I wanted to drag around all day on a bus but if you like artsy stuff from local artists as opposed to Chinese fridge magnets sort of thing.   It might not be for everyone.  On my next overnight I might go back not for his house but to look around a little more to find something Cuban to bring home.  

4 hours ago, rjac said:

Thee older cars in a couple of your photos, especially the taxi stand, are really cool. Amazing how they look, almost pristine. I saw a special on tv last year all about Cuba, the "taxis" in particular. The car owner has operational standards that the vehicle must be in as well as the exterior finish and condition. These folks take being a taxi driver serious! 

They take great pride in their cars.  A regular used car might sell for $20k.  A classic car that is constantly breaking down is $30k.  I don't know about operational standard, our guide tells us they consume four times the gas compared to something newer (10 years old).  

After our Havana lunch we were promised a stop at a store where we could buy rum, coffee or cigars.

Unfortunately that's not our bus.  With two bus loads of passengers in the store it was beyond packed.  I took this photo and bailed.  If they had A/C it was turned way up, to 40° C.

Can't stop taking pictures of cars...

In that first photo you can see folks hanging around waiting to sell you 'street cigars'.  Our guide warned us about them.  They could be anything, including dried banana leaves instead of tabacco inside.  You don't want to buy anything on the streets in Cuba.  

Day 3 - Havana, continued... 

Lunch

Lunch was included in our excursion and today we stopped at Salon Rojo.  This venue used to be a casino for the neighboring Hotel Capri but now serves in the role of a night club.

Our meal included a welcome drink which was the National drink of Cuba, the Mojito.

Much like a night club at home there were automated spotlights that changed colors and patterns moving around the room.  It was an eclectic lunch environment. 

 

Lunch progressed with an appetizer of pork and cheese.

Also included was a choice of beverage, water, soda or beer.  Una cerveza por favor.

On the bus our guide had called ahead to find out what was on today's menu and take our order.  Pork Steak, Beef Steak or Chick Breast.  Once we arrived we were informed it would be 'family style'.  This turned out to mean all three entrees served to each of us, pork, beef and chicken.  It was a very filling meal.  Rice was available on the side and lunch came with vegetables.

The food was fine but to be honest it felt more like a hotel catered lunch rather than an authentic Cuba meal.  I understand it's challenging to find venues that can accommodate a bus load of guests so this was a safe and predictable lunch meal for an excursion.

During our stop here another bus load of passengers arrived who proceeded to have a rum tasting and Cuban cigar experience.  Their guide took the microphone and walked them through how to cut a cigar, how to light a cigar, how (not to) inhale, how to take a sip of rum and follow it with a puff on the cigar.  

That was all well and good for them but his voice over the speakers dominated our lunch.  They were far enough away to not smell their cigars but it made for an awkward lunch and made any lunch conversations impossible.

All in all it worked and my belly was full but far from the expectations I had set in my mind booking this excursion.

Back on the bus and heading towards our lunch I noted the bus display of the outdoor temperature as our guide talked our next stop.

35° C = 95 ° F

The kicker is the 3,000% humidity.  Thank goodness for buses with A/C!

Driving towards lunch we passed the US Embassy:

Day 3 - Havana, continued...

Beyond Fuster's home, many homes in the area have also been tiled or decorated with mosaic tiles and there are numerous shops set up with local artists selling their art.

 

 

Day 3 - Havana, continued...

Fusterlandia

Jose Rodriguez Fuster is an artist who started decorating his own home with mosaic tiles he found while visiting neighboring countries.  Tired of seeing the rest of impoverished neighborhood run down, he began decorating many of their homes at no charge.  His own home is open to the public to explore and the neighborhood is turning into an artisans paradise with other artists joining in over the years.  The neighborhood has become to be known as Fusterlandia.  There are many artists selling their local arts within Fusterlania.

We start in Fuster's home:

There is mosaic tile literally everywhere.

Day 3 - Havana, continued...

Christopher Columbus Cemetery, Cementerio de Cristóbal Colón

Ranked by some in the top five of cemeteries around the world, this cemetery has over 500 major mausoleums.  

There is incredible detail in many of these and there are over 5,000 buried here.

This one is called 'Monumento a los Bomberos' and is dedicated to 28 firefighters who ran into a burning building in 1890 only to have it explode, killing them all.  

Our guide tells us this next one is the most visited grave in the cemetery.  Amelia and Baby.  The mother died while six months pregnant.  Mother and child were laid to rest.  Variations of the story involve the tomb being exhumed many years later only to find the child had moved or the mother was in the same state as the day she was entombed, thought to be a miracle. 

After her death, her husband would visit often, bringing flowers, knocking on the grave and seeking advice.  While approaching or leaving he would never turn his back on Amelia so the tradition is to approach, ask for a miracle and back away never turning your back on Amelia.  The tomb now is covered with hundreds of plaques from people who give thanks to Amelia for granting their miracle over the years since her death.  The people on the left are walking backwards always facing Amelia.

This the main church.  There are typically 45 burials per day here so each service within the church is limited to eight minutes.

We viewed a very small part of this 140 acre cemetery. 

While not your typical tourist attraction it was very interesting and beautiful providing a lot insight to the spirituality of the Cuban people.

Day 3 - Havana

Revolution Square - Plaza de la Revolución

Our guide give a brief talk before we got off the bus and explored on our own.  There is a lot of history that has taken place here and it was interesting to walk around.

Government buildings.  

The José Martí Memorial

One end of the square serves as a parking area for taxis.

After watching several buses depart finally it was our turn.

Very modern and comfortable bus.

Finally underway we get our 1st look at the streets of Havana.

The fort on this side of the harbor directly across from Del Morro.

I'm not a fan of taking photos through windows on a moving bus so I'll restrict those to just a few.

Day 3 - Havana, continued...

Around 7:30am and 30 minutes before schedule it was announced the ship was cleared by local authorities.  On any future return where I don't have a morning excursion I'll be ready to leave early and hope for similar luck to beat the excursion masses heading off.  

Since I had an excursion booked through Royal we met in the Royal Theater on the ship along with other excursions.  We were given a number to wear and received a free bottle of water to take with us.  I had brought one from my cabin and I would end up being glad I had two for my full day excursion. 

Our meeting time in the theater was 8am but most of the group was there when I arrived at 7:50am.  Shortly after 8am we were called to leave the ship.  

Immediately off the gangway but before entering the terminal there were the usual ship photographers there to take our picture with a Cuba back drop.  Past this you entered the terminal and a small area to queue for Cuban Immigration.  The lines were 4 or 5 deep but went fairly quickly.  The ship held an information session on day one at 4pm that was replayed on RCTV.  During that video they warned not to wait to be called, as the person before you walked on after being processed you proceed without waiting to be called. They simply looked at the completed VISA, looked at the passport and then at me before a series of stamps were made.  Then they handed me my passport and off I went.  No questions asked.

Immediately after immigration is a security check point much like you experience on any day one boarding a ship at it's home port.  Bags go through xray while you walk through a metal detector.  Quick and easy.

The cruise terminal is fairly modern inside and much what you would experience in many places with shops and a currency exchange inside.  The only thing missing - air conditioning.  

This is the view back towards Cuban Immigration and the security checkpoint at the far end of the terminal.

Currency exchange at the opposite end of the terminal.  To the left of this is where we headed down the stairs into Havana or to meet our excursion booked through Royal.

Currency exchange asks that only one in your party enter, other's can just stand near and wait.  I presented (5) $20 bills and she looked it up in her computer and informed me it would be $87 CUC.   Since I was on a full day excursion that included lunch I didn't think I'd need a lot on this trip.

Down the stairs you can simply walk out on the streets of Havana or make the turn to follow the signs for Shore Excursions.  This led me outside in the covered garage type area under the terminal where I found the typical lines for each shore excursion group.  

The wait here was longer than the wait for Cuban Immigration but wasn't that bad.  It was already getting warm and you could tell it was going to be hot and humid today.

Day 3 - Havana, Cuba

My day began at 5am largely in part from having set my alarm at that time.  I didn't want to miss this arrival.

Another ship was circling around and at this point heading away from Havana into the morning sky. 

We continued our approach and we started to see the skyline of Havana growing in the distance.

We continued towards the Havana harbor.

Morro Castle or 'Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro' on the left.  Later today our guide would explain this fort was designed by the same engineer who designed El Morro in San Juan.  At the time in the 1600's both were territories of Spain.

We continued sailing into the harbor.

Looking back in the direction we came from I could see that other ship beginning it's approach behind us.

A first look at our cruise terminal on the left:

There are two other terminals that have seen better days.  These were likely in their prime in the days when there was ferry service between Cuba and Miami.

Our Captain and crew were on the bridge wing to bring us into the dock.

Across the harbor you could see 'The Christ of Havana'.

Our small ship extended quite a bit out of the slip so you can why larger ships can't visit Havana just yet.

The terminal is fairly modern as Caribbean ports go.  The gangway connected to deck 5 from where we would disembark.

Back in the cabin our progress so far:

My cabin attendant dropped off some Cuba specific papers:

With that it was time for bed...

Day 2 - Dinner

As I mention earlier I bought a BOGO Specialty Dinner package so tonight I am back in the Chops Grille.  Before I talk about that, here is the MDR menu for those not doing a specialty dinner:

Now on to Chops Grille...

Same menu, so no sense reporting that.

The normal bread to start with:

(sorry I took a few bites before taking the photo)

Crispy Goat Cheese Salad:

New Zealand Rack of Lamb, medium rare.

Sides tonight were Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes, Creamed Spinach and Mac and Cheese.

New York Cheesecake for dessert

Different waiter but excellent service and a great meal again.   Since i did a BOGO I loved getting this check:

I did leave a tip though.

Where was I I?  Oh yeah...

Day 2 - Top Tier Event,  4pm.

Some of our Senior Officers are presented:

Our Loyalty Ambassador announced there are now over 12 million C&A members world wide

Top Tier breakdown:

490 Crown and Anchor members on board

64 Platinum

30 Emerald

30 Diamond

15 Diamond Plus

0 Pinnacle

Top cruises have 561 points and are Diamond Plus

2 hours ago, CraftyCat05 said:

And these aren't short to write! It takes a good hour usually, and sometimes two! This really is hard work. Why didn't anyone tell me?

I was hoping you were more efficient than I.  Phew!

It's easier when solo...

With that thread title I was wondering what I did in the MDR...

In my experience cruise line 'jerk seasoning' is pretty mild.  Pick your cruise line.  Truth is 'Jerk' isn't something that comes from a bottle so don't expect the real thing.

I did an excursion in Jamaica on Carnival that included a "jerk" lunch.  It was so mild.  The restaurant told me people complained to the cruise line so they had to tame it down.