The Best Way to Visit CUBA
Empress of the Seas Cruise Review to Cuba
5 Night Key West & Havana Overnight (Miami Roundtrip)
Sail date: July 02, 2018
Ship: Empress of the Seas
Cabin number: 9124
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 6 years ago
Review summary
We enjoyed the camaraderie of the smaller ship, and viewed Key West as a stepping stone to our reason for booking this cruise : CUBA! We were not disappointed. If you decide to visit Havana, read all the warnings and information about visiting before you go so there are no surprises when you get there. We took Euros to exchange for CUCs and saved 10% over the USDollar exchange rate. The locals will not take American dollars except in a few locations. All rum, cigars, and other items you might want to bring home are controlled by the gov't, so the price is standardized throughout the area. Just wait til you get back close to the terminal to buy everything so you don't have to carry it all over the place. I loved that there are no street vendors, no haggling. Stuff your backpack or bag with candies, toys, small shampoos and soaps, hair accessories, etc. to hand out the children and others who help you out. They will love you for it.Embarkation
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Ship tip
Keep in mind the staterooms are considerably smaller than on the larger ships. We upgraded to a junior suite because of the balcony, but we're so happy we did because it is about the size of the regular balcony cabins on other ships. I peeked into some of the regular cabins and they are TINY, barely room to move around, and some of our dinner mates complained about that.