small ship with a big heart!!!

We've been to Key West many times so we didn't do any excursions.  We did however buy the hop-on hop-off trolley bus tour on our own and enjoyed the humor of the driver.   When we got back to the ship about 12 to 1230, we went up to the Windjammer It was not busy at all for lunch and there was a pretty good selection

Ship excursions are called 1st as they have priority, however, we found if you line up near the getting off point they will periodically let you through, so we got off in plenty of time to make our private excursion. Easy to get off ship, easy to go thru passport control and easy to go thru security.  Be patient; make sure your paperwork is filled out correctly.  We had brought a few small gifts and they were not inspected. Money exchange was fast and easy. Prior to the cruise we exchanged USD for Canadian dollars. We used $1027 USD and bought 1300 Canadian dollars from Wells Fargo.  There were no additional fees. 1300 Canadian got us 947 Cuc.  If I had done 1027 USD to Cuc I would have gotten 893+- Cuc.  I netted out 54+- extra Cuc. If you're only exchanging a small amount getting the Canadian money maynot be not worth the trouble. Our Budget was: 2 private tours with tip 450 2 lunches 90 Cigars 250 Gifts 100 Rum 50 We did our exchange in Havana in case Cienfuego was busy. As noted in other reviews there are plenty of taxi drivers outside the terminal.  In conversation with other cruisers they said it was very easy to find a car and driver who spoke English and would still do the six hour tour.  We had to walk 3 blocks to meet our driver as licensed tour operators are only allowed at the terminal.  Our guide was not licensed to be at the terminal. We did a private tour with Blexie Tours for $130. Rollie was  our guide and he was excellent.  He decided to do an air conditioned  hardtop 57 Chevy as he felt the convertible might cause us sun problems. Our driver owned the car and was very proud of it. As it turns out we saw many people on board that afternoon and evening who were very sun burnt from being in the convertible all day.  Even in conversation with others on private tours we got to see a lot more of Havana than most.  We did lunch at a local paladar that included a cigar , rum and the owners singing to everyone.  We invited our driver and guide to join us, but they were given a free lunch by the restaurant. Make sure you do research and your guides include everything that you want to see.  The guides were very flexible and they knew the right time to get to places without the crowds. The highlights for all were Fusterlandia, the Christ statue, Revolutionary Square and the various embassies along what they call Fifth Avenue. We tipped the driver $30 and Rollie $40. I highly recommend Blexie and Rollie spoke very good English. Captain Carl decided to stayed in port past the 7pm departure, until 1am so we got to go to Tropicana - what an amazing night! The ship tour was expensive, but it's one of those times where your arrival back to the ship could be late and we didn't want to take any chances we would miss the ship.

Again, we did a private tour, this time with Caribbean Pearl Tours at a cost of $170.  When compared to Havana tour, it was over-priced. We walked, again 3 blocks from the terminal, to find the private tour operators and again were offered many tours on that walk.  We were driven in a 30 year old Lada, a Russian car, with no air conditioning, but a very friendly driver.  His father bought the car 30 years ago and  passed it on the his son. We chose the Cienfuego walking tour and Botanical Garden.  The Botanical Garden is actually an Arboretum, no flowers just trees.  Because we were on a private tour we had the advantage of having one of the Botanical Garden staff walk with us and explain all the different trees.  If not for that I don't believe the trip would have been worth the 30+ minute drive, although we did get to see a lot of the out-lying living areas and farms. Our guide, Ana, was very eager to please and show us what we wanted. Her English was ok.  I didn't do as much research on this area, which I regretted.  We walked the pedestrian boulevards,  visited several mansions and hotels and toured a church.   Ana was willing to find us a lunch place, but it was hot and had been a hot ride.  We did stop for lemonade and coffee in a cafe on the square; it was delishish.  The street vendors were not as pushy as in Havana. Ana was an actress and was paid 8 Cuc a month.  She also worked as a babysitter.  Our driver, Urban, drove as a taxi driver after teaching for several years.   They were both concerned about the possible decrease in future cruises to their city. Both the driver and Ana were definitely not as well off as the tour people in Havana. We tipped a little extra for that reason, $50 each and we had small gifts in addition to tips for both and they were genuinely touched and slightly tearful. I cannot recommend Caribbean Pearl Tours for several reasons. Although we were told we would have an A/C car, it was a 30 year old Lada which the driver had to hand us the ONE window crank to lower the windows. Ana was pleasant, but kept asking us what we wanted to see instead of making recommendations. We may have seen the places listed on their web site, but because Ana didn't have a set agenda, and limited English I am not sure we saw everything. Interesting to note the horse drawn carriages were the major mode of transportation for the populous whether in the city or outside.

RC private resort area on Haiti. Very hot day, but the tram ran enough to be able to get from one end to another.   We spent our time at Columbus Cove. There were lots of palm trees so lots of shade.  Being off a small ship none of the beaches or any areas seemed crowded.  The downside was there was only one dining area open during the day and it being hot, we opted to return to the ship and eat there.   As stated in prior reviews the market area vendors are aggressive but polite.  It seemed that every other shop was selling exactly the same thing, so their schtick is to tell you their names or talk about something you're wearing,all to distinguish them from the next booth.  I got the impression, just from looking at the items , that they are not native made.  Being a small ship with few families and kids the Aqua Park was not open.