This is our second trip to Cuba and we knew what to expect when we arrived (ie not pristine!). We used NCL on our around Hawaii tour a few years ago and had a great trip. We were expecting the same great service, but the ship and service was not quite up to what we expected. We had a great time and enjoyed the cruise but thought we were not "pampered" as much for the price we paid.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Checked in early and paperwork was ready
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Went to Palace twice.
First time server was Victoria and she did a great job... knew our names was polite and efficient.
Second time male server was "overworked" had too many tables to cover and service was poor
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
pools were clean and well kept
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Dancers and singers at stage shows were full of energy and did a great job
D'Revelations (?) band and female singer were outstanding... had great range of songs cuntry, pop, clasic, etc.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Room steward did "ok" but nothing special
Wait staff in Gardens Cafe was not very friendly and had to be asked for water, beverages. Tables were cleared rapidly (Princess Lines more attentive to customer's needs)
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Older ship, but functioned well. Staff constantly taking care of cleaning throughout ship. Happened to pass though Garden Cafe after serving hours and full staff was cleaning everything including brushing down the ceiling... very impressed
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cabin was very small compared to other ships we have been on. A very "compacted" layout, but all the amenities we needed. Balcony was small, but gave us the outside experience we like
Ship tip
Good value for money. Study ship's map... some venues are revers of other ships
Watch out for bottom step on main staircase... has a narrow marble strip on landing could be confused with bottom step (could misstep as I did)
Check n was fast and efficient
However, when we went to exit the ship we had to wait in line over 40 minutes to clear customs and some passengers were advised to wait in ship as terminal was backed up. Seemed like a poor system to exit ship??
As mentioned above we waited over 45 minutes to clear customs (great it was winter and cooler weather)
Some people were advised to wait inside the ship as terminal was "backed up". Felt that disembarkation was NOT planned very well. Also possibly not enough Border Agents for number of passengers.
Also, notice that if you "hired" a porter he would cut in line with his passengers ahead of us who had been waiting in line. Not a very equitable system!!
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