A bit pricey on an old (but refurbished) ship, this itinerary is all about the overnight in Cuba. It is not your typical pleasure cruise like the rest of the Caribbean routes.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Embarkation was fine. Got in at 1130 and went thru quickly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The main dining rooms were fine, though noticeably slow several times during dinner service. As a group of 7, we got seated right away each night (both with, and without, reservations). The 2 main dining rooms serve the same menu, no doubt because of the ship's small size and presumably shared kitchen. The indoor & outdoor buffets were fine, predictably crowded during peak times. We enjoyed the alcohol-inclusive plan for the itinerary, and it did cut down on wait times at bars as bartenders did not have to swipe cards for all but the few "premium" drinkers. One downside, which might be related to the testing of this cruise's pricing plan, was the new experience of the specialty restaurants being ala carte priced instead of the traditional NCL flat service upcharge. Once we saw the pricing on the ala carte menus, we cancelled all our specialty dining reservations and stayed in the main dining rooms. As good as the food in each has been over the years and various ships, we couldn't justify paying near full price for meals when we could essentially replicate the experience for "free" in the main dining rooms.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Being the old small ship that it is, these types of activities were basic and limited. Our 13 year old enjoyed the basketball court, and the fitness center seemed adequate. This is *not* a ship for those who like to try out all the fancy activity add-ons that newer ships have.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The entertainment was basic and okay, the standard fare. Either NCL doesn't rotate its stage shows very often, or we somehow keep catching the same schedule(!). While they're always basically entertaining, it is very predictable.
Children's Programs
Our 13 year old chose to not participate, being such a short cruise.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Generally speaking, the service was the typically excellent treatment we expect from NCL. We never met our steward, which was a first. They always seemed to find a time to introduce themselves in the past. Ours did a good enough job, though my relatives' cabin right next door had a few items missed (like the whole closet) during the embarkation turn over. None of us received ice service in our rooms, which I didn't need but had always received in the past. I'm not sure if that was a change for waste reduction purposes, or just neglected.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The recent refurbishment of the public areas was nice. All seemed new and functioning (with a few exceptions). The cabins were okay, though some indications of the ship's overall extended age were obvious. We never encountered any areas not clean, and the attention to hygiene in dining areas was omnipresent as always.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Tiny cabin (as expected), but it was clean and everything functioned. These older ships lack many power options, but it was sufficient. One general outlet on the "desk", one USB outlet in each overhead bed light, and one switch-controlled outlet in the bathroom.
Ship tip
It's about the itinerary (overnighting in Havana), and the ship is adequate for the trip. This is *NOT* the ship for cruisers wanting a cutting edge ship experience.
Definitely worth finally seeing Cuba. The poverty is stark, but in a way seemingly very different from other places in the Caribbean. Without discussing the politics of Cuba, it was like stepping into a museum of what had been and what could be. We felt very safe with the people, but the streets and buildings could be a challenge. Lots of step hazards for the less agile, and many buildings were in varied states of disrepair.. some to the point of collapse if not propped up by wood beams. You need to keep an eye out down & up where you walk. We took a private 7 hr tour thru Havana Tour Company on the first day, and were very glad we did. It gave us the full overview of Old Havana and nearby, and provided focus on where to go later in the day and on day 2. Being an overnight port, there was no need to worry about getting back to the ship for "all aboard". Tip- You don't need to change your US $ into Canadian or Euros or such. The exchange service inside the port was fast, and accepted US $ at a rate comparable to other currencies. Having changed a large amount of $ to Canadian beforehand, I found myself changing the CUC back into US instead of Canadian.
It is a beach stop. There were many bars and ample food stations and restrooms. If you don't mind walking some, go to the 2nd or 3rd beach instead of camping right at beach #1 like the rest of the herd. The other beaches were near empty, with lots of loungers available. The tenders are the typical pain, and one can only hope NCL eventually builds a pier (as it appeared Royal Caribbean has at their adjacent island).
We went with the last group, and didn't wait too long in line. The usual hold-ups were the port staff and CBP. That said, the CBP officers barely even looked up as they waived everyone thru. I was fully expecting them to be giving people the once-over in a hunt for excessive cigar imports(!). Having bought nothing, I'm glad they didn't even ask or hold us up.
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