A Great Way To Visit Havana

We did not stay in Port Canaveral. It was simply the place where we got on and off the ship. Generally, when we leave from Port Canaveral, we stay in Orlando for a day or two before our cruise. For this cruise we opted to use Lyft ride sharing to get from Orlando to the port. Our trip from Universal Studios cost us $65 on Monday morning. To get back to the Orlando Airport on Friday, we again used Lyft. Since there were four ships going through the disembarkation process at the same time, prices were higher than when we arrived from Orlando. Our ride cost us $78. We were at the Orlando Airport around 8:20 AM.

I have been to Key West three times before, so I knew what to expect. This was my daughter’s first visit. It was a hot and humid day, and I can only handle limited sun exposure. Our ship docked at the Navy Pier, which meant that we had to be transported by shuttle to the downtown area. It’s a quick trip, but not as convenient as being downtown where you can easily go back to the ship for a short rest or a package drop off. We arrived in port at 1 PM and had a last call for 7PM. The cruise ship handed out departure tickets so that the gangways and shuttle trains were not crowded. We had group 7 and were off the cruise ship around 1:30. In town, we opted to take the Conch Train Tour. We also added the Hemingway House. We enjoyed both experiences. The tour is well worth the cost if you have not been to Key West before. We took the docent-guided tour at the Hemingway House and found it to be very informative. We walked back to Mallory Square along Duval Street and ate a late lunch of Sloppy Joes and Sloppy Ritas at the famous Sloppy Joes Bar. It was worth the stop. For desert, we had frozen chocolate covered Key Lime pies at Kermits Key West Key Lime Shoppe. If you like Key Lime pie and haven’t tried this treat then make Kermits at must-do stop on your Key West itinerary. We actually look for cruises that stop in Key West, so that we can make a pilgrimage to Kermits. After a little souvenir shopping, we caught the 6:30 shuttle back to the ship. There was no wait.

Plan for a full day in Havana and make the most of your time here. If you have a plan, you will create a memorable experience. On the cruise on Day 2 there was a morning information and question session on what to expect in Havana. It was well worth attending this session, because I gained some valuable information on what to expect when we arrived in Havana. We purchased two tour excursions to make sure that we were OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) compliant: The Ultimate Highlights of Havana - Old & New city tour for the morning and the Legendary Tropicana Cabaret for the evening. There were 1400 people taking tours in the morning. The cruise ship was well organized and sent people out in groups of about 4 bus loads at a time. When we got to Cuba immigration, the officer took our visa and stamped our passport. The visa was only for the first entry. All we had to do was show our passport when we reentered later in the day. We enjoyed the Old and New Havana City tour. We gathered in the theater on the cruise ship at 8:30 AM, were assigned a bus, and were escorted to immigration. We had the opportunity to exchange money in the cruise terminal. We found Cuban Convertible pesos (CUCs) useful when touring on our own in the Old City. The stops made on the cruise tours took both American dollars and CUCs. The Cuban government charges a 13% commission to purchase CUCs. They also charge another 13% commission to convert unused CUCs back to American dollars. If you pay with American dollars on the tours, government run locations will charge the 13% commission. Independent retailers usually did not charge the commission. Each bus had a tour guide. Our guide was very knowledgeable about Havana and very open about her life in Cuba. She was willing to answer any question that was asked of her and she encouraged us to ask anything we wanted to. Along the way, we were given constant narration about the areas we saw outside the windows of our bus. The tour bus drove through Old Havana; made a stop at Revolution Square; drove slowly through the Christopher Columbus Cemetery; drove through the Miramar section of newer Havana; drove along the Malecon; stopped at the Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña for sightseeing and shopping; and stopped at the statue, El Cristo de La Habana, for an overview of the city of Havana. It was a hot day, so the combination of seeing sites from the bus was well balanced with the three stops. The tour began around 9:30 AM and ended at 1 PM at the cruise ship terminal. We purchased most of our souvenirs at the Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña at an independent stand. The selection seemed small, but we did not see many different choices in the streets and vendors of Old Havana. We also found that the prices were similar regardless of where we shopped. The merchants at the Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña were willing to bargain, especially if you were buying multiple items. We used American dollars and were not charged any exchange fees. After this, my daughter and I did our own walking tour of the plazas and architecture of Old Havana. We were hungry, so we had a good Cuban meal at the La Bodeguita de Media while enjoying their famous Mojitis. By around 3:30 PM, I felt I had too much sun, so I headed back to the cruise ship. My daughter toured for another hour. At night, our visit to the Tropicana began at 8:30 in the theater. Again we were assigned a bus and escorted through immigration. The bus arrived at the Tropicana around 9 PM. The show began at 10 PM. The hour in between was appropriate for getting settled and meeting the other people attending the show from the bus. We enjoyed our group. It’s important to note that the show is performed outside. It was warm when we viewed the show during the summer. There was a dress code for men and women. Men were required to wear slacks and a collared shirt. If you wished to take photographs during the show, there was an additional charge of $5 for a photo pass. We bought the pass and were glad that we chose to take photographs. On the way in, each person received a cigar in a glass tube. We were told that sometimes the women receive flowers, but for this performance, the women also received a cigar. Smoking was permitted during the show. Fortunately, no on in our group smoked. We were assigned to sit at long tables very close to the right, front side of the stage. They were good seats. The price of admission included a glass of champagne, a bottle of Coca Cola, a bottle of rum to be shared by four people, and a snack bowl of nuts and a piece of chocolate. The waiters did not serve these items until the show began, most likely because they wanted us to buy drinks while we were waiting. We did buy frozen strawberry daiquiris and some bottled water. Each strawberry daiquiri cost $7 and the water cost $3 US. The daiquiris were very good and price was reasonable. The show lasted for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. It was performed non-stop and there was constant singing, dancing, and even some acrobatics. It was very entertaining and lively. Even though all the singing was in Spanish, we enjoyed the experience. We got back to our bus at midnight and were back at the ship by 12:30 AM. Overall, we enjoyed the experience, and were glad that we booked this trip. Our guide also spoke highly of the Cabaret Parisien show at the Hotel Nacional.