We have only sailed on RCCL once before and usually use HAL, Princess or Oceania. Our reason for choosing this cruise was to have a rather inexpensive and quick trip to Cuba. We got a really good price on the cruise and our 4 night cruise went to Havana for two days and then one sea day which was just what we wanted. Embarkation was really easy and parking at the Miami port was easy but expensive at $22 per day. We were able to get into the shorter line for check in since my brother is a Diamond level and we had already filled out our cruise information online so checkin was really quick. We went right up to the buffet and had some lunch which was fine and our bags were at the room about a hour later. The ship itself is rather small and dated in decor. Our oceanview cabin was really small and on Deck 3. I would not recommend a cabin on one of the lower decks as we hit some rough water on the return and it sounded like canon balls hitting the outside of the ship most of the night....very noisy. The cabin itself was clean and neat and we had enough storage space but the bathroom was very tight. The only amenities that we had in the bathroom were bars of soap and a shampoo/conditioner combination from a dispenser on the shower wall....no lotion. Thankfully I had brought my own shampoo and conditioner and lotion. We also brought bottles of water and sparkling water aboard in a carry bag without any problem. The only drinks we had on board were one pina colada and a virgin mojito which was $20. The drink packages are very expensive. I also found the temperature of the ship very cold. I wish I had brought a jacket with me as many others did. The thermostat in our room was broken so the room was very cold all of the time. They finally fixed it the last night. The bed was comfortable enough and other than the noise from the water outside it was quiet.

Evidentlly there has been a lot of confusion about getting off of the ship in Cuba and whether you were required to take a RCCL exursion to get off. We had to complete a form to hand in at check in indicating what we were going to do in Cuba. We were going to take private excursions each day and that was not a problem. RCCL took care of the Visa (for $75 pp) and all we had to do was fill out a simple card to hand over to immigration. It was very easy. I booked our tours with Blexie-Havana Tours which I had found on Trip Advisor and he charged 130 CUC for the four of us....way cheaper than a ship excursion (great excursion by the way). We had no problem or wait getting off of the ship in a reasonable amount of time and you can exchange your dollars for CUCs once you pass immigration. They give you 87 CUC for every $100. We found that most merchants and restaurants take dollars but evidently that isn't advertised. The ship docks right in Old Havana so you can just walk off and there you are. It's surreal seing all of the old cars and horse drawn carriages. If you had a guide book it would be possible to walk around by yourself and see a lot of the signts. The classic car taxis were plentiful when you walk out of the port area if you want to do that on your own. We felt very safe in Havana and wouldn't have been afraid to walk around alone.

The food and service were very good in the dining room for dinner-----not so much for breakfast. It took a really long time to get breakfast and coffee and the selection was pretty limited. We ended up in the Windjammer for breakfast after two days of trying the dining room and that had better options. No problem getting a table there and the buffet didn't seem overly crowded. Unlike some other cruises we have been on, I didn't experience people shoving and butting in line to get their food. I really liked the people on this cruise. There was a $7.95 plus 18% gratuity charge for room servcie which I thought was exorbitant so we didn't indulge. Read more