We are retired and have never been to Cuba before. We thought this would be the perfect cruise for us. We couldn’t have been more wrong.
Our first impression was great disappointment. The pool was netted and the water was green. The hot tubs were netted and empty. This was to be the theme of our experience as there so many time things were out of order or closed for maintenance. The soft serve machine was down, three of the seven treadmills were inoperable and the gym was insufficient for the number of guests wanting to use it. We resorted to walking on the walking deck, which was also closed for maintenance in some areas.
This ship just came out of dry dock and it was evident. The Windjammer and bars were lacking in supplies that had not been restocked in time for the cruise, but we’re eventually restocked by day five.
Cabin space was very tight. We were fortunate that we brought smaller suitcases so they could be stored beneath the bed. The bed was almost wall-to-wall with just enough room for 1/2 size end tables. The noise was constant as we were beneath the theater so ever night we were rattled by the sounds of dancing for two performances nightly. Then there was the rumbling of the engines as we got underway. The room vibrates and shook, and when we got into port the engines again let us know they were there. If that wasn’t enough, the anchor chain as it was being released and retracted was extremely loud. This certainly wasn’t designed to be a quiet and relaxing place to retreat.
Our cabin steward, Mula, was very efficient and made sure all of our needs were taken care of.
We booked a tour thru Airbnb that took us up into the mountains to see El Nicho. Absolutely beautiful. We didn’t realize that tendering and clearing the ship would take so long. We arrived at 7:00 am but didn’t get off the ship and thru the terminal until 8:50. Fortunately our guide was understanding and waiting for us. When going into this port, allow two hours to get off the ship.
Saved money by getting a gel mani/pedi in port and not on the ship. We’ve been to this island many times so didn’t feel the need to take any of the tours. We would recommend taking the rum factory tour. We still laugh about our experience to this day at the Six Fathoms rum distillery.