This cruise was many months in the planning. As our sail date drew near there was lots of discussion on this site and a few really scathing reviews. We had done our homework and knew that Cuba travel is unique. Because of the long running embargo the people and their visitors have limited access to food and other supplies. We also understood that the ship, the Louis Crystal is not a mass market new 5 star ship, but an older, smaller ship with a capacity of about 1200. As a result, despite many wonderful Princess Cruises we left our expectations at the pier. We were excited to see Cuba and meet the people and get a sense of the culture. We were not disappointed. There were 24 nationalities among passengers and 26 among staff. Passengers included a huge number of Europeans and South Americans, a good number of Canadians and a handful of Americans.

Pre Cruise

We spent 4 nights in Havana and were absolutely astonished at the architecture. Buildings range from the 1550s to the 1950s . After the revolution time stood still. The cars, the buildings and the way of life remain unchanged. Streets are clean, their is little crime and everyone feels safe on the dark streets at night. The absence of ear buds and I-phones means the people are engaged with each other. Very refreshing. As we had understood, our hotel was faded but charming and the food was pretty much terrible everywhere. Read more