Would you cruise to Cuba?

Here is a "What if" to start off the year.....

If the US changes it's policies towards Cuba and allows visitation, tourism,
etc..... are you looking forward to going there?

I know that ten years ago one cruise line exec told me that they had
contingency plans to change itineraries "almost immediately" if they would
be allowed to stop in Cuba. Home-porting some ships in Cuba would not be
out of the questions, either.

What do you think.....


--
George Leppla http://www.CruiseMaster.com

Cruise Specials Weblog http://cruisemaster.typepad.com/my_weblog/

George leppla asked:

Here is a "What if" to start off the
year.....
If the US changes it's policies towards
Cuba and allows visitation, tourism,
etc..... are you looking forward to
going there?
I know that ten years ago one cruise
line exec told me that they had
contingency plans to change itineraries
"almost immediately" if they would be
allowed to stop in Cuba. Home-porting
some ships in Cuba would not be out of
the questions, either.
What do you think.....
---

Yes yes! I have many European friends who have vacationed in Cuba and
loved it. I'd like to try a day there on a cruise. Especially one from
Tampa.

~~DORIS~~
**________*/*/___/*/___/*/_________
*\::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::/
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oceania Regatta 2-25-2009

Tahitian Princess 6-25-2009

Seabourn Spirit 11-15=2009

http://community.webtv.net/DorisIs/AROUNDTHEHORN

On Jan 3, 8:30*am, "George Leppla" wrote:
Here is a "What if" to start off the year.....

If the US changes it's policies towards Cuba and allows visitation, tourism,
etc..... are you looking forward to going there?

I know that ten years ago one cruise line exec told me that they had
contingency plans to change itineraries "almost immediately" if they would
be allowed to stop in Cuba. *Home-porting some ships in Cuba would not be
out of the questions, either.

What do you think.....

Sure, why not? The Cold War is over, they're no threat to our way of
life, and the tourist dollars would go a long way to repairing things
(literally and figuratively).

My Dad visited Havana on a ship in the 50's with his parents and he
still talks about it.

R

"George Leppla" wrote in message
...
Here is a "What if" to start off the year.....

If the US changes it's policies towards Cuba and allows visitation,
tourism, etc..... are you looking forward to going there?

I know that ten years ago one cruise line exec told me that they had
contingency plans to change itineraries "almost immediately" if they would
be allowed to stop in Cuba. Home-porting some ships in Cuba would not be
out of the questions, either.

What do you think.....



It would probably be more attractive to the cruise lines from a cost
perspective (it's so close that you don't need a lot of fuel to get there)
than to me as a passenger. I guess it has the potential for some gorgeous
beaches and coral reefs, but that's not unique in the Caribbean. The
Caribbean already has places like the USVI, BVI, Cayman, Cozumel, Aruba,
Bonaire, Barbados, etc. It would become another port, but I'm not sure that
I perceive anything unique about it. When I think of unique, I think of the
Mediterranean, the Baltics, the Fjords, Tahiti and the South Pacific,
Australia and New Zealand.

Cuba would be an opportunity for a new port, but not a new "destination". I
haven't been to a number of Caribbean islands. Like Dominica. Or St.
Barts. I'd put Cuba in that type of category. But I don't put it in a
whole new "destination" like the Mediterranean, which I also haven't been
to.

Give me the choice if a sailing that suddenly goes to Cuba, or a sailing
that goes to the Mediterranean, and I'd pick the Med (costs aside). Or if
you gave me the choice of going to Cuba on a class of ship that I don't care
for, vs. going on the Oasis (and not to Cuba)... I'd pick the Oasis.

I wouldn't mind Cuba, but it's not something that would be a decision maker
like the Med, or the Fjords. Or a new ship like Oasis.

--Tom

On Jan 3, 9:22*am, "Tom K" wrote:

It would probably be more attractive to the cruise lines from a cost
perspective (it's so close that you don't need a lot of fuel to get there)
than to me as a passenger. *I guess it has the potential for some gorgeous
beaches and coral reefs, but that's not unique in the Caribbean. *The
Caribbean already has places like the USVI, BVI, Cayman, Cozumel, Aruba,
Bonaire, Barbados, etc. *It would become another port, but I'm not sure that
I perceive anything unique about it. *When I think of unique, I think of the
Mediterranean, the Baltics, the Fjords, Tahiti and the South Pacific,
Australia and New Zealand.

Cuba would be an opportunity for a new port, but not a new "destination". *I
haven't been to a number of Caribbean islands. *Like Dominica. *Or St..
Barts. *I'd put Cuba in that type of category. *But I don't put it in a
whole new "destination" like the Mediterranean, which I also haven't been
to.

Give me the choice if a sailing that suddenly goes to Cuba, or a sailing
that goes to the Mediterranean, and I'd pick the Med (costs aside). *Or if
you gave me the choice of going to Cuba on a class of ship that I don't care
for, vs. going on the Oasis (and not to Cuba)... I'd pick the Oasis.

I wouldn't mind Cuba, but it's not something that would be a decision maker
like the Med, or the Fjords. *Or a new ship like Oasis.

Doesn't a different culture count for anything? I know I'd like to
see someplace where Detroit Big Iron from the 50's was still being
driven daily. It'd be like a page from the past, but the
deterioration from age and economic punishment would make it look like
an alternative-future today.

Hundreds of thousands if not millions of Americans have been to every
place you mentioned. Being one of the first to visit a recently
opened port - any port - is enough to get a fair number of people on a
ship.

I don't think the question was posed as "would you like Cuba as a port
more than others half a world away?", so I don't really understand the
Mediterranean/fjords thing.

R

George Leppla wrote:
Here is a "What if" to start off the year.....

If the US changes it's policies towards Cuba and allows visitation,
tourism, etc..... are you looking forward to going there?

I know that ten years ago one cruise line exec told me that they had
contingency plans to change itineraries "almost immediately" if they
would be allowed to stop in Cuba. Home-porting some ships in Cuba would
not be out of the questions, either.

What do you think.....

Not only can I see me cruising to Cuba (they already have 8 deep water
ports), I can see myself flying to Cuba, as a departure port. We can
skip flying to San Juan, which is located farther from the mainland than
Cuba. People who live in Florida will be able to arrive by boat, they
will not have to fly at all.

Some of my relatives loved vacationing in Cuba, and one of them has
unfortunately passed away. I was hoping she would get to see Cuba again
before she died, but that did not happen.

Can you imagine scuba diving in Cuba? I can, and I hope I will.

Becca

"RicodJour" wrote in message
...
On Jan 3, 9:22 am, "Tom K" wrote:

Doesn't a different culture count for anything? I know I'd like to
see someplace where Detroit Big Iron from the 50's was still being
driven daily. It'd be like a page from the past, but the
deterioration from age and economic punishment would make it look like
an alternative-future today.

Hundreds of thousands if not millions of Americans have been to every
place you mentioned. Being one of the first to visit a recently
opened port - any port - is enough to get a fair number of people on a
ship.

I don't think the question was posed as "would you like Cuba as a port
more than others half a world away?", so I don't really understand the
Mediterranean/fjords thing.

R


The question was "are you looking forward to going there?" If I simply said
"No", people might think that I don't really want to go there - which isn't
true. If I said "Yes", people might think I'm really excited about going
there. Instead I qualified my answer. Yes I'd like to go there, but not
nearly as much as a place like the Med.

As far as the culture, I think I'd rather see the cultures around the Greek
Isles. Or even some place like North Africa (Egypt/Morocco). I've been to
Puerto Rico a good 50-60 times on business and vacation over the years.
I've experience quite a bit of the Latin culture in the Caribbean,
understanding that there are differences between Cuban and Puerto Rican
culture. I even have an uncle who's Cuban, so I grew up on foods like fried
sweet plantain, guava and cream cheese, rice and beans. I view Cuba as just
another island in the Caribbean. I've done around 40+ cruises. 2 Were in
Europe, and 1 was a crossing. And I think 9 were Bermuda. That leaves
almost 30 cruises in the Caribbean. I've done the Southern, the Eastern,
and the Western Caribbean, so I've hit many of the islands. Cuba would just
be another one to add to the list. I'd look forward to seeing it, but it's
not something that really excites me like other parts of the world would.
In fact, I'd probably put close-by ports like Bermuda, Cozumel, Cayman, St.
John USVI, Bonaire, Curacao, and Barbados higher on the "looking forward to"
list than Cuba. Just because I already know that I really like them. So
they're "safe bets".

--Tom

Tom K wrote:
"RicodJour" wrote in message
...
On Jan 3, 9:22 am, "Tom K" wrote:

Doesn't a different culture count for anything? I know I'd like to
see someplace where Detroit Big Iron from the 50's was still being
driven daily. It'd be like a page from the past, but the
deterioration from age and economic punishment would make it look like
an alternative-future today.

Hundreds of thousands if not millions of Americans have been to every
place you mentioned. Being one of the first to visit a recently
opened port - any port - is enough to get a fair number of people on a
ship.

I don't think the question was posed as "would you like Cuba as a port
more than others half a world away?", so I don't really understand the
Mediterranean/fjords thing.

R


The question was "are you looking forward to going there?" If I simply said
"No", people might think that I don't really want to go there - which isn't
true. If I said "Yes", people might think I'm really excited about going
there. Instead I qualified my answer. Yes I'd like to go there, but not
nearly as much as a place like the Med.

As far as the culture, I think I'd rather see the cultures around the Greek
Isles. Or even some place like North Africa (Egypt/Morocco). I've been to
Puerto Rico a good 50-60 times on business and vacation over the years.
I've experience quite a bit of the Latin culture in the Caribbean,
understanding that there are differences between Cuban and Puerto Rican
culture. I even have an uncle who's Cuban, so I grew up on foods like fried
sweet plantain, guava and cream cheese, rice and beans. I view Cuba as just
another island in the Caribbean. I've done around 40+ cruises. 2 Were in
Europe, and 1 was a crossing. And I think 9 were Bermuda. That leaves
almost 30 cruises in the Caribbean. I've done the Southern, the Eastern,
and the Western Caribbean, so I've hit many of the islands. Cuba would just
be another one to add to the list. I'd look forward to seeing it, but it's
not something that really excites me like other parts of the world would.
In fact, I'd probably put close-by ports like Bermuda, Cozumel, Cayman, St.
John USVI, Bonaire, Curacao, and Barbados higher on the "looking forward to"
list than Cuba. Just because I already know that I really like them. So
they're "safe bets".

--Tom


Tom, you could have easily said "I am looking forward to going." Then if
anyone cared for qualification they would ask.

This thread is about Cuba. I am looking forward to going. Anyone need
qualification of my answer, just ask.

Clay

"George Leppla" wrote in message
...
Here is a "What if" to start off the year.....


It would depend on the total "package". Seeing Russia after the Cold War was
of interest itself - but it was things like the museums and landmarks that
made it totally worth while. My wife and I tend to pick cruise related tours
that feature some learning experience - the local culture, geography,
historical sites etc. as opposed to things llike a nice beach since we can
do that at home. Many of the islands are somewhat the same which leaves no
single port a driver in selecting the specific route. I've never been to
Cuba, but based on movies and books etc it must have been essentially a Las
Vegas East before Castro. It won't return to that so I'm not sure what it
can be in the post Castro era.

Val
Kraut

"Val Kraut" wrote in message
...

"George Leppla" wrote in message
...
Here is a "What if" to start off the year.....


It would depend on the total "package". Seeing Russia after the Cold War
was of interest itself - but it was things like the museums and landmarks
that made it totally worth while. My wife and I tend to pick cruise
related tours that feature some learning experience - the local culture,
geography, historical sites etc. as opposed to things llike a nice beach
since we can do that at home. Many of the islands are somewhat the same
which leaves no single port a driver in selecting the specific route.
I've never been to Cuba, but based on movies and books etc it must have
been essentially a Las Vegas East before Castro. It won't return to that
so I'm not sure what it can be in the post Castro era.

Val
Kraut
I would love to go to Cuba, I was mesmerized just cruising by it!