Let me start by saying, Shelby and I are not “cruise people” and no offense to those who are. I can totally see the appeal. Where else is it acceptable to eat an ice cream cone or drink a Mojito while walking around the jogging track. And just for the record, I did both of those! However, our preferred method of travel is not a floating buffet. There is nothing pretentious about me not liking cruises. I am actually a very low maintenance traveler. I like to say that I “travel well”. Meaning I’m ok roughing it, not showering for a few days(4 is the most), freezing to death, burning up, sleeping at the airport for hours, packing lightly and wearing the same clothes over again…..basically, I’m up for whatever as long as it’s an authentic experience. Also, I don’t consider myself a complainer. Shelby may have a different opinion on that. I figure any travel is better than no travel and my life is not going to be lived in one place.
So why would I book a cruise for Christmas knowing it’s not my preferred method of travel?!
Well I wanted badly to go somewhere for the Holidays and this appeared to be the easiest option. Plus I was lured by the free booze. Yes, you heard me right. It was open bar for 5 days. Not sure why that even swayed me since I’m only good for a couple drinks a day. Also, just the thought of wearing a smokin’ hot one piece on the beach in December sounded fantastic. Last but definitely not least, there was Cuba. I mean who wouldn’t want to wake up on Christmas Day in a Communist country😬. Nothing says ho ho ho like Fidel Castro. And yes, I’m aware he is dead. The above combination caused my lapse in judgement. I mean I knew better! I have only been on one cruise prior and it was Alaska and with Carnival. Let’s be honest, Alaska is like the crescendo of cruises. I had a great time and it had less to do with the cruise and more to do with it being Alaska.
So here I was 4 days into this 5 day cruise, preparing myself to write a scathing review of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). My goal was that none of my friends would ever waste their hard earned money taking a NCL cruise. I was going to call them out on their mediocre at best food, the tiny shabby looking balcony room that cost way more than it should, the sewer smell throughout the ship that never went away, the fact that you had to purchase water but could get a shot of Tito’s 10x a day if you wanted. I could go on and on but none of that would’ve mattered, and I would have never said a word, had NCL kept up their end of the deal. And that deal was to get me to the places they touted on their itinerary. In other words, as long as I get my authentic experience, I couldn’t care less about the ship.
Day 2 of the cruise was supposed to be the sensible one piece(previously smokin’ hot one piece) beach day. We were to port at NCL’s private island in the Bahamas called Great Stirrup Cay. There was going to be a BBQ, Patron bar, Bacardi bar, snorkeling, kayaking, SUP’ing. The island is basically an extension of the ship which means everything is included. What a way to kick off a Christmas vacation, right?! Wrong, it was canceled the morning of. We were to arrive at 8:00 am and at 7:30 am the captain said it was too windy and we would be skipping Great Stirrup Cay. We would continue on to Nassau and arrive at 7:00 tonight versus 7:00 in the morning. In other words, I am stuck for 12 more hours on a ship I don’t particularly want to be on in the 1st place. We arrive at Nassau and get off the ship about 7:30 pm, only to return 1 hour later because all the stores downtown are closed. So to sum it up, Day 2 was a bust!
Day 3 of the cruise we are still at Nassau, having arrived last night. Luckily, I was able to get a last minute beach excursion so that sensible one piece finally got worn. Spent the day at Atlantis and at the beach. I drank a couple coconut drinks that would put hair on your chest. The Bahamian guy who was selling them said do you want your liquor light, medium, or strong. I said strong man in my best island accent. That might have been a mistake. Medium….always go with medium. We pulled out of port at 4:00 pm headed to Cuba. We were to arrive in Havana at noon on Christmas Eve.
Day 4, the day I cried not once but twice for 2 very different reasons. The plan was we were to arrive at noon and at 1:30, we would be on a 6 hour cultural tour of Havana in a 1950 something Cadillac convertible. This is what the trip was all about! My authentic experience was about to happen. I even bought a white head scarf from a Bohemian lady on the beach in Nassau. I planned to wear it with my oversized sunglasses and get a great picture of me smoking a Cohiba in the back seat of that Cadillac. Boy, did I have dreams of grandeur. At about 10:30 am, captain announces that due to an issue with the speed of the ship, we will not be arriving until 4:30 pm. Which means it will be 6:00 pm earliest that I will be off the ship. This is where the 1st tear was shed. Mainly out of frustration because now there would be no cultural tour, no fantastic vacation picture, no authentic experience. The original plan was we wouldn’t depart Havana headed home until noon on Christmas Day. So that’s 24 hours in Cuba. That’s what they advertised and part of the reason I booked. A month prior to departure, I got am email saying that we would have to leave Havana at 6:00 am on Christmas Day instead of noon. Now, looks like we will be in Cuba from 6:00 pm Christmas Eve to 6:00 am Christmas Day. Hence, no daylight time at all. NCL knew people were highly upset and even offered a 25% discount off the next cruise. My reply was it could be free and I’m still not going.
Once we arrived in Cuba, Shelby and I walked around for about 30 minutes just taking everything in. It was so beautiful, despite the poor lighting because it was nearly dark. There were a few antique horse and buggies with a driver and guide on each asking people if they wanted a tour. This setup was nowhere near as nice as the ones in Memphis. My 1st thought is I’m not sure that rig can handle Shelby and me after we’ve been on the floating buffet for 4 days! But what the heck, let’s do it. For some reason I was drawn to the Cuban tour guide with gold teeth and a baby blue Yankees hat. We hopped in and took off and spent the next 2 hours immersed in the Cuban culture and yes I got my authentic experience. Pedro’s English was often times difficult to understand but words weren’t necessarily needed. He was very transparent about the struggles of the Cuban people. There were fancy hotels being restored or already restored on every corner. One block over were concrete family homes that were crumbling and lacked windows or doors. There were what appeared to be fuel trucks lined up on the street which after asking I learned were water trucks. The water is rationed to the citizens and pumped into make shift wells. All the while tourists chug bottled water and take hot showers in their fancy hotel. I didn’t take many pictures on this trip as I thought it would be rude to make a spectacle of others suffering. Pictures wouldn’t do it justice, you needed to be in the moment. We saw the egg market where you present your ration card and get what Pedro says is 5 eggs a week. It was closed with it being so late on Christmas Eve. Or at least that’s what I thought the reason was.
Now let’s insert the 2nd tear I shed, just around the corner from the eggs, was the bread market. The line was probably 30 deep with people waiting in line to get their ration of bread for the week. It was gut wrenching to see women and children waiting in line for a loaf of bread on Christmas Eve. I immediately felt shameful. Shameful for being such a brat about this trip, shameful for riding around peering into people’s lives, and shameful for being born a citizen of the greatest country in the world. This shame subsided once I looked a little deeper. Despite what I call suffering, the Cuban people seemed happy, not ashamed. They all had Christmas trees in their crumbling homes. There were lots of cats and dogs getting their bellies rubbed. And the smell of their home cooked meals was mouth watering. However, I can’t help but think that every one of them would do anything they could to live in the US. I know I would. I am a supporter of the border wall. I believe entry into this great country needs to have a process. But I am also a supporter of immigration. This is America and the chance at a new beginning is what makes this place great. It’s the land of opportunity so why do I get the opportunity while others do not. We can’t fault these people for wanting what we were born into. It’s not their fault they don’t have the privileges we have. So be kind, it takes way less effort to be kind. And in conclusion, I will always remember that my worst day would likely be somebody’s good day.
Life of A Southern Gal 