Cruising – It’s STILL In My Blood…And I’m Glad!

Now I know…Cruising is STILL in my blood.

My Cruising Background…

Many years ago I earned the title of Master Cruise Counsellor through an organization called Cruise Lines International Association. To qualify for that title I completed a large number of individual ship inspections. I also set sail on many cruises on various cruise lines from many different ports of call.

Here I am in New York City, inspecting the QE2, the “grande dame” of the Cunard fleet at that time. The ship was just about to leave New York for an around the world sailing!  (I was SHOCKED at how much luggage was being delivered to the individual staterooms as we toured the docked vessel.) Cruising around the world? Sign me up!

I inspected ships and sailed in and out of many ports including Seattle, Portland, San Diego, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, New Orleans and Port Canaveral to name just a few. And I escorted many groups to many destinations including Alaska, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal and the Mediterranean. 

My CLIA certification also required that I write and submit several detailed cruise case studies to be graded. It was a long and rather expensive path to achieve that MCC certification and I was proud to have earned it.

I LOVED cruising. But I left the cruise travel business.

One of the reasons I left? THE INTERNET.

Some potential clients began scheduling an appointment or calling to ask me which ship and cruise line would be best for them. I would spend time researching and explaining the differences and helping those folks narrow down their choices. (The criteria for picking the right ship is more complicated than most people might think.) Were they cruising alone? With children? Celebrating a special occasion? Traveling with a group? Did anyone have special needs? There were so many questions to be asked and answered!

I happily narrowed down the choices and selected an appropriate ship, sailing date, and cabin location. Then I helped to select dining times and I recommended appropriate shore excursions. And after I finished planning that entire trip of a lifetime…that’s when some folks would walk away with my suggestions and book the cruise online themselves! (These days I’m told most travel agents charge a consulting fee up front…a very good idea!)

I don’t know about you, but I don’t know anyone who likes to work for free on a regular basis…even if they really love their job. Watching the industry change even more after the tragedy on 911 was a real wake up call. The travel industry simply wasn’t FUN anymore. It seemed foolish to work so hard and not be compensated or appreciated for the expertise I had acquired through hard work and money spent. 

So this old Meemaw hadn’t set foot onboard a ship for at least fifteen years.

What destination drew me back to the sea?

CUBA!!!

Havana has been on my “bucket list” for a very long time.

Seeing those old, tricked-out American cars and the beautiful, yet decaying architectural treasures have been a dream of mine for years. So ever since the travel restrictions had been lightened I’d been keeping my eyes open for the perfect sailing. One that would allow me to see Havana…yet on a budget. Remember-we’re retired and on a fixed income. (Spoiler Alert-This cruise was SO worth it! Wait until I share my photos and stories with all of you!)

I realized many years ago that if travel restrictions were ever lifted on Cuba, the first Americans to go would probably be cruise ship passengers. (Cruise line passengers don’t need hotels and numerous restaurants and highly developed infrastructure at a destination. The ship is the tourist’s floating hotel with numerous dining options if the port is underdeveloped.)  And I was right. As soon as our American laws allowed visits to Cuba the cruise lines were quick to add Havana to their ports of call.

UPDATE:

Within days of our return from our cruise it appears the loosened rules on Cuba travel are being tightened yet again. Most Americans may no longer be allowed to visit Cuba beginning in the near future. Check with the State Department for the current status of travel to Cuba.

Since we live in Fort Lauderdale in the winter I kept searching for a nearby cruise itinerary that would spend enough time in Havana to make the expense of the cruise worthwhile.  (We are just a stone’s throw from the ports in both Fort Lauderdale and Miami.)

Planning Our Cruise…

Several weeks before we were scheduled to head back North I stumbled onto a cruise deal we simply couldn’t pass up! (Remember…we’re on a fixed income and we’re VERY frugal travelers.)

So how did I find that super cruise deal? Why on THE INTERNET, of course! After all these years, this old Meemaw had come FULL CIRCLE on the whole Internet issue! But this time I used it to MY advantage!

Norwegian Cruise Line was offering a four night sailing on their newly refurbished Norwegian Sky. (The 2,004 passenger vessel itinerary showed the ship docked for a full 24 hours in Havana before cruising to the Bahamas to spend a day on NCL’s private island.

I had a flashback to THIS private island experience I enjoyed so many years ago…

I hadn’t cruised on Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL for short) since Peepaw and I took our sons on the SS Norway when they were little. So I felt as if I was planning my maiden voyage on NCL all over again! Heck, our previous cruise was so long ago that NCL didn’t even list the old Norway as ever being part of their fleet!

I jumped online and began to do some research, and I quickly became overwhelmed! That’s when I decided to call NCL directly. Surely I could find a real person who could help me wade through all the details.  (Yes Dear Readers, there is still a place in the travel industry for product knowledge and professional expertise!)

Let’s just say we won the “Customer Service Lottery” when I placed that call to NCL! Lori answered my call, and she was a JOY to work with! She took all the time I needed to get up to speed with the new cruise booking requirements and to assist us in every way possible. She was amazing! (And BTW…I can “hook you up” with her too if cruising is in your future.)

Cruising to Cuba  was more complicated than a typical Caribbean on Bahamas cruise. There are strict government regulations and the special Visa required to disembark there. But Lori made sure to expedite and double check our paperwork since we were booking our cruise so close to our sailing date. Of course a valid passport was also required as well.

And speaking of paperwork…I bet you can see why I was quick to let Lori take the lead on this sailing!!! (Human customer service is STILL a ‘thing’ in MY book!) 

I was totally shocked at how much of the cruise booking process is now done totally online…and done by the cruise passengers themselves! I printed our cruise voucher, shore excursions and even our ship luggage tags on our printer at our condo. What a shock to this old-time cruiser!

In the old days all cruise documents were sent to my office. Then I would take my clients to lunch or out for “happy hour”. We would sit together and go through all the paperwork to ensure smooth sailing. Sadly, I guess those days must be gone forever. But my loyal clients loved the TLC I provided.

In just a few days it was time to cruise! We planned to carry on our luggage, but I attached the luggage tags just in case of a boarding snag.

We threw our bags in the trunk and locked our condo door. And we made the short drive to Miami to begin our adventure! 

And what a fantastic adventure it turned out to be.

Stay tuned…I’m just getting started!