The Tropicana - A Night Like No Other

I'm guessing that no trip to Havana is really complete without a visit to the Tropicana, a cabaret style nightclub launched in 1939.  A seat at the Tropicana doesn't come cheap, but the show is spectacular - and the rum and coke is supplied with your admission. 

The Tropicana has always been known for its showgirls, conga sounds, and flashy, spectacular productions.  Over the years it has been associated with mob figures, celebrities, spectacular landscaping and architecture.  Nat King Cole, Xavier Cugat, Carmen Miranda and many other well known entertainers have graced its main stage. Desi Arnaz modeled his fictional Tropicana on the "I Love Lucy" TV show after the famous cabaret in Havana, and the list of stars who flocked to its shows included Ernest Hemingway, Jimmy Durante, Maurice Chevalier, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Marlon Brando.  All of Las Vegas can be said to have been modeled on this successful formula. 

Shows include a chorus line of 50 and the dancers often perform on catwalks among the trees.  The sights, sounds, colors, movement, costumes and some of the most beautiful dancers on the planet make it a "must see" for visitors.   Today the Tropicana's clientele is mostly comprised of visitors to the island, the pricing being beyond the means of most Cuban citizens.  The casino gambling has been eradicated with the current regime, gambling being outlawed in Cuba.  But the shows go on and they are exceptional, accompanied by a huge, live orchestra.  Put this on your "once in a lifetime" list ... it's worth it!   

And if you are ready to book YOUR trip to Cuba, don't forget to call me at 305-361-6772!!

Havana, Havana, Havana!

Did I mention we were going to Havana?!

I couldn't believe that we were actually walking on Cuban soil.  Last I knew of my family traveling to Cuba was in the 1940's.   There was a photo on the wall of my Mom's house for over 40 years of her, my Dad, another couple and a complete stranger - we think he was the tour guide - in Sloppy Joe's bar.  It was a great photo of mom back in the day when she was quite a beauty (and I can say that because others have told me so, not just because she was my mom).  We drove past Sloppy Joe's, which is open again after about 40 years, but did not have the opportunity to stop in.  That, in fact, is the point of my next paragraph.

The limited time we had in Cuba was almost entirely taken up with tours that were Far. Too. Long.   Kate and I signed up for the Hemingway Tour, which was intended to run between six and eight hours.  It could easily have been done in three. Maybe 2 ½. We had been advised that in order to get our Cuban visas we were required to book a tour through the ship.  This turns out to be misleading as we spoke to people on the ship who went ashore on their own, rather than take a Holland America sponsored tour.  They still had to pay for the visa, but didn't have to book the tour through the cruise line.  Hemingway's house is interesting and I'm more than happy I saw it.  However Hemingway was also well known for the bars he hung out in - from Rome to Cuba to Key West and I'm sure there were more in Spain, Africa, etc. - but I didn't feel it was necessary to visit - and have a drink in - nearly each one he patronized in Cuba.  Even the drinkers in our group were ready to mutiny by the last bar.  And the two hour plus lunch in a closed-to-the-public museum felt way too extended by the time we all got out of there (one member of the group fell asleep at the table).  We weren't allowed to see the museum, just the restaurant, and over two hours is entirely too much for a simple lunch.  Everyone was itching to move along.

A few photos of Hemingway's house (you are not allowed to go in, but can take photos through the open (screen-less) windows. 

 The house is situated at the top of a hill with panoramic views over the neighborhood, all the way to the ocean.  The property includes a large garage with guest house, pool, tennis court, cock-fighting ring (it was popular in the day), and Hemingway's old boat, a Wheeler named the Pilar.   The house is built to catch the trade winds and offers cross breezes in every room.  There are hundreds of books on bookshelves throughout the home as well as magazines featuring Hemingway on the cover. 

Guest house and Garage (under restoration)

The Pilar, registered in Key West

Cojimar, the Pilar was docked right next to this small fortress. 

Following the tour of the Hemingway property we went on to Cojimar where he kept the Pilar, and wrote a great deal of The Old Man and the Sea.  Cojimar is a very picturesque seaside village with a statue of Hemingway in the main square, and (naturally) a bar that he used to frequent.  Yes, we stopped there too.  

Please don't take my comments the wrong way, I LOVED seeing Hemingway's home, visiting Cojimar, driving through Havana, etc.  I just personally would have liked to have done it more quickly, allowing for more time to do other things; like ride around in a 1950's Chevy, visit some of the open museums,  squares, architecturally significant buildings, walk along the Malecón,  visit the fort, that sort of thing.  I wanted to have my picture taken in Sloppy Joe's.  And did I mention time to go shopping?  There wasn't going to be any until us tourists staged a minor revolt. 

Anyway, the bottom line is simply that there could be more, shorter tours, leaving time for other activities - in this tourist's humble opinion.  All that aside, if you have a chance to go to Cuba - don't let it pass you by!  Worth the wait, worth the anticipation, worth the experience.  I'm still shaking my head in disbelief that I can actually say I've been there now.  I could start sentences with "When I was in Cuba ..." or "I really liked that day in Cuba when ..." or even "The 1950's cars I saw when I went to Cuba ...".  Not bad!!

By 6:30 we were back on the ship, in time to shower, dress and head off for THE TROPICANA!  What a night, what a show ... but you'll have to wait for tomorrow's blog!  

No souvenir of the day ... time to shop was limited. 

Cozumel Today, Next Stop Havana!

Another day, another 1 1/2 hours in the gym!  I'm outdoing my goals this trip!

Cozumel is recommended for the diving, snorkeling and copious drinking.  Of course there are the requisite silver jewelry stores (seems like hundreds of them!), and t-shirt shops, but don't come here for the culture, museums, historical monuments, etc.  A little lacking in that regard.

So today I replaced the Cozumel T-shirt I accidentally got bleach on about two years ago, am thinking about buying a bottle of vanilla, and successfully resisted any more silver jewelry because I seldom (pretty much never) wear it.  Spent some time wandering around with Kate taking photos and then back to the ship.  I've been to Cozumel a couple of times and what seems to change the most is that the vendors are getting more aggressive.  God bless them, they're just trying to make a living like you and me.

Although I can't currently speak for the other ships, I feel as if Holland America is milking this ship for all they can.  Buy your robe in the cabin and they will monogram it for $24, take home a beach towel for about the same - if you don't return it to your cabin you will be charged.  They have sectioned off areas that used to be the buffet for "optional" dining venues at additional cost, you can attend a lecture on foot health and posture where they will try to sell you orthotics,  exercise classes are at an extra fee... there is a bit of complaining about them having their hands in the passenger's pockets at every opportunity.  Even the "On Deck for a Cause" - a 5K walkathon around the promenade deck that you get a t-shirt for completing costs $20 to join.  I wonder how much is going to the American Cancer Society

Maybe it's better to upgrade to a luxury cruise line such as Regent Seven Seas or Cunard where the initial cruise fare is higher, but there is far more included in the onboard experience without quite the degree of nickel and diming.   I understand the cruise lines are in it for the profit, as a stockholder I appreciate that, but in the long run I'm afraid they may be alienating long term clients. . Even the fountain drink card (for this Diet Coke addict) is no longer good for unlimited refills.  Harrumph!

But our steward provides the usual level of outstanding service,  the towel animals are great - so far we've had a crab, an elephant and this, which I think is a dinosaur and Kate says is a turtle.  And I've forgotten to mention the food which is uniformly excellent!



And for the weird souvenir of the day:  would you bring this home???

In Grand Cayman

Hard to do this from a cell phone, but we are tendering in Grand Cayman and I just can’t see myself going back to the ship, back on shore with my laptop, and then dragging the darn thing to the Internet cafe.  This will have to do for the moment.

The ship (Holland America Veendam) is old but well maintained; most newer ships can’t call on Cuba because they’re too big and Cuban ports don’t have the infrastructure to handle them.  Exceptions that come to mind are the Pearl Seas and Viking Ocean Cruises,  but that would be a longer blog.  The only Cuba stop on this voyage will be Havana, and that’s what I wanted. I’d say that a good 80% of the passengers onboard are here for the 2-days in Havana at the end of the sailing. Grand Cayman and Cozumel are incidental.

On the flip side the tour to Chichen Itza that I was excited about was cancelled so I’m a bit disappointed.  This is the third time I’ve tried to get to Chichen Itza from Cozumel without luck.  Maybe the Mayan gods don’t like Irishmen.

Am off to exchange $ for Euros,  yep there are plenty of banks in Grand Cayman.  Then I will avoid the additional 10% they charge to exchange $ into CUCs in Cuba.  Euros don’t get that 10% charge.

This would be a better blog with photos.  Will lug the laptop ashore in Cozumel.  Doing my 45 min a day in the gym, can’t eat all the bacon & sausage I want because you can’t serve yourself and I’m too ashamed to look like a pig by asking for more that I’m only have a normal serving.  Just as well, God does not want me to star on “My 600 Lb. Life”.  Even my Diet Coke habit is being curtailed.

So much more to say, great towel animals in cabin, nickel & diming on ship, met great new friends, Kate is a terrific roomie, food is excellent, but a cell phone is not the best device for blogging.  More to come from Cozumel.