The Caribbean in four islands
Welcome, bienvenutti, welcome, bievenus... From the public address, the MSC Opera welcomes us on board in seven languages, Russian and Japanese included. The crew also seems to smile in seven languages . With their immaculate uniforms, she remains attentive to facilitate any help that expedites boarding. In the sticky tropical midnight of the port of Old Havana a contagious collective euphoria is breathed. It is not for less, we are at the beginning of a journey of emotions that will take us, at cruising speed, from the capital of Cuba to some of the most desirable islands in the Caribbean: Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel , in the Mexican Riviera Maya, the so-called greater Antilles. Four islands, four countries, in eight days.
The journey promises hours of sunshine on the lounger and an open bar of strawberry daiquiris when it's already cold at home and the days are short, beaches so white and soft that they look like flour, dips in waterfalls and coral reefs, visits to Mayan ruins and duty-free shopping . And for appetizer and dessert: Havana .
Ocemar wears suit and shirt by Dsquared2 and shoes by Jimmy Choo
My cabin – now it is called a cabin – is on the penultimate deck, 12, baptized with the suggestive name of La Boheme , one stair away from the swimming pools and the 'exclusive solarium'. It is a suite with a small living area and a generous terrace; no portholes, but a window sir , and a giant bed. It will be a privileged vantage point to see sailing and arriving at the port and a comfortable refuge when the animation outside becomes excessive.
Despite the numbers 2,153 passengers, 750 crew, 275 meters long , that is, long, almost 30 sleeve, width, and 54 height -, the MSC Opera she is a discreet sized boat, perfect for navigating the shallow waters of these areas of the Caribbean. In fact, it is almost half the size of the new generation of mega cruise ships that the Italian shipping company has almost ready in the shipyards. For example, the **MSC Meraviglia**, which will be launched in June next year, will have the capacity to 5,700 people and will have a museum of classical and contemporary art, the first on board a ship, and with a theater designed to host Cirque du Soleil shows.
Recently renovated, our MSC Opera It has everything a discerning traveler could need, from a library to miniature golf to a running track to a pool with a playground. I find it comfortable, human, familiar and not at all ostentatious; seems tailor made for a novice cruiser like me.
This is how comfortable and spacious the MSC Opera suites are
I have to admit it: I do not give the profile of a cruise passenger to use. I move with difficulty in large groups, I enjoy changing hotels every night and one of my recurring nightmares is arriving at the port just as my ship has already sailed. But, since we are honest: who has not ever fantasized about going on a cruise? I, of course, have done it many times.
All things considered, cruises are an excellent opportunity to delve into the complexity of human behavior, including, or above all, one's own. I want to blend in with the crowd and experience what makes cruising one of the fastest growing sectors of the travel market. I want to go to all the performances, to see the acrobats, the dancers and the Elvis impersonators. I want to play bingo – yes, it is also in seven languages – and learn to dance cumbia and merengue, and to cut fruit into animal shapes. You may even win a pinch at the casino. And I want to come back tanned. But, above all, I want to know Havana Or at least catch a glimpse of it. Nowadays, MSC Cruises It is the only international shipping company that gives the opportunity to sleep in Havana, the great attraction of this cruise.
In total, there are two nights in the city: about 40 hours at the beginning and seven at the end . Forty-seven hours that, in a city like Havana, where life is lived in large sips, can be enough for a movie; even for a series of several seasons. In 47 hours there is time to have many good conversations and to enter the hearts of many people. It gives time to take many photos, to fall in love several times, to laugh and cry, to face bureaucracies, to cross the facades, to discover several Havanas, to go to the beach and to dance until the Malecón dries up. Forty-seven hours in Havana are enough to verify that in Cuba, despite the changes, everything moves so slowly that, sometimes, it doesn't even move.
be a passenger of MSC Opera means staying in the heart of Old Havana. At the very door of the cruise terminal, in front of the Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, dozens of colorful Chevrolets and Cadillacs from the 1950s, some convertibles, offer panoramic rides up the Malecón, down the Malecón. Those who prefer to walk just have to cross the square and get carried away by the life of Old Havana.
In Havana everything moves so slowly...
Children play baseball in the street and tourists take photos with old cigar vendors and drink daiquiris in honor of Hemingway at the Floridita. Since the 1970s, Old Havana has gradually been recovering its colonial treasures, rehabilitating squares, churches and patios and giving new uses to abandoned buildings. Now there are new bars, new art galleries, new shops –although it is still almost impossible to pay with a credit card– and different versions are heard (in a low voice) about the recent dismissal of the main person responsible for this restoration process, the historian Eusebio Loyal. In Cuba there is no need to try to understand: things are as they are.
Before leaving, I already miss her. We set sail slowly, with the skyline of the city tinted by the golden light of sunset. But on cruise ships there is no place for nostalgia: tonight is our first gala dinner and photo session with the captain and his officers.
Variety of blues in Jamaica
We sail southeast along the southern coast of Cuba towards Montego Bay, Jamaica, 646 nautical miles, where we will arrive first thing in the morning the day after tomorrow. The day of navigation is indicated for relax and enjoy the boat and to take advantage of deals in stores and on spa treatments. Of the thirteen covers of the MSC Opera, nine are for passengers. On decks five and six are the reception, the shops, the a la carte restaurants, the children's area, the casino and the theater. In the three superior ones, the common outdoor spaces, the swimming pools, the buffet, the suites and the spa. The rest of the cabins, with and without balcony, with more or less partial views or directly without a window, are distributed between decks seven and ten.
The program of activities and entertainment is overwhelming: games, tournaments, classes, performances . Without leaving the pool, the morning starts early with an aerobics class, followed by a 'guess the age' game and a beauty demonstration. Then, merengue class, beer festival and conga class. At noon, mega bingo and, in the afternoon, demonstration of sculptures with fruits and vegetables, table football tournament... Exhausted, I retire to read – you read a lot on cruise ships – to the peaceful solarium, reserved for the most privileged passengers. Echoes of cheers and applause reach me. It's the Miss MSC Opera pick!
MSC Opera
"Those who have the number 19, attention, follow me!" . A small, energetic woman with a strong Cuban accent ushers us inside the van. "Here in Jamaica, everything is ' No problem' ; nature and ' No problem ’. And if there are, they smoke their joint and that's it, ”he continues half jokingly and half seriously. Silvia Calleja is our local guide on the excursion to the Dunn's River Falls , almost two hours from Montego Bay. With her funny and didactic monologue, the guide not only manages to liven up our journey, but more than compensates for the disappointment of the falls. The popular waterfalls, which at one time must have been idyllic, they are a trap for cruisers where the fun is to keep your dignity and all your bones in place by climbing up the slippery rocks against the current . Despite everything, I admit that I had a great time.
The new highway, a gift from the European Union, passes through resorts and golf courses, historic plantations and the school where Usain Bolt studied, today with the latest technology thanks to donations from the athlete. A little further on is **the bay where Columbus landed (Discovery Bay) ** and then the one from which he fled **(Runaway Bay) **. "Bob Marley was born and buried in those mountains, in Nine Miles County," Silvia tells us. “The best marijuana in the world is grown up there” , she assures. "It's because of the bauxite in the earth, an essential mineral for the production of nickel and cobalt." Listening to her makes me feel lucky to have had to follow number 19. At night, at dinner –dress code: all in white– I recognize the faces of my companions from laughter and slips. The cruise ship is changing from an anonymous space to becoming a camp full of new friends from all over the world. I can't stop humming One love, one heart.
In Jamaica everything is music
Suddenly, the week passes with the speed with which you see the days full of things flee. Yesterday we climbed waterfalls in the jungle and today we snorkel among colorful fish in the coral reefs of Grand Cayman . We hover near a pretend pirate ship, moored in front of the dock to create atmosphere. The island, a British Overseas Territory, is the fifth largest financial and banking center in the world, home to hundreds of banks, insurers and investment fund managers. In this tax-free tax haven there are more businesses registered than people.
At first sight, Grand Cayman reminds me more of a _bad_l American than the piece of Caribbean paradise I imagined . Fast food chains and luxury brands coexist with bougainvillea and pastel-colored facades on the streets of george town , the capital. I would have liked to get closer to Queen Elizabeth II Botanical Garden, Let's see if I could run into the very rare blue iguana among the tropical exuberance, and take a picture with the Batmobile that is exhibited in the peculiar Cayman Motor Museum, owned by a wealthy Norwegian collector, but four hours in port are not enough and, put to choose, who wouldn't prefer to go to the beach? And not just any beach, but one of the most beautiful and famous in the Caribbean. crescent shaped , powder-soft sand and misleading name, the beach of the seven miles There are five and a half miles, about nine kilometers, on which luxury resorts, private villas and beach clubs such as Tiki Beach, a concentration of loungers and tropical fruit punches, follow one another. I take a short nap under the palm trees and dream that a sea turtle indicates the position of an old pirate treasure.
Beach by Dunn's River Falls
The lightning that illuminated the horizon last night was not a mirage. A northern front approaches and the sea, slightly turquoise from Cozumel, It has dawned a scrambled gray more typical of the Baltic. Although the sun is rising little by little and returns its hues to the sea, today is definitely not a day at the beach. Neither of getting on a boat to cross to the continent to visit the Mayan temples of Tulum . Fortunately, Cozumel has an interest of its own. It is preferable to approach the site of San Gervasio by jeep, one of the few cities that withstood the fall of Chichen Itza. It is also a good option to visit and shop in the beautiful town of San Miguel. Or, directly, stay enjoying on board. There are only a few hours left to leave the MSC Opera and I realize that I have not yet gone to play bingo or learned to dance the cumbia. I have a feeling that when I get back to solid ground, I will miss strawberry daiquiris and the ground will still shake under my feet.
BOOK IN ADVANCE : The earlier you book, the more important the discounts will be. The itinerary included in this report (Cuba, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Mexico) is carried out by MSC Opera and its sister, MSC Armonia, with departures on Tuesdays and Saturdays from Havana and ** prices from €999 with flights and drinks. ** Information and reservations at ** MSC Cruises **.
*This report was published in the 99th issue of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine (October). Subscribe to the printed edition (**11 printed issues and a digital version for €24.75, by calling 902 53 55 57 or from our website**) and enjoy free access to the digital version of Condé Nast Traveler for iPad. The October issue of Condé Nast Traveler is available in its digital version to enjoy on your preferred device.