A December Caribbean Cruise

Dan and I enjoyed our previous cruise along California’s coast, during which we learned that the destination and journey were equally interesting.  For this year’s cruise, December seemed like the ideal month to escape the stresses of life and the Cleveland winter and head for warmer climes.   Not wanting to be away too long, we chose a five-night Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas, with stops in Key West and Havana, Cuba. 

After a half-century long economic boycott, which utterly failed to advance America’s strategic interest and was ended by the Obama Administration, Cuba is once again a legal and increasingly popular destination for American tourists.  As Havana’s port cannot accommodate today’s gigantic mega-ships, Majesty of the Seas was our means of entry.  Majesty is among the oldest of Royal Caribbean’s active fleet of over two dozen ships, and among the smallest.  As I’d read negative reviews of this ship on Cruise Critic and other sites, I did not have high expectations.  But I was pleasantly surprised by several aspects of life on an older, smaller ship.  First, the crew to passenger ratio allows for more personalized service.  The ship’s tour we took on our second day made clear that even small ships require constant care and meticulous planning.  Our room attendant, Herman from Nicaragua, made sure our small cabin (7546, with an ocean view) was kept clean and orderly.

At dinner each night, we had the same waiter and assistant, Cany from India and Shandy from the Philippines, in the Starlight dining room.  The food there was never less than very good and at times excellent, if a bit mainstream.  Each course was delivered with optimal timing – we were neither left waiting nor feeling rushed.  The Windjammer buffet was about what one would expect of a mid-level buffet restaurant.  We only used it for quick breakfasts and our initial meal after boarding.  Again, the attentiveness of the service will win over all but the most jaded.  There are a few more options for the hungry: Sorrento’s offers nearly round the clock pizza of middling quality; Compass Deli has Continental breakfast, lunch sandwiches (including about the best egg-salad sandwich I’ve ever eaten) and light desserts; and Johnny Rockets – a 1950s style burger joint which costs extra.  I would not recommend the latter.  

In the end, I thought of Majesty as akin to an old pair of leather shoes: a bit scuffed, maybe resoled a few times, but familiar, and comfortable to walk in for miles. 

Dan and our transportation

Most cruises schedule LGBT+ mixers and this was no exception.  But the location, the rather loud Schooner bar, was not suited and an enterprising cruiser (we never found out who) posted a “friends of Dorothy” mixer in the Viking bar, where we made some interesting new friends.  This was an opportunity to meet people of similar interests, without resorting to a chartered gay cruise, which tends to be ridiculously expensive, decadent, and would not appeal to Dan or me. 

After a full day of cruising Tuesday, we docked in Key West early Wednesday morning.  The only previous time I’d been in Key West was 1979 – when I was 12 years old.  I visited with my father, his mother, and my sister.  Over the years I’d heard and read much about Key West, but never got around to visiting.   Dan and I disembarked from Majesty at 8:30, made a quick trip to CVS to pick up a few supplies, and then headed to the Little White House.  Our tour guide, Bill, was knowledgeable as he showed us around the house.  It was charming to see how modestly earlier Presidents vacationed as opposed to current times.  The tour included a documentary video about President Truman’s numerous visits here – I was surprised to learn he’d returned to Key West as late as 1969.  (Less welcome was the large amount of Trump oriented items in the museum gift shop.  Anyone who claims Truman would be a Republican or would have supported the likes of Donald Trump has no grasp of history or of Truman’s political views.  The 33^rd President was so far to the left economically that he would align closely with Bernie Sanders.  He was for nationalized health care (aka Single-Payer), called for a broad-based Civil Rights bill, desegregated the military, and favored a top tax rate of 90%.  He almost lost the election of 1948 for the above positions.  He was also strongly against Russian expansionism and would be aghast at the way many Republicans are now catering to Vladimir Putin and his oligarchs.)   

At the Little White House

By the time our tour had completed, stores were beginning to open and we stopped for a quick snack at Glazed Donuts & Red Buoy Coffee.  Then we walked the length of Duval Street and saw some interesting, as well as disturbing sights. 

Key West is a popular LGBT destination, but many ways represents a crasser side of gay “culture” that does not appeal to me.   Dan and I strolled by T-shirt shops featuring clothing we’d never wear in public, and saw a rather pathetic old man in a bizarre S&M Christmas getup.  I’ve been out of the closet since I was 18, am unafraid to hold my husband’s hand in public, but have no desire to cater to the lowest common denominator – no matter the location. 

After a bit of shopping, it was time for lunch.  Our initial selection, Sloppy Joes, was overly crowded, so we found a nearby Mexican restaurant, Amigos, where we enjoyed lunch before heading back to the ship in anticipation of our cruise’s main event – 90 miles south.

On Duval Street

I was too excited to sleep much that night, and by 5:30am I was on deck as our ship quietly made her way into Havana Harbor.  There was very little traffic on the Malecon, save for a classic car which honked at us as the driver waved.  I waved back.  After snapping some pictures, I went to grab breakfast with Dan before we encountered numerous instances of “hurry up & wait”.  We made our way to the theatre, then waited at least a half-hour before we departed the ship.  The lines at Sierra Maestra terminal moved at a reasonable pace, the border agent stamped my passport, took my photo, and welcomed me to Cuba.  Dan and I changed our money for Cuban CUCs – the currency designated for tourists.  (To get a better rate, before leaving Cleveland, Dan had changed his money for Euros and I changed mine for Canadian dollars.)  Then it was more waiting until we boarded our tour bus and met our guide, Daily (pronounced DYE-lee).  She was very knowledgeable as she guided us to the Cristo de la Habana statue, La Cabaña fortress, Colon Cemetery, San Jose market (where the vendors can haggle like born capitalists), and the Plaza de la Revolución.  Although by now the official tour was complete, Daily offered to extend it, and those of us who opted to stay on were driven to La Moneda Cubana – one of the private restaurants that have sprung up in Cuba in recent years.  Meals there run about $20 per person, and Dan and I enjoyed about the best meal we’ve ever had at that price point.   To top things off, we were even treated to live music.  Truly an experience!

Entering Havana Harbor

Havana's statue of Christ - who looks like 

he's holding a cigar in one hand and a mojito in the other

The meal at La Monda Cubana - about to be consumed

Dan with our tour guide

My overall impression of Havana was that of a city which has definitely seen better days, but that’s on the mend (new construction and refurbishment of existing structures were happening all around).  The infrastructure was not as bad as we’d been told, and some of the roads are in better shape than their Ohio counterparts.  The most disappointing site was the constant presence of litter, and I saw several people – not tourists – tossing wrappers to the ground.  Nonetheless, the Cubans we encountered were nice to each other and to newcomers alike.  We plan to return.

Our time in Havana was originally scheduled to run from Thursday at 8:00am until Friday at 1:00pm.  Owing to weather conditions, that was not to be, and we left Thursday at 6:30pm.  So, Dan and I were unable to sample Havana’s nightlife or explore the city much beyond our scheduled tour.  On the other hand, there were those whose tours were cancelled.  The weather diversion turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the Majesty’s sister ship, Empress of the Seas, also diverted, undertook a rescue operation that saved the lives of two sailors who’d been lost for 20 days. 

After a windy Friday at sea, Dan and I disembarked Saturday morning.  As our flight wasn’t scheduled until 9:00 that evening, we had plenty of time to kill.  On the advice of our fellow gay travelers, we decided to check out Wilton Manors, known for its gay community.   What was intended as a diversion became some of the most enjoyable time of our trip.  Our first stop was Java Boys for some coffee and pastries.  Then we stopped at Georgie’s Alibi where we enjoyed drinks and a performance by some very talented drag performers.  Unlike some gay men, Dan and I are not hung up on ourselves and our masculinity is not threatened by the drag scene.  I don’t think I’d ever be happy in a place like Winton Manors.  Variety in all its forms – food, surroundings, leisure, people – has always been the spice in my life.  But it’s a lovely place to visit.

With some new friends

Our flight home was delayed, giving us extra time to conclude that Fort Lauderdale has about the worst airport this side of La Guardia.  Terminal restaurants are generic fast food.  There was one charging station which was out of order.  I’ll never complain about Hopkins again.

20th and 21st Century American music at Severance

Leonard Bernstein once declared “Music is never about anything – music just IS.”  Granted, this was at one of his Young People’s Concerts and perhaps he was simplifying to make a point.  But his statement was as absolutist as it was counterfactual.  The literature contains a panoply of music in which a program is either implied or explicit.  Last night at Severance Hall, composer John Adams and violinist Leila Josefowicz presented an evening of explicit program music from the 20^th and 21^st Centuries.

Adams has been referred to as a minimalist composer, but I feel that label is limiting.  While Short Ride on a Fast Machine, which opened the program, lightly wears a minimalist garb, the composer applies the method as a means to an end.  The perpetual motion that characterizes the work allowed each section of the orchestra to shine – in particular the brass and percussion.

Aaron Copland’s Quiet City was in marked contrast to Short Ride, a study in stillness.  Michael Sachs trumpet and Robert Walters English horn floated above the orchestra without calling attention to themselves. 

Adams presented the Suite from Appalachian Spring as the ballet score that it is, stripping it clean of the treacly schmaltz too many conductors have foisted upon the work.  The orchestra responded with wonderfully transparent strings, spiky balances, and bracing rhythms.

As much as I adore the music, I am as appalled by the program behind Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade as John Adams noted in spoken remarks.  His response is Scheherazade.2, a symphony for violin and orchestra which owes nothing to minimalism - in which the character takes control of her story, struggles for, and attains freedom.  Violinist Leila Josefowicz did more than perform the work, she inhabited the title role as an empowered version of the story teller.  Josefowicz did more than navigated the work’s technical challenges without any sense of strain, she convincingly brought forth the work’s emotional content.  Adams and the orchestra furnished a collaboration – not a mere accompaniment – which made the work more than the sum of its parts.  In particular, percussionist Mark Damoulakis’ mastery of the vibraphone and Chester Englander on the cimbalom provided for some atmospheric color.  The audience’s silence during the performance and sustained ovation afterward were earned.