VidaNaPraia

What a condescending attitude you have. You obviously think you are better than normal people. I'm going out of my way to be empathetic to other people- you can bother to do the same. It would be helpful as opposed to insulting. I actually empathize with people who want to visit Cuba but are intimidated by it. That's not saying that I am. But that I put effort into understanding why others are, and how to work with it so that they, too, can have a worry free trip to Havana.

 

And you make a LOT of assumptions for others, including me, that are completely wrong. Please stop.

What I have are Cuban friends on the island whose views I listen to.

What I have are Cuban friends in the US who are not grudge holders.

What I have is an attitude toward travel that is not based on fear.

What I have is a view informed by lots of reading, including of those who have spent a lot of time in Cuba.

What I have is a respect for the Cuban people.

What you have is a view promulgating ways of thinking and acting that are not beneficial to Cuban people on the island, not beneficial to an understanding of the culture, not beneficial to good future relations between the two countries. Please stop.

The "other people" who you are "empathizing with" are foreign tourists coming into another country purportedly to support the people of that country, not put money into the pockets of Americans at the expense of those locals. My sympathies are with the locals and with travelers who care enough to inform themselves wisely..

There is no excuse for not doing due diligence before traveling. In this day and age,there exists an internet with lots of information, some of it sound; one needs to discriminate good advice from bad though. That is how you have a worry free trip.

Or don't bother to travel to countries that "intimidate" you and then give advice based on fear and ignorance.

Cuba may be safe, but it's human nature to not think so until you visit.

What a sad attitude, to be scared of the world before you even know it.

Havana is so new to people that there is no reference, other than a handful of people reporting what they did and saw. It was not long ago that it was illegal for Cuban citizens to be seen with tourists. And not long before that, we had a cold war, which turned into a few shooting wars with Cuba. So it's not at all a stretch to be intimidated by Havana, even if there's no basis to.

There are thousands of posts online from people (Americans included) who have been going to Cuba for decades, including on the very mainstream Trip Advisor. It is a very popular destination with tourists from "the rest of the world" . Sorry you continue to be brainwashed by ancient Cold War propaganda and Miami grudge-holders, and choose to continue to espouse very outdated thinking.

You may be surprised that to make a reservation for a Casa Particulare- the best way of doing that is using Airbnb.

I would be VERY SURPRISED to find that out.

There are dozens of casa particular agencies based in Cuba, very easy to communicate with. If you are looking for info, a poster named Laurie has multiple times printed a list of them on Trip Advisor.'s Cuba forum. The same casas listed on AirBnB are listed on these casa booking sites, but at a significantly lower price.

In fact, AirBnB has not been paying their Cuban casa particular hosts at all (widely reported on lately online) and many hosts are not getting the money they earned. . Is that "the best way"?

Get yourself an online map and look at the 5* rated restaurants on www.lahabana.com with addresses listed. Get familiar with the city at the same time.

If you find one that sounds good, just take a taxi from there to the show venue. It's not hard to find a taxi in Havana at any time of the day or night.

(IMO "good food" does not exist often in Cuba, even at some of these 5* ones.)

I'm just suggesting some tour ideas based on a cruise we took 2 weeks ago. When we didn't have any idea about Cuba and Havana, so we would be like a nominal traveler who would likely be on the side of caution with their money.

Ok?.

That is why you do your due diligence, lots of reading of the travel forums on Cuba, asking whatever questions you have of people who have already been, some many times.

"Nominal (sic) travelers" these days go to places where you need to carry cash, where an ATM is not on every corner, where credit cards are not always accepted.

(nominal = existing in name only: of a price or amount of money very small; far below the real value or cost:) 'Normal' is perhaps what you meant? Or penurious?)

SO SAD to line the pockets of US companies instead of Cuban ones, and then think you need to bring charity (in the form of baseballs and meds and all the other cheap crap uninformed people mention) to Cuban people whose services you could be directly supporting, putting cash in their pockets to buy what they want and need..

I can deal with it. I don't like carrying big loads of cash in the US. So why would I want to do the same anywhere else, let alone Cuba?

Cuba is not "anywhere else". There is less crime, and less tourist crime, than probably anywhere else you have ever been, besides having a safe on board the ship.

It's $150, not one point five million, carried only when you leave the ship to get picked up by the car's driver./guide a few yards from the pier.

Any US passport holder on a land based trip carries cash in Cuba, enough for the whole trip, maybe weeks. No reports online of any robberies.

Why would you want to carry cash to pay a locally based tour company?

To be the least exploitative, and most supportive, of the Cuban people on the island as possible.

This is supposedly the reason given for your trip.

In March 2018, after the new guidelines are issued, you may not be able to do tours other than the specific ones provided by the cruise line.

Depends on how the cruise line interprets the wording " no free time in excess of that consistent with a full time schedule" from the OFAC regs.

You could try contacting this guide:

or contact Adela Dworkin at El Patronato (the biggest synagogue) for recommendations:

Adela Dworin

Vice President of Casa de la Comunidad Hebrea de Cuba

El Patronato

Calle I, #259, Esquina 13

Vedado, Ciudad de la Habana 10400

Cuba

Phone: (537) 832-8953

Fax: (537) 33 3778

E-mail: beth_shalom@enet.cuor

patronato_ort@enet.cu

afaik, There are 3 functioning synagogues in Havana. El Patronato's office and center is open during regular business hours, except on shabbat. The others are less easy to find open outside of services. Total Jewish population in Cuba is estimated at 1500 of which 1200 live in Havana.

http://jewishcuba.org/synagogues.html

No one knows as yet exactly what the new guidelines, due out Sept. 16, will bring.

Appears that not much will change. One individual OFAC category (P2P) of general license has been removed; will be only for groups with specific licenses. Cruise ships may get some special dispensation. Possible OFAC audits of itineraries, but not likely.

There has only been one very vague FAC issued since the announcement and lots of speculation (mine included) based on not much real published info.

Does anyone have any websites they could recommend for Cienfuegos, Havana or Trinidad?

First of all, let me say that IMO going to Cuba is NOT about seeing 'things', but about meeting Cubans. Ideally, leave time to stroll, sit for a drink, and start a conversation

www.lahabana.com (monthly)

Real Havana guidebook (2017 edition)

Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree forum for Cuba (many long time travelers to Cuba posting regularly to answer questions)

Trip Advisor's forum for Cuba (many of the same contributors)

Connor Gorry's blog-- https://hereishavana.com/ -- (long time US citizen resident of Havana, bookstore/cafe owner)

a Cuba guidebook such as Lonely Planet or Rough Guide or Moon

As a photographer, I would like to be able to walk around on my own in Cienfuegos and Havana.

Paraphrasing the current regs, with some of the actual wording, you are required (currently and probably going forward) to participate in a" full time program of activities" (that the ship probably will require and provide going forward), with "free time not in excess of that schedule". How the cruise line will choose to interpret that to CYA is unknown as yet.

Can you stay in the city after an excursion and sightsee on your own?

As above. Currently yes; going forward, not known.

To stay for days after would probably require a separate OFAC license from the one that covers you for the cruise.

I find it extremely ironic that tourists traveling to Cuba on a "people to people" or "support for the Cuban people" reason for travel are supporting or dealing through US agencies for tours or lodging when there are Cuban agencies to deal with directly and easily that provide the same services and whose profits go 100% to Cubans on the island.

(Btw, there are many destinations where carrying cash is a necessity, most radically less safe than very safe Cuba.)

We are booked at Comfort Inn on Morrisey...they off free shuttle from airport and free shuttle to cruise terminal...think it was $250 per night

I'm sure they have to offer a shuttle. Alternatives are long ride in traffic in a taxi or staying isolated in the building.

Look at this satellite view:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Comfort+Inn,+900+William+T+Morrissey+Blvd,+Boston,+MA+02122/@42.2924445,-71.0472167,19z/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x89e37b7517e675b1:0xd774051dfdcfef35?hl=en-us

Btw nobody will know what you mean if you just say Morrisey. It's referred to as Morrisey Boulevard.

How far is it to a City View Trolley stop from the cruise terminal, please? This is the hoho trolley tour. Just saw a 50% off Groupon for this but don't want to have to walk a long way.

iirc they have a stop at South Station. You could take the Silver line to South Station from near the pier.

I've been reading a bit from the 2016 Rough Guide to Cuba, available at my public library. While things may change by the time I get to Cuba, at least it has some helpful information on how to identify what's state run and what's not - for example, taxis, restaurants, etc. If I'm allowed to walk around by myself, I just plan to read that information, plus any guidelines issued by the US Treasury and the cruise line, and do my best.

Afaik the latest Rough Guide to Cuba was published in November of 2016, just after the first commercial flights got permission to start in mid-September, and research probably started well before that.

At the time, any mention of what is state run was mainly to advise tourists about better food at private restaurants (paladares), and maybe how to find an air conditioned or classic car taxi, certainly not the intricacies of vehicles leased by private individuals from the government that may or may not qualify on some future OFAC list. Many cases are not so straightforward. And I don't think you'll find a mention of the frequently used Viazul or Conectando inter-city buses being state or military tourist branch owned or not, and if travel on them may qualify under the new guidelines.

If the US government ever actually allocates funds to check in detail whatever travelers write as their so-called full time schedules and entities patronized, and if OFAC ever actually starts to fine individuals, the you-know-what will hit the fan for anyone who didn't do adequate research to follow the rules existing at the time of travel. If there are no audits, no problem (as in the past) with whatever anyone and their brother thinks is good enough.

Interesting...

 

Example 4 to §515.565(b): An individual plans to travel to Cuba to rent a bicycle to explore the streets of Havana, engage in brief exchanges with shopkeepers while making purchases, and have casual conversations with waiters at restaurants and hotel staff. None of these activities are educational exchange activities that will result in meaningful interaction between the traveler and individuals in Cuba, and the traveler's trip does not qualify for the general license.

Example 5 to §515.565(b): An individual plans to travel to Cuba to participate in discussions with Cuban farmers and produce sellers about cooperative farming and agricultural practices and have extended dialogue with religious leaders about the influence of African traditions and religion on society and culture. The individual also plans to spend a few days engaging in brief exchanges with Cuban food vendors while spending time at the beach. Only some of these activities are educational exchange activities that will result in meaningful interaction between the traveler and individuals in Cuba, and the traveler therefore does not have a full-time schedule of such activities on each day of the trip. The trip does not qualify for the general license.

Yes, these examples have been widely publicized. (Note that these are examples, not the wording of the actual definition of the category on the official OFAC site.) They are regarding the People2People reason/category for travel and how it has been defined in the OFAC regs. They are examples of why that category is no longer going to be open to individuals, who have often been "creative" about what qualifies in that category, as in the examples.

The description/definition of the "Support for the Cuban People" category is much more vague. (And there are no examples like the ones above for the P2P category to attempt to clarify--at least that my extensive reading has found.)

What is the Silver Line? When was it started?

If you Google "Silver Line" and look for the Wikipedia article, there is a fairly complete history of the development of the line. Airport to South Station is the SL1 line.

Not within 90 days, at 90 days. So Sept 16. Assuming that there are people actually working on the new directive. That remains to be seen. The FAQ is pretty clear that the law is the same until it changes- this is a July 25 update from the US Treasury- https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/cuba_faqs_20170725.pdf

That was pretty clear all along, since the announcement, and before.

Wanna speculate on 45's follow through? Aha. Good luck.

BTW, IMHO, you are assuming that there is no precedent- unless you have some insight for people who have been talked to, that's just a guess. Given the time, and the handful of web pages that are explaining how to use the "supporting Cuban People" reason- someone has clearly thought about it beyond me.

Well the experts who have been going to Cuba for decades and/or have significant others there and post regularly on Thorn Tree and TA (a lot of the same folks) have been recommending the "support for Cuban people" choice since Obama changed the rules with his executive order, because of the vague way it is defined. I'd prefer to take their experienced advice on most Cuba topics, rather than all the Johnny-come-latelies who are now jumping on the bandwagon of the "support" category.

These experts can also quote in their posts the statistics (and sources for them) regarding how many people have been investigated and how many fined in the last couple of decades. That's "insight" in my book.

Also, we found some direction from none other than Marco Rubio who has interpreted the rule to just stay at a Casa Particulare and eat at a Palador.

and

As I wrote above, staying at a casa particular and eating at a paladar only covers two activities of a visit, two things you would spend money on if on a land based trip.. For the rest, it is as I mentioned.

Little Marco hasn't addressed that other part afaik. He is pandering to the Miami Cuban community as a politician seeking re-election, but does not want to be accused of hurting his brothers and sisters on the island.

Nobody yet knows how the cruise lines are going to handle (state owned/run) buses for their passengers' excursions, for example, or if they will be given special dispensation of some sort.

We'll take our chances. And plan on posting what we find, as it will be a long weekend in Havana to find non-ship options to learn and see Havana.

I can't remember if you are traveling before or after the new guidelines come out, and before or after any possible funding for investigation may be approved.

The bottom line is that you can keep records of whatever you do to try to follow the rules, the US authorities can check them some how to see if whatever you wrote qualifies, but no real check can be done on Cuban soil and on Cubn citizens to even see if they exist.

Your experience will be your experience and should NOT inform anyone else's travel decisions, planning, or itinerary.

(My experience is mine and currently includes a lot more than one quickie weekend in Havana, which gives me more recent time in Cuba than most posting here, and the cred that should go along with that.).

The only prohibition is specific state functions. The rule does not say zero state run things, but the intention of supporting non-state run things.

 

It's very vague, but there's not a direct prohibition.

 

All we need is a full time schedule, with a strong bias to individuals. There are a few travel sites who are using this provision to put schedules together that meet the letter of the law.

There is no rule. There is no prohibition. Yet. There was no executive order. The announcement was vague. Sometime within 90 days of the June 16 announcement, "guidelines" are supposed to be published. Any FAC based just on what the announcement seemed to imply would happen is speculation.

The announcement mentioned not patronizing tourist enterprises with connection to the Cuban military and its tourism wing which is broadly involved in many aspects and entities of the tourism industry. It is unclear as yet which specific entities may be detailed/listed in the forthcoming guidelines to provide more specific information.

Travel sites, if by that you mean group tour sites, have always applied for specific licenses, whereby OFAC vets each of their their proposed activities as qualified, meeting the letter of the law, and the whole program as sufficient to qualify as full time.

They do not do that for an individual's general license. There is no precedent for any individual attempting to copy a group's published schedule being vetted in the same way. So presuming you are doing the correct thing may or may not be so.

Hurricane Matthew, which did so much damage last year in Baracoa, in the southeast of the island, was at the beginning of October.

There was a mid-November hurricane in Camaguey many years ago that the old timers still talk about.

iirc Hurricane Michelle hit Cuba at the beginning of November.

The summer months, through the fall, can be exhaustingly, debilitatingly, hot and humid. Then there is possible hurricane season around November. The winter months have slightly more moderate weather and often higher prices, lots of Canadians at resorts, and Europeans touring.

Smoke and mirrors, IMO to make the new regs more palatable to US travelers. Apples and oranges in comparing countries and economies. And any theories about economics are not based on Cuba being able to trade freely, which the US influences negatively among world countries.

That's not about being a tourist, but going and supporting the Cuban people. And it's very easy to schedule the entire trip.

In other words, if my whole trip avoids going to state run places, that's supporting the Cuban people.

Avoid going to state run places? Easier said than done.

So fine, you eat at a paladar instead of a government restaurant. Make sure you know which is which or make reservations for every snack.

If you do a land based trip, you stay in a casa particular, not a government run hotel.

To get around, you learn to recognize and differentiate the air conditioned private taxis from the state run ones, and possibly stand on the street corner in the extreme heat for much longer until you locate one. Or you do not move anywhere for any reason without a private guide who can arrange for one.

You do not go to museums or historic buildings/houses that are run by the government (all museums, including the cannon firing and historic homes and churches).

You do not visit artists' studios, or groups, since they receive a government salary or government support.

You do not visit tobacco farms or factories or stores since workers receive a government salary and the facilities are government run. Same for rum.

You do not buy bottled water at a government run store, and you first learn to differentiate them from any private ones you might find.

You do not go to any performances by government run groups, or pay a ticket price to them, or by artists paid a government salary. (most, including the popular cabaret shows, as well as symphony and ballet)

You bring your own pen and paper, and learn enough Spanish to ask/insist, to get receipts for any interactions, each bottle of water, because receipts are usually not given. (Any restaurant check presented is usually is kept by them with your money .)

So basically, you get to walk around and not go into any place cultural, maybe look at private souvenir stalls, making sure you get any food and drink from authorized places. A "quality" experience.

Well, I got mine on a farm in Vinales from the farmer who grew it.

Afaik El Escorial sells coffee beans, as well as other tourist shops and cafes. A lot of the good stuff gets exported.

If you're looking to linger over a rich cup of Cuban coffee, here is a short list of suggestions, including the English bookstore and cafe Cuba Libro (note the play on words) in Vedado owned by longtime American resident Connor Gorry

https://theculturetrip.com/caribbean/cuba/articles/the-best-coffeehouses-in-havana-cuba/

Do you know that an American became a commander in Cuba?

The American Experience (PBS) is reprising The American Comandante, about William Morgan who fought in Cuba to overthrow the Battista government, on some of their regional channels.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/comandante/?flavour=mobile

The DVD is available to purchase from PBS.

It's an interesting story, no matter where your political views stand.

I think Jes1941 answered my question, but what is the necessary insurance and is it included in all cruise fares?

It includes the basic medical care that the Cuban government requires for tourists, basic emergency services in their medical clinics and hospitals, so the Cuban government/people do not end up paying for your care if you run into a problem while on the island.

It does not include medivac, so if that concerns you, buy it with your travel insurance package.

You can see all of them in videos on YouTube and decide for yourself which appeals most.

That's a very good rate for the hotel. Jump on it, quick.