imagine17

You can bring things and I definitely recommend trying to contact someone down there in advance and know where you are can take your things. One thing to note, although not as difficult when you are flying in with a lot of luggage, you could have some issues at the cruise port if that is all you have when getting off the ship. We had three medium sized bags of art supplies between four of us when getting of the ship in May. Customs took one of our bags, claiming it was "too much". We had a lot of back and forth and I showed him where we were taking the supplies (to a children's summer program) After several minutes of arguing through charades (as he spoke little english and I little spanish), he eventually let us take some stuff out of the bag he took and put it in our other bags, but we did lose a few things.

The guidelines are now basically that if you check People to People you need to do a cruise excursion or tours with another US based tour company. Please don't do this. Support for the Cuban People allows you (per regulation) to support local small businesses and book locally owned tour companies. Not only is this important to the success of growing private businesses in Cuba- but also a much more authentic way to learn about the country. I've used a few different ones and strongly recommend I Love Cuba Photo Tours. They do customized tours and will make your day whatever you want it to be, and are also professional photographers who will document your trip for you. You can find them on Facebook or TripAdvisor (they are #1) or email the owner Yosel at yoselvazquez@yahoo.com.

Most important thing- don't do any cruise excursions. They are wayyyy overpriced and too sterile. Support the Cuban People by doing private tours instead. I've used several different local tour companies in Havana over multiple trips. My favorite was I Love Cuba Photo Tours. They really go above and beyond, and will customize any type of tour/day you want (no pre-set itineraries you have to choose from). They are also photographers, and are the #1 local tour company on TripAdvisor for a reason. You can find them by name on Facebook or email the owner Yosel at yoselvazquez@yahoo.com.

Our family of 4 with two teens are visiting in June and want to do a walking tour with a guide and then classic cars later on. A friend visited last summer, a guy approached her party of four for a tour, they accepted, and had the most wonderful time with a walking tour first, and then a classic car tour. I would like to use the same person. Here's my worry- I have read and read on the FAQs with what we can and cannot do in Cuba now with the new US regulations that started in Nov. We did not book any component of our cruise before the date in June that it was announced. It says that a tour must be purchased through the cruise line or with a "US sponsoring organization". Clearly this guy is not. I've also seen on the cruise FAQ that if you do one of these sponsored tours, you can then freely walk around on your own.:

 

 

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• "you can enjoy Havana before or after your tour, as long as you are engaged in a full-day schedule of educational exchange activities as setforth by OFAC regulations"
  

 

 

 

If the non-licensed guide is planning to do an organized walking tour, and then later through him we do a classic car tour with drivers he has pre-arranged while he accompanies, does anyone know if we need to do another "US sponsored organization" led-tour first?

 

I have spent several hours over several days reading through what I could find, including the treasure.gov site trying to decipher what is allowed, so I figured I'd just see if anyone here feels clear on the rules.

You can check Support for the Cuban People instead of People to People if you will have an itinerary that supports private businesses and private commerce. The new regs are very vague, but it is pretty globally understood that airbnb's, private locally owned tour companies, paladares, and privately owned shops qualify and that the expansion of this category to allow independent travel with a "full time" itinerary was intended to promote these types of interactions and private commerce support. And with a local guide would be able to promote the cultural exchange that is required. This way to travel truly supports the local Cuban business owners and is becoming increasingly popular. I Love Cuba Photo Tours amazing and is a fantastic option for this!

Debating between pre-arranging a classic car tour with a group such as I Love Cuba or Old Car Tours vs. simply picking an old classic car when we get off the ship. Pre arranged trip I believe will cost more, but not enough I don't think to be a deciding factor. Arranged off the ship gives us more flexibility if the weather is bad the 1st day we arrive (in port 2 days), we are delayed getting off the ship, etc....

 

Any other thoughts re: pros and cons of each option?

I recommend booking a private tour in advance (not a cruise excursion!!!) It's not just about driving around in a car, it's about really getting to see everything you want and really learning about the country from locals. I've been several times- both hiring taxi's last minute and using different tour companies. I Love Cuba was my favorite- and they will customize the day do anything you want to do...even if it is raining :-)

Thanks. I chose support for the Cuban people and currently have a tour booked with a company. Still looking for other things so I will check out you recommendation!

Great! I Love Cuba Photo Tours really are the best (I've used a few). The best thing is they will plan whatever you want- no preset itineraries you need to choose from. Just send them an email with anything you want to do, or your interests if you aren't sure. It's 100% customized. I just got back, and this was the kind of tour that made me really want to spread the word :-) You can email them at yoselvazquez@yahoo.com.

I'm cruising to Havana in 10 days and have nothing booked through the ship, and so far only have a vintage car tour booked independently. When I ask the cruise line what to check off they just keep telling me the "group-people-to-people". Does anypne know if this keeps me in compliance if I don't have anything booked through the ship?

With the revised regulations, you can only check People to People if you are using the ship excursions or tours with a US based tour company. I don't recommend this. Look into Support for the Cuban People. This category was slightly revised and does not require group travel. It requires an itinerary that fully supports local Cubans- including private businesses and commerce. You can qualify by booking a local company (I recommend I Love Cuba Photo Tours) and keeping records of your itinerary. Support locals- not the ship or US based companies :-)

We just did two days with I Love Cuba and it was great. You definitely can't see everything of interest in one day. You may see major tourist sites one day, but there are a ton of neighborhoods, markets, windows into local life, and even areas immediately outside of Havana that may be of interest. With two days of touring with I Love Cuba we got to see quite a bit, though I'm still sure not everything :-) May be worth it to add on a day with them to make sure you see everything you can. If you've already been communicating with them, you probably already know how flexible they are in designing custom tours for you! Also- the market by the port is HUGE! You could easily spend a half day in there if you like to shop!

I highly recommend using I Love Cuba Photo Tours instead. They are rated #1 in Havana, so likely have better reviews overall than the group you are looking at. I just used them for 2 days and they were phenomenal!!

I would not worry about this at all. Personally, I believe it is a tactic to discourage people from going to Cuba. I just returned from my third trip and there was absolutely nothing to worry about. Nor have there been any reports of any related incidents involving tourists or the public. I just posted a new thread about the great tour company I found there this time- I Love Cuba Photo Tours. I highly recommend that you keep your trip, travel under Support for the Cuban people, and book I Love Cuba Photo Tours for your excursions.

It seems there are many questions on here regarding Cuba tour companies and related travel regulations (for US citizens). I have been to Cuba several times and have used different tour companies each time. On my most recent cruise last month, I finally found the best! To save you a bunch of time and potential regret, I highly recommend that you look at I Love Cuba Photo Tours (click to link to facebook page).Not only are they the #1 rated local tour company in Havana on TripAdvisor, they have also been featured in Forbes magazine- and it is because they truly go above and beyond to make sure their customers have the amazing and personalized experience they are looking for. Ship excursions are way overpriced and don't provide the personal, local experience that most travelers want- and they also aren't required. The revised OFEC guidelines allow you to travel under Support for the Cuba People if you plan a full time itinerary that fully supports local businesses and private commerce (including locally owned tour companies). I Love Cuba Photo Tours is perfect for these trips, and you will get so much more out of your time there. I have been reading of people deciding to simply book the cheapest option (I Love Cuba is not expensive compared to others) or exploring on your own. However, the experience you will have (especially when you only have a short period of time) will be so much better, and you will gain such a better understanding of the country, when you have passionate and informed local guides taking you around. I'm speaking directly from Cuba experience here. I highly encourage anyone looking for the best to give I Love Cuba Photo Tours a shot. We spent two days with them, and they were the best two days I've spent in Cuba out of all of my trips combined, Not only are they talented and professional guides who love their country and genuinely enjoy what they do.... if you choose a photo tour you can bring an SD card and go home with a ton of professional photos of your trip- the perfect special touch for families, friends, or anyone wanting to commemorate their trip. You can reach out to the owner, Yosel Vazquez, at yoselvazquez@yahoo.com to inquire/schedule. You definitely will not regret it!