petranite

2 minutes ago, JerseyCruisers2019 said:

Did anyone here book the shuttle at Bruges through Cruise Express?  I've sent them 3 emails since Friday requesting a refund and it's been radio silence.... Looks like I'm going to have to dispute the cc charge. 

I booked cruise express through Viator and received a full refund today when I cancelled it through Viator. I don't know about how it works booking straight with them but the refund has already hit my account.

There are 2 types of Montecristo, Partagas, and Cohiba brands. Cuban versions and non-cuban versions. They do not sell the non-cuban versions in Cuba. The non cuban versions are made primarily in and contain tobacco from the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Nicaragua and can be purchased in the United States. They contain no cuban tobacco. The cuban versions of those brands are not available for purchase legally inside the United States and contain exclusively cuban tobacco.

The cuban Partagas factory is in Havana and can be toured from 9AM-1PM for $10 and tour tickets can be purchased at the Saratoga Hotel. Also they have a cigar shop that you can buy from without doing the tour. Hopefully that clarifies the differences between the two types of brands. Here is a list of all the main cuban brands that you can buy in Cuba, made with cuban tobacco and rolled in Cuba.

(Bolivar, Cohiba, Cuaba, Diplomáticos, El Rey Del Mundo, La Flor De Cano, Fonseca, H. Upmann, Hoyo De Monterrey, Jose L. Piedra, Juan Lopez, La Flor De Cano, La Gloria Cubana, Montecristo, Partagas, Por Larranaga, Punch, Quai D'Orsay, Quintero, Rafael Gonzales, Ramon Allones, Romeo Y Julieta, Saint Luis Rey, San Cristobal, Sancho Panza, Trinidad, Vegas Robaina, Vegueros,)

The Romeo Y Julieta/H. Upmann factory is also in Havana and tours are $10 and also has a store. The other factories do not have official stores at them and some of the stores next to them are not the best. As a former cigar retailer and long time buyer I can confidently say that you should smoke what you like and realize your taste preferences are all your own. I personally love cuban cigars and think they are some of the best in the world but I would also say that non cuban brands such as Padron (Nicaraguan) are on par and in many cases surpass cubans. Don't be afraid to try different ones and smoke what you like. With that said I plan on purchasing at least 15 boxes for my personal consumption because I love cigars from all of the cuban brands

Magnetchief is correct. If you shop at an official LCDH store like the ones listed above, you will find knowledgable people ready to assist you on selecting cigars. Quality cuban cigars range in price of $3.50-$25 per cigar. You can find some cheaper and more expensive than that range though. There are great deals to be had and the most popular cigar brands are Montecristo, Cohiba, and Partagas.

Thanks so much for the list of places to buy cigars. Exactly what my husband wanted.

 

He would also like to know the costs of the boxes of cigars to get an idea of how much CUCs he'll need to buy at the port for shopping.

 

Also, do you bargain for cigars in the stores you listed or are they fixed pricing?

http://yulcigars.blogspot.com This is the best place to get a feel for pricing on every brand, size and quantity in cuban cigars along with rums, and other items sold at LCDH locations. IT is VERY RARE for a shop to give deals when purchasing cigars from official locations. IF a shop is eager to negotiate on prices I would take that as a sign to walk away and buy elsewhere in Havana as the cigars would be suspect to me.

I was curious if there was much deviation from the YUL list being so close to the port. It's good to hear they are still pretty much in line with he pricing list.

Just returned from Cuba.

Thanks for all the advice.

 

 

Purchased from

 

La Casa del Habano, (Inside Hotel Conde De Villenueava)

 

(Approx.1 block from port)

 

Calle Mercaderes 202, Havana 10100 Cuba

 

 

 

 

Enjoying a nice Cohiba and a Havana Club 7

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks like you had a wonderful relaxing time. If you don't mind may ask what the prices were on your boxes of cigars. Also I love that you picked up the Cohiba Clubs. Looking to get a few of those myself for quick smokes.

You best opportunity to buy authentic Cuban cigars are in La Casa del Habana (LCDH for short) stores. There are several of them around town in Havana. Also, the Partagas Cigar Factory or the Romeo Julieta/H. Upmann Cigar factory have gift shops and carry all kinds of brands and sizes of authentic cigars.

Here are a few great places to purchase from and know you are getting authentic Cuban cigars.

Partagas Cigar Factory

Romeo Julieta/H. Upmann Cigar Factory

LCDH store inside Hotel National

Cohiba Atmosphere (inside Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinsk)

La Casa del Habano, (inside Hotel Meliá Habana)

Av. 3, entre 76 y 80, Playa, Habana

La Casa del Habano

5th and 16 Av. 5 y Calle 16, Miramar

La Casa del Habano, (Inside Hotel Habana Libre)

Calle L entre 23 y 25, Vedado

La Casa del Habano, (Inside Hotel Nacional)

Calle 21 y O, Vedado

La Casa del Habano, (Inside Hotel Conde De Villenueava)

(Approx.1 block from port)

Bringing cigars back on the ship is no big deal. You have a three step process to getting cigars back in the United States when you go on a cruise.

Step 1: Going through Cuban Customs when you go back on to your ship. Thats when the 50 loose cigars/Receipts, Sealed Box rules come into play.

Step 2: Going through your ships security as you get back on the boat. Oceana (I have not cruised with before but I assume it is like the other 6 lines I have cruised with). They will check what you are bringing back on board to make sure you are not bringing on weapons, drugs or banned items for security purposes. Cigars are not banned so you should have no problems going through ship security and bringing the cigars back to your stateroom on ship. (Once your cigars are on the ship you are free to open any and every box of cigars you wish. The sealed box rule only applies while going through step 1)

Step 3: Going through US Customs when you disembark your ship. This is when the 100 cigar $800 policy will come into play. Just declare if you are over the duty free limits with the customs agent. Pay the tax or duty on the overage and you are done.

Hope this helps. I am bringing back about a dozen full sealed boxes for my own personal use as well as my full 50 (100 because my wife is also bringing back 50 for her allowance) single cigar allowance of all the different cuban brand cigars and sizes and will have no problems as long as I adhere to the rules of each step.

All the rules work together if you take the time to understand each step in the process. Really the only limit is that you can't take more than 50 loose cigars per person out of Cuba. So if you have more than 50 while you are on the island make sure to smoke the others or give them away so you don't have more than 50 loose. I usually ask the shop for a couple boxes to put all my loose cigars in and they have always said yes when I get 10 or more. Just remember that even if you put the loose cigars in a box they are still considered loose because the box seal has been broken.

Best of times and good smoking to you on your trip.

Here is a quick breakdown.

CUBA POLICY: Cuba will only let you bring out 50 loose cigars. These are cigars that are NOT sealed in a box. (For example if you go to a shop and buy a bunch of single cigars, once you hit 50 that is your limit for singles) You can leave with pretty much as many sealed boxes or packages of cigars as long as they are sealed in original packaging. (You cannot open up boxes or packs then reseal them yourself). Cuban cigars that are official and authentic have seals on them that typically break once opened. Additionally, if you plan to take cigars out of Cuba in any significant quantity (usually 10 singles or more you should have paperwork/receipts showing you bough them at a retail store, Cuban customs can and often will ask for this on an arbitrary basis when you have single cigars but will almost always ask for this paperwork if you are leaving with a box or more. This shows that you paid legitimate taxes on your cigars. If you plan on buying a larger quantity just ask for the proper paperwork at the shop you purchase from. Additionally, buying cigars from street dealers is not legal and cigars that do not have bands on them can and are often confiscated by Cuba Customs.

US POLICY: You can purchase and bring back to the US duty free up to 100 cigars. These cigars can be loose or sealed boxes/packages and must be in your personal luggage and must be for personal consumption. However, if you have less than 100 cigars and they value of those cigars is over $800 then you will have to pay duty on whatever the amount is over $800. (For examples you bring back 30 cigars with a value of $1,000. Even though you have less than 100 cigars the value is over the $800 limit. This means that you do not pay duty on the first $800 but you will pay duty on the remaining $200 that went over your allowance. Now, you can bring back as many cigars as you want but again anything over 100 cigars or $800 in value is subject to paying duty on them.

Personally, I know friends who have come back with 15-20 boxes (375-500 cigars). They declare what thy have and pay duty on the overage if asked by the US Customs agent. Sometimes the agent will make you pay and other times they don't bother. Now the final thing I will say is if you are traveling with a spouse or family member, each member can get this quantity. So a couple can double everything above. Hope this helps some. It gets confusing but my best advise is to do your best to stay up to date on any changes either country may make to their policies.

Graycliffe Cigars are a major Bahama product that is made in Nassau. The factory is there and it is open to the public. Their cigars are highly respected and and valued within the cigar community and a very special item that is uniquely Bahaman. Of course you can get them in the US but if you go to the factory store in Nassau they sometimes have special blends only available there along with their brand of chocolate. Me and the mrs. go everytime.