Sightseeing in Cuba on your own

My wife and I will be taking an Azamara cruise to Cuba as part of my 80th birthday celebration in March. On past cruises, we have preferred to explore the various port cities on our own, and not as part of a ship shore excursion. Is that possible to do in Cuba under the current circumstances, or are you required to do your sightseeing as part of a ship tour?

The shore excursions are now available for our cruise in March, so I want to go ahead and make reservations if that is what we must do. Most of the tours are six or seven hours and include lunch on shore, but if it's possible for us to walk around town on our own, we would much prefer to do that for a few hours in the morning and then go back to the ship for a nice lunch. We also would be fine with taking a couple of tours on some days and then go sightseeing on our own on the other days. We just don't know what is permitted. Any advice on Cuba cruising would be appreciated.

Havana is walkable or use a pedi cab. the ship does not take you to the ballet building which i toured. it does not take you to the hotel hemmingway lived in for 7 years. two walls of pictures of him. nice bar with live music with breaks.

Santigo de Cuba is spread out so i would do a ships try or try to find a private online.

Cuban rules could change but this is ok now,

I would eat lunch in havana. easy to do. find a place with music-most are. sit down. english is on my most menus. you might have to point but the food shows up. to get check i think you have to ask- i am not sure if i said check or bill.

you need their money for food and drink. your wife needs tissues for bathroom.

even on a ships tour you need tissues. there are fancy/posh hotels and you might want a coffee there or rum. but try to drink at a cafe. there are two bars among 100's that Hemming way drank at- try to go to both. no ii can not spell them. ship will show it to you but not long enough to drink

there are nighttime shows in havana- your agent can get it cheaper than the ship. use the one at hotel national. .much much cheaper. i taxi both ways. do not eat at shows. food is so/so. had better in havana. they do ont ahve our spices etc .so food is bland but i learned to dr the food

We will be cruising to Cuba on Azamara next month. Just like you, we prefer to do our own thing. We are not planning on doing any ship tours in Cuba. We are going to hire a private guide for part of one day to see the outer reaches of Havana and are debating if we'll do old town Havana on our own or hire a private guide for that as well. I've also heard of a free walking tour of Old Town that is a possibility. We are not going to see the shows, but are going to seek out some live music. And we'll have dinner and lunches in Paladars on our own. We are definitely planning on spending some time exploring by just wandering around as well. I have read that you should hang on to your receipts of places you eat and shop as proof of our "people to people" experience. Not sure if it's accurate information, but it's no trouble to hang on to a slip of paper, so why not.

Happy 80th birthday! I hope if or when I reach that milestone I'm enjoying adventures on my own as well!

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never kept a receipt of my lunches. dinner i ate in cabin while i dressed for the show. if you needed a guise in old town it would to give more history of the sqs. outside Havana is hemmingways house. you can not go in it but look in windows and take pictures.

the place i ate was on a side street off a sq.

I had great coffee across the street from the ship. two places to grab super coffee and fresh juice. way better than the ship's.

We are arriving in Havana at 6:00pm. That first night we plan to immediately go to the area near the port to arrange our private car tour. We have been told that the classic convertibles with air conditioning and an english speaking driver/guide are just $35.00 to $45.00 per hour for two people. We thought this would be a great way to acclimate ourselves to the city and cruise down the Malcone' in style. We are planning on a morning tour and will spend the afternoon strolling around the old section. We will be taking Azamara's 6 hour 30 minute tour in Santiago de Cuba.

We are arriving in Havana at 6:00pm. That first night we plan to immediately go to the area near the port to arrange our private car tour. We have been told that the classic convertibles with air conditioning and an english speaking driver/guide are just $35.00 to $45.00 per hour for two people. We thought this would be a great way to acclimate ourselves to the city and cruise down the Malcone' in style. We are planning on a morning tour and will spend the afternoon strolling around the old section. We will be taking Azamara's 6 hour 30 minute tour in Santiago de Cuba.

most of the classic cars are near the capital. i seen a few around the port but not like the capital as they are everywhere there. if the top is down you really do not need air. if raining do not waste your money. Not sure what 6.5 hours gives you in Santiago de Cuba gives you. I would need to see the list. we saw things on the way to hotel and again the next day.

most of the classic cars are near the capital. i seen a few around the port but not like the capital as they are everywhere there. if the top is down you really do not need air. if raining do not waste your money. Not sure what 6.5 hours gives you in Santiago de Cuba gives you. I would need to see the list. we saw things on the way to hotel and again the next day.

I have heard that the classic cats flock to the port when a major cruise ship arrives. I'll check closer to our sailing to make sure we can catch one easily.

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Hello, I am booked on the Journey visiting Havana in Oct 18 and the Azamara Planner is not showing many tours yet. Would one of you be kind enough to download the current ships tours for Havana and email them to me? My email is Lobbylin-1@yahoo.co.uk

Ideally, we’d like to just do private tours as well, but it is nice to compare to what the ship is offering

Thanks Linda

We will be cruising to Cuba on Azamara next month. Just like you, we prefer to do our own thing. We are not planning on doing any ship tours in Cuba. We are going to hire a private guide for part of one day to see the outer reaches of Havana and are debating if we'll do old town Havana on our own or hire a private guide for that as well. I've also heard of a free walking tour of Old Town that is a possibility. We are not going to see the shows, but are going to seek out some live music. And we'll have dinner and lunches in Paladars on our own. We are definitely planning on spending some time exploring by just wandering around as well. I have read that you should hang on to your receipts of places you eat and shop as proof of our "people to people" experience. Not sure if it's accurate information, but it's no trouble to hang on to a slip of paper, so why not.

 

Happy 80th birthday! I hope if or when I reach that milestone I'm enjoying adventures on my own as well!

 

 

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As Suzcruise writes, going out on your own still has to be people-to-people oriented. And you do have to keep records of where you went, who you were with (e.g., private guide) and spoke to, what you bought, etc. You'll get info on this in your cruise docs.

We went out on our own our 2nd time in Cuba on the Adonia when we went docked in Santiago de Cuba. Got a private guide with a classic car and told him where we wanted to go and see; he suggested some other areas, too. Kept notes as we went along and wrote up an MS Word document, with photos, after we got home -- just in case a DHS rep knocks on my door!

I have been twice. The first time I left the group tour and went to the hotel National.thst was Jan. In March was in ship and walked off by days. First day had a private guide who did not help me. Second day day wandered. Lots if people were out eating and drinking on their own. No one saved a thing but pictures. By Nov or March things could change. The cruise line President was on the cruise he told us to take a tour ..so he could make money..then go out and just walked the streets.

Do not let anyone freak you out on this board. When I got back both times I was asked if I brought cigars or rum. I said yes and they said how much. They said bye.

I have been twice. The first time I left the group tour and went to the hotel National.thst was Jan. In March was in ship and walked off by days. First day had a private guide who did not help me. Second day day wandered. Lots if people were out eating and drinking on their own. No one saved a thing but pictures. By Nov or March things could change. The cruise line President was on the cruise he told us to take a tour ..so he could make money..then go out and just walked the streets.

 

Do not let anyone freak you out on this board. When I got back both times I was asked if I brought cigars or rum. I said yes and they said how much. They said bye.

Robin is right, it is very easy to do your own thing in Cuba without worrying about providing evidence of who you saw, what you did etc, etc. As she says, don’t get freaked out by what people assume you need to do, it really is a lot simpler than people assume. All you have to do is sign the affidavit form supplied by Azamara, two copies, one to hand in when you check in, the other you keep. The most important thing to remember is If you change USD, you will be surcharged an extra 10%, if you have other currencies, eg GBP or Euro you get a much better exchange rate.

The president of Azamara was correct to tell you to take a tour and it's not just to make money for the company.

Cuba is a Communist country and if you don't go on a tour of some sort, you'll go away thinking it's all pretty music and old cars. You'll know nothing about their lives and daily struggles like:

ration books good for 2 weeks of food, if available; the quantity or quality of goods and food; pay scale; what the government did to buy gasoline from the USSR and then Venezuela; why there are few doctors and engineers left in country; what men do after "free" schooling; how children are selected for educational opportunities; the "upside down economy" where doctors make less than gardeners; etc.

It's something like other communist countries but not completely. Cuba has an unusual twist.

Hello

I am not going to go into the changes regarding travel to Cuba however several new things went into effect today. I would suggest if you are going to Cuba you might want to check them out. They had them last night and tonight on our 11 pm news here in South Florida

Kathy

Trump has just rolled back many of the things that Obama did to open up Cuba - https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/11/08/trump-cracks-down-u-s-business-and-travel-cuba/843419001/. I do not want to get into a political discussion as to why he did it but it is a fact that he is trying to undo Obama'a opening to Cuba. You missed your opportunity.

DON

Azamara has many cruises going to Cuba, so I guess we will just have to wait and see what grandfather rights Azamara can expect under the new rules, and their positioning on how they enforce those rules for existing and new bookings, and also how they manage those rules for US and international travellers as I am British and my friends traveling with us are Canadians.

I will be watching with interest, and any guidance from Bonnie would be most welcome! Thanks

I think you will find you are all subject to US rules regardless of your passport.

I hope it works for Azamara, it was a high risk strategy to cancel so many other cruise and spend so long in Cuba. I was impacted by a change but I’ve moved on from that and whilst others are still saying “hope they are proved wrong” as a shareholder I sure hope they were right to go overboard with Cuba

Hi uktog

Yes, I agree. We will just have to wait and watch and see what happens. There are a couple of Azamara cruises to Cuba this month....

Larry Pimentel has just said that Azamara will continue to book and promote cruises to Cuba.

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Larry Pimentel has just said that Azamara will continue to book and promote cruises to Cuba.

 

 

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Yes I saw that statement yesterday however it remains to be seen what the land experience in Cuba will be like for guests in this revised regime.

Larry Pimentel has just said that Azamara will continue to book and promote cruises to Cuba.

 

 

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Fingers crossed that it remains a good experience ashore

Larry Pimentel has just said that Azamara will continue to book and promote cruises to Cuba.

 

 

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Where did you see that? I leave for Cuba aboard the Quest in 10 days and a word from the cruise line would be appreciated right now.

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Where did you see that? I leave for Cuba aboard the Quest in 10 days and a word from the cruise line would be appreciated right now.

 

 

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It was one of Mr Pimintels tweets yesterday I read it as one of his regular marketing tweets almost encouraging people who were still wanting to go to Cuba to come with Azamara.

I hope it all works well for your trip

Where did you see that? I leave for Cuba aboard the Quest in 10 days and a word from the cruise line would be appreciated right now.

 

 

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Have a great time and please do post back on your experience on your return:)

Latest Cuba Policy --

"There are a few things worth noting regarding the new regulations. If a cruise has been booked and payed for prior to June 16th, 2017, guests are free to go ashore independently. If not, under the new rules, guests must travel with a tour group. I would highly recommend this, regardless, as we've put together a menu of unique experiences designed to present Cuba in the most immersive, insightful and convenient ways imaginable"

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Azamara/Press_Release/Azamara_New_Cuba_Regulations_FAQ_Nov2017?utm_source=phase1_consumer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=_cuba_larry_letter_111717_pr&intcmp=_cuba_larry_letter_111717_pr&cid=_cuba_larry_letter_111717_pr&ecid=em_21945687&rid=144765996&emsc=AZAUSA_TA_EXCLUDEBKEM0117_USA_PR&emct=E&lnkid=http%3a%2f%2fcreative.rccl.com%2fSales%2fAzamara%2fPress_Release%2fAzamara_New_Cuba_Regulations_FAQ_Nov2017%3futm_source%3dphase1_consumer%26utm_medium%3demail%26utm_campaign%3d_cuba_larry_letter_111717_pr%26intcmp%3d_cuba_larry_letter_111717_pr%26cid%3d_cuba_larry_letter_111717_pr

With the updated travel regulations for Cuba, how do they apply to passengers who embark in Lisbon, Portugal and do not arrive at a US port until after visiting Cuba? The New Cuba Regulations state:

The new regulations apply to all guests – regardless of nationality or country of residence – boarding a vessel in a U.S. port.