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mcgorr
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Can anyone who has been to Cuba on HAL tell me if we can get off the ship to do a private tour? In other words is it necessary to do a HAL excursion to get off the ship?

 

 

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You can read the information on Cuba in the “already booked” section. The tour needs to be approved by the US and had to meet people to people requirements. You sign an affidavit before you board the ship stating that you are aware of the requirements and you check a box for what kind of tour you will be taking

 

 

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Today, it was announced Raol Castro srepped aside and this is the first time in a great many years, no Castro will head the tovernment of Cuba. The second line in his government is taking over. Woull not be surprising, if there might be some changes to these 'Cuba cruises '. Perhaps they will work out a few changes in he coming weeks and monthts. There still has been no resolution as to what caused the illness of U .S. diplomats and I w onder if any have returned o their post in Cuba ?

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You can read the information on Cuba in the “already booked” section. The tour needs to be approved by the US and had to meet people to people requirements. You sign an affidavit before you board the ship stating that you are aware of the requirements and you check a box for what kind of tour you will be taking

 

 

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Thanks. I haven’t booked yet so don’t have access to that type of information. I rarely do ship excursions and therefore would prefer an independent one on this cruise too, if possible.

 

 

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You might want to check out amazingvoyages2.blogspot.com. Jeff traveled to Cuba on the Veendam in December and has some details and great photos of his experience. Of course, since December things can change. The photos and recommended private tours may be of interest to you. Cherie p.s. you might read through some roll calls for voyages that include Cuba and see what current experiences are.

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Today, it was announced Raol Castro srepped aside and this is the first time in a great many years, no Castro will head the tovernment of Cuba. The second line in his government is taking over. Woull not be surprising, if there might be some changes to these 'Cuba cruises '. Perhaps they will work out a few changes in he coming weeks and monthts. There still has been no resolution as to what caused the illness of U .S. diplomats and I w onder if any have returned o their post in Cuba ?

 

 

 

The Cuban government does not restrict where Americans go and what they do in Cuba. It's the current US government that does. Or, at least they try to. I doubt anything will change in that regard until there's a different administration calling the shots.

 

 

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The Cuban government does not restrict where Americans go and what they do in Cuba. It's the current US government that does. Or, at least they try to. I doubt anything will change in that regard until there's a different administration calling the shots.

 

 

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These restrictions did not just start, they started with the previous administration. They were put in place to allow US citizens to go to Cuba wihtout violating the US Embargo.

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These restrictions did not just start, they started with the previous administration. They were put in place to allow US citizens to go to Cuba wihtout violating the US Embargo.

 

 

Yes, of course.

 

However, the Cuban government is changing so who of us can predict what changes could come?

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These restrictions did not just start, they started with the previous administration. They were put in place to allow US citizens to go to Cuba wihtout violating the US Embargo.

 

Sorry, but you are somewhat misinformed. In July 2017 the current U.S. administration changed the rules for visiting Cuba. If you booked your trip to Cuba (cruise or land tour, doesn't matter) prior to July 17, 2017 and no matter when you traveled to Cuba, (I'm not sure of the exact date but I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong) you could pretty much come and go as you please - easily meeting a long list of regulations.

 

If you booked your trip after that date in July 2017, you must meet a more stringent set of rules, put into place by the current U.S. administration. Cruise lines have interpreted these new regulations to mean that you must take a ship-sponsored tour. Easy and certainly income generating for them.

 

But to get back to the original points - the Cuban government under Raoul Castro did not care where you went and what you did. Its a little more difficult now, but not impossible to travel to Cuba and have a wonderful experience. Only time will tell what further restrictions the U.S. government will put on travel there.

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Went to Cuba after the new rules - maiden voyage of the Veendam. One point to make today, our guide in Havana was quite enthusiastic about the person now appointed to be President and that he (the guide) had learned how to "game the system" to his own advantage being a tour guide getting tips which he did not turn over to the government, and made multiple contacts with non-Cubans so did not seem shy about admitting all of this to us in front of the bus driver.

 

So what one hears about Cuba ahead of time is not what one finds in Cuba once they arrive. It appears the tourism industry here has a life of its own and has no intention of working under any Cuban or US restrictions. So much for the ideological purity of Casro's Cuba. They are at a very critical juncture in their history right now. The generation today has no memory of what Cuba used to be. And the transition our of the family of the original revolution will be a critical as was the transition in South Africa after Mandela. Fragile times -

 

Cuba actually works better than most other "free enterprise" Caribbean islands. It is clean, the people are cared for at so many levels, housing is scarce but adequate again by Caribbean standards. Life is safe for them, again in contrast to other Caribbean standards. Yet the "infection" of access to the outside world via tourism is just starting to change both Cuba and those in power looking for hard currencies.

 

Russia and the US will probably play cat and mouse in Cuba for a long time to come. It is the incredible and historic archtectural core of cities like Havana that dazzle and the crossroads at this time is how much to "preserve", how much to make available for locals, how much to create a tourist mecca and sterilize the life blood of its unique Cuban only vitality it has today. The torch has now been passed - out of the family and on to a more cosmopolitan generation that is just tasting "free enterprise" but also carrying the weight of keeping the full communist benefits others are now receiving who had lived at the margins of old Cuba.

 

Yes, you can do private tours. Yes, you can just walk off the ship and hire one of those great old convertibles on your own for your own drive around the city. No you do not need to do HAL tours. Yes, if you are a US citizen and do private tours you need to keep your paperwork in detail about your activities in case the Dept of Treasury asks you to produce it for a five years period. There were no special investigations about our activities in Cuba when we returned through US Customs in Fort Lauderdale.

 

Yes, you do have to sign an affidavit up front and choose between all HAL tours, hybrid HAL plus private or all private. If you choose private tours the Dept of Treas gives you a list of government front agencies, hotels and restaurants that are on their prohibited list. Avoid them, which appears to be fairly easy it you want to contract privately for your own tours in Cuba.

 

Yes, the hAL tours are pretty good but none covered everything we wanted to see in Havana. You can do Cienefuegos on your own, but if you want to go to Trinidad you might want to book the HAL tour since the departure time in that port can change and your HAL 'insurance" they will take care of you is well worth it since you are several hours away from the Cienfuegos port.

 

The whole experience was fraught with tension in the pre-planning stage last December. It was remarkably casual once we got there. But then I don't have to worry about a knock on my door for the next five years with the Dept of Treasury G-Men demanding to see my records. (Chances of that actually happening --you decide.)

 

The on thing you need to worry about is the 10% surcharge changing US dollars - does not apply to Euros or perhaps other currencies readily exchangeable. Not sure if Canadian dollars are easy to exchange but for sure Euros are - no surcharge for US citizens. I did pay with paper US dollars to round up a last minute purchase so again the story you can't use dollars in Cuba was no accurate either - they were happy to take them and probably took me in their mini-exchange rate calculation but the souvenirs were cheap and we both left happy.

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Went to Cuba after the new rules - maiden voyage of the Veendam. One point to make today, our guide in Havana was quite enthusiastic about the person now appointed to be President and that he (the guide) had learned how to "game the system" to his own advantage being a tour guide getting tips which he did not turn over to the government, and made multiple contacts with non-Cubans so did not seem shy about admitting all of this to us in front of the bus driver.

 

So what one hears about Cuba ahead of time is not what one finds in Cuba once they arrive. It appears the tourism industry here has a life of its own and has no intention of working under any Cuban or US restrictions. So much for the ideological purity of Casro's Cuba. They are at a very critical juncture in their history right now. The generation today has no memory of what Cuba used to be. And the transition our of the family of the original revolution will be a critical as was the transition in South Africa after Mandela. Fragile times -

 

Cuba actually works better than most other "free enterprise" Caribbean islands. It is clean, the people are cared for at so many levels, housing is scarce but adequate again by Caribbean standards. Life is safe for them, again in contrast to other Caribbean standards. Yet the "infection" of access to the outside world via tourism is just starting to change both Cuba and those in power looking for hard currencies.

 

Russia and the US will probably play cat and mouse in Cuba for a long time to come. It is the incredible and historic archtectural core of cities like Havana that dazzle and the crossroads at this time is how much to "preserve", how much to make available for locals, how much to create a tourist mecca and sterilize the life blood of its unique Cuban only vitality it has today. The torch has now been passed - out of the family and on to a more cosmopolitan generation that is just tasting "free enterprise" but also carrying the weight of keeping the full communist benefits others are now receiving who had lived at the margins of old Cuba.

 

Yes, you can do private tours. Yes, you can just walk off the ship and hire one of those great old convertibles on your own for your own drive around the city. No you do not need to do HAL tours. Yes, if you are a US citizen and do private tours you need to keep your paperwork in detail about your activities in case the Dept of Treasury asks you to produce it for a five years period. There were no special investigations about our activities in Cuba when we returned through US Customs in Fort Lauderdale.

 

Yes, you do have to sign an affidavit up front and choose between all HAL tours, hybrid HAL plus private or all private. If you choose private tours the Dept of Treas gives you a list of government front agencies, hotels and restaurants that are on their prohibited list. Avoid them, which appears to be fairly easy it you want to contract privately for your own tours in Cuba.

 

Yes, the hAL tours are pretty good but none covered everything we wanted to see in Havana. You can do Cienefuegos on your own, but if you want to go to Trinidad you might want to book the HAL tour since the departure time in that port can change and your HAL 'insurance" they will take care of you is well worth it since you are several hours away from the Cienfuegos port.

 

The whole experience was fraught with tension in the pre-planning stage last December. It was remarkably casual once we got there. But then I don't have to worry about a knock on my door for the next five years with the Dept of Treasury G-Men demanding to see my records. (Chances of that actually happening --you decide.)

 

The on thing you need to worry about is the 10% surcharge changing US dollars - does not apply to Euros or perhaps other currencies readily exchangeable. Not sure if Canadian dollars are easy to exchange but for sure Euros are - no surcharge for US citizens. I did pay with paper US dollars to round up a last minute purchase so again the story you can't use dollars in Cuba was no accurate either - they were happy to take them and probably took me in their mini-exchange rate calculation but the souvenirs were cheap and we both left happy.

 

 

Wonderful wording and to the point for the OP!!! I learned a lot and appreciate all the time you put into your response.

THANKYOU

Denise:)

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We went to Cuba in February and had booked after July 17, 2017, so we were under the new rules. HAL had no checks or restrictions on us getting off the ship. A $75 Cuban visa was required to take the cruise and furnished by HAL. This was charged to all passengers on board account.

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Great info on Cuba. I returned this month from an overnight in Havana on RCI. We did private tours both days, and both days we disembarked 1 1/2 before our tour in order to wander on our own.

I do want to make you aware that the Cuban government now charges 13% to convert American dollars to CUC. This applies only to American doLars. Just so you are prepared.

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Great info on Cuba. I returned this month from an overnight in Havana on RCI. We did private tours both days, and both days we disembarked 1 1/2 before our tour in order to wander on our own.

I do want to make you aware that the Cuban government now charges 13% to convert American dollars to CUC. This applies only to American doLars. Just so you are prepared.

 

If you convert too many dollars to CUC's, I assume that you can convert them back to dollars. But, I'm also guessing that they keep the 13%?

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We just got back a week ago, and we did a private tour, no problem. You just need to mark "support of the Cuban people" on the affidavit.

 

After many hours (days) of research, emails, & phone calls the above is the single most best piece of advice (and simplest) for those that have booked after June 16,2017 that wish to have a private guide experience.

 

 

HAL will issue the VISA for all of the clauses (reasons for visiting) that you may tick off on the affidavit with three exceptions - if you are ticking off visiting family & Cuban born you must get your own visa, or if you are ticking off any of the clauses as a business person only, then you must get a business visa yourself, not a tourist visa. And of course if you are ticking off 'not disembarking' they will not issue you a visa.

 

 

To clarify - anyone who has booked after June 16th, 2017 still has the right to tick off any of the reasons for visiting on that affidavit. If you choose 'Support The Cuban People Section 515-574' as an individual (subsection 4 - an individual) HAL will issue you a VISA and you are free to hire a private Cuban tour guide that you can find on your own. Two things to note about this - you must keep your documentation (affidavit & documentation for what you did & how you followed the rules for Support the Cuban People) for 5 years in case the State dept in the US asks for it, and you will also have to ensure for yourself that the tour guide you hired is willing to follow the rules and keeps to them. The rules are simple for this clause, you must ensure that you are 'supporting' the Cuban people - private tour guides - private restaurants - private transport - etc., not the government or other than the people themselves. All of the Cuban private guides I contacted were willing to issue an itinerary to me with a full day of supporting the Cuban people, and a statement from their company, or themselves that they are aware of, and would follow all of the rules that the US State dept has imposed.

 

 

The only change to the rules after booking June 16th was that IF you ticked off the People to People Clause, you MUST be in a third party guided group program arranged and sponsored by a third party US sponsoring organization, or Holland America. But they do not say you have to tick off People to People. You are free to tick off Support the People.

 

The other note of note is that it does not matter if you are US, CDN, Brazilian, or whatever - you must follow the US State dept rules as the ship is coming directly from a US port to a Cuban port. Will they ever ask us as Canadians? I doubt it, but it is up to HAL to tell us that we must follow those rules as well. And they could, you never know. I will keep the documentation for 5 years as required & it will include a journal & pictures as well as the itineraries & guide statements.

 

I would not feel comfortable looking for a guide on the day we visit that will follow all of the rules, as that could waste lots of time, but it is very easy to arrange this before you go.

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Was just there Monday on Veendam no problems at all walked right off met our tour guide and send 10 hours with him and driver saw anything we wanted and had lunch and dinner in Havana then went to Tropicana and took a cab back to ship around 12;30 in am

 

Anything else just ask

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