Getting off the ship in Havana

[ranchette]

How long does it take to get off the ship we arrive in Havana at 9:30 and I want to book a private tour what time do you think we should reserve the tour? I know you have to go through immigration and I don't know how long all this will take.

[pbenjamin]

That will be highly dependent upon how big the ship is and when the ship-sponsored excursions leave. In a perfect world you would want to get off the ship ahead of the excursions but they may have priority. The actual process of going ashore takes only a few minutes. You go through Cuban customs and immigration very quickly if there are no lines.

[mooline]

Hello,

We just returned from RCCL's first Havana overnight cruise. We arrived in Havana mid-day on June 28 and departed in the evening on June 29.

 

The ship-sponsored excursion groups were first off (we were among them; our group was the 3rd to depart the ship). Immigration and the subsequent security scan took about 20-30 minutes in all, including waiting in lines. Lines appeared to be increasingly longer and more groups disembarked.

 

Hope this helps!

[ranchette]

Hello,

We just returned from RCCL's first Havana overnight cruise. We arrived in Havana mid-day on June 28 and departed in the evening on June 29.

 

The ship-sponsored excursion groups were first off (we were among them; our group was the 3rd to depart the ship). Immigration and the subsequent security scan took about 20-30 minutes in all, including waiting in lines. Lines appeared to be increasingly longer and more groups disembarked.

 

Hope this helps!

What excursion did you take and was it worthwhile?

[mooline]

Hi Ranchette,

We took two excursions: The Old Havana Heritage Walking Tour (roughly 3.5 hours) on Day 1 and the Best of Havana bus tour (roughly 8 hours) on day 2. The Walking Tour was fantastic; highly recommend it. It's roughly 2 miles with several stops along the way (where the guide explains the historical significance of a site) and a cigar rolling demo with cigar-rum-coffee tasting at the end. The streets in Old Havana are all cobblestone, meaning walking on uneven surfaces. We had no issues at all and found the pace to be very leisurely, but we walk nearly every day.

 

The bus tour was good, but if I had to choose, the walking tour would win hands down. The bus tour felt a little rushed, despite its length. There was a wonderful lunch included and we did see some great sights, just wish we could have spent longer at some and heard more of the history behind the location. The bus tour does not include Old Havana, so the two tours complemented each other.

 

Hope this helps!

[ranchette]

Hi Ranchette,

We took two excursions: The Old Havana Heritage Walking Tour (roughly 3.5 hours) on Day 1 and the Best of Havana bus tour (roughly 8 hours) on day 2. The Walking Tour was fantastic; highly recommend it. It's roughly 2 miles with several stops along the way (where the guide explains the historical significance of a site) and a cigar rolling demo with cigar-rum-coffee tasting at the end. The streets in Old Havana are all cobblestone, meaning walking on uneven surfaces. We had no issues at all and found the pace to be very leisurely, but we walk nearly every day.

 

The bus tour was good, but if I had to choose, the walking tour would win hands down. The bus tour felt a little rushed, despite its length. There was a wonderful lunch included and we did see some great sights, just wish we could have spent longer at some and heard more of the history behind the location. The bus tour does not include Old Havana, so the two tours complemented each other.

 

Hope this helps!

Thanks for your reply the walking tour sounds good.

[LittleBee]

Are restrooms easily available when on the walking tour?

[mooline]

Yes, we had two stops on our walking tour, both were clean and well appointed -even had TP, :)

[teachatthebeach]

On the July 1st sailing, people with private tours were allowed to get off the ship first. We disembarked around 8:15. There were no lines to present visas/passports and no lines at the money exchange. We met our guide by the fountain across from the terminal at 9:00.

 

Both of our bathroom stops were fine. The first one was a restaurant in Old Havana. It was very clean. No toilet paper and the toilet didn't flush. There was a coffee can by the sink to fill up with water to flush-the attendant did that. The second was our paladar. Again, very clean, toilet flushed (don't put the paper in the toilet-it goes in the trash can by the toilet) but no toilet paper. I was prepared with packages of tissues!

[CruiseGal999]

Also, bring sanitizing gel and wipes. There were places where the water didn't run in the sink, either. All I had were my anti-bacterial wipes and sani-gel. No paper towels either. Just FYI.

[teachatthebeach]

Agreed! Our first bathroom stop had running water but no soap or towels. The second stop had a sliver of bar soap and a bath towel.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Kingofcool1947]

On the July 1st sailing, people with private tours were allowed to get off the ship first. We disembarked around 8:15. There were no lines to present visas/passports and no lines at the money exchange. We met our guide by the fountain across from the terminal at 9:00.

 

Both of our bathroom stops were fine. The first one was a restaurant in Old Havana. It was very clean. No toilet paper and the toilet didn't flush. There was a coffee can by the sink to fill up with water to flush-the attendant did that. The second was our paladar. Again, very clean, toilet flushed (don't put the paper in the toilet-it goes in the trash can by the toilet) but no toilet paper. I was prepared with packages of tissues!

 

Just curious, I am booked on 7 day cruise to Cuba.

So, what do you do when you go "#2"? The reason I ask is that, I suffer from a bad case IBM, and diarrhea especially when traveling to hot tropical climates. :( Should I carry paper toilet seat covers? Hand sanitizer? Where does the soiled TP/tissue go? In the can? Or? Who empty the can? If there is one, do you tip the restroom attendant, does he clean the stall before and after you use it, and how much tip do you recommend? In CUC's? Euros? US dollars?

Thanks.

Edited July 11, 2017 by Kingofcool1947

[VidaNaPraia]

Should I carry paper toilet seat covers?

 

Many places don't even have seats. Squat.

 

Hand sanitizer?

 

Often there is no soap or paper towels, so yes if not spreading germs to your food is of value to you.

 

Where does the soiled TP/tissue go? In the can

In the waste basket,

 

Who empty the can? If there is one, do you tip the restroom attendant, does he clean the stall before and after you use it, and how much tip do you recommend? In CUC's? Euros? US dollars?

Thanks.

 

Stalls probably get cleaned periodically during the day, not after every use.

If you use the paper that the attendant passes out, you could also tip.

The currency is the CUC (or the CUP, which you probably won't see) so use it. You can get rid of your change by using it to tip or pay for paper at restrooms. Notes in other currencies mean more work for the recipient to exchange, and foreign coins are worthless to them.

[Kingofcool1947]

Many places don't even have seats. Squat.

 

 

 

Often there is no soap or paper towels, so yes if not spreading germs to your food is of value to you.

 

 

In the waste basket,

 

 

 

Stalls probably get cleaned periodically during the day, not after every use.

If you use the paper that the attendant passes out, you could also tip.

The currency is the CUC (or the CUP, which you probably won't see) so use it. You can get rid of your change by using it to tip or pay for paper at restrooms. Notes in other currencies mean more work for the recipient to exchange, and foreign coins are worthless to them.

 

Thanks!

[alpal1993]

Great advice, I hadn't even thought about that. Shopping list small packs of kleenex,hand sanitizer and wet wipes.