belkin Posted October 29, 2017 #1 Share Posted October 29, 2017 We booked this tour for our October 2017 cruise to Cuba on the Carnival Paradise. The tour was 6 hours and the price was 200 cuc if you wanted the photos or 150 cuc without them. Our guide Yosel was amazing. He spoke fluent English and had a great personality. It felt like you were touring with a friend. We met at the square across the street from the cruise terminal. Yosel provided us with a wide variety of stops, exploring new Havana, old Havana, and other top touristy stops. Some of the places we went were off the beaten path and not on the usual tour guides agenda. I would say that this was probably the best tour we have ever taken. We are headed back to Cuba next year and will definitely be booking with Yosel again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigAl_7 Posted October 30, 2017 #2 Share Posted October 30, 2017 We booked with Yosel and Damian was our guide. I thoroughly agree with your review and would recommend using "I Love Cuba" tours as well. Here is my review I posted to Trip Advisor... What a great time! While it was raining our first day, Damian was wonderful trying to get us to see as much as we could. Always a smile and welcoming words, I agree with others that it was almost like being led through the tour with a long-time friend. The weather cleared up the second day and Damian guided us around the walking tour pointing out sights and good photo opportunities and I got some really great photos. We would HIGHLY recommend booking a tour with Yosel. By the way, this was booked very last minute after the cruise ship had cancelled our original plans because of damage from Irma. Yosel jumped right in and suggested an option for us and let us know to look for Damian outside of the cruise terminal. If we ever make it back to Havana, I would definitely book with I Love Cuba again and would request Damian if he's available. I just can't say enough good things about the entire process and the tours themselves. Thank you!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuzCruise Posted October 31, 2017 #3 Share Posted October 31, 2017 And advice on "don't miss" sites, hidden gems, or spots you'd wished you'd skipped? Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belkin Posted November 4, 2017 Author #4 Share Posted November 4, 2017 We are pretty easy going and loved it all. We had no real agenda, but did ask him to take us to a cigar factory which he was happy to do. We just let him mix it up for us. We went to a park that girls get photographed at for their 15th birthday. Stopped by a little café and got a bakery item. Went to the Hotel Nationale and had a drink and bought coffee. Toured Fustalandia and the Havana Ghetto and drove around. I would check out Havana on Trip Advisor and see what you might be interested in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truckerj1 Posted November 10, 2017 #5 Share Posted November 10, 2017 We booked this tour for our October 2017 cruise to Cuba on the Carnival Paradise. The tour was 6 hours and the price was 200 cuc if you wanted the photos or 150 cuc without them. Our guide Yosel was amazing. He spoke fluent English and had a great personality. It felt like you were touring with a friend. We met at the square across the street from the cruise terminal. Yosel provided us with a wide variety of stops, exploring new Havana, old Havana, and other top touristy stops. Some of the places we went were off the beaten path and not on the usual tour guides agenda. I would say that this was probably the best tour we have ever taken. We are headed back to Cuba next year and will definitely be booking with Yosel again. Thank you for this. I'm thinking of using him.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belkin Posted November 11, 2017 Author #6 Share Posted November 11, 2017 Thank you for this.I'm thinking of using him.. I think you will really enjoy the tour. I booked him again for 2 days in August so am hoping the new travel rules don't prohibit it. He was very excited that I wrote a review on here. If you book tell him you heard about on CC from Clark and Mary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truckerj1 Posted November 11, 2017 #7 Share Posted November 11, 2017 I think you will really enjoy the tour. I booked him again for 2 days in August so am hoping the new travel rules don't prohibit it.He was very excited that I wrote a review on here. If you book tell him you heard about on CC from Clark and Mary. I just emailed Yosel that you recommended him!!! Thanks so much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belkin Posted November 11, 2017 Author #8 Share Posted November 11, 2017 Your welcome. He is pretty quick to respond. One of the things I learned from him is they don't have internet like we do. They have to go to hot spots which seemed to be in parks and hook up from there. No internet in their homes like we have. They have to buy cards that give them minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briar Patch Posted January 13, 2018 #9 Share Posted January 13, 2018 Maybe I overlooked it, but what is his website? Email ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belkin Posted January 30, 2018 Author #10 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Maybe I overlooked it, but what is his website? Email ? Sorry it took so long to answer, we just got off a 13 day Panama Canal tour. Here is the link to his website http://ilovecuba.webs.com This is his email that we used to correspond yoselvazquez@yahoo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marguerite-a-Ville Posted February 16, 2018 #11 Share Posted February 16, 2018 ... the price was 200 cuc if you wanted the photos or 150 cuc without them... Do you mean they take photos of you at the sites? Also, how many people on the tour? Is this private, or is there a group? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaMarieNJ Posted February 19, 2018 #12 Share Posted February 19, 2018 If it costs more if you want the photos, and less, if you don't, does that mean you are not allowed to take pics with your own camera? Or is it because his photos will be more professional? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belkin Posted February 20, 2018 Author #13 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Do you mean they take photos of you at the sites? Also, how many people on the tour? Is this private, or is there a group? Thanks! He will take photos of all the sites and photos of you as well. He e will provide you with an SD card. This is a private tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belkin Posted February 21, 2018 Author #14 Share Posted February 21, 2018 If it costs more if you want the photos, and less, if you don't, does that mean you are not allowed to take pics with your own camera? Or is it because his photos will be more professional? As far as I remember it is your choice. He took a lot of photos that we never would have taken so I thought it was worth the extra $50. Plus we were able to just focus on the sights and not worry about capturing the photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaMarieNJ Posted February 26, 2018 #15 Share Posted February 26, 2018 How much should I tip my tour guide percentage-wise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Williams the second Posted February 26, 2018 #16 Share Posted February 26, 2018 We went on I Love Cuba's photographic tour in Havana on February 19th with Yosel and Christina. There were 7 of us and a baby . We travelled in a 1950's Dodge and a 1950's Chevy Convertible and had a brilliant time visiting the Forest, the Ghetto and Fusterlandia as well as the Capitol, Revolutionary Square and the National Hotel. It was easily the best excursion I have been on. We learnt so much and Yosel and Christina were such fun. The photographs were brilliant. It's not surprising that this is Trip Adviser's No 1 Tour in Havana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Williams the second Posted February 26, 2018 #17 Share Posted February 26, 2018 We gave a 20% tip which Yosel was delighted to accept. It was worth every penny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belkin Posted February 26, 2018 Author #18 Share Posted February 26, 2018 How much should I tip my tour guide percentage-wise? For me that is a really hard question to answer as tipping is such a personal thing. If I am really happy I tip 20%, if not maybe 10%. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaMarieNJ Posted March 2, 2018 #19 Share Posted March 2, 2018 Yes, it absolutely does! Thanks. I didn't want to offend anybody by undertipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathy49 Posted March 17, 2018 #20 Share Posted March 17, 2018 we just toured with Yosel and it is our second time. He is one of the best guides ever so if you can book him do it. I have never tipped him as it is his company and unless a guide works for someone else I have never tipped...if they do work for someone else different story. I feel cheap now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinmargarita Posted April 28, 2018 #21 Share Posted April 28, 2018 Just returned from Royal Caribbean cruise that included an overnight in Havana - hands down, Yosel gave the best tour experience I've ever had! He is extremely knowledgeable, so friendly/responsive/easy to communicate with, and takes amazing photos of you and your group. If you have the chance to book a tour with him, don't hesitate. My friends and I had the BEST time and still can't stop raving about all the photos he took for us, as well as everything we learned over our two days there. He personalizes every tour to your interests - we went in with no expectations and let him devise the itinerary for us, and we weren't disappointed at all. We got to see all the "must see" places while also going off the beaten path to observe and learn more about daily life in Cuba. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryno9065 Posted May 4, 2018 #22 Share Posted May 4, 2018 How early should I contact him? Our trip isn't until July 2019. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chinita415 Posted May 6, 2018 #23 Share Posted May 6, 2018 We went on I Love Cuba's photographic tour in Havana on February 19th with Yosel and Christina. There were 7 of us and a baby . We travelled in a 1950's Dodge and a 1950's Chevy Convertible and had a brilliant time visiting the Forest, the Ghetto and Fusterlandia as well as the Capitol, Revolutionary Square and the National Hotel. It was easily the best excursion I have been on. We learnt so much and Yosel and Christina were such fun. The photographs were brilliant. It's not surprising that this is Trip Adviser's No 1 Tour in Havana Liz - how old was baby and did you or parents just hold baby in the classic cars since no seatbelts? We are going with our baby who will be 8 months and will have a soft carrier and a travel carseat. We took short taxi rides in Japan with her in carrier and me belted. But wonder if too risky in Cuba classic cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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