Any recent cruisers to Cuba?

[mykiddiewinks]

We will be cruising next March and just starting to do some research, I understood it that you had to do a People to People excursion through Carnival or an authorized tour company. While doing my research I came across a thread on Trip Advisor that if you check the box Support For The Cuban People you can go and shop and tour on your own, anyone got any experience, knowledge of this.

 

Any other info, advice would be great.

[Essiesmom]

Visit the Cuba board here under Ports of Call. EM

[Lorain1]

I also have the same question - we are traveling to Cuba on Carnival next April and would like to do our own private tour (2hrs City Tour in a Vintage Car). I am very confused in reading the regulations and wonder if anyone has recently visited Cuba and done their own tours. Thank You!

[geovet]

I had my papers filled out for support the people. Carnival made me fill out another form with person to person before they would give me a visa. No big deal, I have both.

[Lorain1]

Thank you for your response- my husband and I are older senior citizens and we are trying to feel our way through the confusion but do not want to spend 8 hrs on a ship exclusion when the shorter private ones seem so much more appealing. We are only going to stop in Havana from 7am until 5pm and would also like to do shopping at the pier area so the city tour for 2 or 3 hours would be ideal for us. Definitely looking forward to seeing the country.

[riffatsea]

There is a ton of info on the Cuba board on this site.

It includes recs for private tours which are OK.

There is too much info there to repeat here.

Here is a link to the Cuba board:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1009

I don't know why it is not a live link so just cut an paste it or go to the Caribbean board and scroll down to Cuba

[frangran]

Just back from Cuba 2 weeks ago on Royal.

 

THE LAW CHANGED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. DON'T RELY ON OUTDATED SOURCES!

 

You need an APPROVED GUIDED TOUR each day you want to go ashore in Cuba. It can be through your cruise company OR an approved other company.

 

Our ship spent 2 full days & overnight in Havana. I took three tours through Royal: 1. a full day bus tour of Havana, 2. Tropicana Night Club (AMAZING -- like BEING in the middle of a 1930's Fred Astaire - Ginger Rogers movie! Costumes were skimpy but not nudity.), and 3. the 1950's cars tour of Havana (FABULOUS -- all the cars were convertibles & it was like being a teen again! I'm 71.)

Edited July 12, 2018 by frangran

[riffatsea]

USA law may have changed but once you are on shore in Cuba you can do as you like!

Read recent posts on the Cuba board. They are not outdated!

[LostPuppy]

We will be cruising next March and just starting to do some research, I understood it that you had to do a People to People excursion through Carnival or an authorized tour company. While doing my research I came across a thread on Trip Advisor that if you check the box Support For The Cuban People you can go and shop and tour on your own, anyone got any experience, knowledge of this.

 

Any other info, advice would be great.

 

USA law may have changed but once you are on shore in Cuba you can do as you like!

Read recent posts on the Cuba board. They are not outdated!

 

I agree with Riff, no one cares what you do once you get past customs. We went in Sept, and just walked off the ship. Found some guys in a '53 Olds and had a fun, private tour of Havana that may or not have included rum, fish empanadas, and cigars....

[Lorain1]

Thanks for all the helpful info - I am thinking of going with OldCarTours but one question I have is how do you know, if as Frangran mentioned, you need an approved other company. Which private companies would that apply to?

[Djptcp]

We did the 4-day overnight Havana cruise on the Paradise in May. In order to check Support for the Cuban People, you would' have had to have booked the cruise prior to June 17, 2017. That is the date that Trump changed President Obama's rules to make it more difficult for Americans to visit Cuba. We booked the cruise only a few months prior to the cruise, so that option was not available to us and People to People was the only option for us as we did not fit into any other option.

[riffatsea]

Have you read anything on the Cuba board link I gave you???

Please go there and read about all the private tours that people are taking right now , today! Once you are off the ship NO one knows which tour company you are using. You can walk around yourself without a tour . You can book a tour yourself too but if you don't read the info from people who have been there/done that you'll still be asking here and not getting good answers.

[Lorain1]

Have you read anything on the Cuba board link I gave you???

 

Please go there and read about all the private tours that people are taking right now , today! Once you are off the ship NO one knows which tour company you are using. You can walk around yourself without a tour . You can book a tour yourself too but if you don't read the info from people who have been there/done that you'll still be asking here and not getting good answers.

 

 

 

 

Yes I went onto the link that you gave me and started reading the tours other people have recently been going on. They certainly show that other cruisers are finding their own tours. I think from now on I'll stick to reading that board instead of getting confusing answers to my questions - thank you

 

 

 

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[frangran]

Sorry I mentioned it. I'd gladly delete my post if this MB permitted it.

[Djptcp]

Carnival has good information to read before going to Cuba on its website....Everything You Need to Know Before Cruising to Cuba. When getting your Visa, you need to check one of the following:

Folks from the U.S. (including U.S. residents who were born in Cuba) and people from other countries can travel to Cuba. There are two ways to become eligible. The first way is to meet one of the twelve categories of eligible travel:

• Visiting family in Cuba
  
• Official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and certain intergovernmental organizations
  
• Journalistic activity
  
• Professional research and professional meetings
  
• Educational activities, including People-to-People exchange programs
  
• Religious activities
  
• Public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions
  
• Support for the Cuban people
  
• Humanitarian projects
  
• Activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes
  
• Exportation, importation, or transmission of information or information materials
  
• Certain authorized export transactions
  

Also, check out Cuba travel rules at the US State Department website. I found looking at the Cruise Critic Cuba board to be extremely confusing for several reasons. One, passengers on other cruise lines contributed and two, it was difficult to tell who had made their Cuba cruise reservations before Trump made restrictions and who booked afterwards.

[Lorain1]

Thank you for the info in Carnival - I also am finding that the responses are from other cruise co. cruisers. The port of call forum is giving me a lot of good information on my particular cruise on the Paradise. It seems the easiest and best way is to check both p2p and sftp boxes and do what you want. I will keep checking because I have until next April until we sail and I do like to be prepared.

[AmBear]

We were recently told by our PCP that Cuba charges $75. a person for a day visa per person.

[Lorain1]

What is a PCP?

[CruiseGal999]

We were recently told by our PCP that Cuba charges $75. a person for a day visa per person.

 

The Visa is for your whole trip. My trip last May, arrived early in the morning Tues. and left at 5 p.m. Weds. There was only 1 $75 Visa charge for both days. NOT each day. Just fyi.

[CruiseGal999]

What is a PCP?

 

 

Personal Cruise Planner .... NOT the drug. ;p

[mdsgu]

We are going to Cuba on Royal later this month. I don't profess to be an expert; I've never been. But we had an excursion booked through Royal for a vintage car tour that was over $500 for the four of us. After reading on here and on TripAdvisor, we cancelled that and booked with Blexie -- same tour, 130CUC for all four. And we'll be in a 1955 blue-and-white air-conditioned Chevy.

 

From everything I've read, just check off whatever Carnival (or your cruise line) tells you to because nobody checks on what you did while in Cuba. You are supposed to maintain a log or journal of your educational activity -- "people to people" -- for 5 years in case anyone from the US government asks.

[AmBear]

What is a PCP?

My abbreviation for personal cruise person at carnival!

[AmBear]

The Visa is for your whole trip. My trip last May, arrived early in the morning Tues. and left at 5 p.m. Weds. There was only 1 $75 Visa charge for both days. NOT each day. Just fyi.

You are correct, should have stated 'per visit' not per day!

[FredZiffle]

We are going to Cuba on Royal later this month. I don't profess to be an expert; I've never been. But we had an excursion booked through Royal for a vintage car tour that was over $500 for the four of us. After reading on here and on TripAdvisor, we cancelled that and booked with Blexie -- same tour, 130CUC for all four. And we'll be in a 1955 blue-and-white air-conditioned Chevy.

 

From everything I've read, just check off whatever Carnival (or your cruise line) tells you to because nobody checks on what you did while in Cuba. You are supposed to maintain a log or journal of your educational activity -- "people to people" -- for 5 years in case anyone from the US government asks.

Thank you. I was getting ready to post the same thing. No one cares what you do in Cuba. Technically, you probably shouldn't flaunt the rules by laying out on a beach all day, but, even doing that, if you're renting a cabana or an umbrella, or buying drinks or food from a local vendor, or just engaging in conversation with them, you're pretty much in compliance. What you absolutely, positively, do not have to do is take an over-priced ship's excursion.