Which excursion to take

[Almondtree]

We are booked on Royal Caribbean for April 2019.  They have about 3 excursions per port.  I'm not sure which to take.  I think in Santiago we will probably take the one that goes to Trinidad.  But I am clueless for Havana and Cienfuegos.  In Havana, they have Best of Havana, Panoramic Havana and Old Havana.  In Cienfuegos,  they have El Cobre Highlights, Panoramic Cienfuegos, Colonial Santiago, and Birthplace of the Revolution.  It sounds like the "Panoramic" tours are just driving around so those are probably not an option.  I wish I could give a description of each tour but that would take up a lot of this post.

 

Would appreciate any suggestions.  If there is something "not to miss," please advise and I can try to find which tour includes it.

Thanks.

[ebslcc]

2 hours ago, Almondtree said:

We are booked on Royal Caribbean for April 2019.  They have about 3 excursions per port.  I'm not sure which to take.  I think in Santiago we will probably take the one that goes to Trinidad.  But I am clueless for Havana and Cienfuegos.  In Havana, they have Best of Havana, Panoramic Havana and Old Havana.  In Cienfuegos,  they have El Cobre Highlights, Panoramic Cienfuegos, Colonial Santiago, and Birthplace of the Revolution.  It sounds like the "Panoramic" tours are just driving around so those are probably not an option.  I wish I could give a description of each tour but that would take up a lot of this post.

 

Would appreciate any suggestions.  If there is something "not to miss," please advise and I can try to find which tour includes it.

Thanks.

 

I found the Royal Caribbean excursion listing for Cuba online.  It is quite extensive.  I am pretty sure you are not limited to having just 3 choices for each port.  

Go here: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/destinations/shoreExcursions/ports/view.do?DestinationCode=CUBAN and click on the city for a list of the excursions.  You may want to look through the list again, narrow your choices down to 2 or 3 and come back with your choices for people to chime in with our opinions. 

 

Have you considered taking private tours vs. just cruise excursions?  From my experience it is much easier to get a private tour for 2 or 4 people in Cuba vs. larger groups.  Most operators don't charge you ahead - you pay when you meet because of difficulty in getting $ from the US.  Some  operator uses a go between to get a deposit from you.  You can get a private customizable tour from favored operators like FerTours. Blexie, Havana Journey, Havana Memories etc for ~100 to 150 CUC for 2 to 4 people for 6 or 7 hours.  re: what not to miss - walking through Old Havana and seeing Fusterlandia, driving down the Malecón are on top of my not to miss list.  https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147271-d2461860-Reviews-Fusterlandia-Havana_Ciudad_de_la_Habana_Province_Cuba.html

My suggestion is to take the RCL excursion list and search on TripAdvisor each of the locations that sounds interesting to you, read the reviews and then put it on your 'to see' list.  If you are taking a customizable tour ask your tour operator if the locations you like can be part of your tour.

 

For Santiago and Cienfuegos there are less operators, less competition and the private tours are usually more expensive.  You mentioned you want to see Trinidad - it should be part of your Cienfuegos stop and not Santiago.  El Cobre is in Santiago and not Cienfuegos. 

 

For Santiago my must see is El Morro aka Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca.  https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147273-d207870-Reviews-Castillo_de_San_Pedro_de_la_Roca-Santiago_de_Cuba_Santiago_de_Cuba_Province_Cuba.html.  The other must do for me is just a walk around the streets in Santiago.  There is a lot of history just in the town center.  Walking around to see the on the streets musical performances as well as in the local clubs near the port would be interesting to experience.  

 

For Cienfuegos, going to see Trinidad is good.  I think that Cienfuegos itself has a lot of interesting architecture and culture to experience.  If your cruise has 9 to 10 hours in port you have enough time to do a combo private tour Trinidad and Cienfuegos  Otherwise I would stick with a cruise excursion if you have less time in port and want to see Trinidad.  Trinidad is 1 1/2 hours drive each way.

 

IMHO, taking private tours provides a much more intimate Cuban experience since you will be spending a lot more time privately with your guides.  I am sure they will share a lot about living in Cuba that you may not get from a group cruise excursion guide.  

 

Again, please search on TripAdvisor and read up on the sights.  I also like to check out sights searching on YouTube  e.g. here is a couple of good ones on Trinidad and Cienfuegos.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2018 by ebslcc