Thoughts on Cuba cruises resuming

[jtwind]

iancal and K32682, do either or both of you live in the US?

[iancal]

13 minutes ago, jtwind said:

iancal and K32682, do either or both of you live in the US?

I do not.

Edited March 6, 2021 by iancal

[K32682]

31 minutes ago, jtwind said:

iancal and K32682, do either or both of you live in the US?

 

I live in Canada. 

[Charles4515]

18 hours ago, dolittle said:

Whatever the policy of Cuba or U.S  I don't think the demand for Cuba cruises was all that strong .They were not selling well and they pulled one ship off that route . Cuba may work as a ''WOW I am in cuba'' thrill but that will not last last long. Are they ready for mass tourism I doubt they have the  systems or experience to handle what most people want.Do they have a port that can handle the big ships from Miami and F.L. I do not think so. When you see travel shows from Cuba what do they have some more 57 chevy's and poorly equiped  baseball teams. The truth is they are stuck in the early 60s this may attract some but not most.

 

Wrong. They have had mass tourism for years and are ready for it. Everyone in the world except US citizens is aware of that. 

 

I am not much interested in a cruise to Cuba because I want visit for a week or two.  I would do it if the cruise happened to stop there but I think Cuba is better destination for land vacations than cruises.

[iancal]

Exacrtly.  Sun seeking tourists have been flocking to Cuba for years, us included.   Many, many resorts.

 

Of course you see pictures of old cars.  That is what they are famous for.  We have seen two types of travel shows on Cuba.  One...politically motivated and portraying a very different Cuba than we experienced and others highlighting the many great resort areas, and the sights of Havana.    

 

It would be a mistake to judge Cuba by the number of cruise ships that can be accomodated.

 

The bottom line is that Cuba will always get far, far more economic value from tourists who fly in for 7 or 14 day AI's than they will from boatloads of cruise passengers who come in for a day.

 

It is difficult to justify an investment in cruise ship docks when there is no certainty that cruise ships will come, and even the for how long they will be 'allowed' to come.

 

 Better to put the investment into airports, resorts, etc where they have had years of experience  of hundreds of thousands of  people flying in from around the world.

 

https://www.travelweek.ca/news/record-year-cuba-especially-market-canada-cubas-top-priority/

Edited March 6, 2021 by iancal

[evandbob]

When the US allows us citizens to travel & cruise there again, perhaps it'll be about a year before some CC posts will appear complaining about Havana - over touristy, too many pushy vendors, crumbling infrastructure, souvenirs made in China etc.  Sort of similar to how there are CC posts about Nassau and San Juan. 

 

I would rather do a 14 day land vacay since Cuba is such a huge island than just a 12 hour port stop in Havana.

Edited March 6, 2021 by evandbob

[richstowe]

6 hours ago, evandbob said:

I would rather do a 14 day land vacay since Cuba is such a huge island than just a 12 hour port stop in Havana.

Fair enough but it doesn't have to be an either or . There will be many Americans who return to Cuba after visiting on a cruise . And many won't .

[cruisemom42]

6 hours ago, evandbob said:

I would rather do a 14 day land vacay since Cuba is such a huge island than just a 12 hour port stop in Havana.

 

Yes but not everyone is interested in all parts of Cuba. A lot of it is about the beaches and scenery which means nothing to me. I'm not a beach person or a diver or a sport fisher. I do like the old, historic cities. A cruise like the intensive ones offered by Azamara, with several overnights is fine with me, especially if done more than once.

 

I was just happy to get to Cuba at all and somewhat "re-live" my mother's experience in the early 1950s of cruising to Havana from Florida (yes, we went to the Tropicana)!

 

[donaldsc]

7 hours ago, evandbob said:

When the US allows us citizens to travel & cruise there again, perhaps it'll be about a year before some CC posts will appear complaining about Havana - over touristy, too many pushy vendors, crumbling infrastructure, souvenirs made in China etc.  Sort of similar to how there are CC posts about Nassau and San Juan. 

 

I would rather do a 14 day land vacay since Cuba is such a huge island than just a 12 hour port stop in Havana.

 

Totally agree w you on this.  The thing about Cuba is that it is 2 totally different countries - Havana and everything else.  Havana is a big city w stuff to see but still a big city.  Having done the full land tour, I found the rest of the country to me much more interesting than Havana.  More 3d world but very friendly 3d world with a positive attitude.

 

Another thing about Cuba.  I realize that Cuba that Cuba is not a Caribbean country so don't correct me on this point but it is in the same general part of the world.  However, Cuba has a completely different feel than the rest of the Caribbean countries.  You go to one of the other Caribbean countries and all you get is people trying to sell you stuff.  I realize that they do that make a living but I find it very offsetting.  There was one stop on one of the few cruises I have taken in the Caribbean and one guy followed me for a few blocks trying to sell me his tour after I made it clear that I was not interested in his tour.  I ended up going back to the ship.  

 

In the non-Havana parts of Cuba, this does not happen.  It may be because they don't have anything to sell you but you can wander around feeling completely safe w/o people trying sell you stuff unless you are interested in what they have to offer.  This occurs even in the markets.  One final thing and this occurs in the non-Havana parts of Cuba and also most of the time in Havana, in spite of the fact that America has treated the country like s***, the people genuinely like Americans.  Some of them  may not like America but they are very friendly to you as an American.  

 

Just my thoughts.

 

DON

[K32682]

20 hours ago, evandbob said:

When the US allows us citizens to travel & cruise there again, perhaps it'll be about a year before some CC posts will appear complaining about Havana - over touristy, too many pushy vendors, crumbling infrastructure, souvenirs made in China etc.  Sort of similar to how there are CC posts about Nassau and San Juan. 

 

I would rather do a 14 day land vacay since Cuba is such a huge island than just a 12 hour port stop in Havana.

 

Until the pandemic Cuba had a robust tourism industry and it will recover. Other than Americans people from all over the world vacation there. In all fairness to Americans it is unlikely that adding them to the mix will radically transform the place and turn it into San Juan. 

[jtwind]

Iancal and K32682, did you experience any buffet hoarding by locals at the AIs?  Also, did you see anyone from the US at the AIs?

[evandbob]

2 hours ago, K32682 said:

 

Until the pandemic Cuba had a robust tourism industry and it will recover. Other than Americans people from all over the world vacation there. In all fairness to Americans it is unlikely that adding them to the mix will radically transform the place and turn it into San Juan. 

Not my point that Havana will turn into San Juan because of American tourists, sorry if I wasn't clear enough.

 

I was trying to say that many Americans who visit Havana in about a year's time will come back complaining that to them, Havana seemed like Nassau or San Juan.  Bit of a difference. More of a gentle criticism of some American cruisers than of the city.

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, jtwind said:

Iancal and K32682, did you experience any buffet hoarding by locals at the AIs?  Also, did you see anyone from the US at the AIs?

When we were in Cuba several years ago  we never noticed buffet hoarding  ..not even sure what that means

 We had a lot of Germans at the  resort we were at so food could be scare if you were not there on time  😉

 

AFAIK staff were checked as they left  the resort  we tried to give our housekeeper some things she said  we would have to meet her off the property to give them to her

Thing  may have changed since then

 

[mom says]

3 hours ago, jtwind said:

Iancal and K32682, did you experience any buffet hoarding by locals at the AIs?  Also, did you see anyone from the US at the AIs?

Not the people you directed your question to, but my understanding, from our visit there last year, was that locals cannot stay in AI resorts in Cuba. Plus, food was so plentiful and easily obtained at any time, that "hoarding" was totally unecessary.  So your first question is moot. As to your second, there were a couple of Muricans at our resort, but most were Canadians or Europeans, with a few from South America.

[jtwind]

The Cuban AIs were occasionally running specials for the locals.  And now (pre-pandemic) that some have $ in their pockets, they'd go.  Apparently, they'd stack items on their plates, take them back to their table (or wherever), and empty them in to bags to take home with them.  Beef and some seafood is pretty much reserved for tourists.

[iancal]

There were no locals at the AI's other than staff.   The food, at the time, was not as good as AI's in other countries.

 

Yes, there were a few Americans.    Not many, and they certainly did not advertise it.  The accents gave two of them away.  They bought a Cuban vacation package just as we did from a Canadidan supplier (Transat, Westjet, etc ), came across the border, and flew out of Vancouver with the rest of us.  No issue apparently other than they could not use their credit cards, had to get CAD prior to landing in Cuba.  The Cuban customs folks were savvy.  Our passports were stamped as I recall, their stamp was on a piece of paper loosely inserted into their passport (for obvious reasons).

 

We spent a time on our own, outside one AI.  We did not see any issue with food supplies though there could be an affordability issue.  We arranged a guide and a B&B stay in Havana on the internet.  I guide had worked at the Cuban UN offices.  He was careful what he said when others were around, described the three economies that functioned, etc.

 

Best mohitos I have ever had!

Edited March 7, 2021 by iancal

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, jtwind said:

The Cuban AIs were occasionally running specials for the locals.  And now (pre-pandemic) that some have $ in their pockets, they'd go.  Apparently, they'd stack items on their plates, take them back to their table (or wherever), and empty them in to bags to take home with them.  Beef and some seafood is pretty much reserved for tourists.

Europeans have a tendency to do the same

When we were in Greece one year  the Europeans on the bus tours  would stack a load of bread/cheese/meat from the breakfast buffet ..some came prepared with  containers 😉

 

[Ride-The-Waves]

Visited Cuba in July 2017 on Empress OTS.  We lived in eastern Europe in the male 1980s and interested to see what the differences were between Cuba under its "communist" system and those we experienced in Yugoslavia and Romania and before western tourist culture converted the island to another amusement park.  Well worth the short visit.  Havana has an interesting history, the food was excellent and price at the state cigar store were very high.  The July 2017 visit was made under rules formed by the Obama administration.  Politics, NOT US security strategy by the Trump administration, closed off visiting the island just because it was approved under the previous administration.  The two-tiered monetary system, Convertible Pesos (CUCs) and not-convertible Pesos (CUPs) enabled the Cuban government to control currency evaluations (1USD=1CUC; 25CUPs=1CUC) and limited locals from having "hard" currency.  That is or has apparently change as of this year.

 

I anticipate that Cuba will be opening up under the current US administration.  There is too  much trade and tourism to not open up visits both ways.  There is no "threat" to the US from Cuba and if we can do it with Vietnam, we can surely do it with Cuba.

[iancal]

I would very much doubt that the Cuban Gov't would be willing to invest millions into building cruise ship facilities.   The reason is straightforward.  Risk.

 

A US Gov't could open up travel to Cuba, and then close it off just as easily.  All it would take is some political considerations or a new administration.   

 

I posted a travel an article from a travel trade magazine.  Cuba has 5 million plus visitors a year.  A million or more from Canada, 44 percent of which are return visitors.  These stats speak volumes about what tourists think of Cuba.  And tourism to Cuba pre covis was growing at double digit rates. 

 

 It is all more that a little silly from an outsider's perspective.

Edited March 7, 2021 by iancal

[K32682]

6 hours ago, jtwind said:

Iancal and K32682, did you experience any buffet hoarding by locals at the AIs?  Also, did you see anyone from the US at the AIs?

 

The only locals at the AI were the ones that worked there. 

[K32682]

3 hours ago, iancal said:

Yes, there were a few Americans.    Not many, and they certainly did not advertise it.  The accents gave two of them away.  They bought a Cuban vacation package just as we did from a Canadidan supplier (Transat, Westjet, etc ), came across the border, and flew out of Vancouver with the rest of us.  No issue apparently other than they could not use their credit cards, had to get CAD prior to landing in Cuba.  The Cuban customs folks were savvy.  Our passports were stamped as I recall, their stamp was on a piece of paper loosely inserted into their passport (for obvious reasons).

 

My tourist card was stamped entering Cuba but not my passport. I was pleased my passport was not stamped as I was in the U.S. frequently before the pandemic and expect to be again when travel returns to normal.   

  

[Ride-The-Waves]

15 hours ago, K32682 said:

 

My tourist card was stamped entering Cuba but not my passport. I was pleased my passport was not stamped as I was in the U.S. frequently before the pandemic and expect to be again when travel returns to normal.   

  

US immigration couldn't care less that you traveled to Cuba.  No worries there. 

[K32682]

1 hour ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

US immigration couldn't care less that you traveled to Cuba.  No worries there. 

 

Among the questions I was asked during my Nexus interview by the CBP was whether I'd visited or done business in Cuba. At the time I hadn't so could answer honestly.  

[Charles4515]

5 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

Among the questions I was asked during my Nexus interview by the CBP was whether I'd visited or done business in Cuba. At the time I hadn't so could answer honestly.  

 

Interesting. When I was interviewed for Global Entry I was not asked that but I did include Cuba on the list of countries I had visited.  They really did not ask me about anything.

[K32682]

1 minute ago, Charles4515 said:

 

Interesting. When I was interviewed for Global Entry I was not asked that but I did include Cuba on the list of countries I had visited.  They really did not ask me about anything.

 

It took me back a bit too. It might have had something to do with being Canadian and having listed Russia, former eastern European Bloc nations and some African and Asian nations that were at one time under Soviet influence.