Cuba?

[friar1610]

My college alumni association sponsors a travel program. We have gone on one trip in the past and enjoyed it very much. They recently announced a trip to Cuba for the winter of 2019. I've always been interested in Cuba (and have actually been there but only to the Guantanamo Naval Base) and am considering the trip.

It will be 2 nights in Cienfuegos and 5 in Havana. I understand that trips to Cuba are supposed to be educational/cultural and that is perfectly fine with me; no huge interest in simply sitting on a beach drinking rum. I also understand that our movements will be somewhat restricted and we will likely see mostly what the government wants us to.

All that said, if you have been there did you enjoy it? Did you learn a lot? Any thoughts/comments/advice? Did you have any/much freedom of movement on your own?

Thank you.

 

[mickeyd]

I wonder how much of the travel fees end up in the coffers of the Cuban government?

 

[healthyandfun]

Visited Cuba on a 17 day Road Scholar “educational” tour in 2015. Flew from Miami to Santiago de Cuba and then meandered overland via coach to Havana. We were guided by a Cuban National who spoke perfect English and He was spectacular. We followed the itinerary closely, but had some free time. The people were kind, friendly, and open minded. Our guide answered every question imaginable as we admired the countryside. We visited an artist in his home, a senior center, a ballet school, secondary school for the arts, folk musicians, visited a working ranch, stayed with a family in their B&b, met with fisherman, visited Hemingway’s home, etc. The food was good and mostly basic fare. Seeing all the old cars was a pleasure. Our guide arranged for our group to be passengers in cars from the 50’s before an evening event. Great fun! Never felt like anyone was keeping tabs on us. The country is not without its problems such as poorly maintained buildings and limited infrastructure. The main highway across the country is mostly a two lane highway with cars, trucks, big trucks, horse drawn carts, bicyclists, etc. All the hotels were adequate to good. Would highly recommend it!

 

[Bamaman]

All I know is tourist volumes are down somewhat.

And I don't want to leave my $ in a place that has treated citizens so bad.

There has been no reason communism has remained in this modern world. The money is sitting in Miami ready to modernize the island into Little Las Vegas with a change of politics.

 

[shortstop14]

We took a ten day trip to Cuba two years ago, and enjoyed it a lot. This was a people-to-people tour - we played baseball against four different teams made of up Cuban ex-professional ballplayers. Two of the games were in small villages where the whole town turned out to watch the games, which was an interesting experience. We had some good opportunities to talk to people, which worked well even with the language barrier. We had enough Spanish speakers on the trip to facilitate conversation. Especially in the smaller villages, people seemed excited to have us there.

We had quite a bit of freedom of movement - most of the day was with the group, including some outings to an organic farm, tobacco farm and cigar rolling factory, but we had some evenings to go out and explore wherever we wanted. A lot of the small restaurants, home stays and businesses are independent as the government has loosened up a bit. There are definitely infrastructure challenges. The old cars are great to see, a lot of ingenuity to keep those running without access to parts.

The countryside is really beautiful, it's a much different feel from the more tourism focused islands.

 

[6miths]

DW, DD and DM where in Havana for a couple of weeks 5 years ago and loved it. DD was dancing with the ballet. My mother thought that it was one of the best trips she had ever taken.

 

[brett]

We love Cuba. We were there a few years ago. Spent five nights in a beach resort then took the local bus to Havana and stayed in a B&B for two nights. We arranged a private guide prior to going. Turned out he had worked in NY with Cuba's UN delegation at some point. Tour was great and he provided some good insights.

We want to go back. Extremely friendly people. We found it very safe. We plan to return.

Freedom of movement? Absolutely. We had no issues getting around. I think that there is a great deal of propaganda, mis-information, and just plain ignorance about Cuba that has served to paint a less than favourable view of the country.

 

[ncbill]

I wonder how much of the travel fees end up in the coffers of the Cuban government?

Specifically, their military.

They own/control the tourist facilities you'll be using, no way around them.

 

[Nemo2]

Was there in 1974 during Brezhnev's visit.......ho hum......never returned, nor wanted to return.........the people next door to us go every year.....why, I don't know.

 

[Moemg]

We are taking a cruise to Cuba in a few weeks . We had to fill out a form that states our activities are for support of Cuban people .From what I have read on Cruise Critic after signing the form you are free to do what you want .We are taking a tour in Havana with Fer tours . It has great reviews on trip advisor .

 

[Totoro]

Freedom of movement? Absolutely. We had no issues getting around. I think that there is a great deal of propaganda, mis-information, and just plain ignorance about Cuba that has served to paint a less than favourable view of the country.

The place is changing fast. Was there in 2001, and freedom of movement was slightly different: I couldn't go everywhere, but most places were fine if you put in a bit of effort and keep a low profile.

Guessing that's where a lot of misinformation comes from: outdated info.

 

[Milton]

I understand that trips to Cuba are supposed to be educational/cultural and that is perfectly fine with me; no huge interest in simply sitting on a beach drinking rum.

Supposed to be what?

There is no restriction to "educational/cultural" activities. The Cubans know that they are competing in a global tourism market, and they want everyone to have an enjoyable time. If people want to suntan on the beach, catch up on their reading and generally relax, that's perfectly fine.

We love Cuba. We were there a few years ago. Spent five nights in a beach resort then took the local bus to Havana and stayed in a B&B for two nights. We arranged a private guide prior to going. Turned out he had worked in NY with Cuba's UN delegation at some point. Tour was great and he provided some good insights.

We want to go back. Extremely friendly people. We found it very safe. We plan to return.

Freedom of movement? Absolutely. We had no issues getting around. I think that there is a great deal of propaganda, mis-information, and just plain ignorance about Cuba that has served to paint a less than favourable view of the country.

+1

 

[brett]

I have never understood why some people have such a bee in the bonnet about Cuba. We don't seem to hear the same type of remarks, questions, objections etc. to travelling/visiting other countries that rank the same in terms of govenment, personal freedoms, etc.

Never hear anything about travelling to China, Vietnam, Russia, Egypt, and scores of other countries. So why Cuba. Just take it as it is and enjoy your travels.

 

[USGrant1962]

Supposed to be what?

There is no restriction to "educational/cultural" activities. The Cubans know that they are competing in a global tourism market, and they want everyone to have an enjoyable time. If people want to suntan on the beach, catch up on their reading and generally relax, that's perfectly fine.

Travel to Cuba for Americans is still restricted to 12 categories (not including "tourism") by the USG, not by Cuba. https://cu.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/traveling-to-cuba/

I think there is a lot of winking and nodding going on, and "support of the Cuban people" is wide enough to drive a cruise ship through.

The 12 categories of authorized travel to Cuba are: family visits; official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and certain intergovernmental organizations; journalistic activity; professional research and professional meetings; educational activities; 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 informational materials; and certain authorized export transactions.

 

[Milton]

Wow. Thanks for the info.

Beats me why the US would impose such restrictions upon its own people; or why the latter would tolerate that.

 

[Newventurer]

Wow. Thanks for the info.

Beats me why the US would impose such restrictions upon its own people; or why the latter would tolerate that.

It’s meant to penalize Cuba, not US citizens. US is attempting to dissuade tourism to a communist regime, some get it some don’t.

 

[Milton]

Thanks for your post. I don't see how that policy punishes Cuba: happily, it receives plenty of tourists from other countries. Seems like the only people adversely affected are US citizens.

I also don't know what Cuba is purportedly being "penalized" for, but that's another matter probably better not addressed here: I don't want to sidetrack this thread or turn it into a political discussion. I'll just say that I agree with brett's posts #7 and 13: Cuba is a great country, with great people.

 

[MichaelB]

I also don't know what Cuba is purportedly being "penalized" for, but that's another matter probably better not addressed here: I don't want to sidetrack this thread or turn it into a political discussion. I'll just say that I agree with brett's posts #7 and 13: Cuba is a great country, with great people.

Good points. This isn’t the best place for a policy discussion. Although I’ve never visited Cuba, many relatives, friends and acquaintances have, and all agree it was a pleasant visit.

 

[USGrant1962]

I also don't know what Cuba is purportedly being "penalized" for, but that's another matter probably better not addressed here: I don't want to sidetrack this thread or turn it into a political discussion.

For your reading pleasure, this wiki is pretty factual - not for discussion here though.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_embargo_against_Cuba

I'm interested in scuba diving in Cuba, the Jardines de la Reina is a very famous dive area. But I looked into it a little while ago and the one or two permitted operators (educational) are very expensive.

 

[brett]

There a lots of countries in the world that have communist, despotic, corrupt, or otherwise undemocratic Governments.

If we stayed away from all of them it would place some severlimits on our travels. Particularly in the winter.