Havana, Cuba aboard RSSC Mariner 4-11-17

On 4-11-17 we went on the inaugural cruise to Cuba aboardthe beautiful RSSC Mariner. As expected the ship was sold out, which createdsome problems with lack of space in the fine dining restaurants and on shoreexcursions. We walked into both Prime 7 and Signatures, and were seated.Somebody always no shows or cancels at the last minute. No guarantees though.

We pulled into Havana early in the morning. Only one out of3 terminals is functional. The Terminal Sierra Maestra San Francisco is welldone. The other 2 are a mess. During check in we were given our Cuban Visa andkept our passports. When we went on ourfirst shore excursion we all had to present ourselves to Immigration Officers.They checked, and I mean checked, the passports. They took a picture (noglasses allowed) and took our visas. The terminal is pretty nice. There aresome shops and several more ready to move in. There are several windows whereyou can exchange your currency into CUCs. Cuba has 2 currencies, the Cuban Pesoand the Cuban Convertible Peso, which is only for tourists. The exchange rateis 24 Pesos to 1 CUC. 1 CUC is 1:1 to the USD. Then there is the exchange fee.We exchanged $300.00 and got 261.00 CUCs. The exchange rate for Euros is alittle better, but it’s not worth exchanging USD to Euro here, and thenexchange the Euros to CUCs. It probably costs about the same. Very few places,if any, accept foreign currency or credit cards. No internet makes credit cardtransactions difficult.

In order to go out,you have to go down a pretty long set of stairs. There are no escalators orelevators. The buses we had were very nice, including bathrooms. Overall Iwould say Cuba is not wheelchair friendly – yet. Pavement is uneven and I sawno elevators. The people are extremely nice and helpful.

The cruise terminal is right by the Colonial old town, so itis easy to explore on your own. Across the street from the exit are a bunch oftaxis. Some yellow, some old cars and then these little 2 passenger Cocos.There is also a little tram that takes you to some places and an open air busfor exploration on your own. Taxis are individually owned, so negotiate yourprice in advance. It is not a set rate. Our driver had inherited his Oldsmobilefrom his Grandfather. Cubans are not allowed to sell their cars to otherCubans. They have to sell them to the Government! You can hire an old car onthe spot for touring. The drivers we encountered spoke very good English. Wealso saw some Audis, BMWs and a few Mercedes. I asked who owns them, thinkingit may be Government Officials. I was told they are mainly owned by Diplomatsand International Corporation Executives.

Since the Government controls everything in Cuba, they arealso in charge of shore excursions. The ship has no control over that. On ourcruise we had booked a tour that included a factory tour at Romeo y Julietacigar factory. My husband loves cigars. Instead on one day the tour stopped atthe cigar show room in the Melia Havana. On the next day when we went, theystopped at a small Hostel that had a young man rolling cigars, a coffee and Rumtasting room and a cigar lounge and store. It all turned out well, but don’tget upset if the tour gets changed. The coffee/rum tasting room was cozy andthey poured us a sample of Espresso and a sample of rum. I combined them (11am)and it was GREAT.

On our second day we made late lunch reservations at arestaurant featured in one of our travel magazines called La Guarida. It isprobably the finest restaurant in Havana You would never find it on your own.You absolutely need reservations for lunch and dinner. It was amazing food andservice. Not cheap. But then everything is expensive in Cuba. Everybody spokeEnglish, but although it says they accept credit cards, they don’t. We made ourreservations via email paladar@laguarida.com.After about 5 days we received an answer requesting a reconfirmation 24 hrs.before. We did that from the ship. Or you can call them 011 53 7 866 9047 or011 53 5 414 7852. The restaurant is in a dilapidated building on the 4thfloor. You have to go up a spiral stair case all the way. It was no fun with myVertigo and dizziness! But it was worth it.

Basically the city has 3 large hotels. I didn’t do siteinspections on any of them, as we wanted to see as much of the sights as wecould. Hotel Nacional is the oldest, but is pretty “tired” from what I hear. Itused to be where all the movie stars, mobsters etc. stayed. The Mob bosses usedto meet there to make major decisions i.e. Meyer Lansky ordered Bugsy Siegel’**** from there. The Melia Havana is a fairly modern hotel and the Melia Cohibais newer yet. We went there for the entertainment on the first night. They havewhat they call the “Buena Vista Social Club” Show. It was typical music,singing and dancing.

Another business that can be run privately are the small B& Bs or Casa Particulares. Although they are available we heard fromseveral sources that there is a toilet paper shortage and they are very basic.On the ship they actually said “take your own toilet paper”. Cubans are stillon rations for rice, sugar, and other necessities. Gas stations close oftenwhen they run out of gas. They get their gas from Venezuela and we know what’shappening there.

Raul Castro is stepping down in 2018 and there is a littlebit of a battle between him wanting his son Alejandro to succeed him, andothers want Miguel Diaz-Canel. Both are Communists, but Diaz-Canel is thechoice of the Party. We’ll see who wins.

There is a LOT of construction and refurbishing going on.Havana will be totally changed in 5 years. As of now there are still 60,000“old cars”. Most are in good, if not excellent, shape on the exterior, but theengines etc. are rebuild with Russian parts. While once they were a necessity,now they are an object of pride.

I would go back in a heart beat to explore more of thecountry, but definitely going on a cruise is the better option. Some cruiselines have itineraries that include Santiago and Cienfuego. I wouldn’t want togo on a big ship like NCL, RCCL, Princess etc. They are not ready for such anonslaught of people and you’d get very frustrated, which would taint yourexperience.

Nice report, thanks for taking the time - You don't read so much about what you put down in your report. Thanks as i thinking about booking a cruise that stops in Cuba.

I have done all of Cuba by land. I also went in March on Azamara. I had a great time on my own. I stayed at the Mela Havana. Food was not bad and the lobby bar with music was good. .drinks were more than other hotels. i also saw the lobby and bathroom of two near the Capital. One that hemmingway slept in for years. I had drinks there too. I can totally tell you that the National is lovely. I had drinks there too. I also did the nightclub show there. great show. much better than the one i saw in Jan. i had a very good reasonable price lunch on my own. the one i use with a guide was total rib off.just go find a place to eat. I had great coffee across from the ship too. Thanks for the tip on the show. i forgot about it and going back in Nov.

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Still feel that the decades old Tropicana show is worth the $$$. We wanted to see Havana as it once was and this worked. I am happy that we saw Cuba before most U.S. citizens were there as we likely saw the end of an era.

Still feel that the decades old Tropicana show is worth the $$$. We wanted to see Havana as it once was and this worked. I am happy that we saw Cuba before most U.S. citizens were there as we likely saw the end of an era.

Did you do a land tour? Loved Havana but it is not seeing Cuba.Seeing carts and bikes daily as people traveled- homes falling down-a great restaurant that taking years to be build is seeing Cuba. plus all the history. But I do agree it will change as more Americans go.

Did you do a land tour? Loved Havana but it is not seeing Cuba.Seeing carts and bikes daily as people traveled- homes falling down-a great restaurant that taking years to be build is seeing Cuba. plus all the history. But I do agree it will change as more Americans go.

Did not do a land tour -- we do our own thing. On our first trip we flew into Havana and took a taxi (not old - a newer SUV) to a resort near Varadero (a tourist area), On the way we saw the beautiful beaches (some do have oil wells on them) and made a couple of stops to purchase souvenirs (nice hand-made items - not junky crap made in other countries). We spent two nights at a major all-inclusive resort and then spent five nights in Club Med Varadero (no longer there). After returning to Havana we spent two night there and did take a tour to the Tropicana show and a city tour. We stayed at the National Hotel and took a cab back to the airport (a Mercedes - go figure).

Unfortunately, both times we were in Cuba,we were not there legally so we were able to go anywhere - just like visitors from countries in the rest of the word. We knew then that once they opened their borders to the U.S. that things would change rapidly. As long as it helps the people of Cuba, I'm happy.

The people-to-people tours (whether cruise, land, or on your own) do not help the Cuban people. They still have rations of food, have no human rights, or any freedoms. Those tours are helping the government and not the people. Nothing has changed in Cuba and doing tours where the government dictates what you see is not seeing Cuba. It's a shame people are flocking to the island on those trips and cruise lines are going along. I thought FDR being a Cuban/American would had realized how these cruises don't help the Cuban people and would had not gone along. I guess the bottom line is what counts.

Well, yes and no. The guide on one of our ship's tours was surprisingly frank about life in Cuba and its attendant privations. She told us how much the government pays her in salary -- about the equivalent of US $12 per month -- and, therefore, how much the tip income she earns by working with American and other foreign tourists means to her.

She's just a single mom with a college degree and a kid to support. So maybe our tour didn't help "the Cuban people" as you state, but our tips helped that one Cuban person...and that's okay with us. If you can't help everybody, at least help somebody.

Plus, it made us want to return to Cuba and explore in far greater detail. More money spent locally; more exposure of us to them and them to us. That cannot be a bad thing.

We will try our best to be good ambassadors for our homeland, because all the people we met there were certainly fine ambassadors for theirs.

Thank you for your report. I definitely want to go to Cuba. And tourism is going to help the Cuban people, even if just helping 1 or 2 at a time.

Agree Rachel. As more tourists visit this beautiful country, the more the residents will benefit. Further boycotting of Cuba is certainly not going to help their people.

I do have a question for Regent cruisers that recently visited Havana. If you were to wear a backpack, would it have been searched before you enter the city? I'm curious to know if gifts can be carried off of the ship and given to people.

Thanks!

This should answer most of your questions.

http://cubaexplorer.com/getting-ready-for-cuba/

This was sent to me by a Cuban friend. Good advice

Miles

Our guide on our people to people tour was also quite frank about life in Cuba. It impressed me that most Cubans have angles to get around government regulations. (Such as satellite dishes in water towers, black market thumb drives filled with tv programs, movies, dvd's; "breakdowns" near government mango farms in the countryside and then selling in the market the mangos that just happened to fall into the car trunk; trading rations to get rid of what you don't want to acquire what you do want.)

As in any country, there are pluses and minuses. I think universal healthcare and access to education are big pluses. The inability to protest the government and the lack of free speech are big minuses.

Our relationship with Cuba has been highly charged since the late '50's with propaganda on both sides. As a country we have managed a robust relationship with Vietnam. Why not Cuba?

TC, each time you leave the ship you go through immigration any bags go through an X-Ray and you go through a metal detector. You also go through the immigration process each time you get off and on the ship. As the OP indicated they took our VISA the first entrance and stamped our passport, they then checked for the stamp each subsequent exit/entry.

I thought it may be interesting to quote from the Passages and Destination Services materials. No commentary just quoting..."CUBA DONATIONS-As our guests are often generous when traveling in foreign countries, please note that due to local customs regulations donations of any kind are not permitted" The link that Suite Travels provided does suggest not giving things out on the street.

"Please be advised that shore excursions in Cuba are operated by a third party (my comment eg. the government). Therefore, guides, venues and any means of transportation are provided solely at their discretion.....we appreciate your understanding if the same quality and standards are not met as to those other more tourism-developed port destinations." As the OP noted, they change or cancel tours. In the tour noted destination services said "The Rum Factory visit is no longer included in this tour. A cigar show-room will be visited instead of the cigar factory" As I noted in a previous thread the Vinales Valley tour was cancelled and guests were scrambling trying to find alternatives.

There were doctors, teachers and other professionals working as tour guides because they could make better money. It also sounded like there are a few more private businesses that people could work for. We are blessed to live in a democracy.

taxare - thank you for your explanation. Based on what I'm reading, if we go back to Cuba, it will be through Mexico or Canada. This enables us to have more freedom (in a country where freedom is cherished).

Regarding the linked article, if anyone believes that confiscated "gifts" will be distributed amongst the people, I have an igloo to sell you in Antartica.

on my land trip we gave to our guide and our bus driver. we gave everything from bathrooms plus rum that was comp in some of our rooms. we carried it out of the hotel and loaded the bus. TP was a favorite gift. but all those lovely bathroom products their wives would love.

I had enough freedom on land tour and again from ship. many of us walked everywhere. some of us ate out..

being checked at port was no worse than an TSA i have been too. picture took longer but the rest was fast.

Thanks for all the information-because of this we booked a cruise to Cuba today. Wanted one on Regent, but "O" had a better cruise---the whole cruise was Cuba few a few sea days.

Totally agree with your choice, ronrick1943. Oceania now has the better itineraries for those whose appetites for Cuba have been whetted (including us).

O isn't Regent, but it's not chopped liver, either. Have fun and learn a lot!