Carnival Paradise to Cuba ??'s

[jbtyler927]

We are looking to book a cruise on Paradise in July. Does anyone know what side of the ship will face land? Also, do you have to book excursions through the cruise ship since you are required to have the person to person contact? We typically do not book ship excursions because they are so expensive. I am trying to gather what our "true" cost will be. I know that there is a $75 pp visa fee charged to the ship account, but it does not show (that I can find) that excursions are required to be booked through the ship in order to disembark. TIA for any help/insight! :)

[hrwi]

I don't know if you got any answers, but I did talk with someone at Carnival this weekend when I booked, and you don't need an excursion to disembark. You have to fulfill the P2P requirements, but based on other travel advice I've read, no one ever asks. Take some photos of yourself interacting with music/food/cuban people and you will be all set.

[RWolver672]

We have the cruise booked for October of this coming year. We were told when booking that we had to book one excursion through Carnival. After that, we could go out on our own. I ask our PVP what the requirements were and he sent me this:

 

Does guest have to purchase 2-Shore tours to satisfy the “full day” people to people activity?

They just need to understand that they need to comply with the P2P requirements, and they can do that by either doing Carnival-led Shore Excursion or self-guided P2P. If they buy a Carnival-led program, many will be half-day programs around 4 hours with some at 5-6 hours which will suffice on the calls when the ship arrives at 11:30. (Ours arrives at 12:00 Noon so we only need to do the four hour one.) We would rather do the Carnival one and make sure that we met the requirements without any hassle.

 

On the two calls when the Paradise arrives at 8am, one 4 hour program will not suffice as the requirement is that they have a "full time schedule" which is full work day (7-8 hours). On those longer calls, guests will need to do one of the following:

1.Full day Carnival led program, or

2.Two of the shorter programs, or

3.All day self-guide or a mix of a Carnival-led Shore Excursion and self-guided.

 

Once guest has satisfied the full-day P2P requirement, can they enjoy the nightlife while she ship is still in port?

 

Yes! After guests meet their P2P requirements, they do whatever they like in the evening. Keep in mind that evening Shore Excursions are not designed for P2P compliance because the assumption is that they fulfilled the P2P requirement during the day.

[mommag3boys]

We are looking to book a cruise on Paradise in July. Does anyone know what side of the ship will face land? Also, do you have to book excursions through the cruise ship since you are required to have the person to person contact? We typically do not book ship excursions because they are so expensive. I am trying to gather what our "true" cost will be. I know that there is a $75 pp visa fee charged to the ship account, but it does not show (that I can find) that excursions are required to be booked through the ship in order to disembark. TIA for any help/insight! :)

 

We were originally booked to go to Cuba on RC and these questions came up for us too. I was told you can get off if you have the PVP requirements. I also have a personal friend from Cuba and she said she would not advise doing something on your own. You are not allowed to just walk around there and be a tourist and it's very dangerous to do so there. If you book an excursion through Carnival you don't have to go back on the ship right afterwards because you met the PVP requirements but as stated, it's not the best idea to be wandering on your own there. Not to mention if you miss the ship well, that would not be fun in Cuba.

 

 

We ended up switching and not doing a Cuba one because it was going to cost an extra $400 between getting my husbands passport expedited and having to get VISAs also. Would rather spend that money in the casino!!

[Captain Carnival]

Does anyone know what side of the ship will face land?

 

Port side (even numbered cabins).

[Computer Nerd]

Cuba.....ugh. :(

[Drazil65]

We are looking to book Cuba as well and we will probably do a cruise line (have not decided which line we will do for this trip) led excursion and then do something on our own (we are well seasoned travelers and understand the ins and outs of traveling) . We have friends that did Cuba with another cruise line not too long ago and loved it....their pix are amazing and they raved about the food...we are excited to add Cuba to our long list of countries and culture experiences....

[margoann99]

We too are going to Cuba. We are trying to decide how much cash to exchange when we get there. I don't want to be short but I also don't want too much left. Any ideas? We are doing two excursions through Carnival but will still have some free time.

 

 

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[Captain Carnival]

The new (Cuba) hatch was cut out and installed yesterday.

[Jdfireman]

We were originally booked to go to Cuba on RC and these questions came up for us too. I was told you can get off if you have the PVP requirements. I also have a personal friend from Cuba and she said she would not advise doing something on your own. You are not allowed to just walk around there and be a tourist and it's very dangerous to do so there. If you book an excursion through Carnival you don't have to go back on the ship right afterwards because you met the PVP requirements but as stated, it's not the best idea to be wandering on your own there. Not to mention if you miss the ship well, that would not be fun in Cuba.

 

Here we go Your friend lives in Cuba it's not safe. Where does your friend live? Cuba is a big island. I feel Jamaica is not safe and we still go there.REMEMBER US and Cuba have not played well for many years. But when this was going on the rest of the world was traveling their

Just like any new port have to be aware of where you are .

 

Trip Advicers is a great research point for Cuba. Do your homework

 

Google research The CCL Fathom has been their several times and one person did a very very good long review can be found under a google search.

 

Check facebook for Cuba Cruise groups there are many with a lot of good information being shared

We are going to Cuba we have read the rules and we are doing a 5 hour tour with person to person contact seeing many of the sights on our own. Just like being in any other county need to be aware of where you are and stay away from the back alleys . People will not go to Cuba for personal reasons and I respect that. I have places that I will not travel.

Like any trip do your research and be safe. Feel free to comment on my thoughts I like to hear what people have to say Safe travels

[BoDidly]

The new (Cuba) hatch was cut out and installed yesterday.

Is that for the people trying to escape

Cuba ?

[Havingfun2010]

We were originally booked to go to Cuba on RC and these questions came up for us too. I was told you can get off if you have the PVP requirements. I also have a personal friend from Cuba and she said she would not advise doing something on your own. You are not allowed to just walk around there and be a tourist and it's very dangerous to do so there. If you book an excursion through Carnival you don't have to go back on the ship right afterwards because you met the PVP requirements but as stated, it's not the best idea to be wandering on your own there. Not to mention if you miss the ship well, that would not be fun in Cuba.

 

 

We ended up switching and not doing a Cuba one because it was going to cost an extra $400 between getting my husbands passport expedited and having to get VISAs also. Would rather spend that money in the casino!!

 

Dangerous? Really? Miss the ship? The ships, pull up and park right in downtown. You walk off the ship, and you are smack in the middle of oldtown, and all the tourist areas. Tourists from all over the world, stay in hotels in the area. They (the Cubans) want tourists, because it is just about the only industry that they can get any kind of money for.

 

Cuba is no more "dangerous" than walking around my home town. If you miss the ship, which is literally parked in a parking space on the street, where you can see it, than you might have a serious drinking problem. Getting home from Cuba is easy. You can either "hitch" a ride on a raft, or just go to the airport for the 90 mile trip to Miami.

 

You won't be wandering around alone, because you will be with another 1000 people from the ship, plus all the other international guests staying in the tourist hotels nearby.

 

Extra cost. Yes, it cost extra, because you need a blue passport, and a visa. You pay port taxes on every cruise, so think of this as nothing more than an expensive tax.

 

Don't eat the food --- if you see Cubans dropping in the street after eating, than avoid the place, otherwise it's safe. If you eat at McDonalds, than why would you think eating in Cuba would be dangerous?

 

Money exchange. You can only exchange when you arrive, so exchange some, see how it goes and on day two, exchange some more.

 

Going to Cuba, is like going back to 1950. No internet, credit cards, and eating in mom and pop diners, while drinking a beverage under an open air, room, with ceiling fans. It's a slow life, and something to enjoy.

[Jdfireman]

dangerous? Really? Miss the ship? The ships, pull up and park right in downtown. You walk off the ship, and you are smack in the middle of oldtown, and all the tourist areas. Tourists from all over the world, stay in hotels in the area. They (the cubans) want tourists, because it is just about the only industry that they can get any kind of money for.

 

Cuba is no more "dangerous" than walking around my home town. If you miss the ship, which is literally parked in a parking space on the street, where you can see it, than you might have a serious drinking problem. Getting home from cuba is easy. You can either "hitch" a ride on a raft, or just go to the airport for the 90 mile trip to miami.

 

You won't be wandering around alone, because you will be with another 1000 people from the ship, plus all the other international guests staying in the tourist hotels nearby.

 

Extra cost. Yes, it cost extra, because you need a blue passport, and a visa. You pay port taxes on every cruise, so think of this as nothing more than an expensive tax.

 

Don't eat the food --- if you see cubans dropping in the street after eating, than avoid the place, otherwise it's safe. If you eat at mcdonalds, than why would you think eating in cuba would be dangerous?

 

Money exchange. You can only exchange when you arrive, so exchange some, see how it goes and on day two, exchange some more.

 

Going to cuba, is like going back to 1950. No internet, credit cards, and eating in mom and pop diners, while drinking a beverage under an open air, room, with ceiling fans. It's a slow life, and something to enjoy.

 

 

thank you

[Computer Nerd]

Don't eat the food --- if you see Cubans dropping in the street after eating, than avoid the place, otherwise it's safe. If you eat at McDonalds, than why would you think eating in Cuba would be dangerous?

 

Not even close. You don't see Mexicans dropping in the street after drinking their own water but watch what happens to you if you do. Cubans are used to their food. Many Americans (and others) are not.

[Floridastorm]

I wonder if the PVP requirements are in place if you fly into Cuba instead of cruising? Or is this a particular term and requirement for cruise passengers only? :confused:

[hrwi]

They are the same for all US entrants, and no one cares or even asks if you fulfill them.

[esdoorn]

I've bee to Cuba twice and would got back for sure. I enjoy the people and the culture!

 

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