Live from Havana on Marina

[Ken the cruiser]

Just some curious questions as we don't go on our Cuban cruise until next spring. Are US credit cards accepted in Cuba at locations that otherwise accept credit cards? For those that don't accept CCs, I imagine it's best to buy their items with CUCs. However, do you have to change our $$$ to CUCs to use as tip money for tour guides and/or bus drivers? I would assume they would take any form of cash. Is this possibly not the case?

[Pet Nit Noy]

Just some curious questions as we don't go on our Cuban cruise until next spring. Are US credit cards accepted in Cuba at locations that otherwise accept credit cards?

 

At this time the answer is no. By next spring, the answer could be different.

 

or those that don't accept CCs, I imagine it's best to buy their items with CUCs.

 

At this time, all purchases must be made in CUC cash.

 

However, do you have to change our $$$ to CUCs to use as tip money for tour guides and/or bus drivers? I would assume they would take any form of cash. Is this possibly not the case?

 

For now, tip money is no different from any other type of payment. Obtain and use CUC for every transaction.

 

You haven't asked about US phones, but they don't work in Cuba yet either. Unlike money or CC where I've heard nothing about changing the policy, there are occasional announcements from different phone companies that a deal is in the works with the Cuban government. I would expect that to go through before a change in financial relations with Cuba.

[Ken the cruiser]

At this time the answer is no. By next spring, the answer could be different.

 

 

 

At this time, all purchases must be made in CUC cash.

 

 

 

For now, tip money is no different from any other type of payment. Obtain and use CUC for every transaction.

 

You haven't asked about US phones, but they don't work in Cuba yet either. Unlike money or CC where I've heard nothing about changing the policy, there are occasional announcements from different phone companies that a deal is in the works with the Cuban government. I would expect that to go through before a change in financial relations with Cuba.

 

Sounds good. We don't use our phones when we go ashore in foreign lands, so that wouldn't be an issue for us. However, we also don't buy any merchandise either, so the only money we take ashore is tip money. Hopefully, by next year though, we'll be able to tip in US $$$ rather than giving the Cuban bank a cut of our guide's tip.

[Pet Nit Noy]

... the only money we take ashore is tip money. Hopefully, by next year though, we'll be able to tip in US $$$ rather than giving the Cuban bank a cut of our guide's tip.

 

Time to share a bit more important information. Cuba does not accept any currency other than its own tourist currency. People with Euro, GB Pounds, Canadian Dollars, Yen -- whatever -- all have to convert their money to CUC. This is not unique to US visitors. In fact, every currency pays the same 3% currency exchange fee. However, US money is charged an additional 10% penalty. Therefore, for every $100 you'll receive 87 in CUC.

 

Since the rest of the world all uses CUC, you can be certain that the Cuban government is not going to remove that requirement starting with the US. To much prickly history between the two countries! I guess there's always a small possibility the 10% penalty might away, but that strikes me as more wishful thinking than realistic considering the current US administration's pre-occupation with other foreign policy initiatives.

 

What currency to you use when you travel in Europe? in Asia? etc?

[Ken the cruiser]

Time to share a bit more important information. Cuba does not accept any currency other than its own tourist currency. People with Euro, GB Pounds, Canadian Dollars, Yen -- whatever -- all have to convert their money to CUC. This is not unique to US visitors. In fact, every currency pays the same 3% currency exchange fee. However, US money is charged an additional 10% penalty. Therefore, for every $100 you'll receive 87 in CUC.

 

Since the rest of the world all uses CUC, you can be certain that the Cuban government is not going to remove that requirement starting with the US. To much prickly history between the two countries! I guess there's always a small possibility the 10% penalty might away, but that strikes me as more wishful thinking than realistic considering the current US administration's pre-occupation with other foreign policy initiatives.

 

What currency to you use when you travel in Europe? in Asia? etc?

 

Thanks for the clarification.

[Tidalmist]

Sounds good. We don't use our phones when we go ashore in foreign lands, so that wouldn't be an issue for us. However, we also don't buy any merchandise either, so the only money we take ashore is tip money. Hopefully, by next year though, we'll be able to tip in US $$$ rather than giving the Cuban bank a cut of our guide's tip.

Please believe me that there is a thriving underground economy.....just see if your USD tip is refused!

[Ken the cruiser]

Please believe me that there is a thriving underground economy.....just see if your USD tip is refused!

If nothing else, we can try offering $$$ on our first excursion. If they don't accept it, we'll then know the lay of the land. But then again it's over a year before we go and a lot can change before then.

[Queen of DaNile]

Things certainly may change but as of this week, no US credit cards or dollars accepted. We paid our guides and drivers in CUC which were easily procured at kiosks at the end of the cruise terminal after clearing immigration. We exchanged Euros rather than USD so just the 3% fee rather than 10% plus 3%. Perhaps we could have tipped with USD but since we had the Cuban convertible pesos we used them to tip when we felt appropriate.

[Jan.and.John]

Thanks for sharing your Cuba experience. We are on May 2018 cruise so just starting to gather info. Will be taking plenty of Euros.

 

 

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[djtravels]

US phones do work in Cuba. You need to check with your phone carrier as to charges etc. There is also internet service in many of the larger hotels where you can purchase internet cards (generally 5 CUCs). Also European credit cards are accepted in some restaurants and shops. The US dollar "penalty" is due to the fact that there are no US Banking agreements so all US dollars have to be converted into another currency before being converted into CUCs.

[Pet Nit Noy]

US phones do work in Cuba. You need to check with your phone carrier as to charges etc.

 

This is a change since our late 2015 visit. Nice to know that the long-promised agreements actually became reality.

[Ken the cruiser]

The US dollar "penalty" is due to the fact that there are no US Banking agreements so all US dollars have to be converted into another currency before being converted into CUCs.

Thanks for the explanation. That makes a lot of sense!

[sparty1]

Helpful thread! Are there many money exchanges, or places to exchange USD out side of the terminals? Does each terminal have an xchange? Thank you

[Pet Nit Noy]

Please believe me that there is a thriving underground economy.....just see if your USD tip is refused!

 

The CUC is actually an off-limit form of money for the average Cuban citizen. Tourists of all nationalities are paying for things in CUC (AKA Cuban Convertible Peso). The ordinary citizen is using a different currency, the CUP (Cuban National Currency/Modena Nacional)

The places where most tourists visit, eat meals, buy souvenirs, etc deal exclusively in CUC. The ordinary citizen can't pay for their meal in CUP; they must be in posession of CUC. And the only way to acquire that currency is have interaction with tourists. When we tip our guides with CIC, we're giving them access a slice of Cuban life that their neighbors -- the doctors, teachers, labors, farmers, etc -- will never experience.

What are the benefits of the USD underground economy to a Cuban? Access to different stores? services? Better exchange rate? I'm sincerely interested since I have no understanding of an underground economy.

[Pet Nit Noy]

This is a change since our late 2015 visit. Nice to know that the long-promised agreements actually became reality.

 

Here's a link to the FCC's page explaining US phones in Cuba:

 

https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-faqs-travelers-cuba

 

According to this web page, only Sprint and Verizon now offer international roaming in Cuba, but not all phones are compatible even if using those two carriers. There are work around strategies explained on the web page. Since most of the people on this board will be in Cuba for very brief visits, cruisers may find it too complicated and not worth the effort to establish phone service. YMMV

[Paulchili]

Here's a link to the FCC's page explaining US phones in Cuba:

 

https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-faqs-travelers-cuba

 

According to this web page, only Sprint and Verizon now offer international roaming in Cuba, but not all phones are compatible even if using those two carriers. There are work around strategies explained on the web page. Since most of the people on this board will be in Cuba for very brief visits, cruisers may find it too complicated and not worth the effort to establish phone service. YMMV

 

I wonder if using wifi to make calls would work from Cuba.

We have done that successfully via our Comcast XFINITY Connect app from our current cruise in Asia.

[Pet Nit Noy]

I wonder if using wifi to make calls would work from Cuba.

We have done that successfully via our Comcast XFINITY Connect app from our current cruise in Asia.

 

The page I linked includes a discussion of wifi in Cuba. Perhaps your question is answered.

 

We were able to use the hotel computers to go online in 2015 when we traveled there for 10 days. However, the transmission was slow and the prices were high. There was nothing we needed to communicate under those conditions. Our friends and family had a method of reaching us through our tour provider in an emergency. Happily, the 10 days passed without incident and we got caught up when we touched down on US soil.

[Paulchili]

The page I linked includes a discussion of wifi in Cuba. Perhaps your question is answered.

 

We were able to use the hotel computers to go online in 2015 when we traveled there for 10 days. However, the transmission was slow and the prices were high. There was nothing we needed to communicate under those conditions. Our friends and family had a method of reaching us through our tour provider in an emergency. Happily, the 10 days passed without incident and we got caught up when we touched down on US soil.

 

I think I didn't make myself clear. I meant the wifi provided by Oceania, not Cuba. Thanks to O Life, many passengers will have free wifi from Oceania and perhaps that can be used for phone calls?

[Pet Nit Noy]

I think I didn't make myself clear. I meant the wifi provided by Oceania, not Cuba. Thanks to O Life, many passengers will have free wifi from Oceania and perhaps that can be used for phone calls?

 

I hope someone who has already visited Havana via cruise ship will be able to answer the following question: Was the ship's wifi allowed to be kept on while in port/territorial waters during the visit to Cuban ports?

 

For political reasons, it is possible that Cuba does not allow unrestricted exploration/use of the internet. Certainly, that's the case in other less-than-open societies.

 

Even when freedom and a free society is not the issue, there is at least one other country that does not allow the ship's internet to be turned on in territorial waters. During our Nautica cruise in 2010, we were not allowed to use the ship's internet visiting Japanese territorial waters. Later, I learned that the ship's internet connection was via "C" band. Unfortunately, the only legal connection in Japan is via "ku." (I just searched and found a thread as recent as 2015 dealing with this continuing restriction in Japan.)

 

So you need to begin by researching whether fully open internet access, such as we're used to on Oceania, is allowed in Cuban territorial waters. Then, you can take the next step of exploring using that internet for phone service.

[JimandStan]

I agree, and there is the added bugaboo that Skype and other VOIP applications are typically "blocked at the base" vis a vis the included "free" Internet, as they are notorious band width thieves.

[Paulchili]

Last year we spent a month cruising in Japanese waters on Princess and had no problems with internet. Currently on Seabourn and are able to use wifi to make phone calls (not Skype). So the situation seems to vary from time to time and with different cruise lines.

I guess we'll just have to wait to hear from someone currently or recently on an O cruise in Havana as to what the situation with internet is.

The answer to this question should not be that difficult to obtain in view of all recent reports from Cuban cruises.

Edited March 28, 2017 by Paulchili

[namastefla]

thank u for all the wonderful info about Cuba. We leave Friday on Oceana and have 2 days in Havana. My husband has some walking issues, frequent stops to take a rest...slow walker! I'm hoping he will not have to wait in long lines to go through customs in Havana. He is a trouper so I'm pretty sure he will be ok. We selected this cruise because of the stop in Havana..and think its a wonderful way to see a slice of Cuba for someone who no longer can do the 8 hour walking tours!!!! Thank u!

[Pet Nit Noy]

thank u for all the wonderful info about Cuba. We leave Friday on Oceana and have 2 days in Havana. My husband has some walking issues, frequent stops to take a rest...slow walker! I'm hoping he will not have to wait in long lines to go through customs in Havana. He is a trouper so I'm pretty sure he will be ok. We selected this cruise because of the stop in Havana..and think its a wonderful way to see a slice of Cuba for someone who no longer can do the 8 hour walking tours!!!! Thank u!

 

There are two activities that represent the quintessential Havana that happen to be perfect for someone with walking issue: drinking a mojito on the outdoor back patio of the Hotel Nacionale (timed to see sunset over the Malecon especially recommended) and taking a driving tour in a restored 50s car -- huge tail fins and all (convertibles especially recommended).

I was impressed by the exquisite condition of so many of the cars until people who know much more than I do pointed out that the cars look great but are not intact originals. A Chevy grille may be part of a Buick, etc. Anyone who is really interested in the cars of Cuba could watch the TV series Cuban Chrome now available through Google Play, YouTube and Amazon.

[namastefla]

THANK U. My husband is a major car aficionado . He was in Havana in the late 1950's!! And he's had many many cars over his lifetime. We booked 2 shore excursions with Oceania. Both seem to cover everything we would like to see. Thanks again for your terrific information. Just put the Cuban Chrome on my watch list with Amazon.

[Queen of DaNile]

thank u for all the wonderful info about Cuba. We leave Friday on Oceana and have 2 days in Havana. My husband has some walking issues, frequent stops to take a rest...slow walker! I'm hoping he will not have to wait in long lines to go through customs in Havana. He is a trouper so I'm pretty sure he will be ok. We selected this cruise because of the stop in Havana..and think its a wonderful way to see a slice of Cuba for someone who no longer can do the 8 hour walking tours!!!! Thank u!

We went back and forth thru Immigration about 5 times in our two days. The first time out and the first time back were the longest - probably around 1/2 hour due to large number of passengers and small number of agents.It seemed like the first few times through, the agents were very careful in comparing passport and photo to the passenger. The last times we went through Immigration they barley looked at the passport (but always made hat and glasses come off) and waived us through. If no one was ahead of you in line, the process took about 30 seconds.