Norwegian Sky to Cuba

[hannibal54]

Yes, your response was very helpful. I am looking at tour companies based in Cuba, did you use one?

 

No, we did a ships tour on the first day and the second day we did the Hop On Hop Off bus.

[VidaNaPraia]

Yes, your response was very helpful. I am looking at tour companies based in Cuba, did you use one?

 

On TA (where the people who know Cuba pretty well post) look for the posts of Laurie212. Several of her posts mention guides she used or contacted (a long-ish list). Worth looking for. (If I can find it again, I'll post a link.)

[mountainnan]

Good morning, we will be traveling to Cuba on the Sky in July.... how was your overall experience?

We just returned yesterday from our Cruise. Our experience was wonderful with one exception. The ship was fine, food pretty good, It wasn't too crowded and the staff was friendly and helpful. The tour guide on our first day for the Ultimate Havana tour was knowledgeable and friendly. We did our own walking around in the afternoon the first day and also the Tropicana on our own in the evening. Much cheaper then the NCL excursions. The people are friendly and eager to help(for a price of course, but it's not much) The exception was our Modern Havana in an American Classic excursion. Our driver did not speak English and we had no tour guide with us in our car. Except for a couple of group stops, there was no interaction with the driver and the many questions I had about my surroundings could not be answered. I complained to NCL and they did give me a 30% credit but even then it was still too much for what we got. Stay away from this tour. Overall I would definitely go again.

[sparty1]

Yes, your response was very helpful. I am looking at tour companies based in Cuba, did you use one?

 

We found a company called Citytours after we got to Havana. We used them for a classic car tour. It was wonderful, Great English-speaking guide plus a driver(did not speak English), a beautiful orange '54 convertible all to ourselves, and he accepted USD. We had done research ahead of our trip, so knew basically where we wanted to go, and he took us to all places we asked for, plus ones he thought we'd appreciate(he spoke with us in detail to figure out what we were interested in) We found him in the plaza near the Capitole, where many cars were waiting. We also were returned to our ship for about 1/4 the price of ship's tour. We did take Ship's tour first day, and it was worth the orientation we received. Guide was informative, excellent English. We did Old Havana. It was a goodidea to have a tour already booked on first morning, as everyone was off ship at same time, and guides seemed scarce.

[loma linda ca a & j]

We found a company called Citytours after we got to Havana. We used them for a classic car tour. It was wonderful, Great English-speaking guide plus a driver(did not speak English), a beautiful orange '54 convertible all to ourselves, and he accepted USD. We had done research ahead of our trip, so knew basically where we wanted to go, and he took us to all places we asked for, plus ones he thought we'd appreciate(he spoke with us in detail to figure out what we were interested in) We found him in the plaza near the Capitole, where many cars were waiting. We also were returned to our ship for about 1/4 the price of ship's tour. We did take Ship's tour first day, and it was worth the orientation we received. Guide was informative, excellent English. We did Old Havana. It was a goodidea to have a tour already booked on first morning, as everyone was off ship at same time, and guides seemed scarce.

Thank you for this great explanation of your tours !!

We are going on NCL sky next April 9 could not find a roll call

Really looking forward to seeing the old cars - my first car in 1961 was a 56 red and white ford :p

[VidaNaPraia]

'56 Ford Fairlane?

[marat]

Is it a good idea to get euros in US or just exchange there?

 

 

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[hannibal54]

Is it a good idea to get euros in US or just exchange there?

 

 

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It depends on what kind of rates you can get at home. A bank in my area said they would charge me a flat rate of $40.00. For this to have worked out for me, I would have needed to buy over $400.00. Due to this, I opted to take the 13% rate in Cuba. When I landed in FLL, I asked where I could exchange money, it was in another terminal, so that was a no for me. If you have Euros or any other county's monies you will have a 3% exchange rate in Cuba.

[VidaNaPraia]

Is it a good idea to get euros in US or just exchange there?

 

 

It really depends on how much money you plan to spend, the exchange rate on the day, any fees, and how much effort the transaction takes.

For example (rates from April 2017):

 

For U$1000, in Cuba, I would have gotten 870 CUC.

Note: This is the official rate fixed by the Cuban government on US dollars.

Note: There is no official government fixed rate on other currency, just world market forces at work.

Note: This includes the 3% transaction fee on any currency and the 10% penalty on US dollars because of the embargo.

Note: If you are staying in a casa particular (B&B), not on a ship, the owner can often get you a better exchange rate himself or with a friend.

 

For U$1000, Bank of America gave 888 Euros, including a 5% transaction fee.

888 Euros, in Cuba at the cadeca, gave 917 CUC

(1 Euro=1.05 or 1.04 CUC depending on which cadeca/bank/hotel at which the exchange was done).

So you've saved about 47 CUC on U$1000.

 

So you can see that if you plan to stay a while in Cuba and spend about U$1000, it might save yo ,maybe, the price of an additional night's stay in a casa particular or a couple of more expensive dinners.

If you are on a ship, visiting for a day or so, or overnight, it might nor be worth the hassle to save U$4 or so, if spending only U$100 or so.

[marat]

Thank you!

 

 

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[DtotheB]

It depends on what kind of rates you can get at home. A bank in my area said they would charge me a flat rate of $40.00. For this to have worked out for me, I would have needed to buy over $400.00. Due to this, I opted to take the 13% rate in Cuba. When I landed in FLL, I asked where I could exchange money, it was in another terminal, so that was a no for me. If you have Euros or any other county's monies you will have a 3% exchange rate in Cuba.

 

Hi Hannibal,

 

Did you receive my email to join in with you guys on the one day tour?

[hannibal54]

Hi Hannibal,

 

Did you receive my email to join in with you guys on the one day tour?

 

No, I did not receive an e-mail.

[CuplACruzrs]

What would you say are a few of the "Must sees"?

 

What would avoid?

 

Thanks

[VidaNaPraia]

What would you say are a few of the "Must sees"?

 

What would avoid?

 

Thanks

 

There are no must-sees. It's not Paris with the Eiffel Tower, or NYC with the Statue of Liberty, or London with the Tower. Take a look at a guidebook like Real Havana to see what might appeal to you. Or just wander around the old town on foot and then take a classic car ride along the Malecon and into some of the further neighborhoods.

The "must", IMHO, is to meet and talk with as many Cubans as possible. The other feature IMO is as much live music, alongside the locals, as you can fit in.

I would avoid taking any kind of tour with a large group of fellow tourists.

[marat]

What about walking tour with the local guide for a day to explore old Havana? Would you recommend?

 

 

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[VidaNaPraia]

What about walking tour with the local guide for a day to explore old Havana? Would you recommend?

 

If you're a tour person, take a tour. Half a day in Vieja.

If not, read a guidebook first if you like, and wander around on your own.

Either would be fine.

[Werita]

We book 4 excursions with NCL ( very expensive) thinking was the pnly way to explore Cuba :( Now reading all your posts regarding tours on your own. I am thinking to consider to cancel at least one. We are a group of 4 sealing July 2. Super excited to see Cuba. My husband loves cars but with NCL tours starts at $200 any recommendations?

[LHT28]

We book 4 excursions with NCL ( very expensive) thinking was the pnly way to explore Cuba :( Now reading all your posts regarding tours on your own. I am thinking to consider to cancel at least one. We are a group of 4 sealing July 2. Super excited to see Cuba. My husband loves cars but with NCL tours starts at $200 any recommendations?

You could walk out of the port area & there are cars there for a 2-3 hr tour you can book with or without a English speaking guide ..agree on the price first

 

Or check

 

http://www.havanavintagecartours.com/about-us

http://www.oldcartours.com/classic_car_tours_in_cuba

book before you go

[MaccaMom]

We book 4 excursions with NCL ( very expensive) thinking was the pnly way to explore Cuba :( Now reading all your posts regarding tours on your own. I am thinking to consider to cancel at least one. We are a group of 4 sealing July 2. Super excited to see Cuba. My husband loves cars but with NCL tours starts at $200 any recommendations?

We used Havana Memories and George was our guide. We had a private tour until 4 pm; part walking and part driving in a classic car. They customize it to your preference. For 1-2 people it is 100 CUC, 3 people is 120 CUC, and 4 people is 130 CUC. Those prices are total, not per person. George was wonderful, he has also lived in the US and Canada and we talked in length about Cuban life and politics. He is also a professional photographer and can take photos during the day for an extra charge and make you a CD of them at the end of the day.

 

https://havanamemories.jimdo.com/what-is-havana-memories/

Edited June 17, 2017 by MaccaMom
Add info

[ballarinamom]

We book 4 excursions with NCL ( very expensive) thinking was the pnly way to explore Cuba :( Now reading all your posts regarding tours on your own. I am thinking to consider to cancel at least one. We are a group of 4 sealing July 2. Super excited to see Cuba. My husband loves cars but with NCL tours starts at $200 any recommendations?

We're in the same cruise! We booked a private all day with one local company(locally sourced Havana), the Tropicana with NCL at night and a half day tour with a different company the second day (Havana Day Tours). Locally Sourced had a set itenerary while Havana Day Tour let us be flexible. Hope that helps