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Cuba private tours?

BrownEyedViking

By BrownEyedViking,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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BrownEyedViking

BrownEyedViking

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Has anyone found information on Private tours for Cuba? The reviews for the Excursions in Cuba are so-so (when I read "disappointed" and "not as advertised" I'm rather put off from taking it). We don't want to waste our time riding a bus being shuttled from one souvenir shop to another.

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ColinIllinois

ColinIllinois

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Has anyone found information on Private tours for Cuba? The reviews for the Excursions in Cuba are so-so (when I read "disappointed" and "not as advertised" I'm rather put off from taking it). We don't want to waste our time riding a bus being shuttled from one souvenir shop to another.

 

 

I would take a look at the Cuba port of call forum. You might find some helpful info there. Link:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1009

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newcruiser1956

newcruiser1956

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I used Blexi, 6 hours tour for up to 3 people in old car, will take you where ever you want in cuba, $130

I was solo, saw much of the real cuba, we got away from the parts where the tourist were. The guide spoke excellent English,

 

It was worth it :) Not sure if link is allowed here, ... google havanatours blexie you will find him.

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bobnpaml

bobnpaml

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We went on a NCL Cuban cruise last August and used Blexi tours. Contacted him via e-mail and it was the high lite of our cruise. Our tour guide was an English major and spoke fluent English. Don't be wary of using this company. Also heard from fellow cruisers that used other companies and they were very happy. We were highly surprised by the large number of Cubans that spoke English. If you like vintage Vegas shows, Tropicana is not to be missed.

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BrownEyedViking

BrownEyedViking

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I used Blexi, 6 hours tour for up to 3 people in old car, will take you where ever you want in cuba, $130

I was solo, saw much of the real cuba, we got away from the parts where the tourist were. The guide spoke excellent English,

 

It was worth it :) Not sure if link is allowed here, ... google havanatours blexie you will find him.

 

You booked in advance, yes?

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pizzalady1

pizzalady1

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We are planning two tours with oldcartours.com. One day will be 3 hours of Havana and Fusterlandia.The other is the Hemingway tour. Both are described on their website. There is a lot of information on the Cuba thread mentioned in an earlier post.

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FredZiffle

FredZiffle

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So far he hasn't responded to our email inquiry for availability. Do you recall how long it took to get a response?

I believe I read that Blexie does not have internet access except at night when he goes somewhere with free wifi to check his email. Others have reported that it can sometimes take a few days to get a reply from him.

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adjensen

adjensen

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Has anyone found information on Private tours for Cuba? The reviews for the Excursions in Cuba are so-so (when I read "disappointed" and "not as advertised" I'm rather put off from taking it). We don't want to waste our time riding a bus being shuttled from one souvenir shop to another.

Havana is very different than any other Caribbean port, because there is very little "touristy" stuff. We stumbled across a few gift shops while wandering around on our own the first day in Havana, but they're really few and far between. There's no junk like Diamonds International or Señor Frogs, either.

 

Our first tour through NCL was cancelled, hence the wandering around. We also did the Tropicana, absolutely amazing, and the second day we did the bus tour through old and new Havana, and there was nary a souvenir shop in sight. If you do your own tours, make sure to keep something of a journal as evidence that you didn't just go sit on a beach, which is illegal. If you book through NCL, they document it for you and you don't need to do anything else.

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Bostonjetset Great Review Rare

Bostonjetset

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On my last trip to Cuba I did the walking tour with Free Walking Tours Havana and it was fabulous. You do need to tip the guide but it’s well worth it and much cheaper than any ship tour. It’s very easy to get around Havana Vieja on one’s own as the ship docks right there.

 

I am going back to Cuba next month on the Sky and this time, since I’ll be traveling with my mother, will likely add a ship tour on top of the walking tour. The only one on the NCL site that got all great reviews is the Mediterraneo food tour at the local organic farm. It looks great and, whilst pricey, private tours to the same place can be similar in price based on other tour sites I’ve checked. I posted on the Cuba forum about it and one member gave some helpful insight but no one who has taken the tour chimed it so if anyone on the NCL board has something to add it would help the OP and myself.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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BrownEyedViking

BrownEyedViking

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These comments are very helpful. The idea of the private tour is based on the better quality experience we had on other trips, and the poor reviews noted for these particular NCL excursions. I'm planning to keep a journal of the trip.

 

One question - for a private tour that is 6-10 hours, what do you tip your private guide?

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BrownEyedViking

BrownEyedViking

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I believe I read that Blexie does not have internet access except at night when he goes somewhere with free wifi to check his email. Others have reported that it can sometimes take a few days to get a reply from him.

 

We had kind of a canned response this morning, but will take that as our request was received and we should go directly to their stand at the terminal for our driver. For this trip, I know I need to be flexible about communications and language.

 

We're booking the Tropicana directly, too. What might we expect to pay for a taxi from the port terminal to the venue? Is it walkable?

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BigNance

BigNance

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We booked privately with Blexie for August. (Cuba. In August. What was I thinking.....) Sometimes I had to wait for several days for him to get back to me. I would just re-send. He did answer and then confirm.

There are a number of tour operators there that are rated on Trip Advisor. Check those recommendations.

We haven't booked a night tour. Looking at Tropicana and Buena Vista Social Club. WE are a group of 9 and there are lots of opinions. I'm going to tell them they are on their own for their evening itineraries!!

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BrownEyedViking

BrownEyedViking

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We booked privately with Blexie for August. (Cuba. In August. What was I thinking.....) Sometimes I had to wait for several days for him to get back to me. I would just re-send. He did answer and then confirm.

There are a number of tour operators there that are rated on Trip Advisor. Check those recommendations.

We haven't booked a night tour. Looking at Tropicana and Buena Vista Social Club. WE are a group of 9 and there are lots of opinions. I'm going to tell them they are on their own for their evening itineraries!!

 

Thanks! We received a canned response, so I'm going to assume we're good to go (it said meet outside the port terminal and they'd have a sign with our name).

 

We're doing the Tropicana for the evening. Booking that directly, too, based on advice on this forum. August was the only month we had time available and needed to use an NCL credit that was expiring. We moved to Georgia in January from New York, so dealing with the heat is just something we're living with this year. What's one more sweltering place?!?

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BigNance

BigNance

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Thanks! We received a canned response, so I'm going to assume we're good to go (it said meet outside the port terminal and they'd have a sign with our name).

 

We're doing the Tropicana for the evening. Booking that directly, too, based on advice on this forum. August was the only month we had time available and needed to use an NCL credit that was expiring. We moved to Georgia in January from New York, so dealing with the heat is just something we're living with this year. What's one more sweltering place?!?

 

That's so true!

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mahondi

mahondi

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I used Blexi, 6 hours tour for up to 3 people in old car, will take you where ever you want in cuba, $130

I was solo, saw much of the real cuba, we got away from the parts where the tourist were. The guide spoke excellent English,

 

It was worth it :) Not sure if link is allowed here, ... google havanatours blexie you will find him.

Heard great things about Blexie. That's our plan for Cuba cruise in March.

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