travel to Cuba

[10Jan54]

Curious to know if anyone has done excursions in Cuba that were not through Carnival?  I know we are supposed to do the "people to people" thing but can we book elsewhere?  Also the money....I heard it's better to bring Canadian to exchange because they give it a better rate compared to US dollars?  Any help would be great!

[MistyRo76]

We are traveling on the Paradise to Cuba next week and we have a non-Carnival excursion booked through I Love Cuba Photo Tours. The cost is much cheaper, we can do a tour with our group only and customize it to what we want to do/see and it does meet the requirements. I've heard from people that you can select Support for the Cuban People on your Visa and that will also be acceptable and I've heard from others to just select People to People even if doing a private tour. 

 

As far as currency exchange, there is a penalty fee for converting US dollars to CUC. But it's not great enough (in my opinion) to justify the extra hassle of changing my money from USD to CAD and then to CUC. I'll just pay the fee. But do make sure you exchange enough money upfront cause the fee applies each time to exchange USD to CUC (my understanding is there is no penalty to change CUC back to USD). 

 

I'll be posting a comprehensive review of our Cuba trip on the Paradise when we return. Not sure when you are sailing, but I'll happily answer any questions that you have when we get back. 

[ricew001]

50 minutes ago, 10Jan54 said:

Curious to know if anyone has done excursions in Cuba that were not through Carnival?  I know we are supposed to do the "people to people" thing but can we book elsewhere?  Also the money....I heard it's better to bring Canadian to exchange because they give it a better rate compared to US dollars?  Any help would be great!

I've been looking over at the Ports board and found a lot of good info on the Cuba excursions. You should check them out.

[10Jan54]

41 minutes ago, MistyRo76 said:

We are traveling on the Paradise to Cuba next week and we have a non-Carnival excursion booked through I Love Cuba Photo Tours. The cost is much cheaper, we can do a tour with our group only and customize it to what we want to do/see and it does meet the requirements. I've heard from people that you can select Support for the Cuban People on your Visa and that will also be acceptable and I've heard from others to just select People to People even if doing a private tour. 

 

As far as currency exchange, there is a penalty fee for converting US dollars to CUC. But it's not great enough (in my opinion) to justify the extra hassle of changing my money from USD to CAD and then to CUC. I'll just pay the fee. But do make sure you exchange enough money upfront cause the fee applies each time to exchange USD to CUC (my understanding is there is no penalty to change CUC back to USD). 

 

I'll be posting a comprehensive review of our Cuba trip on the Paradise when we return. Not sure when you are sailing, but I'll happily answer any questions that you have when we get back. 

Thanks and any info you can share would be wonderful.  I'll be watching for your review.  Have a great trip!

[RWolver672]

17 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

But do make sure you exchange enough money upfront cause the fee applies each time to exchange USD to CUC (my understanding is there is no penalty to change CUC back to USD). 

 

 

There is a fee to change back to USD.  It's not as big as changing USD to CUC though.  I changed 47 CUCs back and I got $40 USD.   Not doing the math but I think they said it was 3%.

[mdsgu]

You can do your own excursion.  The cruise lines will tell you that you "have" to do one through them, but that's not true.  We went last summer and booked a fabulous tour through Blexie (he's even on TripAdvisor!).  You can search for my Majesty of the Seas review and read all about it.  Long story short, RCCL wanted at total of US$550 for what we wanted and Blexie did it for CUC137.  Just mark People to People on your visa.  The cruise line doesn't really care and nobody else will, either.

 

Be aware that there are 2 currencies in Cuba -- one for citizens and one for tourists.  The Cuban peso (CUP) is for citizens.  The Cuban convertible peso (CUC) is for tourists and is worth 25x what the CUP is.  CUC bills have monuments, CUP bills have portraits.  CUC bills also have the words "pesos convertibles" on the front and back.  Be sure you get the right change back at stores; occasionally someone may try to intentionally (or unintentionally) scam you and give you change in CUP.

 

Changing money -- after you clear customs in Cuba, you will proceed to the other end of the terminal.  The Cuban tourist currency (CUC) is pegged 1:1 to the US dollar.  There is a 3% change fee no matter what currency you have.  There is an additional 10% fee if you are changing US dollars to CUC (they are still miffed about that little embargo thing).  Basically, if you change US$100, you will get back CUC87.  If you change an equivalent amount of Euros (or yen, or pounds, or Canadian dollars), you'll get CUC97.  When your time in Cuba is done, you go back to the same currency exchange, they take your CUC, and give you US dollars back.  There is a 3% exchange fee, but not the 10% penalty fee.  Don't bother bringing CUC out of Cuba -- it's completely worthless.

 

US dollars, while widely accepted everywhere else in the Caribbean, are actually illegal for Cuban citizens to possess.  The vast majority of stores will not accept them (and none are supposed to), so you have to change your money.  Remember, too, that US credit cards don't work in Cuba, so you need cash.  For a day stop in Cuba, you need cash for your private excursion (don't forget a tip!), cash for any souvenirs you might want (rum, cigars, small trinkets), and cash for lunch and snacks.  A nice lunch at a private paladar should run you CUC25-30 per person, your excusion will be whatever you've negotiated with the vendor, rum is CUC7-25 per bottle, mojitos and daiquiris like Hemingway enjoyed are about CUC5.

 

 

[Saint Greg]

Deleted. Wrong thread.

Edited April 5, 2019 by Saint Greg

[riffatsea]

TONS of info about Cuba on the Cuba port board!

No need to repost all of it here.

Here is a link to that board:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/765-cuba/

Edited April 5, 2019 by riffatsea

[MistyRo76]

3 hours ago, RWolver672 said:

 

There is a fee to change back to USD.  It's not as big as changing USD to CUC though.  I changed 47 CUCs back and I got $40 USD.   Not doing the math but I think they said it was 3%.

Sorry...I wasn't clear. I was just referring to the 10% fee not the 3% exchange rate. The exchange rate is charged both ways, but the 10% penalty is only for changing USD to CUC. 

[10Jan54]

1 hour ago, mdsgu said:

You can do your own excursion.  The cruise lines will tell you that you "have" to do one through them, but that's not true.  We went last summer and booked a fabulous tour through Blexie (he's even on TripAdvisor!).  You can search for my Majesty of the Seas review and read all about it.  Long story short, RCCL wanted at total of US$550 for what we wanted and Blexie did it for CUC137.  Just mark People to People on your visa.  The cruise line doesn't really care and nobody else will, either.

 

Be aware that there are 2 currencies in Cuba -- one for citizens and one for tourists.  The Cuban peso (CUP) is for citizens.  The Cuban convertible peso (CUC) is for tourists and is worth 25x what the CUP is.  CUC bills have monuments, CUP bills have portraits.  CUC bills also have the words "pesos convertibles" on the front and back.  Be sure you get the right change back at stores; occasionally someone may try to intentionally (or unintentionally) scam you and give you change in CUP.

 

Changing money -- after you clear customs in Cuba, you will proceed to the other end of the terminal.  The Cuban tourist currency (CUC) is pegged 1:1 to the US dollar.  There is a 3% change fee no matter what currency you have.  There is an additional 10% fee if you are changing US dollars to CUC (they are still miffed about that little embargo thing).  Basically, if you change US$100, you will get back CUC87.  If you change an equivalent amount of Euros (or yen, or pounds, or Canadian dollars), you'll get CUC97.  When your time in Cuba is done, you go back to the same currency exchange, they take your CUC, and give you US dollars back.  There is a 3% exchange fee, but not the 10% penalty fee.  Don't bother bringing CUC out of Cuba -- it's completely worthless.

 

US dollars, while widely accepted everywhere else in the Caribbean, are actually illegal for Cuban citizens to possess.  The vast majority of stores will not accept them (and none are supposed to), so you have to change your money.  Remember, too, that US credit cards don't work in Cuba, so you need cash.  For a day stop in Cuba, you need cash for your private excursion (don't forget a tip!), cash for any souvenirs you might want (rum, cigars, small trinkets), and cash for lunch and snacks.  A nice lunch at a private paladar should run you CUC25-30 per person, your excusion will be whatever you've negotiated with the vendor, rum is CUC7-25 per bottle, mojitos and daiquiris like Hemingway enjoyed are about CUC5.

 

 

GREAT INFO, THANKS!

[vakamalua]

yes, you can book your own excursions.  We'll be in Cuba in May with NCL.  My husband and I have booked a three hour Food Tour and a four hour Class Convertible Tour.  For both tours for the two of us we're paying less than a three hour ship's tour for one person.

[scpirate]

On 4/4/2019 at 1:14 PM, MistyRo76 said:

We are traveling on the Paradise to Cuba next week and we have a non-Carnival excursion booked through I Love Cuba Photo Tours. The cost is much cheaper, we can do a tour with our group only and customize it to what we want to do/see and it does meet the requirements. I've heard from people that you can select Support for the Cuban People on your Visa and that will also be acceptable and I've heard from others to just select People to People even if doing a private tour. 

 

As far as currency exchange, there is a penalty fee for converting US dollars to CUC. But it's not great enough (in my opinion) to justify the extra hassle of changing my money from USD to CAD and then to CUC. I'll just pay the fee. But do make sure you exchange enough money upfront cause the fee applies each time to exchange USD to CUC (my understanding is there is no penalty to change CUC back to USD). 

 

I'll be posting a comprehensive review of our Cuba trip on the Paradise when we return. Not sure when you are sailing, but I'll happily answer any questions that you have when we get back. 

I'm on paradise in December.let us know what the buffet looks like even if you don't eat there please.my wife doesn't like the MDR.so we only eat on lido.thanks have a good trip.

[MistyRo76]

On 4/5/2019 at 4:35 PM, scpirate said:

I'm on paradise in December.let us know what the buffet looks like even if you don't eat there please.my wife doesn't like the MDR.so we only eat on lido.thanks have a good trip.

We most likely won't eat any dinners at the lido buffet. We enjoy the main dining room dinners. Plus we have Chef's Table reservations for one night and we'll stay off the ship the night we are in Havana. But I will try to check it out if I can! And we'll definitely do Lido for breakfasts and lunches, so those I can report on. 

[jdemps]

On 4/5/2019 at 6:54 AM, mdsgu said:

You can do your own excursion.  The cruise lines will tell you that you "have" to do one through them, but that's not true.  We went last summer and booked a fabulous tour through Blexie (he's even on TripAdvisor!).  You can search for my Majesty of the Seas review and read all about it.  Long story short, RCCL wanted at total of US$550 for what we wanted and Blexie did it for CUC137.  Just mark People to People on your visa.  The cruise line doesn't really care and nobody else will, either.

 

Be aware that there are 2 currencies in Cuba -- one for citizens and one for tourists.  The Cuban peso (CUP) is for citizens.  The Cuban convertible peso (CUC) is for tourists and is worth 25x what the CUP is.  CUC bills have monuments, CUP bills have portraits.  CUC bills also have the words "pesos convertibles" on the front and back.  Be sure you get the right change back at stores; occasionally someone may try to intentionally (or unintentionally) scam you and give you change in CUP.

 

Changing money -- after you clear customs in Cuba, you will proceed to the other end of the terminal.  The Cuban tourist currency (CUC) is pegged 1:1 to the US dollar.  There is a 3% change fee no matter what currency you have.  There is an additional 10% fee if you are changing US dollars to CUC (they are still miffed about that little embargo thing).  Basically, if you change US$100, you will get back CUC87.  If you change an equivalent amount of Euros (or yen, or pounds, or Canadian dollars), you'll get CUC97.  When your time in Cuba is done, you go back to the same currency exchange, they take your CUC, and give you US dollars back.  There is a 3% exchange fee, but not the 10% penalty fee.  Don't bother bringing CUC out of Cuba -- it's completely worthless.

 

US dollars, while widely accepted everywhere else in the Caribbean, are actually illegal for Cuban citizens to possess.  The vast majority of stores will not accept them (and none are supposed to), so you have to change your money.  Remember, too, that US credit cards don't work in Cuba, so you need cash.  For a day stop in Cuba, you need cash for your private excursion (don't forget a tip!), cash for any souvenirs you might want (rum, cigars, small trinkets), and cash for lunch and snacks.  A nice lunch at a private paladar should run you CUC25-30 per person, your excusion will be whatever you've negotiated with the vendor, rum is CUC7-25 per bottle, mojitos and daiquiris like Hemingway enjoyed are about CUC5.

 

 

our itinerary leaves Cuba at 6am so has anyone heard about the exchange being open very late to accommodate the cruisers doing an overnight stay in Cuba?  Or, if you run out of CUC, will they take US Dollars in the bars/restaurants we might visit late night so as not to have CUC left if the exchange is closed to us?  The exchange hours I have seen from the boards close at like 6pm.  We are in port from 8am to 6am next day and really don't want to have useless money left.  Cuba seems to be a hassle for Americans to visit so we doubt we will go more than once.  Thanks.

[Sailor_Sally]

Any extra CUC's I had I used for tips on the ship .

[10Jan54]

On ‎04‎/‎05‎/‎2019 at 4:32 PM, vakamalua said:

yes, you can book your own excursions.  We'll be in Cuba in May with NCL.  My husband and I have booked a three hour Food Tour and a four hour Class Convertible Tour.  For both tours for the two of us we're paying less than a three hour ship's tour for one person.

 

On ‎04‎/‎05‎/‎2019 at 4:32 PM, vakamalua said:

yes, you can book your own excursions.  We'll be in Cuba in May with NCL.  My husband and I have booked a three hour Food Tour and a four hour Class Convertible Tour.  For both tours for the two of us we're paying less than a three hour ship's tour for one person.

Which tour group did you use?

[vakamalua]

4 hours ago, 10Jan54 said:

 

Which tour group did you use?

 

In may, we’ll be doing a three hour tour with foodtourshavana.com

it’s a historical / cultural walking tour with multiple stops for authentic Cuban food. They were very responsive, answering all my questions.

 

Then we’ve booked a four hour classic convertible tour with  havanacar.net

The manager, Stefano, is super responsive (always responded within hours or minutes) and allowed us to add and subtract sites and stops to their usual itinerary.

 

Check out TripAdvisor for reviews; there are lots of kinds of tours depending on what interests you.

Edited April 9, 2019 by vakamalua

[mdsgu]

On 4/9/2019 at 10:57 AM, 10Jan54 said:

 

Which tour group did you use?

We used Blexie.  Google him or look on trip advisor.  He does everything by email and you pay your tour guide in CUCs at the end.

[Luckiestmanonearth]

11 hours ago, mdsgu said:

We used Blexie.  Google him or look on trip advisor.  He does everything by email and you pay your tour guide in CUCs at the end.

 

Sounds like Blexie now out of business 

[LaCal]

7 minutes ago, Luckiestmanonearth said:

 

Sounds like Blexie now out of business 

Why? 

 

Hes been still emailing people with a new spot they will meet you at 

[Samstress]

We used https://havanainsights.com and had an amazing tour!  I wanted a private tour for this port and Rodrigo was wonderful.  His English is perfect & his knowledge of his country more so.

We did a 4 hour walking tour of Havana; then a 2 hour convertible tour through the countryside ending up at a fabulous 'back yard' restaurant where we enjoyed drinks, food & live music (and they took Canadian, American or Cuban Dollars...cash of course).  We then walked to the Christ statue, and on to the ferry that took us back to downtown Havana.  It was a great experience and it cost us $150 CUC's.  I would highly recommend this company.  

 

Edited April 19, 2019 by Samstress