If you had the opportunity

[babyher]

I saw this thread on another board and though it was interesting. Thought I would see what replys it would get here.


In light of the fact that Fidel Castro may not be with us too much longer. Suppose (and I know right now it is just a big "suppose")

But, if after Castro goes and by "some way" the new regime and the U.S. could reach an agreement where U.S citizens would be allowed to travel to Cuba, would you go?

Maybe not as a land based vacation , but if HAL offered it as a port in some of their itineraries, would that interest you?

I would have to say yes. I hear it is a beautiful country , and their government aside , The Cuban people are very warm and friendly.

I have heard they hav some of the most beautiful beaches . i would certainly love to see it.

What are everyones thoughts.

[dakrewser]

I'm ready to go now. Port stops in Cuba are one of the few things that might attract me back to Caribbean/Gulf cruising...

[LolaWiz]

From friends that live in Canada and that have vacationed to Cuba, and from what they told me, i would be very hesitant to visit there to be very honest. I am sure there are many beautiful beaches, but i would not feel very safe there, just like i did not in a lot of parts in Jamaica.

just my opinion. That is why i commend HAL for not stopping at Jamaica and Bahamas anymore. I feel bad at the folks situation there, but i did not enjoy the stops there at all.

[gizmo]

Sure, I would like to visit Cuba BUT it depends.

The government would have to be stable and not being run but another dictator.

Crime rate would come into it also. If crime is running rampant I would not want to go.

[damcruiser]

I would like to go just for a change from the traditional Caribbean stops.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We would love to go there - not as land stay where uou would be there for a few days. A stop there by cruise ship would be great.

My mother was there many, many, many years ago - loved the place.

[sail7seas]

I've been very eager to visit Cuba for a long time. I'd love to go there.

Crime would be a consideration but use the same common sense you use anywhere. There's crime everywhere in the world. I don't know of many crime free locations.

Sure.....some spots are worse than others but it wouldn't keep me from going.

If HAL schedules port stops on their ships, I'M THERE!!!

[waterbug1]

I would be there in a heartbeat. Life is short. This world and the people in it are wondrous. I want to see, hear, feel, taste and experience as much of it as I can before I have to leave it.

[Navy_Chief]

I'd be willing to bet that Havanna will have more cruise ships than you can shake a stick at shortly after Fidel kicks that last communist bucket. :D

[JmzandJojo]

I'm on board for sure.

Heck, with as many people with Cuban heritage in the US who will return if Castro's regieme falls.........it may be the next Puerto Rico.

[elmorejj]

[QUOTE=LolaWhiz

That is why i commend HAL for not stopping at Jamaica and Bahamas anymore. I feel bad at the folks situation there, but i did not enjoy the stops there at all.[/QUOTE]


When did HAL eliminate these ports? I think they are still on a lot of Itineraries.

As for Cuba, I`d be there in a heartbeat. The one Island I have always wanted to visit. I know as a Brit I can visit, but would have to fly from Canada or the UK. I have a nephew who got married in Cuba 2 years ago, and all of my relatives who went, thoroughly enjoyed it...........jean:cool:

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I too would love to go there as long as there were no government problems. I would with some very nice people from Cuba that one of them grew up in the resort beach area that tells me how beautiful it is.

[riz]

It's probably the number one resort desitnation from Canada in the winter. Beautiful beaches and ridiculously low prices for land based vacations. (eg $500 CDN air/hotel all inclusive)

The scenery is beautiful yes and safety does not seem to be as big an issue here. My only complaint (and generally the reason we don't go) is that there are no luxury/5 star hotels there. Most of them tend to be around what we would consider 3*. I would question standards of safety with excursions for a cruise ship as this really is something they are lacking in. Of interest though...there are a few very nice Sandals resorts there that they do not promote on their website....you have to book them through a package from Canada.

[newmexicoNita]

I saw this thread on another board and though it was interesting. Thought I would see what replys it would get here.


In light of the fact that Fidel Castro may not be with us too much longer. Suppose (and I know right now it is just a big "suppose")

But, if after Castro goes and by "some way" the new regime and the U.S. could reach an agreement where U.S citizens would be allowed to travel to Cuba, would you go?

Maybe not as a land based vacation , but if HAL offered it as a port in some of their itineraries, would that interest you?

I would have to say yes. I hear it is a beautiful country , and their government aside , The Cuban people are very warm and friendly.

I have heard they hav some of the most beautiful beaches . i would certainly love to see it.

What are everyones thoughts.
i would choose any cruise line that offered it as a port, but the problem with this: right now, if he doesn't make it much longer it looks like his brother will take over: what does that mean? From what we are hearing, brother makes Castro look almost right wing. That being said, I would also want to be relatively certain the island was safe. Of course if we worry too much about safety we wouldn't visit anywhere, in the USA or the Caribbean. NMnita

[AlohaPride]

I saw this thread on another board and though it was interesting. Thought I would see what replys it would get here.


In light of the fact that Fidel Castro may not be with us too much longer. Suppose (and I know right now it is just a big "suppose")

But, if after Castro goes and by "some way" the new regime and the U.S. could reach an agreement where U.S citizens would be allowed to travel to Cuba, would you go?

Maybe not as a land based vacation , but if HAL offered it as a port in some of their itineraries, would that interest you?

I would have to say yes. I hear it is a beautiful country , and their government aside , The Cuban people are very warm and friendly.

I have heard they hav some of the most beautiful beaches . i would certainly love to see it.

What are everyones thoughts.

If his brother takes over - no (he makes Castro's rulling syle look like a cake walk).

If the Cubans take over and run their OWN government - HELL YES!! Anything to support a fledgling Republic/Democratic State

[newmexicoNita]

If his brother takes over - no (he makes Castro's rulling syle look like a cake walk).

If the Cubans take over and run their OWN government - HELL YES!! Anything to support a fledgling Republic/Democratic StateAlohaPride, you must have been posting at the same time I was with the same feelings. NMNIta

[AlohaPride]

AlohaPride, you must have been posting at the same time I was with the same feelings. NMNIta

LOL, as they say...great minds think alike. That or I've got telepathy!

[newmexicoNita]

LOL, as they say...great minds think alike. That or I've got telepathy!
Maybe both and the interesting thing: when I heard this morning about Castro my first thought: maybe they can now add Cuba to the ports; that was until I heard who was taking over. NMnita

[bepsf]

I'd be there in a heartbeat - crime & dictators be Dam-ed!
;)

[TedC]

I too would love to go there as long as there were no government problems. I would with some very nice people from Cuba that one of them grew up in the resort beach area that tells me how beautiful it is.


Is there any country in the world without "problems"?

We'd love to go to Cuba, we want to see as much of the world as we can. We've been to Communist countries - China and the former Soviet Union - as well as several Muslim countries, and encountered no problems and were welcomed warmly. I don't think we'd encounter problems in Cuba, either.

It's always interesting and educational to see how others live and listen to different perspectives. I believe that if more people traveled abroad the world would be a better place.

[rkacruiser]

Is there any country in the world without "problems"?

We'd love to go to Cuba, we want to see as much of the world as we can. We've been to Communist countries - China and the former Soviet Union - as well as several Muslim countries, and encountered no problems and were welcomed warmly. I don't think we'd encounter problems in Cuba, either.

It's always interesting and educational to see how others live and listen to different perspectives. I believe that if more people traveled abroad the world would be a better place.

These are my feelings exactly! Just as the song in "The King and I" says: 'getting to know you' is what will open the eyes of people and bring about peace for all.

I am quite sure that there are itineraries sitting in the file cabinets of every cruise line that include ports in Cuba, just waiting for our government to end this ineffective embargo.

[dougnewmanatsea]

I would go now if it were legal!

There are plenty of cruises that go to Cuba - even cruises that leave from Cuba - but as US citizen I cannot legally book these.

For a few years in the late 1990s/early 2000s there was a ship, the VALTUR PRIMA, which operated cruises to Cuba from another island (the Dominican Republic, perhaps? I forget) and because everything in Cuba (excursions, food, etc.) was included and the passengers thus did not have to spend any money there, it was legal for Americans to take her as long as they did not go off on their own and spend money in Cuba. Most of her passengers were Italians and Germans but she was marketed in the US and was the only legal way for a "regular" American to visit Cuba. As a bonus, she looked like a lovely ship. An American friend of mine took her and was absolutely delighted with the whole thing, including Cuba. You can still see a brief review of his cruise here (http://www.salship.se/valturprima.asp). He still raves about it! I would have loved to have taken her but alas, her Italian owners went bankrupt and that was the end of that. Unfortunately, nothing similar is offered today - none of the cruise lines that visit Cuba bother to go through the necessary legal hoops to make it legal for US citizens, so we no longer have an opportunity to visit Cuba legally.

This is very unfortunate as from what I've heard from people who have visited Cuba, it is a lovely place to visit. And yes, were it legal, I would still go, Castro or no Castro. Without wading too far into politics, we are allowed to (and do) visit all sorts of places with repressive governments like China, Vietnam and so on, so what makes Cuba different? I would not have any problem doing it, any more than I would visiting China or Vietnam or many other countries with repressive governments that Americans visit all the time.

[RustaRoo]

The scenery is beautiful yes and safety does not seem to be as big an issue here. My only complaint (and generally the reason we don't go) is that there are no luxury/5 star hotels there. Most of them tend to be around what we would consider 3*.

I agree, I have visited Cuba and stayed in an all-inclusive hotel in Varadero. The beach and the hotel grounds were absolutely magnificent! The food, however, was satisfactory at best. The tour to Habana (Havana) was extremely interesting. You would be shocked by how run-down the city is; it definitely needs a coat of paint! The poverty is everywhere. Leaving the luxury resort to travel to the city was a real eye-opener, passing unfinished (apparently) shacks, most without windows, never painted, totally grey and drab. Run-down autos except those from the 50s which are parked by the 'capitol building' etc.

Safety was never an issue at the resort, locals are not permitted on the grounds other than staff, many of whom who work away from their families and rely on tips (sound familiar?) to eke out a living.

[RuthC]

I could get interested if it were a port stop on a cruise ship; not for a land tour.

I have to wonder, after all these years since tourism was big business down there, how the infrastructure would be to support even a one-day port stop. Or, rather, how long it would take to get an infrastructure up and running. I'm betting that if opportunity (for the residents) were to rear it's head, then the spirit of capitalism would rise in no short order.

[Druke I]

I'm not a fan of the Caribbean, and Cuba does not hold much interest for me.

Interestingly enough, some of the Cubans in Miama are calling for statehood for Cuba if Castro dies! (According to CNN.)

[Scrumpy]

I would like to go to Cuba and would enjoy taking a cruise that had port stop; I think it'd be very interesting. Undecided about a land-based vacation there, but that is the case in a lot of other places, too.

[travelmoxie]

I love Cuba. At last count I have been there 5 times, 4 of them on solo trips. As a female, I feel safer in Cuba than I do in some spots in Mexico (Cancun for example), Dominican Republic and other islands in the Caribbean. Really the only economy they have are the tourists from Europe and Canada and they aren't about to screw that up.

Sure, the resorts aren't necessarily 5 star, and there isn't a whole lot to do, but its impossible to find miles of souvenier shops and fast food restaurants. Cubans are friendly and generous to a fault and contrary to popular belief are quite willing to talk politics.

I really have no idea what it is about visiting Cuba that unnerves the average American any more than visiting any other country with its own set of problems - Jamaica for example.

JMHO

[Joanelle]

Aaahhh...the MUSiC! ....the BEACHES!....the old CARS (that's my husband dreaming there)....the PEOPLE!

YES!

But realistically, RuthC is correct, the infrastructure probably couldn't handle an influx of 1000-3000 people in one day.

[Joanelle]

I love Cuba. At last count I have been there 5 times, 4 of them on solo trips. As a female, I feel safer in Cuba than I do in some spots in Mexico (Cancun for example), Dominican Republic and other islands in the Caribbean. Really the only economy they have are the tourists from Europe and Canada and they aren't about to screw that up.

Sure, the resorts aren't necessarily 5 star, and there isn't a whole lot to do, but its impossible to find miles of souvenier shops and fast food restaurants. Cubans are friendly and generous to a fault and contrary to popular belief are quite willing to talk politics.

I really have no idea what it is about visiting Cuba that unnerves the average American any more than visiting any other country with its own set of problems - Jamaica for example.

JMHO
Travelmoxie, let me explain: you do know that Cuba tortures its citizens (no Red Cross, no Amnesty International permitted), has political prisoners (in hundreds of prisons countrywide), nobody is allowed to leave, and it is run by a dictator. It is also illegal for US citizens to visit Cuba currently. Those are just some of the reasons.

No comparison to Jamaica IMO.

[Scrumpy]

I really have no idea what it is about visiting Cuba that unnerves the average American any more than visiting any other country with its own set of problems - Jamaica for example.

JMHO

I'd pick Cuba over Jamaica any time!

[sparkly]

I have wanted to experience Cuba. I recently read the book,"Waiting For Snow In Havana". Very interesting and it shed a lot of light on how the Cuban people were forced to live and are still forced to live under a regime of terror!
Once our dollars are able to be spent there it can only help the people and economy rebound from far too many oppressed years.

[babyher]

Aaahhh...the MUSiC! ....the BEACHES!....the old CARS (that's my husband dreaming there)....the PEOPLE!

YES!

But realistically, RuthC is correct, the infrastructure probably couldn't handle an influx of 1000-3000 people in one day.



*LOL* I have co worker who is a classic car nut. We were watching a documentary about Cuba on TV once and when he saw all the classic old cars all over the place, he when nuts :)

I think he would go for the cars alone

[ashuma]

Personally there are a lot of other places I would rather go and I am cruised out in the Caribbean.

Also, someone said HAL took Jamaica off their itinerarries. Not so if you check their site.

[Host Walt]

Please avoid the temptation to discuss other members of Cruise Critic in this thread. Cruise Critic is not a foreign policy debate forum.

Discussion of the possibility that Cuban ports may be added to Caribbean itineraries some time in the future is fine as is a discussion of the comparitive ambience and amenities a cruiser may encounter. But please, let's not get into debates focused on one another's political perspectives

Thanks.