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State Dept Cuban warning


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We are doing the Empress 5 day cruise in April that includes 2 days in Havana. Our particular Roll Call has been relatively quiet so I thought I might be able to catch someone on here who is doing one of the other cruises on the Empress that visits Havana to ask if they have heard any info on the State Dept's warning issued in late Sept to NOT travel to Cuba. Here is the link to their alert.

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings/cuba-travel-warning.html

 

There is nothing on the Royal website about this or on our personal page including our cruise. I haven't called Royal yet as I was just curious if anyone on here has had any contact with them.

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I realize the warning is already out there. I added it as a link. I was wondering if anyone has gotten any info from Royal on how they might address the warning and its impact on upcoming cruises.

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I realize the warning is already out there. I added it as a link. I was wondering if anyone has gotten any info from Royal on how they might address the warning and its impact on upcoming cruises.

I'm not sure of my details, but if you BOOKED before a certain date all is as you planned. If you booked after that date, you have to take Royal's excursions.

It's on here somewhere.

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If you booked before June 16th, all remains the same. The 16th and after, the new rules apply. It looks like you have to book shore excursions with RCCL to get off the ship. That is what C&A told me. We cancelled and opted for Eastern Caribbean on the Allure in March, instead.

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Thanks Lunker. I really am looking for a different answer than people are giving. IF the State Dept is telling people not to go, I’m curious if Royal is suggesting anything different. Haven’t seen one mention from them about any concerns and we are closing in on final payment.

 

 

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This is the note I received from RCCL on November 10, 2017, stating that you must be on an approved organized tour to get off of the ship in Cuba:

 

This is an important message regarding your upcoming cruise.

 

logo_hero.png ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING TRAVELS

Dear Guest,

On November 8th, the United States government issued new regulations related to Cuba travel. We are pleased to inform you that we do not anticipate any changes to our Cuba itineraries, and we look forward to taking you there. One change that does impact travelers is that self-guided “people-to-people” travel will no longer be allowed. This means that in order to enjoy Cuba, you must be participating in a group tour or qualify for the other categories of authorized travel, which are listed in our Cuba Travel Requirements FAQs: www.royalcaribbean.com/cuba/faq/.

All of our Royal Caribbean shore excursions are designed to meet the necessary qualifications for authorized group “people-to-people” travel. We offer a wide variety of tours to select from. If you have not yet booked your shore excursions, please visit www.RoyalCaribbean.com/CruisePlanner for a list of exciting excursions to participate in. While onboard, you may also visit our Shore Excursions Desk, located on Deck 5.

You can expect to enjoy the same immersive, unforgettable experience you’ve been looking forward to as we visit the historical and beautiful port of Havana, Cuba on your upcoming cruise onboard Empress of the Seas.

As a reminder, please visit www.RoyalCaribbean.com/Cuba for useful tips to help you prepare for your trip and to gather all the necessary travel documentation. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to call us at 800-562-7625 or visit www.RoyalCaribbean.com/UpdatesOnCuba for the most up to date information.

Thank you for choosing Royal Caribbean for your upcoming vacation. We are excited to welcome you on your upcoming adventure.

Sincerely,

Royal Caribbean International

frame.pnglogo_footer.png ©2017 Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Ships' registry: The Bahamas.

 

Royal Caribbean International

1050 Caribbean Way

Miami, FL 33132 USA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Silky, I have a couple of questions. When is your cruise and did you book through a TA? Ours is in April and we did book through a TA and haven’t received anything yet. My wife did the same cruise last June with our daughter and had a phenomenal private tour in a ‘57 Pontiac Convertible, and her experience is the Amin reason we booked this cruise for the 2of us. And now we are touring in a bus for 2days it looks like.

 

 

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Silky, I have a couple of questions. When is your cruise and did you book through a TA? Ours is in April and we did book through a TA and haven’t received anything yet. My wife did the same cruise last June with our daughter and had a phenomenal private tour in a ‘57 Pontiac Convertible, and her experience is the Amin reason we booked this cruise for the 2of us. And now we are touring in a bus for 2days it looks like.

 

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What was on Empress is now on Majesty of the Seas on October 24-29, 2018, which I booked 7 cabins on-line myself. DH and I have also reserved the classic car tour through RCCL excursions @ $275 total for the car, which can hold up to 3 people; very excited about this tour!:cool: My main concern is our cabins getting transferred correctly from Empress to Majesty, as the deck plans are somewhat different. We had 7 OV (obstructed) cabins on Deck 7 on Empress, so hoping for the same or better on Majesty.:rolleyes:

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We are doing the Empress 5 day cruise in April that includes 2 days in Havana. Our particular Roll Call has been relatively quiet so I thought I might be able to catch someone on here who is doing one of the other cruises on the Empress that visits Havana to ask if they have heard any info on the State Dept's warning issued in late Sept to NOT travel to Cuba. Here is the link to their alert.

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings/cuba-travel-warning.html

 

There is nothing on the Royal website about this or on our personal page including our cruise. I haven't called Royal yet as I was just curious if anyone on here has had any contact with them.

 

The travel warning has been in place for a long time, and is just that, a warning. Many countries have warnings posted. Another poster just posted the letter. I might add that a very similar letter was sent to me prior the changes being effective immediately, but after the changes were announced. We did take a tour with RCCL, and than we also went out and ate on our own, and also during some free time, we explored the city on our own. The question you should ask, if you take a RCCL for 3 hours, and want to than go out to dinner, or sit in a café etc, can you still get on and off the ship freely, without questions? Or are you locked and only able to leave with a booked excursion. I would like to return, but this question, would be the deciding factor.

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We wanted to go to the Buena Vista Social Club and Café Taberna. The only thing offered is the above with a tour tied to it. Says you have to be able to walk 2 miles on cobblestones before going to a club which calls for appropriate club dress (not shorts and tee shirts, I assume) Not my idea of a night on the town, walking 2 miles then dancing.

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We wanted to go to the Buena Vista Social Club and Café Taberna. The only thing offered is the above with a tour tied to it. Says you have to be able to walk 2 miles on cobblestones before going to a club which calls for appropriate club dress (not shorts and tee shirts, I assume) Not my idea of a night on the town, walking 2 miles then dancing.

If Cafe Taberna is not a banned club- that's directly across the plaza from where the ships dock. Way less than 2 miles.

 

Another club that you can take a taxi to is the Legendarios de Guajirito, that's a great show, too. And it's a privately owned club, so you can go there on the "support Cuban people" licence.

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If Cafe Taberna is not a banned club- that's directly across the plaza from where the ships dock. Way less than 2 miles.

 

Another club that you can take a taxi to is the Legendarios de Guajirito, that's a great show, too. And it's a privately owned club, so you can go there on the "support Cuban people" licence.

 

I am just about to call Royal, but I was curious if anyone knew factually whether we can even leave the ship if we aren't on a RCCL tour? You mentioned the "Support Cuban People" license? I saw that on my wifes VISA from her trip to Cuba in June. Would booking a private tour be considered "Support Cuban People"?

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Just spoke to both Royal and our TA and both emphatically stated that the only way to even LEAVE the ship is to have a Royal excursion booked. I asked my TA if you were allowed to even wander around once your tour was over, and she didn't have that answer, but suggested I call the Royal excursion number to see if they know. This will tremendously impact the way people are going to view their Cuba experience IMO.

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I am just about to call Royal, but I was curious if anyone knew factually whether we can even leave the ship if we aren't on a RCCL tour? You mentioned the "Support Cuban People" license? I saw that on my wifes VISA from her trip to Cuba in June. Would booking a private tour be considered "Support Cuban People"?

That's the licence we used for a weekend in Havana in Sept. Would have used it in July had we known more about it, too.

 

Not sure if RCI is really going to not let people off without an RCI excursion- we need to know that before our next cruise to Havana. Their choices are not what we want to do.

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That's the licence we used for a weekend in Havana in Sept. Would have used it in July had we known more about it, too.

 

Not sure if RCI is really going to not let people off without an RCI excursion- we need to know that before our next cruise to Havana. Their choices are not what we want to do.

 

I've had this confirmed by both my TA and RCI this morning. Not sure I like their answer or even how to know if they are right or wrong?

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I've had this confirmed by both my TA and RCI this morning. Not sure I like their answer or even how to know if they are right or wrong?

 

I just got an email back from our TA who contacted RC directly and RC confirmed that once you return from your RC excursion, which is the only excursions you can do now, you have to reboard the ship. In other words, you can't get off the bus and wander around on your own. So if you book a 3 hour tour, YOU GET TO SEE HAVANA FOR 3 HOURS! This definitely isn't the cruise we booked!

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I too received the letter on November 10 from Royal Caribbean. If you click on the FAQ link provided, then click into the Travel Certification, there is a form that one must print and fill out to bring on board to declare what one will be doing while in Cuba. You will eventually read this for yourselves, but here are some bits cut and pasted showing there are other options than participating only with cruise excursions:

1. FULL DAY-ROYAL CARIBBEAN PROGRAM:

2. FULL DAY-THIRD PARTY PROGRAM (TOURS NOT SPONSORED BY ROYAL CARIBBEAN):

3. SELF-GUIDED PROGRAM (ONLY PERMITTED FOR PASSENGER BOOKINGS MADE BEFORE JUNE 16, 2017).

4. OTHER GENERAL LICENSE CATEGORIES

 

On the US Treasury website,

https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/pages/cuba.aspx

https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/cuba_fact_sheet_11082017.pdf

https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/cuba_faqs_new.pdf

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I too received the letter on November 10 from Royal Caribbean. If you click on the FAQ link provided, then click into the Travel Certification, there is a form that one must print and fill out to bring on board to declare what one will be doing while in Cuba. You will eventually read this for yourselves, but here are some bits cut and pasted showing there are other options than participating only with cruise excursions:

1. FULL DAY-ROYAL CARIBBEAN PROGRAM:

2. FULL DAY-THIRD PARTY PROGRAM (TOURS NOT SPONSORED BY ROYAL CARIBBEAN):

3. SELF-GUIDED PROGRAM (ONLY PERMITTED FOR PASSENGER BOOKINGS MADE BEFORE JUNE 16, 2017).

4. OTHER GENERAL LICENSE CATEGORIES

 

 

I realize that #2 makes it look like you can still book "independent" tours, but what I am being told by BOTH Royal AND my TA is that ALL excursions must be booked with Royal now, unless someone has told you differently.

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