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Cienfuegos and Santiago De Cuba excursions


ashleyhaugh
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Hi, we're looking into our next cruise, and my mom really wants to go to Cuba. I was looking on the Royal Caribbean, and they have absolutely no information on shore excursions! I called, and the guy I talked to couldn't find any info on excursions in either of those cities.

 

Does anyone have any information on what kind of excursions Royal Caribbean offers in Cienfuegos and Santiago De Cuba? I'm looking in March of 2019, if that makes any difference.

 

Thanks!

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Royal Caribbean just added those cities to their itineraries a few days ago, so I'm not surprised they're still updating the web site.

 

Just a suggestion - You may want to look at the excursions that Azamara offers for those cities, since Azamara and Royal are part of the same company. That might give you a hint as to what Royal might eventually offer.

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Oceania goes to both places and Viking Ocean goes to Cienfuegos. You might find something on the Oceania boards or on pertinent Roll Call threads for those two lines.

 

I loved my visit to the tourist-filled but still somewhat authentic colonial city of Trinidad (through Viking; used their excursion arranged by Cuba Travel Services). We were told it's the second most popular city for Cuba tourists, behind Havana. It's about an hour and 15 minutes from Cienfuegos on somewhat bumpy roads - but all roads in Cuba seem to be bumpy, at least if you're in the back of a bus! We visited the city center, plus made a short stop at an old sugar mill with interesting tall tower on the way back. If you stay in Cienfuegos, I would look around the main square as well as take a short and inexpensive taxi ride down to the Palacio delle Valle and a couple other nearby buildings. It's on the narrow peninsula that runs south of central Cienfuegos. There is also a lagoon and a nature center a ways outside Cienfuegos that interested me, but we didn't have time for those, and I never talked to anyone who went on those excursions. Therefore, I don't know if they were worthwhile. Viking also offered a "meet the locals" excursion that apparently got good reviews, plus a choral performance, visit to the Bay of Pigs beach and museum a ways from Cienfuegos, kayaking excursion and salsa dance lesson. I think most of us took the day-long Trinidad trip. It was a bit challenging due to the drive and good deal of walking, mostly on cobblestones. However, you'll see lots that you won't see in Havana only - horse carts, nice scenery, little traffic, very modest homes, etc.

 

Unless you're on a small cruise ship, you'll tender in Cienfuegos. There are 2 money exchange bureaus and numerous vendors outside the small port terminal. I was told it was about a 15 minute walk into city center or a short cab ride, with many drivers accepting USD.

Edited by roothy123
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  • 4 weeks later...
Sadly, the advice for Cienfuegos used to be just take a taxi into town, we did an organized tour and wished that we hadn't, but I guess that is no longer an option.

 

We're on the Azamara Quest in March and have organised a private tour that will take us from Cienfuegos to Trinidad (a must see for me). I had heard that there wasn't much to do in Cienfuegos.

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I personally felt there were a decent number of things to see and do in Cienfuegos, although I, too, wanted very much to go to Trinidad (and did). For those wanting to stay in Cienfuegos, you should be aware that there are two parts to it. One if the area closest to the port; the other is down the peninsula, where there are some interesting things like the Palacio de Valle. My husband said he thought there were a few taxis lined up by the port. However, they may have been taxis for pre-arranged tours; not sure.

 

If I cruised to Cuba again (Cienfuegos and/or Havana) and had to choose and pay for ship excursions versus private, I would just go ahead and look into private tours. I don't think the change in regs amounted to anything that would scare me away from doing that, although I WOULD be concerned about whether the tour guide could speak decent English, and knew as much as the tour guides used in ship excursions.

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  • 4 months later...
We're on the Azamara Quest in March and have organised a private tour that will take us from Cienfuegos to Trinidad (a must see for me). I had heard that there wasn't much to do in Cienfuegos.

Do you have the name and contact info for the private tour you took? We're on Oceania's Cuba cruise Jan, 2019 and I very much want to go to Trinidad.

Thanks, Nancy

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Do you have the name and contact info for the private tour you took? We're on Oceania's Cuba cruise Jan, 2019 and I very much want to go to Trinidad.

Thanks, Nancy

 

Hi Nancy,

 

I have contacted this company and will probably use them. You can even chat live on their website.

 

https://www.caribbeanpearltours.com/

 

Very quick to respond with emails and I've read other reviews from people who have used them and they were very happy. Good luck.

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Hi Nancy,

 

I have contacted this company and will probably use them. You can even chat live on their website.

 

https://www.caribbeanpearltours.com/

 

Very quick to respond with emails and I've read other reviews from people who have used them and they were very happy. Good luck.

Hello! There doesn't seem to be any reviews of this company on Trip Advisor. Can you tell me where you saw reviews for Caribbean Pearl Tours? Many thanks!

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  • 1 month later...
We're on the Azamara Quest in March and have organised a private tour that will take us from Cienfuegos to Trinidad (a must see for me). I had heard that there wasn't much to do in Cienfuegos.

 

Aussie travel bird,

Can you give share the name of the "private tour" operator?

Also, can you share about the tour? How many hours? How much did it cost per person? Was it a good trip?

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Aussie travel bird,

Can you give share the name of the "private tour" operator?

Also, can you share about the tour? How many hours? How much did it cost per person? Was it a good trip?

 

We used www.trinidadsightseeing.com who were easy to deal with and would customize on request. It was an all day tour with pick up from outside the port gates at Ciefuegos. The tour was based on the 'Great Excursiom Tour - City & Sugar (combo tour) from their website. The cost is 60CUC on the website but there was extra to pick us up at the Ciefuegos Port and return. In all from memory it was about 8 hours and was about 90CUC based on 6.

 

The drive was certainly worthwhile as you see lots of local life in villages etc and the lunch was fantastic. We even saw hundreds of thousands of the migratory crabs crossing the road (April - June), some were not so lucky to make it to the other side!

 

The only down side to watch for was the driver picked us up outside the port gates which is understandable due to security (and there was a little confusion) as he didn't speak English. Plenty of the locals were there to help us find the driver though and one spoke English. We made sure we had phone numbers and the information written on paper. I would go as far next time to getting that information converted to Spanish via an app if the guide isn't coming with the vehicle. We drove to the guides house in Trinidad to collect him as we were told it was his birthday and he wanted to spend the early morning with his family rather than drive down and drive back. I have a suspicion that the driver lived in Ciefuegos.

 

The others in our group though the time at the old sugar plantation could have been shortened a little, but I was fine with it. The guide we had was excellent.

 

Hope this helps.

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We used www.trinidadsightseeing.com who were easy to deal with and would customize on request. It was an all day tour with pick up from outside the port gates at Ciefuegos. The tour was based on the 'Great Excursiom Tour - City & Sugar (combo tour) from their website. The cost is 60CUC on the website but there was extra to pick us up at the Ciefuegos Port and return. In all from memory it was about 8 hours and was about 90CUC based on 6.

 

The drive was certainly worthwhile as you see lots of local life in villages etc and the lunch was fantastic. We even saw hundreds of thousands of the migratory crabs crossing the road (April - June), some were not so lucky to make it to the other side!

 

The only down side to watch for was the driver picked us up outside the port gates which is understandable due to security (and there was a little confusion) as he didn't speak English. Plenty of the locals were there to help us find the driver though and one spoke English. We made sure we had phone numbers and the information written on paper. I would go as far next time to getting that information converted to Spanish via an app if the guide isn't coming with the vehicle. We drove to the guides house in Trinidad to collect him as we were told it was his birthday and he wanted to spend the early morning with his family rather than drive down and drive back. I have a suspicion that the driver lived in Ciefuegos.

 

The others in our group though the time at the old sugar plantation could have been shortened a little, but I was fine with it. The guide we had was excellent.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Aussie travel bird, thank you for all of the details in your post. It is very helpful. There is plenty of posts about Havana, but very little on Cienfuegos. I have found some information about Cienfuegos on the internet, and many of them say that Trinidad is a "must see." So the information about the ride through the countryside of Cuba, helps me focus on getting a tour that goes from Cienfuegos to Trinidad, and back to the ship in time, so I'll give Trinidad Sight Seeing a look. Once again, thanks for all of the detail.

Meanwhile, for others who may be reading this post, I did checkout Caribbean Pearl Tours, and this link will take you to their one day tours.

https://www.caribbeanpearltours.com/one-day-tours

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We have booked Caribbean Pearl Tours also for a Cienfuegos tour in early August. Communication with them was super easy as Fernando answered my emails virtually the same day and answered any questions I had asked. Now we just have to hope the ship actually docks there as I keep reading that many stops there are cancelled for a variety of reasons.

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Hello! There doesn't seem to be any reviews of this company on Trip Advisor. Can you tell me where you saw reviews for Caribbean Pearl Tours? Many thanks!

Sorry for my delayed response, for some reason I am not getting notifications for this thread. I'm pretty sure I saw the reviews here on CC.

 

I have been asking them many questions on their different tours and they are always quick to respond.

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We have booked Caribbean Pearl Tours also for a Cienfuegos tour in early August. Communication with them was super easy as Fernando answered my emails virtually the same day and answered any questions I had asked. Now we just have to hope the ship actually docks there as I keep reading that many stops there are cancelled for a variety of reasons.

 

We are on the Azamara Journey in Jan.. so I have been researching the various ports for private guides. Could you please let me know how your tour is and are you going to Trinidad as well? My email is dbraziunathotmail.com. Also when is your cruise and what ship will you be on??

Edited by girls5
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I have been corresponding with Caribbean Pearl Tours, and they do offer a 1 day tour of Trinidad and Cienfuegos that should take about 6 hours.

In the course of trying to find tour operators in Cienfuegos, I came across a few websites with good information. They are:

 

 

 

 

Transportation in Cuba: What You Need to Know

 

http://cheekyjaunt.com/transport-in-cuba-what-you-need-to-know/

 

 

 

The Ultimate Guide to Taxi's in Cuba

 

https://gencuba.com/ultimate-guide-taxi-cuba/

 

 

 

Things to do in Cienfuegos in one day - Practical info and tips

 

https://capturetheatlas.com/cienfuegos-cuba-in-one-day/

 

 

 

Cienfuegos Cuba Cruise Port of Call

 

https://www.whatsinport.com/Cienfuegos.htm

 

 

 

Check out Sam | Travel guide and info about Cienfuegos, Cuba

 

https://www.checkoutsam.com/location/cuba/cienfuegos/

 

 

 

Why You Need to Visit Cienfuegos Cuba - Tales of a Backpacker

 

https://talesofabackpacker.com/cienfuegos-cuba-itinerary/

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My daughter and I sail on a 14 night cruise on the Veendam on August 4. The ship docks also in Havana two days prior to Cienfugos. We have booked with Blexie for the Havana day.

Last summer we visited Havana on the Carnival Paradise and booked a walking tour with the ship and half day with OldCarTours. It was wonderful! Since we had done the morning on a "standard" tour, our driver/guide was able to take us to a few places not normally included. At night we went out and took a cocotaxi to el Floridita and Bodeguita del Medio to have drinks in the steps of Hemingway. We were two women alone and felt totally safe alone at night in Havana. Everyone we met was helpful and friendly.

 

I will report back on the Cienfuegos tour when we return.

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My daughter and I sail on a 14 night cruise on the Veendam on August 4. The ship docks also in Havana two days prior to Cienfugos. We have booked with Blexie for the Havana day.

Last summer we visited Havana on the Carnival Paradise and booked a walking tour with the ship and half day with OldCarTours. It was wonderful! Since we had done the morning on a "standard" tour, our driver/guide was able to take us to a few places not normally included. At night we went out and took a cocotaxi to el Floridita and Bodeguita del Medio to have drinks in the steps of Hemingway. We were two women alone and felt totally safe alone at night in Havana. Everyone we met was helpful and friendly.

 

I will report back on the Cienfuegos tour when we return.

I will be looking forward to your comments about the Blexie tour in Havana, and also ANYTHING about Cienfuegos.

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  • 2 weeks later...
I am interested in Royal Caribbean tours in Santiago De Cuba and Cienfuegos. Has anyone done them? What do you recommend? I am not interested in private tours, so do not suggest them.

 

 

 

You probably already have done this but I think you'd get more of a response if you asked this on the RCL forum.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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You probably already have done this but I think you'd get more of a response if you asked this on the RCL forum.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

No, I didn't do that, but I did notice that every time someone asks about a port they send them to the Port threads. I will post something in RCL. Thanks.

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Hi, we're looking into our next cruise, and my mom really wants to go to Cuba. I was looking on the Royal Caribbean, and they have absolutely no information on shore excursions! I called, and the guy I talked to couldn't find any info on excursions in either of those cities.

 

 

 

Does anyone have any information on what kind of excursions Royal Caribbean offers in Cienfuegos and Santiago De Cuba? I'm looking in March of 2019, if that makes any difference.

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

We’re booked on a November RCL cruise to Cuba. There are several excursions listed for each of the Cuba ports on the RC website. Maybe you have to have a booked reservation to be able to view the excursions.

They all sound good, varied, and interesting. Hard to choose. In Havana we will do a private tour but will probably book a ship tour in Cienfuegos since RC doesn’t begin stops there until September. Hence, not much seems to be known about private tours. Our cruise doesn’t go to Santiago De Cuba. You might try calling RC again. It doesn’t make sense that an RC agent can’t see what I’m seeing! Good luck!

 

 

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