Cuba money exchange - can I get info from those who sailed April 19?

[ukbballfan]

can anyone tell me the best tour to take while in cuba,we do not want to do the walking tour

 

 

We did a private tour with I Love Cuba tours and went where we wanted.

[spmanett]

Yes I was and I was on the all day tour (44) on bus #3.

 

 

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How was the all day tour? Did you have time to do any shopping? Would you recommend it or would you do another if you could? Thanks!

[steamboats]

Biker, who opted for Santiago de Cuba rum during his trip.

 

I highly recommend the Ron Caney (7 yo) - much better than Havana Club or Santiago de Cuba (which was recommended to us too - but we tried them all). The bottle was 7.60 CUC (700 ml).

 

 

All I read ahead of our cruise was that you can only change money at the official money exchanges called CADECA. Therefore we weren´t able to change money onboard (Celestyal Crystal). The money exchage in the port building of Havana has lots of counters but be aware they close by 4 pm! For tourists there is only one currency - the CUC. You don´t get the Cuban peso. 1 CUC = 1 USD.

 

 

Disembarkation: You have to go through passport control / immigration (they take a photo and fingerprints at the first entry) and then security (like on airports). We had an MSC ship in port with us and encountered long lines! To go back onboard it´s the same procedure, security and then passport control (no photo and fingerprints then). Each time you leave the ship you have to go through this procedure! Same for returning onboard.

 

Prices for cigars and rum are controlled by the state of Cuba. You don´t get it any cheaper. The official cigar shops (which usually also sell rum) do have the best deal. Hotel shops are more expensive. For those on a tour which is going up to the fortress - there´s an official shop inside the fortress.

 

 

For Havana Club there´s the Havana Club museum to the left of the cruise terminal building. They do have a gift shop too.

 

steamboats

[Biker19]

I highly recommend the Ron Caney (7 yo) - much better than Havana Club or Santiago de Cuba (which was recommended to us too - but we tried them all). The bottle was 7.60 CUC (700 ml).

I'm not a rum snob - I liked the mojito made with the Santiago de Cuba rum at dinner one night, it was the cheapest at the airport when leaving, needed to get rid of the last of my CUC, so.....

[FLACRUISER99]

How was the all day tour? Did you have time to do any shopping? Would you recommend it or would you do another if you could? Thanks!

It was great I recommend it. We were taken to the large flea market near the port for about an hour at the end of the tour.

[steamboats]

I'm not a rum snob - I liked the mojito made with the Santiago de Cuba rum at dinner one night, it was the cheapest at the airport when leaving, needed to get rid of the last of my CUC, so.....

 

I´m only talking about the 7 yo (dark) rum. Silver and gold stuff is for cocktails only.

 

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[steamboats]

We were taken to the large flea market near the port for about an hour at the end of the tour.

 

You can easily walk over to the market. 10 minutes walking. Had a great coconut there for 1 CUC plus 1 CUC filling it up with rum. After we had drunk the rum coconut water they cut it up for us.

 

steamboats

[Biker19]

I´m only talking about the 7 yo (dark) rum. Silver and gold stuff is for cocktails only.

The mojito I had had both in it - so I bought a bottle each, 3 and 7 year.

[steamboats]

The mojito I had had both in it - so I bought a bottle each, 3 and 7 year.

 

No dark rum for mojitos!!!:o:o:o It´s just the white/silver one. Everything else would change the color of the cocktail.

 

Best mojito ever in Cuba: Cienfuegos at Punta Gorda park. The little bar is called Los Mejores Mojitos - and that´s absolutely the proper name for this bar! We also had a Mojito class with one of the Cuban bartenders onboard the Celestyal Crystal. And we had our share of Mojitos throughout the cruise and land portion of our trip including La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana.

 

steamboats