Private Cuba tours

[Holly2]

We have a Blexie tour with Isbel on Dec. 17. Did either if you book after the June date

[SuzCruise]

We did. If you select "support the Cuban people" under general licenses on your affidavit, the tour you will have should qualify. Ours did, without even trying very hard. And it was a wonderful experience. If you have George as a guide, please tell him Susan and Bern said hi! One thing we added was having him us take us to grocery stores. It's something we do all over the world, but it was very interesting and different than every other place we've visited.

 

I'll post the applicable statute from the CFR and the example from the Treasury Dept, in case it might be helpful.

§ 515.574 Support for the Cuban People.

(a) General license. The travel-related transactions set forth in § 515.560© and other transactions that are intended to provide support for the Cuban people are authorized, provided that:

(1) The activities are of:

(i) Recognized human rights organizations;

(ii) Independent organizations designed to promote a rapid, peaceful transition to democracy; or

(iii) Individuals and non-governmental organizations that promote independent activity intended to strengthen civil society in Cuba; and

(2) The traveler's schedule of activities does not include free time or recreation in excess of that consistent with a full-time schedule.

Note to § 515.574(a):

Each person relying on the general authorization in this paragraph must retain specific records related to the authorized travel transactions. See §§ 501.601 and 501.602 of this chapter for applicable recordkeeping and reporting requirements.

 

Example 1 to § 515.574: An individual plans to travel to Cuba, stay in a room at a rented accommodation in a private Cuban residence (casa particular), eat at privately-owned Cuban restaurants (paladares), and shop at privately-owned stores run by self-employed Cubans (cuentapropista) during his or her four-day trip. While at the casa particular, the individual will have breakfast each morning with the Cuban host and engage with the Cuban host to learn about Cuban culture. In addition, the traveler will complete his or her full-time schedule by supporting Cuban entrepreneurs launching their privately-owned businesses. The traveler’s activities promote independent activity intended to strengthen civil society in Cuba. Because the individual’s qualifying activities are not limited to staying in a room at a rented accommodation in a private Cuban residence (casa particular), eating at privately-owned Cuban restaurants (paladares), and shopping at privately owned stores run by self-employed Cubans (cuentapropista) and the traveler maintains a full-time schedule that enhances contact with the Cuban people, supports civil society in Cuba, and promotes the Cuban people’s independence from Cuban authorities, and that results in meaningful interaction between the traveler and Cuban individuals, the individual’s travel qualifies for the general license.

 

 

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[Holly2]

Great. Thx. What ship were you on?

[SuzCruise]

Great. Thx. What ship were you on?

 

 

 

Azamara Quest. What line are you traveling on? Azamara was trying to force people on to their tours, so be prepared if that is who you are cruising with. They didn't hassle us though.

 

 

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[nw gardener]

I have Blexie booked for our Feb cruise on HAL, but a lot of confusion with HAL after the latest round of government rules issued a couple of weeks ago. HAL is trying to force everyone to take a HAL excursion but I plan on keeping my tour with Blexie, he has been so helpful with emails and questions for what we want to see. Nice to see all the great reviews.

[Holly2]

We are on Oceania. What kind of pressure?

[Wanderlust_1980]

We were visiting Cuba as a port of call on our cruise ship and wanted to see the countryside and places outside Havana.

We preferred to book the tour through a local company instead the ones offered by the cruiseline.

We had a great tour with Hugo and Robin from Havanacar.net.

We went to Soroa Botanical Gardens and the Vinales Valley where we visited the Indio Cave and took a boat trip in the cave, then we visited a tobacco farm which was very interesting. Hugo was friendly and gave us lots of information and made our first visit to Cuba a real pleasure. He also recommended places of interest in Havana which we visited ourselves the next day.

Stefano, the company manager, was great in communicating with through emails. He was quick and very responsive.

[Holly2]

What ship were you on? Did you book after June?

[Wanderlust_1980]

What ship were you on? Did you book after June?

 

We were on the MSC Opera. We booked our cruise in September. We did not have any issue to get off the boat and have a tour with the local company Havanacar.

[Holly2]

Thx. That is reassuring.

[Go-Bucks!]

Everything's going to be fine. All the reports from passengers returning from Cuba have been that they easily got through customs and security, easily got their money exchanged, were allowed to go do whatever they wanted, took private tours, took ship tours, hired private classic cars, ate in local restaurants, shopped in stores and went to nightclubs at night. None of this is worrisome.

 

No matter when you booked the cruise, I'm sure all will go well. Just relax and enjoy this new adventure (at least new for Americans). I seriously doubt that in a few years the Treasury dept. is going to show up on your doorstep to grill you about which tour you took. ;)

[dkbustr]

Traveled on Oceania Insignia, disembarked December 1. No issues at all on private tours. We had private group tours scheduled in all three ports, Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba. When you walk off the ship, no one has a clue if you booked before June 16 or after June 16, whether you have a ship sponsored tour, private tour, or are just going about town on your own. The cruise lines are trying to promote their tours (imagine that), but there is no issue booking privately. The police stopped one of our guides, he showed them his paperwork showing he was guiding Americans around the area, and he was back with us in two minutes...not quick enough for the group to not sit down and have a Cristal beer...1.25CUC. We also walked around Santiago de Cuba for two hours on our own after the tour with no issues. Be prepared to be approached by taxi drivers trying to get you in their 50's cars, but a no thank you, does the trick. The private guide we used in Havana had been working six days a week, but is now down to 2-3 days because of the ships super-promoting their tours. The people need our help...guides, taxi drivers, B&B owners are the only ones who can really work privately. They still pay an outrageous amount of taxes to the government...whether they have tours or not!!! A college professor with a Masters or a cardiologist gets the equivalent of $35 a month, so they work as guides and taxi drivers on the side.

 

The Cubans are a proud but needy people. We can help them out. Go without an ounce of worry and you will be rewarded with the people to people exchanges that you will remember for a long time after your visit.

 

Bon Voyage

 

Mike

[Go-Bucks!]

The Cubans are a proud but needy people. We can help them out. Go without an ounce of worry and you will be rewarded with the people to people exchanges that you will remember for a long time after your visit.

 

Thank you, Mike for your report. Hopefully it will alleviate the high anxiety of some posters. Seems like many are freaking out over ship vs. private tours and when they booked the cruise. It will all be ok - that's the report from 100% of those who have been there recently.

[SuzCruise]

 

 

 

The Cubans are a proud but needy people. We can help them out. Go without an ounce of worry and you will be rewarded with the people to people exchanges that you will remember for a long time after your visit.

 

 

 

Bon Voyage

 

 

 

Mike

 

 

Or, for those that booked after 6/16, you will be rewarded with support of the Cuban People meaningful exchanges that you will carry with you long after your trip is over. It does matter when you book on which license you may select, both legally and with some some of the cruise lines allowing you to participate in your private activities.

 

 

 

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[Go-Bucks!]

It does matter when you book on which license you may select, both legally and with some some of the cruise lines allowing you to participate in your private activities.

 

So, are you saying that those who booked before June 16 should put down "people-to-people" exchange and those who booked after June 16 should mark "supporting Cuban people?"

 

I haven't seen any govt mandates for that, plus Oceania hasn't contacted us about this. What difference does it make whichever option I choose as long as it's one of the 12 choices?

[SuzCruise]

So, are you saying that those who booked before June 16 should put down "people-to-people" exchange and those who booked after June 16 should mark "supporting Cuban people?"

 

 

 

I haven't seen any govt mandates for that, plus Oceania hasn't contacted us about this. What difference does it make whichever option I choose as long as it's one of the 12 choices?

 

 

 

I'm not telling anyone how to fill out their affidavit. That is your sworn testimony. You do what you feel is right. But you definitely need to read the new regulations directly from the Code of Federal Regulations. People to people is not an option for doing an independent tour directly with a Cuban guide for those who booked after 6/16. And it is not one of the 12 choices of general licenses. Read the regulations, don't rely on what you read on this board.

 

 

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[Sailor_Sally]

I got a letter from Carnival yesterday really pushing their tours. It really was a scare tactic .I hope they do not hassle us if we take a private tour .

[Holly2]

Whatdid they say?

[Sailor_Sally]

https://help.carnival.com/ci/fattach/get/2332877/1512656055/redirect/1/filename/Cuba_guest_qa120117.pdf

[Holly2]

Thanks. Priv tours aren’t run by govt.

Haven’t gotten anything from Oceania- leave fri.

[Sailor_Sally]

I have booked with Blexie but it was not easy . I contacted him with exactly what I wanted and at 3 Pm .He sent me an email booking me for 10 am. We got that straightened out and He sent me a confirmation for Feb.2 . I am arriving Feb. 19 . He confirmed it but I really feel uneasy with all the mistakes.Has this happened to anyone else ?

[Go-Bucks!]

When we embarked Oceania on 12/8, they had us sign an affidavit again (we already sent one in) and had us check 3 options.....3 different types of "people to people" options. Guess that covers everything!!

[Holly2]

Did they tell you which to check? Any oush back on private tours?

[Go-Bucks!]

Did they tell you which to check? Any oush back on private tours?

All 3 options were highlighted in yellow. They said to check whichever one(s) we wanted to. We decided to cover all bases and check all 3! They keep a copy and give one to you. NO ONE EVER LOOKS AT IT AGAIN OR ASKS TO SEE IT! You just file it in a drawer for 5 years then throw it away.

Don't worry about this silly paper. No one on the ship or in Cuba cares about it.

Also, no one knows nor cares what you do when off the ship. On Oceania you can walk around on your own, take a private tour or take a ship tour - no one asks you what you're doing or is keeping track of your every move. People in Cuba move around freely and so can you.

[LMD]

We recently returned from a cruise to Cuba on the Norwegian Sky. We had no problem doing a private tour. Cuba is an amazingplace and we are so glad we went.

We used FerTours for the 2 dayswe were there and they were excellent. Iwould highly recommend them. I exchanged e-mails with Fernando prior tothe cruise to determine the best tours to fit our wishes. We enjoyed both ourtours immensely. The first day we took the Day tour to Vinales where we saw thebeautiful countryside, caves and tobacco plantation. What a wonderful day. The second day we took the Shipwrecked tourof Havana which consisted of an hour tour in an old classic convertible and a 3hour walking tour. Another fantasticday. The highlight of our 2 days in Cubawas our tour guide Angelo. He was an amazing tour guide. We truly got to see and experienceCuba. Hope to return someday.