CUBA visa, affidavit, documentation, other requirements.

[Arzeena]

When the ship suggests you carry toilet paper and hand sanitizer with you-believe them-you won't want to be without it.

 

 

St. Louis Sal

 

Definitely good advice. Toilet paper and soap in restrooms is scarce or non-existent. Our Oceania ship also repeatedly cautioned us about only drinking canned beverages without ice. It seems some passengers on the earlier cruises (we were the fourth cruise to do the same itinerary) were coming back to the ship with gastro-intestinal issues. I don't know if ice was truly the culprit, but it wasn't difficult to avoid it.

 

Making notes of do's and dont's. Thank you.

[Arzeena]

As a Canadian I have spent many vacations in Cuba. By far my favorited island. First in 1979 when there were restrictions but now you are a regular tourist. Wonderful people. So many places to visit and experiences you will not find elsewhere. Do not hesitate to go.

 

Thanks for the encouragement.

I have heard that too that the people are wonderful and welcoming. How sad about all the restrictions.

[LMaxwell]

Once you clear customs and hand over your Visa no one is monitoring or checking anything you do. Just keep your own record of your itinerary. We returned 3 weeks ago and did not need to do a ship sponsored tour; technically any organization could be considered a group we were told. Lovely country and rich culture, can't wait to return.

[baggal]

What about souvenirs such as a cookbook, mug or magnet or something small like that? Do I have to check if the vendor is not government sponsored? :confused::( this is a a lot of homework and treading on eggshells. I am having second thoughts about booking. But I do want to see it. I am so glad everyone is posting their experience here . Yayyy for Cruise Critic!

 

I think you're over-thinking the restrictions. Do you really think that 5 years from now a U.S. treasury agent is going to come into your home and confiscate your Cuba magnet? Probably not. (Doesn't the U.S. government have more important items on its agenda?) Once you get to Cuba you'll see that its unlike the usual tourist destinations in the Caribbean. There is very little to buy because the island has very little and the government controls most everything. IMO I think most of the touristy trinkets that are found in the "craft market" are not made in Cuba. Buyer beware if that's important to you. If not, go ahead and buy something. Second, it took all of 30 seconds, maybe 45, to go through U.S. Customs. No one asked any questions.

 

But because I like to think I'm law abiding, I also want to mention that I have kept a copy of my Oceania itinerary as well as the descriptions of the excursions we took and the daily schedules which gave a lot of background information on the ports. I also made a "Shutterfly" photo book of the photos we took. That's all my documentation if the Feds every want to see it.

 

IMO the new U.S. restrictions were put into place to intimidate U.S. citizens who want to expand their horizons. Please go.

[St. Louis Sal]

Thank you for posting your experience.

I would love to do the culinary traditions tour as well. Did your daughters book it with the cruise line? Was it HAL?

 

Yes, it was a HAL excursion and they booked it online before we left.

 

St. Louis Sal

[sail7seas]

Here is your official list from the official source: https://www.state.gov/e/eb/tfs/spi/cuba/cubarestrictedlist/275331.htm

We did see tour buses from Gaviota so those were on the list - of those agencies claimed to be fronting the military which is the US interest in banning them.

 

One gets taken on the HAL tours to the central "craft market" where one can bargain or even barter for items. No receipts given so it would be hard to prove you bought any forbidden items one way or the other. There was a lot more paperwork smoke-screening going on that what appears to be real concerns about the US restrictions - but 5 years have not yet elapsed and I have not check my mail or phone messages for any Dept of Treasury demands for 15 minute interval proof of our activities.

 

 

When you return to U.S and seek to 're-enter', Customs Officers have every right to open your luggage and look for 'forbidden items so, yes, there is a way to be found out if you have c h osen to not abide by the lawws of which you are aware. Either one wishes to break laws or they do not.

[St. Louis Sal]

When you return to U.S and seek to 're-enter', Customs Officers have every right to open your luggage and look for 'forbidden items so, yes, there is a way to be found out if you have c h osen to not abide by the lawws of which you are aware. Either one wishes to break laws or they do not.

 

But this was an unusual experience-no customs forms given out or required. We have global entry (which isn't really available at terminal 29-no hand scanner) so we gave our passports to the gentleman and he asked us if we had liquor or tobacco items to which we responded, truthfully, each of us had one bottle of rum and my husband had 3 cigars and 3 packages of cigarettes.

 

I really expected a grilling at customs, kept looking for the forms and had kept a detailed list of the items we purchased. Except for the rum and cigars, all the other items I purchased from individual booths in Cienfuegos, both in the downtown area and at the pier. Our group never had enough shopping time to really purchase anything major in Havana. The limit for liquor (1 liter) and cigars (100) were more than ample for our needs.

 

I believe the "law" issue is the US desire that we avoid certain government and military affiliated stores and restaurants. That is probably a bigger issue with people doing their own touring. Plus I believe all the small stands are run by individuals thus private, not government. But, like someone else mentioned, I think some of those items are not really Cuba made in every instance. I didn't purchase as much as I thought I might.

 

St. Louis Sal

[OlsSalt]

It seems like a real pain to travel there!

 

That would be the exact opposite of the Cuba travel experience I would hope people would get - visiting Cuba was a delight and I would easily go again. Just be aware of the current policies and taken them into consideration when you make your own choices.

 

If you stick with HAL tours there are no concerns at all. And probably not, even if you don't. Visiting Cuba on a Carribbean cruise offers a wonderful opportunity to compare and contrast how this country is "working" compared to how other Caribbean nations also "work". It gives one food for thought as well as a visually appealing travel experience and meeting perfectly wonderful people and trodding very historic grounds in our western hemisphere story.

[OlsSalt]

But this was an unusual experience-no customs forms given out or required. We have global entry (which isn't really available at terminal 29-no hand scanner) so we gave our passports to the gentleman and he asked us if we had liquor or tobacco items to which we responded, truthfully, each of us had one bottle of rum and my husband had 3 cigars and 3 packages of cigarettes.

 

I really expected a grilling at customs, kept looking for the forms and had kept a detailed list of the items we purchased. Except for the rum and cigars, all the other items I purchased from individual booths in Cienfuegos, both in the downtown area and at the pier. Our group never had enough shopping time to really purchase anything major in Havana. The limit for liquor (1 liter) and cigars (100) were more than ample for our needs.

 

I believe the "law" issue is the US desire that we avoid certain government and military affiliated stores and restaurants. That is probably a bigger issue with people doing their own touring. Plus I believe all the small stands are run by individuals thus private, not government. But, like someone else mentioned, I think some of those items are not really Cuba made in every instance. I didn't purchase as much as I thought I might.

 

St. Louis Sal

 

We went with the assumption if we were taken to any shopping experiences on a HAL tour, they were acceptable outlets according to US customs, and therefore not necessary to provide any later documentation. We also noticed you could use US dollars when buying souvenirs, though they do impose a 10% penalty when you officially change them into the CUC Cuban denominations. I had some Euros to exchange so I avoided the 10% penalty, but was not able to get smaller bills or coins. Those that purchased "art" did face a surcharge - be sure to understand what the policy is for that - I believe this was charged at the Cuban end.

 

There was not that much beyond tourist stuff to buy - I did buy a 100 gram pack of Cuban coffee beans in the shop at the cruise terminal which cost me 18 Cuban - approx $18 US. (only size they had for whole beans - smaller sizes for pre-ground) I also got a tourist coffee mug and some hand carved wooden humming birds at the craft market. The Veendam shops also had some Cuban items - which were very expensive but a way to get at least something - recycled plastic bags of various sizes and colors - but they were running $22 and $15 each. Cuba tee shirts and other small items also available on the ship. We were also given small Cuban flags and crossed US-Cuban flag enamel pin to commemorate this maiden voyage.

 

The bathrooms on the HAL tours were very adequate and did not require the .50 CUC coins as threatened. (Which no one had anyway) Toilets flushed, a roll of toilet paper was available in the one's we experienced, along with a sink and paper towels for washing. Lock on the stall door may not have been operational, but it was not the anticipated problem as others have run into from perhaps more private touring options.

 

So be prepared for the worst and take advantage of the HAL tour options when they are available. The tour buses were modern and I assume the on-coach WC's were as good as any other modern tour bus offerings - but no experience with them.

[sail7seas]

Sail7Seas, as you requested, here is an update:

 

Today (two days after booking the cruise) I got an email form HAL explaining the required documents needed to cruise to Cuba and informing me about the affidavit with links to go fill it out before we get to the port.

 

 

Thank for sharing HAL e mailed needed documents. That is good to know. I appreciate your sharing that info.

 

 

Hope you have a great time. Should be very interesting and in its way educational for us in the U.S.

[kazu]

Just to let you know...

 

Friends of mine are going on a Cuba cruise in February.

 

After final payment date, they got an email from HAL they would have to take HAL excursions or not be able to get off the ship.

 

Those that booked before x date (October, 2017 rings a bell) could do private/ diy tours but those that booked after must do a HAL tour or stay on ths ship.

 

Just in case it is of help to anyone.

[Loreto]

We went with the assumption if we were taken to any shopping experiences on a HAL tour, they were acceptable outlets according to US customs, and therefore not necessary to provide any later documentation. We also noticed you could use US dollars when buying souvenirs, though they do impose a 10% penalty when you officially change them into the CUC Cuban denominations. I had some Euros to exchange so I avoided the 10% penalty, but was not able to get smaller bills or coins. Those that purchased "art" did face a surcharge - be sure to understand what the policy is for that - I believe this was charged at the Cuban end.

 

There was not that much beyond tourist stuff to buy - I did buy a 100 gram pack of Cuban coffee beans in the shop at the cruise terminal which cost me 18 Cuban - approx $18 US. (only size they had for whole beans - smaller sizes for pre-ground) I also got a tourist coffee mug and some hand carved wooden humming birds at the craft market. The Veendam shops also had some Cuban items - which were very expensive but a way to get at least something - recycled plastic bags of various sizes and colors - but they were running $22 and $15 each. Cuba tee shirts and other small items also available on the ship. We were also given small Cuban flags and crossed US-Cuban flag enamel pin to commemorate this maiden voyage.

 

The bathrooms on the HAL tours were very adequate and did not require the .50 CUC coins as threatened. (Which no one had anyway) Toilets flushed, a roll of toilet paper was available in the one's we experienced, along with a sink and paper towels for washing. Lock on the stall door may not have been operational, but it was not the anticipated problem as others have run into from perhaps more private touring options.

 

So be prepared for the worst and take advantage of the HAL tour options when they are available. The tour buses were modern and I assume the on-coach WC's were as good as any other modern tour bus offerings - but no experience with them.

Old Salt,

 

Thank you so much for sharing your information about Cuba! Our affidavit paperwork posted today for our March 17 sailing, so I will fill it out. We are taking HAL excursions, Best of Havana and Trinidad in Cienfuegos. I would like to add the show at the Hotel Nacional. Your information is greatly appreciated!

 

Karen

[RJ2002]

Just to let you know...

 

Friends of mine are going on a Cuba cruise in February.

 

After final payment date, they got an email from HAL they would have to take HAL excursions or not be able to get off the ship.

 

Those that booked before x date (October, 2017 rings a bell) could do private/ diy tours but those that booked after must do a HAL tour or stay on ths ship.

 

Just in case it is of help to anyone.

 

I am glad that you shared this information so that people aren't surprised, and it does seem consistent with HAL's Cuba Q&A sheet that I linked to upthread. Here is the specific reference in that document as to "free time":

 

How much free time is there?

 

After completion of a full-time schedule of people-to-people activities, guests are free to explore as they wish

 

These guidelines are similar to what we experienced on our land-based Cuba trip last year. We were free to do as we wished after the "official" people-to-people activities were done each day.

[St. Louis Sal]

We went with the assumption if we were taken to any shopping experiences on a HAL tour, they were acceptable outlets according to US customs, and therefore not necessary to provide any later documentation. We also noticed you could use US dollars when buying souvenirs, though they do impose a 10% penalty when you officially change them into the CUC Cuban denominations. I had some Euros to exchange so I avoided the 10% penalty, but was not able to get smaller bills or coins. Those that purchased "art" did face a surcharge - be sure to understand what the policy is for that - I believe this was charged at the Cuban end.

 

There was not that much beyond tourist stuff to buy - I did buy a 100 gram pack of Cuban coffee beans in the shop at the cruise terminal which cost me 18 Cuban - approx $18 US. (only size they had for whole beans - smaller sizes for pre-ground) I also got a tourist coffee mug and some hand carved wooden humming birds at the craft market. The Veendam shops also had some Cuban items - which were very expensive but a way to get at least something - recycled plastic bags of various sizes and colors - but they were running $22 and $15 each. Cuba tee shirts and other small items also available on the ship. We were also given small Cuban flags and crossed US-Cuban flag enamel pin to commemorate this maiden voyage.

 

The bathrooms on the HAL tours were very adequate and did not require the .50 CUC coins as threatened. (Which no one had anyway) Toilets flushed, a roll of toilet paper was available in the one's we experienced, along with a sink and paper towels for washing. Lock on the stall door may not have been operational, but it was not the anticipated problem as others have run into from perhaps more private touring options.

 

So be prepared for the worst and take advantage of the HAL tour options when they are available. The tour buses were modern and I assume the on-coach WC's were as good as any other modern tour bus offerings - but no experience with them.

 

You really lucked out on your bathroom experiences! Every one I used had a guardian lady who collected my coin (btw, one peso and .50 peso coins are hard to tell apart unless you measure them!) and I found toilet paper only at the lunchtime hotel restroom in Cienfuegos but that one lacked soap and a locking stall door. Most interesting bathroom? Cienfuegos downtown where I used one in the back of a restaurant. Small closet bathroom with a non-flushing toilet, no toilet paper and no soap. Bathroom guardian (lovely little grandma-type lady who continued conversing even after I told her I didn't speak much Spanish) flushed the toilet with a bucket of water and then mopped the floor after each patron. She certainly earned the 1 peso I gave her.

 

St. Louis Sal

[Jade13]

Just to let you know...

 

 

 

Friends of mine are going on a Cuba cruise in February.

 

 

 

After final payment date, they got an email from HAL they would have to take HAL excursions or not be able to get off the ship.

 

 

 

Those that booked before x date (October, 2017 rings a bell) could do private/ diy tours but those that booked after must do a HAL tour or stay on ths ship.

 

 

 

Just in case it is of help to anyone.

 

 

 

That is not what is written on HAL’s website or what anyone I have spoke to in Seattle says.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[RJ2002]

That is not what is written on HAL’s website or what anyone I have spoke to in Seattle says.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Another excerpt from HAL's website:

 

How will recent announcements on U.S. Cuba policychanges impact cruises to Cuba?

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued new regulations regarding travel to Cuba, effective November 9, 2017. The new regulations modify travel authorization and restrict some transactions in Cuba, among other things. The following changes may impact you:

1. Guests who made their booking on or after June 16,2017 will no longer be permitted to engage in “self guided” people-to-people travel. Instead, guests disembarking in Cuba must participate in group people-to-people programs sponsored either by Holland America Line or a third-party U.S. sponsoring organization, and do not qualify for the other authorized categories of travel to Cuba. Guests who booked their cruise prior to June 16, 2017, may continue to travel under the self-guided people-to-people program.

2. As part of the revised regulations, guests are now prohibited from engaging in direct financial transactions with businesses controlled or acting on behalf ofthe Cuban military, intelligence or security servicesor personnel. A Cuba Restricted List naming these business establishments has been released by the U.S.State Department.

Perhaps if one where to furnish proof to HAL that you are on an approved third-party excursion, you'd be OK. Best to check with HAL, and ideally obtain a written response.

[LMaxwell]

Perhaps if one where to furnish proof to HAL that you are on an approved third-party excursion, you'd be OK. Best to check with HAL, and ideally obtain a written response.

 

HAL is just covering their tail here; when you go to disembark no one on the ship asks for your plans or checks when you booked; you simply hand your room card and get scanned off like any other port.

[OlsSalt]

Old Salt,

 

Thank you so much for sharing your information about Cuba! Our affidavit paperwork posted today for our March 17 sailing, so I will fill it out. We are taking HAL excursions, Best of Havana and Trinidad in Cienfuegos. I would like to add the show at the Hotel Nacional. Your information is greatly appreciated!

 

Karen

 

Can't say I would recommend the Hotel National Show and would not do it again - it is colorful, musical and pretty deadening after a while. The Tropicana would only be more of the same, but these are "famous" parts of the old Havana experience.

 

It is special to be in the same show room as Ricky Ricardo and Frank Sinatra, but if you have done your requisite 8 hour people to people tour during the day and are willing to do a private sampling of Cuban nightlife on your own, this is the place recommended by the Cuban quartet of musicians who were on board and you can google this for more information.

 

Cabs are easy to find at the cruise terminal -even those lush old convertibles: La Zorro y la Cuerva http://www.lahabana.com/guide/la-zorra-y-el-cuervo/ Read the warnings carefully - late starts, cramped and a firetrap - but I had those same concerns about the Cafe Parisienne - glad I was seated near the back and the rear exit. This highly regarded Cuban jazz club is located very near the Hotel National just off the Malecon - Avienda 23 - between L and O.

 

 

 

[JimnKaren]

Thanks to everyone. We are seriously considering Veendam in June for Cuba/Bermuda. This will help us make up her mind.

 

Jim