Tours in Cuba

[bulldogcruisers]

Has anyone been on a HAL cruise to Cuba recently?  HAL has advised you must do a HAL shore excursion or will not be able to get off the ship in Cuba.  Has anyone experienced this or can you book an outside tour in Cuba.

[Shmoo here]

14 minutes ago, bulldogcruisers said:

Has anyone been on a HAL cruise to Cuba recently?  HAL has advised you must do a HAL shore excursion or will not be able to get off the ship in Cuba.  Has anyone experienced this or can you book an outside tour in Cuba.

It's my understanding, if you get off the ship, you must book a tour that's compliant with the "People to People" program.  I'm not sure, but I THINK you can book such tours independently, but you'd have to find them and confirm that they comply with the program.  And I'm not sure how you prove it and to whom.

 

The excursions from HAL, for the most part, have already been vetted to comply with the program. 

[sammiedawg]

We were there early November on another line and no one cared if we did private tours.  Web sites and communication from private guides documented they were compliant with people to people programs.  We spent four days with a private guide who showed us way more than a cruise ship bus would.   

 

Since our visit the Cuban government has tried to nationalize the private guide industry. It is very complicated.  

Do some research on the Cuba boards here and trip advisor.  

[jertom]

Not only can you book private tours, you can go off the ship on your own and poke around or take a tour with a local. Just be careful how you fill out the US government form, it is a little tricky (like the way HAL's wording makes you think you need to take a HAL tour). We just walked off the ship on a HAL cruise in December.

Tom

[bulldogcruisers]

Thank you for all your information.  It has really helped.

[cowmilker]

We are booked for a Cuba cruise in December, and yeah, HAL makes it sound like you have to take a ship's tour. In all fairness, it appears that all the other cruise lines do the same thing.

From reading about this pretty extensively, we're planning to first attempt to check the "Support for the Cuban people" category on the form. If HAL objects strenuously, we'll say, "Oh, okay" and change it to P2P just to make them happy.

Then we intend to do whatever we want when we get there.  Right now, we've made reservations with Strawberry Tours (walking tours that are "free" - meaning you pay what you want).  

The Cuban government doesn't care. It's entirely the US that requires this, and they really don't seem to care either. We'll keep the little piece of paper for five years and then toss it.

[Wyoming2010]

We are sailing on Oceania to Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago and we booked all of our day tours independently.  They customized the tours for us and we can do it at our own pace.  They were all OFAC compliant, too. 

[sail7seas]

Until the Venezuela situation stabilizes, and Cuba is less involved  in that, who knows what will be with the cruises  to Cuba ?  For all we know,    rules  for    U.S.visits there could be changed in blink of an eye.

 

 

 

 

sail.noordam@gmail.com

 

 

[Rickster50]

Yeah that's why I'm not booking any Cuba Tours until just before we go!

 

Rick

[Divi]

Just read that Trump administration is canceling “People to People”  program and imposing new restrictions on U.S. travel to Cuba including corporations and “boats”. Does that mean cruise ships?

[Divi]

http://dlvr.it/R60glR

 

Hope I’ve copied the link to Cuba article correctly. It was reported by Toronto’s Globe and Mail

[bulldogcruisers]

I guess it will be a wait and see what happens.  Hopefully, we will be able to get to tour Cuba.

[mamaofami]

Looks like you will not be cruising to Cuba.

[sail7seas]

49 minutes ago, mamaofami said:

Looks like you will not be cruising to Cuba.

Sorry for those of you who had hoped to cruise to Cuba.  Happy for those who already went.

 

 

 I think I must have foreseen  such a change  'was coming'  . 

 

 

 

[Djptcp]

I think this thread is a moot point now. Glad we got to Cuba last year on Carnival. We do have an Authentic Cuba cruise on the Veendam on Oct. 30th and according to the HAL website, we should receive some information about it sometime tonight. Carnival is offering free refunds on its booked Cuba cruises and that is what I hope HAL offers since we only booked the cruise because of the two Cuba destinations.

[Shmoo here]

3 hours ago, Djptcp said:

I think this thread is a moot point now. Glad we got to Cuba last year on Carnival. We do have an Authentic Cuba cruise on the Veendam on Oct. 30th and according to the HAL website, we should receive some information about it sometime tonight. Carnival is offering free refunds on its booked Cuba cruises and that is what I hope HAL offers since we only booked the cruise because of the two Cuba destinations.

Here's what we got from HAL, re: our Cuba cruise:

We are in the process of finalizing an updated itinerary and new pricing and will reach out to you or your travel advisor by June 15, 2019 with the details once they are confirmed. We hope that you will still join us for a memorable cruise in the Caribbean.

 

As a gesture of goodwill and gratitude for your understanding, guests on this voyage will receive a shipboard credit of $100 USD per person applied to their onboard account in addition to receiving new pricing.

 

Should you wish to instead switch to an alternate Caribbean voyage we will be happy to rebook you, and will you receive a shipboard credit of $100 USD per person applied to your onboard account. If you would prefer to rebook to a non-Caribbean sailing you will receive a $50 USD per person shipboard credit. Alternatively, should you choose to cancel, you will of course receive a full refund of all monies paid to Holland America Line.

 

Any shore excursions booked through Holland America Line for the Cuban ports will be refunded, and the taxes, fees and port expenses will be adjusted as necessary. The Cuban visa fee will not be charged.

[Wehwalt]

I think HAL's being fair under the circumstances. I went for a week to Havana in 2017 and am glad I did. 

[Krazy Kruizers]

12 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

Here's what we got from HAL, re: our Cuba cruise:

We are in the process of finalizing an updated itinerary and new pricing and will reach out to you or your travel advisor by June 15, 2019 with the details once they are confirmed. We hope that you will still join us for a memorable cruise in the Caribbean.

 

As a gesture of goodwill and gratitude for your understanding, guests on this voyage will receive a shipboard credit of $100 USD per person applied to their onboard account in addition to receiving new pricing.

 

Should you wish to instead switch to an alternate Caribbean voyage we will be happy to rebook you, and will you receive a shipboard credit of $100 USD per person applied to your onboard account. If you would prefer to rebook to a non-Caribbean sailing you will receive a $50 USD per person shipboard credit. Alternatively, should you choose to cancel, you will of course receive a full refund of all monies paid to Holland America Line.

 

Any shore excursions booked through Holland America Line for the Cuban ports will be refunded, and the taxes, fees and port expenses will be adjusted as necessary. The Cuban visa fee will not be charged.

 

It does sound like HAL is being fair.

 

Are you going to wait and see what the new itinerary will be before making a decision about cancelling or staying with the new itinerary?

[Shmoo here]

34 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

 

It does sound like HAL is being fair.

 

Are you going to wait and see what the new itinerary will be before making a decision about cancelling or staying with the new itinerary?

We're going to wait to see the new itinerary, but I think we're going to switch cruises.  We've been to the Caribbean multiple times, and been to most of the ports there that are likely to be substituted.  

[Wyoming2010]

55 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

We're going to wait to see the new itinerary, but I think we're going to switch cruises.  We've been to the Caribbean multiple times, and been to most of the ports there that are likely to be substituted.  

 

I am hoping (fingers crossed) that Oceania comes up with something unique -- and not just the old Cozumel/GrandCayman/Key West/Nassau choices.  There are still a handful of Caribbean ports I would like to visit, but I doubt those will be the ones they include! 

[slidergirl]

18 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

Here's what we got from HAL, re: our Cuba cruise:

We are in the process of finalizing an updated itinerary and new pricing and will reach out to you or your travel advisor by June 15, 2019 with the details once they are confirmed. We hope that you will still join us for a memorable cruise in the Caribbean.

 

As a gesture of goodwill and gratitude for your understanding, guests on this voyage will receive a shipboard credit of $100 USD per person applied to their onboard account in addition to receiving new pricing.

 

Should you wish to instead switch to an alternate Caribbean voyage we will be happy to rebook you, and will you receive a shipboard credit of $100 USD per person applied to your onboard account. If you would prefer to rebook to a non-Caribbean sailing you will receive a $50 USD per person shipboard credit. Alternatively, should you choose to cancel, you will of course receive a full refund of all monies paid to Holland America Line.

 

Any shore excursions booked through Holland America Line for the Cuban ports will be refunded, and the taxes, fees and port expenses will be adjusted as necessary. The Cuban visa fee will not be charged.

How does this compare with RCI's offer of a choice of 1)stay on the cruise and get a 50% refund or 2) cancel and receive all money back?

[mamaofami]

So glad we went to Cuba last year. we booked an all day tour for 8 of us and did not have to pay until the tour ended.

[Wyoming2010]

14 hours ago, mamaofami said:

So glad we went to Cuba last year. we booked an all day tour for 8 of us and did not have to pay until the tour ended.

 

I will always regret our decision to cancel with RCCL and take Oceania.  However, RCCL was messing with our itinerary, changed ships on us thus giving us a smaller room and then cut the two day Havana visit to one.  Oceania offered us two-day visits in three Cuban ports, so we thought it was a no brainer.  Hindsight is a wonderful thing -- knowing what I know I would have taken the one day in Cuba. 

[mamaofami]

2 hours ago, Wyoming2010 said:

 

I will always regret our decision to cancel with RCCL and take Oceania.  However, RCCL was messing with our itinerary, changed ships on us thus giving us a smaller room and then cut the two day Havana visit to one.  Oceania offered us two-day visits in three Cuban ports, so we thought it was a no brainer.  Hindsight is a wonderful thing -- knowing what I know I would have taken the one day in Cuba. 

 

[sail7seas]

 No cruiselines, no ships from U.S.  ports  to Cuba.  It is over for now

 

 

 

New rules   announced this week.

 

 

 

Sorry.

 

Edited June 14, 2019 by sail7seas