Cruises To Cuba: What You Need To Know and No More

Just​ ​back​ ​from​ ​a​ ​5-night​ ​sailing​ ​ofn ​Carnival​ ​Cruise​ ​Line’s​ ​Tampa-based​ ​Carnival​ ​Paradise,​ ​I have​ ​good​ ​news​ ​to​ ​report​ ​for​ ​U.S.​ ​cruise​ ​travelers:​ ​this​ ​​could be one​ ​of​ ​your​ ​best​ ​Caribbean cruises​ ​ever,​ ​for​ ​a​ ​number​ ​of​ ​reasons.​ ​​ ​

Perhaps​ ​you​ ​have​ ​a​ ​family​ ​history​ ​there.​ ​​ ​Maybe​ ​you​ ​just want​ ​to​ ​see​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​few​ ​places​ ​on​ ​the​ ​planet​ ​that​ ​U.S.​ ​citizens​ ​have​ ​not​ ​been​ ​able​ ​to​ ​see​ ​for decades.​ ​​ ​It​ ​might​ ​be​ ​that​ ​you’d​ ​just​ ​like​ ​to​ ​see​ ​the​ ​‘new’​ ​island​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Caribbean.​ ​​ ​Regardless​ ​of the​ ​reason​ ​for​ ​going,​ ​we​ ​have​ ​even​ ​better​ ​news:​ ​It’s​ ​not​ ​all​ ​that​ ​hard​ ​to​ ​do.​ ​​ ​Here​ ​then​ ​is​ ​what you​ ​need​ ​to​ ​know​ ​and​ ​no​ ​more.

Plan​ ​On​ ​Getting​ ​Off​ ​The​ ​Ship– In​ ​order​ ​to​ ​board​ ​you​ ​will​ ​be​ ​required​ ​to​ ​have​ ​a​ ​valid​ ​U.S.​ ​passport.​ ​​ ​By​ ​booking​ ​a​ ​Cuba​ ​cruise, it​ ​is​ ​agreed​ ​that​ ​the​ ​cruise​ ​line​ ​will​ ​charge​ ​a​ ​$75​ ​Cuban​ ​visa​ ​fee​ ​to​ ​your​ ​onboard​ ​account.

This​ ​is​ ​not​ ​a​ ​place​ ​to​ ​stay​ ​on​ ​board​ ​and​ ​enjoy​ ​the​ ​ship​ ​services​ ​while​ ​most​ ​others​ ​go​ ​ashore. Tours​ ​include​ ​more​ ​here,​ ​by​ ​law.​ ​To​ ​satisfy​ ​the​ ​cultural​ ​exchange​ ​requirement​ ​which​ ​gets around​ ​the​ ​still-in-place​ ​trade​ ​embargo,​ ​included​ ​on​ ​our​ ​Local​ ​Flavors​ ​Of​ ​Havana​ ​tour​ ​($129) was​ ​lunch,​ ​Cuban​ ​mixed​ ​drink​ ​and​ ​Cuban​ ​beer​ ​tasting.​ ​​ ​Another​ ​stop​ ​had​ ​us​ ​learning​ ​about​ ​and smoking​ ​Cuban​ ​cigars​ ​and​ ​Cuban​ ​Rum.​ ​​ ​Local​ ​musicians​ ​were​ ​featured​ ​at​ ​both​ ​places​ ​as​ ​was​ ​a stop​ ​by​ ​a​ ​local​ ​art​ ​school.

 Your Passport Opens the Gateway -​​ ​When​ ​first​ ​booked​ ​it​ ​does​ ​not​ ​take​ ​long​ ​to​ ​find​ ​out​ ​that​ ​a bunch​ ​of​ ​paperwork​ ​is​ ​required​ ​before​ ​boarding.​ ​Follow​ ​cruise​ ​line​ ​instructions​ ​for​ ​filing​ ​that​ ​out, bring​ ​it​ ​with​ ​you​ ​and​ ​have​ ​it​ ​handy​ ​at​ ​embarkation.​ ​​ ​If​ ​this​ ​part​ ​of​ ​preparation​ ​is​ ​not​ ​done​ ​right, the​ ​cruise​ ​line​ ​will​ ​help​ ​correct​ ​it​ ​at​ ​the​ ​pier.​ ​Still,​ ​you​ ​don’t​ ​want​ ​to​ ​be​ ​one​ ​of​ ​a​ ​considerable bunch​ ​of​ ​people​ ​in​ ​a​ ​special​ ​room​ ​for​ ​help​ ​with​ ​their​ ​documentation.

There​ ​were​ ​about​ ​20​ ​people​ ​in​ ​that​ ​room​ ​off​ ​to​ ​the​ ​side​ ​when​ ​I​ ​checked​ ​in​ ​for​ ​Carnival​ ​Paradise at​ ​the​ ​Port​ ​of​ ​Tampa.​ ​​ ​I​ ​was​ ​told​ ​those​ ​were​ ​their​ ​“special​ ​friends​ ​who​ ​needed​ ​a​ ​little​ ​help”​ ​in about​ ​as​ ​nice​ ​a​ ​way​ ​as​ ​humanly​ ​possible​ ​to​ ​say​ ​“How​ ​many​ ​times​ ​do​ ​we​ ​need​ ​to​ ​tell​ ​them​ ​they need​ ​a​ ​passport​ ​and​ ​can’t​ ​use​ ​just​ ​a​ ​birth​ ​certificate​ ​to​ ​board”.​ ​​ ​This​ ​is​ ​simple:​ ​No​ ​passport​ ​=​ ​no boarding​ ​a​ ​Cuba​ ​cruise.

For​ ​All​ ​Practical​ ​Purposes,​ ​Communism​ ​Is​ ​Just​ ​Another​ ​Way​ ​Of​ ​Life – You​ ​won’t​ ​be​ ​there​ ​long​ ​enough​ ​to​ ​become​ ​embedded​ ​in​ ​the​ ​social​ ​and​ ​economic​ ​scene​ ​of Cuba,​ ​even​ ​if​ ​you​ ​wanted​ ​to.​ ​​ ​“You​ ​don’t​ ​want​ ​to​ ​know​ ​more​ ​about​ ​that”,​ ​said​ ​one​ ​guide​ ​who seemed​ ​surprisingly​ ​open​ ​to​ ​answering​ ​any​ ​and​ ​all​ ​questions​ ​we​ ​had.

As​ ​we​ ​traveled​ ​through​ ​Cuba’s​ ​capital​ ​city​ ​of​ ​Havana​ ​we​ ​saw​ ​people​ ​going​ ​about​ ​their​ ​business like​ ​we​ ​might​ ​on​ ​any​ ​other​ ​Caribbean​ ​island.​ ​​ ​Mothers​ ​scolded​ ​children,​ ​cab​ ​drivers​ ​parked​ ​in the​ ​wrong​ ​place​ ​and​ ​argued​ ​with​ ​each​ ​other,​ ​teens​ ​hung​ ​out​ ​and​ ​seniors​ ​sat​ ​and​ ​watched​ ​the
day​ ​go​ ​by.​ ​Take​ ​those​ ​people​ ​out​ ​of​ ​this​ ​setting​ ​and​ ​plant​ ​them​ ​somewhere​ ​else​ ​and​ ​they​ ​would fit​ ​right​ ​in.​ ​​ ​I’m​ ​not​ ​really​ ​sure​ ​what​ ​I​ ​was​ ​expecting,​ ​but​ ​the​ ​reality​ ​of​ ​life​ ​on​ ​the​ ​ground​ ​in​ ​Cuba looks​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​like​ ​other​ ​places​ ​in​ ​the​ ​world…but​ ​that​ ​thought​ ​gets​ ​off​ ​into​ ​my​ ​individual​ ​impression of​ ​the​ ​place.​ ​​ ​Yours​ ​will​ ​be​ ​different.

Mysterious​ ​Communist​ ​element​ ​dissolved,​ ​Cuba​ ​visited:​ ​I​ ​want​ ​to​ ​go​ ​back.​ ​​ ​Worth​ ​the​ ​extra work?​ ​You​ ​bet.

Chris Owen shares frank, inside information about cruise vacations on ChrisCruises.com