Cruise to Cuba Question
 

Has anyone recently gone on cruise to Cuba. Just read you can’t use an American charge card or US dollars. If I’m only going for 1 day don’t want to buy pesos or euros from bank. Has anyone converted just a few dollars in Havana. Also, just read you should’t Eat the food or drink the water. Would appreciate anyone answering me. Thank you.

First of all Cuba is very safe country to visit. Sounds like you are scared out of your wits!!! We are going to cuba on a Cuba intensive cruise in March and have no apprehensions that you have described. WE plan to arrange a private tour in a "64 Chevy...visit the Tropicana for a show and enjoy the short time we have n the isand. YES you can use no US credit cards there but you buy cuban money at the pier (if necessary) with US dollars..........NO issue....and if you buy your tours on the ship you can pay in US dollars. You most likely will be eating your meals on the ship so thats a non issue...dont make a problem when a problem does not exist. Enjoy the trip ....you will enjoy it !!

For one day Im sure you can make it ...we will be 5-6 days on the island!!

I lived in Havana, Cuba for 2 years from 1994 - 1996, I ate the food just about every day and never had a problem. I did not drink the water, but I would use it to brush my teeth, again, never had a problem.

Went last year on a prospective business trip for fact finding, didn't like it at all. Was constantly getting asked for my Nike's, if I could get word to relatives in the US, if I could act as an intermediary to get things sent. Made me feel really bad for the people who have had to live there. Wouldn't be my idea of a holiday. Was being asked to try to get basic medications for sick children (asthma, etc..). How can you say no to that? Actually thought many aspects of India are ahead of Cuba. I kinda like India.

We went on a cruise to Cuba a few months ago. You can use U.S. money in many places, our dollar is worth about $.87 cents. If you use euros it is even exchange. We went to the Tropicana and used just a little ice in our rum and drank daquiris at La Floridita with no problems. Bring your own water bottle onto the island like you would any island. We loved the trip and would go again in a heartbeat. Enjoy!

We just got back on Saturday. You can change small amounts. My BF changed $20, got $17. We spent $2 on ice cream. He ended up getting $12 back. There is a 13% charge to change US dollars, just 3% to change other currencies. Neither of us got sick from the ice cream. Once you see Havana, you may realize that the water there may be sketchy. The way around that is to only eat food that has steam (from being heated) coming off of it, fruit you can peel or dry things like bread. Don't eat things that have been washed and not cooked. Don't eat lettuce or other raw things that have been grown with some kind a unknown fertilizer. They have lots of educational talks on the ships to explain EVERYTHING. Don't worry. You will understand most everything before you get there.

Just got back Saturday. It did remind me of India, too.

Just got back on Saturday. We were told that they would not take any credit cards from any country. We tried to use US dollars and were refused.

Can you book a Cuba cruise like a day before and still get the proper clearance to enter Cuba?

Ty

We had to submit our passport numbers ahead of the cruise. To enter Cuba you only need to buy a visa which costs $75. You can do that ahead of time or when you check in at the cruise terminal. When you go through Immigration at the Havana port they keep the visa. We just had to carry our passport in Havana.

Thank you. For some reason I thought It was a multi day process which the passenger had to do independent of the cruise line.

May I ask which cruise line you took?

They didn't stamp my passport which i thought was strange.

Royal Caribbean. We usually cruise on either Princess or Holland America. Did not like RC as much. The ship that goes to Havana is very small and cabins were really cramped. The price was right, though.

I have some left over EUROS from a recent trip if anyone needs. Will sell at market rate.