by jdelikat
We did a private tour 4 people tour , an older Chevy, a driver and a tour guide from 10:30 to 4 with a stop at a local restaurant for lunch. Guide was also a photographer. Rated #2 on Trip Advisor FER Tours (ask for Angel as guide). Ship charges $110 per person for a 3 hour bus tour. We paid $150CUC for 4 plus cost of our lunch. OUTSTANDING GUIDE.
Visited: Oct 14, 2018
by williamcate
Ship excursions are called 1st as they have priority, however, we found if you line up near the getting off point they will periodically let you through, so we got off in plenty of time to make our private excursion. Easy to get off ship, easy to go thru passport control and easy to go thru security. Be patient; make sure your paperwork is filled out correctly. We had brought a few small gifts and they were not inspected. Money exchange was fast and easy. Prior to the cruise we exchanged USD for Canadian dollars. We used $1027 USD and bought 1300 Canadian dollars from Wells Fargo. There were no additional fees. 1300 Canadian got us 947 Cuc. If I had done 1027 USD to Cuc I would have gotten 893+- Cuc. I netted out 54+- extra Cuc. If you're only exchanging a small amount getting the Canadian money maynot be not worth the trouble. Our Budget was: 2 private tours with tip 450 2 lunches 90 Cigars 250 Gifts 100 Rum 50 We did our exchange in Havana in case Cienfuego was busy. As noted in other reviews there are plenty of taxi drivers outside the terminal. In conversation with other cruisers they said it was very easy to find a car and driver who spoke English and would still do the six hour tour. We had to walk 3 blocks to meet our driver as licensed tour operators are only allowed at the terminal. Our guide was not licensed to be at the terminal. We did a private tour with Blexie Tours for $130. Rollie was our guide and he was excellent. He decided to do an air conditioned hardtop 57 Chevy as he felt the convertible might cause us sun problems. Our driver owned the car and was very proud of it. As it turns out we saw many people on board that afternoon and evening who were very sun burnt from being in the convertible all day. Even in conversation with others on private tours we got to see a lot more of Havana than most. We did lunch at a local paladar that included a cigar , rum and the owners singing to everyone. We invited our driver and guide to join us, but they were given a free lunch by the restaurant. Make sure you do research and your guides include everything that you want to see. The guides were very flexible and they knew the right time to get to places without the crowds. The highlights for all were Fusterlandia, the Christ statue, Revolutionary Square and the various embassies along what they call Fifth Avenue. We tipped the driver $30 and Rollie $40. I highly recommend Blexie and Rollie spoke very good English. Captain Carl decided to stayed in port past the 7pm departure, until 1am so we got to go to Tropicana - what an amazing night! The ship tour was expensive, but it's one of those times where your arrival back to the ship could be late and we didn't want to take any chances we would miss the ship.
Visited: Apr 21, 2019
by pokeynomore
Loved Havana! We took with Cuba Outings that included a walking tour, lunch, and a classic car tour. It was wonderful - Ida was our tour guide. We walked all over old Havana and saw the brightly colored buildings, crumbling buildings, and buildings that are being restored. We had a delicious lunch and then got into a bright pink convertible 1950 something Ford Fairlane. We really enjoyed Cuba and would definitely go back.
Visited: Dec 09, 2018
by glamding
A must-see for your bucket list! Don’t be the ignorant American and ask stupid politics questions, just take in a new different perspective of things. 😉
by Janskr
The poorness of the island is off set by the friendliness of those people we encountered. I believe that the residents are eager for the $$$ brought to their homes because of the ship. Our bus tour guide did a great job in showing us around and answering any and all questions; PLUS he spoke very good English.
Visited: May 09, 2018
by rta61
We found out own excursion after we disembarked. NCL definately is aggressive in this port for buying the excursions thru them, which is quite expensive, i.e.., old school car tour thru the cruiseline for 2 hours approx. $300/person... actual cost directly witht the driver out from of the port, $50 /hour for all 4 of us. You do the math. The people were so very friendly in the city of Havana, they were very happy to have us as tourists and it showed. The police, customs or anything goverment, was obvious that they did like Americans.
Visited: Apr 02, 2018
by christiray
Amazing...we can't wait to go back very soon
Visited: Apr 29, 2019
by sewmuchfun
We are so glad we were able to experience the Cuban culture before the ban on US cruise ships. Very poor, but happy and proud people! They love their food and music! We thoroughly enjoyed the Tropicana!
Visited: Jan 03, 2019
by TopherM
Definitely worth finally seeing Cuba. The poverty is stark, but in a way seemingly very different from other places in the Caribbean. Without discussing the politics of Cuba, it was like stepping into a museum of what had been and what could be. We felt very safe with the people, but the streets and buildings could be a challenge. Lots of step hazards for the less agile, and many buildings were in varied states of disrepair.. some to the point of collapse if not propped up by wood beams. You need to keep an eye out down & up where you walk. We took a private 7 hr tour thru Havana Tour Company on the first day, and were very glad we did. It gave us the full overview of Old Havana and nearby, and provided focus on where to go later in the day and on day 2. Being an overnight port, there was no need to worry about getting back to the ship for "all aboard". Tip- You don't need to change your US $ into Canadian or Euros or such. The exchange service inside the port was fast, and accepted US $ at a rate comparable to other currencies. Having changed a large amount of $ to Canadian beforehand, I found myself changing the CUC back into US instead of Canadian.
Visited: Mar 18, 2019
by ChinaShrek
I booked a 7 hour group tour through Locally Sourced Havana Tours. The tour consisted of a four hour walking tour of Old Havana, lunch, and a one hour car ride in a classic car with belching fumes. I had a wonderful time on the tour and highly recommend it. I booked the Tropicana Show at night. I bought my ticket directly from the website and hailed a taxi on the street to get to the show. The show was a lot of fun!
Visited: Apr 13, 2019
Find a HAVANA, CUBA Cruise
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency, and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners (travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on external web sites.