I'll be watching this post-some friends and I want to go as well (we are US citizens) but don't know if they are still fining people upon re-entry to the US.

i too have always wanted to go to cuba. my mom went a few times before castro and had wonderful stories of the nightclubs and stunning beaches.
the only advice i have is to search 'us travel to cuba' - i did this morning and there are numerous sites. one suggested that while there is theat of imprisonment and up to $250,000 fine that no one actually gets prosecuted. another said we are permitted to go but not to spend US $$'s while there. said cuba customs knows not to stamp US passports. also there are legitimate ways to go - with school, humanitarian group, as a reporter...
also look at the state dept web site.

i've seen political stuff that suggests that obama may have a different take on cuba/us than bush did, so maybe he could wait a year and see if anything changes re the law.

Being from the U.K., I am unable to clarify the situation for U.S. citizens, other than, that whilst we were there early this year, there were U.S. tourists....though not many.
Our passports were not stamped and I believe that they do not stamp any passports.
You will not be able to spend US$$....as they are not accepted. You will also need to take a collection of credit cards as any with a US connection are not accepted. Of the seven cards I had in my wallet....only two were usable.

We loved our time in Cuba, particularly Havana, and hope that their relations with the US will continue to improve under Obama.

One things for sure......as soon as it is legally possible for you to visit Cuba, I highly recommend it. A quite unique country. The link below has some photos from our trip.

http://www.leightravelclub.com/cuba.htm

Just remember, that even via Cuba, it is against the law. Friends of friends of my parents were facing $25,000 fines, but I don't know what happened to them.

I would look into the humanitarian group angle, or church group, etc.

Doh! That is supposed to say "even via CANADA".

great photos thanks for posting them. the black ?? in mangrove - a jaguar?

The photos are just holiday snaps....from a couple of oldies...but maybe they give a flavour of Cuba.

More to the point, I came across this report......maybe VERY relevant to U.S. citizens. Click below....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090724/ap_on_re_us/us_cuba_travel_violation

Oh yes Virginia, some photos were taken in mangrove.

Canada shares flight manifestos with the US so to go to Cuba from any Canadian city is asking for trouble. Mexico or other Caribbean Islands do not share manifestos.

Went to Cuba a few years ago, under an acceptable humanitarian "flag"...flew TACA charter non-stop, LAX to Havana and spent a delighful, fascinating, comfortable, memorable time there...with no trepidations whatsoever. I can't imagine going to Cuba by ignoring the law, whether I agreed with it or not. Don't know about anyone else, but my wife and I would be looking over our shoulders every minute..it would not be the happy experience that it was.

A few years ago I was told that the beleaugered Jewish community (dwindling from 15,000 pre-revolution to a mere 1,500 now) desperately needed medicines (heart, diabetes, asthma, etc etc). Roz and I volunteered to carry in two gigantic bags of said medications. Leaving LAX, customs checked us out thoroughly....arriving Havana, we breezed through customs...no one seemed to care. We paid our own way (flight and lodgings, food, etc) and were feted by the community for heeding their pleas. Certainly a high point in my worldwide travels. (Once in and once the "stuff" was delivered were were free to do as we pleased for ten days...I suppose in the lingo of today's dope-running world, we would be considered "mules"..so what!)

As a proud US citizen, I, personally, would not chance the Canadian or Mexican routes. Not worth the high anxiety, IMO.

Stuart Tower (I have scanned some pre-digital selected pix if anyone is interested...I'd be happy to post)

Stuart I'd be interested in learning more about bringing in medicines and if those programs are still in effect. Do you have a web site or agency I could check out?

stormy:

The program we were chosen for has ended due to a lack of funding this year. Other than that, I don't know what to suggest. We were recommened by a third party.

stu

Stu,

I'd love to see your Cuba photos. We traveled there legally in 2001. You've now given me the idea to scan my photos. Thanks.

CW...from a former Quincy-ite....
Bear in mind that these are selected photos which are only part of the whole passle...scanning can make a rank amateur photgrapher look a tad better. I've been periodically scanning all of my pre-digital, going back to 1946, covering about 70 countries...yes.
I hope you enjoy them...any questions, please write:
(best viewed as slide show, set at 5-sec. intervals and sit back)

rozstu1@aol.com

Stu Tower

CW..would help if I included the pix...

http://picasaweb.google.com/stuarttower/Cuba?authkey=Gv1sRgCLS5h4e86MvMIw#

stu

CW and anyone viewing pix,
By running the slide show twice, some of the missing captions will show. Sort of a Picasa idiosyncracy.

stu

Thanks so much Stu! Great photos and they bring back fond memories. There WAS music everywhere.

We missed the John Lennon park. Will look for it next time. We went to Havana, Trinidad, and Cienfuegos. Only one week, but it didn't seem rushed.

Now I have to go and dig out my photos.

(We had dinner in Quincy last night--a small Mexican restaurant called La Paloma--very nice.)

Here you go. Basic info on touring Havana and things to see, places to eat, etc, and a slideshow of images to spark your imagination, or memories for those who have been there.

Steve

Touring Havana Itinarary
http://www.7daysinparadise.com/smf/index.php?topic=6052.0

Cuba Images Slideshow (Havana, Vinales & General)
http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y55/Steve_YYZ/2008_Trip/?albumview=slideshow

(We had dinner in Quincy last night--a small Mexican restaurant called La Paloma--very nice.)

CW....I left Massacusetts (and Quincy) in 1957..been back many times...but a Mexican restauarnt in Quincy??? Unheard of back in those days...many Italian restos...my, things have changed. I still fondly and proudly call Quincy my hometown after all these many decades. I'm an Emerson grad, BU for masters. Been in California since 1957, though.
Where do you live?

Stu

We traveled to Cuba legally in 2002 under the old 'cultural exchange' program. Bush put an end to it, but it was a great trip. We went for the International Jazz Festival in Havana. It was awesome. Wonderful music and wonderful venues. Loved every minute.

We flew on American Airline charters in and out of Miami. I was a bit paranoid about coming back through customs here, thought we might get hassled, even though we had nothing illegal. As it turned out, customs was swamped, and the head guy pulled the people coming from Cuba out of the line and let us out a side door with a smile and a 'welcome home'. I guess he figured that there wasn't anything to be smuggled coming from Cuba.

As for traveling illegally via another country, you're going to have to flat out lie when you fill out your immigration documents upon returning to the US. There's a question about what countries you have vistied. I've actually had immigration specifically ask me if we'd gone to Cuba when we were returning from Belize via Mexico.

Stu, I sent you a message so not to hijack the thread.

They only stamp the tourist card that acts as a visa. This is stapled into your passport. Your passport will show no sign of you having been to Cuba.

The only evidence I have of my Cuban holiday are my photos and great memories.

Didn't you have to lie on your customs form that asks what country you visted while outside of the US?

We've actually had immigration people ask us if we took a side trip to Cuba when we've traveled to Mexico and Belize.

I'm a terrible liar. I'm sure I'd get busted if I went illegally.

Just back this week and also had no problems re-entering the country from Cancun. The tourist card isn't stapled in your passport, you just keep them together. Our main concern was having 2 entry stamps to Mexico but customs didn't ask anything about it. We did say we had gone to Mexico and the Bahamas on our customs form just in case.

stormy...so happy you finally made it to Cuba...tell us more about the trip. Pix??

stu tower

tower, I have been swamped since coming back but have slowly been trying to post to our blog, and yes there are pics!

www.luggagetag.blogspot.com