Cuba Help

Old Sep 18th, 2017, 03:13 PM
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Cuba Help

Leave it to me to need help with the very basics. Someone please tell me I am not the only American to be completely confused by the tourist card process.

I have plane ticket. Places to stay. Paid for visa/ tourist card with plane ticket. I thought I have to fill out a form with my passport to indicate 'people to people.' I thought I found said form weeks ago. Unable to find it now. Went to Delta's FAQ's re Cuba and got routed to Cuba Embassy in DC. It said (if I am interpreting correctly) that I either go in person with copy of plane ticket and passport to the embassy for the card. Or, mail copy of passport, payment and plane ticket to the embassy. How does this square with my having already 'purchased' it?

I also paid $25 with the plane ticket for the Cuba medical insurance fee. I have read contradictory things-
one that I'm good to go on this requirement, but then also that I have to purchase travelers insurance? Which is it? Or, both?

And for the life of me I can't find a converter / adapter on Travelsmith or Amazon that says it will work in Cuba.

Sorry everyone. I am not helpless in my daily life, promise. Any hand holding is much appreciated.
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Old Sep 19th, 2017, 05:56 AM
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Where are you flying FROM? US airport with US passport?

I don't know Delta's specific process, but I can describe AA's.
They are using a third party service to sell the tourist card. You pay online and fill out the form there for the (Cuban government) visa/tourist card, as well as check the box for which (US government) OFAC category you chose. (The airline may just ask your OFAC reason when you check in at the gate, or ask again if you have already indicated it online; they keep a record in their computer, "just in case".) You can also choose to buy the tourist card at the gate. From the US, you need a PINK tourist card, not a green, and they sell for $50 to $100, depending on the airline and method/place of purchase.
Sounds like Delta is selling the tourist card ahead of time and delivering them to passengers at the gate.
No reason to deal with the Cuban Embassy in DC. They sell the pink tourist card for $70 plus ($25 iirc) shipping, require extra documents (photo) and are difficult to get in touch with.

AA includes the (Cuban government required) medical insurance in the ticket price. The boarding pass serves as your "receipt" in case you have to use the insurance while in Cuba. This does not include evacuation in case of serious illness or accident.
Travel insurance (for trip cancellation in case of emergency, etc) is another thing altogether. Usually you can buy evacuation insurance along with this type of policy.

At the gate or on the plane, you will fill out a health form and a customs form, to be handed to Aduana (customs) in Cuba on arrival.

You don't need a converter in Cuba. Your small appliances and chargers will work in the 110V wall plugs common in all lodgings/homes. There are usually also 220V plugs, well labeled as such.

If you have any other questions, please post.
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Old Sep 19th, 2017, 08:07 AM
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Just a couple of things. We recently returned and flew on Southwest. In Havana we stayed in a hotel and in casas, everywhere else we stayed in casas.

1) We could have gotten our visa online ahead of time, but didn't, so we got it at a booth adjacent to the Southwest International ticketing area. It was actually LESS expensive for us to get it at the airport, which made no sense, but it was ($50 at the airport v. $75 online in advance).

2) Once we got the visa, we got in line at Southwest, and they gave us the boarding pass and a card that indicated we had medical insurance coverage. We carried the visa and the medical coverage card with our passports while we were in Cuba.

3) Most but not all of the outlets we had were the same as US outlets, however, in the hotel in Havana and a couple of other spots, the outlet type was European (Type C - two round prongs). We borrowed a converter from the hotel.
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Old Sep 19th, 2017, 09:44 AM
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@sf7307---Didn't they take half the tourist card/visa at Aduana on arrival?
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Old Sep 19th, 2017, 07:26 PM
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Thank you thank you!

I am US citizen flying from Virginia. It sounds like I got confused. I will pick up visa when I check in. I had been in the Treasury Department rabbit hole for visa guidelines, which led to Cuba Embassy and then I thought for sure I was missing a 'step.'
So long as I know that my purchasing the $25 'insurance' fee through Delta and am in compliance, I'll now just make the determination whether or not I feel I want the typical traveler's insurance.

And the Type C for converter is exactly the info I needed to make sure I bring the type.

Thank you thank you!

Hopefully in my next Cuba forum line of questioning, it will be on to the more fun/ less mundane things.
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Old Sep 20th, 2017, 10:35 AM
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Here's a useful article with photos of electric sockets. You'll notice the combination sockets fro round and flat pins that mean you don't need a "converter".
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel...ectricity.html
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Old Sep 20th, 2017, 11:17 AM
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"In response to messages of solidarity and requests for humanitarian aid, the International Finance Bank authorized
a bank account under the name HURRICANE-DONATIONS, No. 0300000004978829, for deposits in freely
convertible currencies. "

from this situation report:
https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefwe...%201609017.pdf
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 06:42 AM
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I am confused about the situation for tourists from the US.

Can I book a flight to Havana from Miami, get visa at the airport, and stay at a hotel in Habana, without a tour group?

If I plan to stay at a European-owned hotel, is there any option to pay other than bringing so many hundreds of dollars in cash dollars with me? Looks like the hotels will not book in advance by US credit card, correct? The cash issue is one of my main concerns.

I was thinking of flying down from Miami, and spending about 4 days in Havana, then flying back to Miami. This would be my first visit to the island. Mainly just want to walk around the city, sample some music venues, eat the best food that I can find.

What else do I need to know? Hope to travel January or February, 2018. Should I be booking my hotel now?

Once I get there, I can look into a walking tour and book restaurants/paladars, right?
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 08:09 AM
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Short answer: Yes.
There have, as yet, been no changes to Obama's loosening of travel.
However, you might consider using the "Support for Cuban people" reason for travel, much more usefully vague, rather than P2P.

Forget the cash "issue". There is no problem; Cuba is safe (hotel/casa rooms, walking, etc).
You can get a Stonegate Bank credit card that works in Cuba, but it is a mostly cash culture for everyone, not just US folks.

Book yourself into a casa particular (room in a private home--$25-30/night) and meet some Cubans, the great joy of any trip. (The hotels are expensive and sub-standard for that.) Use a Cuban booking agency, not AirbnB which is not paying their hosts reliably. (A good list is found under Laurie212's posts on TA. She also has a list of guides.)

It's hard to tell what booking conditions (for lodging, guides or restaurants) will be this year in Jan/Feb because of the hurricane; hard to tell how many who had plans have/will cancel/postpone and so how "open" things might be, more so than usual. If you intend to just spend a couple of days, I would book things ahead; life moves slowly there.

www.lahabana.com is a good resource for restaurants and music, etc.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 01:57 PM
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The hotels in Havana are VERY expensive (the new and beautiful Kempinski was booking for $560 per night in August).

As I mentioned in another thread, we booked the Iberostar on booking.com using an American credit card and had no issues (except we couldn’t charge things to our room, so we paid cash for drinks etc). Our kids booked the Saratoga directly on the Saratoga’s website using an American credit card, again, no problem. The rest of our trip we stayed in casas particulares, but they were paid for through our tour.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 01:57 PM
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SC, they might have taken half of the visa when we arrived, I don’t recall.
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 04:43 AM
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Thanks! I thought with booking.com you paid the hotel directly, but you paid the money to the booking site when you booked, correct? Doing that makes me much less hesitant.

I hate to burst the bubble but my sister was mugged in Cuba when she went about 25 years ago!! The cops caught the muggers, though. I have absolutely no fear of that happening, it was so long ago.

I'm in Florida this winter and it seems a shame not to take a few days, or a week, to visit Cuba. And my Spanish is very good so that will be a plus as well.
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 05:05 AM
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SF: Never mind, I see that I can book directly on the hotel site, as you mentioned in the thread you began. So that last obstacle (for me) of carrying around a thousand dollars or so in cash has now been removed.

Would you recommend the IberoStar? I looked at the Kempinski but was bowled over by those prices.

Can you swim in the IberoStar pool?
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 07:51 AM
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SambaChula- thanks for the tripadvisor article. I'm staying in a casa and then an apartment and sounds like the EU round prong outlets are more likely to occur in the hotels. Still- I'll bring that just in case.
To be safe sounds like a 2 to 3 prong and a 3 to 2 prong thingy may be in order. I'm reading that due to electric surges, surge protectors are recommended. All the ones I've seen on amazon are 3 prong which could present an issue with a 2 prong outlet. So many gizmos to be sure!

Also- thank you for the details post Irma. Both of my hosts say they're fine but haven't gone into detail.
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 07:58 AM
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US tourists have a unique opportunity to support and encourage Cubans who have gone into business. It is an indication that you would actively like to grow the friendship between the people of our two countries, not just think of your own entertainment and slight comfort factor in traveling in a manner you may be used to in an entirely different place. The phrase "put your money where your mouth is" applies in spades here.
This support is particularly important after Irma.

A room in a home, with people who will treat you like family, is about $30 per night, which does not require carrying wads of cash. You get an unequaled experience of intimate Cuban life.

There is little reason to stay at an overpriced, second-rate hotel which only puts money into government (the tourism wing of the military, which is why staying in most hotels will likely not be permitted after the new guidelines are published) and foreign pockets.

If you want to swim in the city, you can get a day pass to most hotel pools for about $25 (of which most is a food/drink credit). There are also pretty decent beaches about 20 minutes away from Havana Vieja by bus or taxi.

btw, "25 years ago" likely puts that surprising incident at the time of the Special Period, when the Soviets had withdrawn their support and Cuban people were literally starving.
Cubans today (at least until Irma), particularly those in Havana and especially those who deal with tourists, are doing quite well these days and sharing the fruits of their hard work to extended family throughout the country.
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Old Sep 25th, 2017, 07:18 AM
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Thank you for that information. We plan to stay at a hotel, however, and am interested in a hotel with pool suitable for lap swimming, in a good location for sightseeing and just wandering around.
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Old Sep 26th, 2017, 07:14 AM
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Then you better go soon. The new guidelines are likely to prohibit stays in hotels, which are all at least partly owned by the Cuban military's tourism wing.
You are required to state a reason for travel to Cuba, of which tourism is not one. The OFAC reason for travel that is not going away for individuals (as P2P is) under the new guidelines is "Support for the Cuban People", which seems to indicate that you would spend your money with Cuban people (casa particular owners included), not the government or a foreign hotel investor.

Cuba is not primarily a destination for seeing sights. It is a destination for allowing time and conditions to wander, to serendipitously encounter everyday Cubans, and to soak up the culture among them (not other tourists).
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Old Sep 27th, 2017, 06:57 AM
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And of course one cannot wander, or strike up conversations with Cuban people, if one stays in a hotel and eats at paladares.

Do Cuban people not wander about?

Do they not run paladares, or work in hotels and bars and shops?

Or hang out in parks oro along the Malecon, or wherever?



I had no idea this trip would be like going to North Korea, where I could have no encounters with ordinary people!!! Silly me!!
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Old Sep 27th, 2017, 08:01 AM
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Big shock: It's Cuba. Cuban people do not talk frankly to strangers in public places.

Another big shock: It's Cuba. Cubans who approach you are likely jiniteros.
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Old Sep 27th, 2017, 09:14 AM
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Then they must be the only Latin Americans that do not talk to strangers!

I hate to break it to you but there are jineteros all over Latin America and beyond. Ever been to HaitI?? Oh, and yes, I stayed in a hotel in Haiti, and ate at restaurants.
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