Cuba Opening Up
 

President Obama spoke today about normalizing relations with Cuba. Does it mean we can travel there freely from the US, without the need for "cultural exchange' justification?
I am so excited. I have wanted to go there ever since the Wim Wender's Buena Vista Social Club documentary came out. Can't wait to travel there.

From what I read, there will be no free, open travel yet. It will still have to be a licensed trip under the "cultural exchange" category.

Not open until it's open

Any policy changes have to be approved by Congress so don't hold your breath.

I believe the travel restrictions are somewhat under the control of the White House without the input of Congress. Various administrations have tightened them or relaxed them through the years. Congress didn't enter into it.

I just listened to a U.S. Congressman with Cuban heritage discuss the issue. He stated that Congress would indeed have the final say. Let's hope for the best!

I hoped that this would happen under his administration. I really hope that they will completely open travel to Cuba so if you want to, you can go to a beach resort. The travel options now are all land based cultural programs. They are very expensive and it looks like you get no beach or shopping time.

Thanks for clarifying. I have been reading press coverage on it. I am not usually a Caribbean aficionado, but Cuba might change it.

Looking forward to changes also.

Loved the 60 minutes profile of the changes. It is the best television news program in the US. I heard about Women in White protesting President Obama's decision and I immediately knew who the Women in White were. I am so fascinated to watch this develop.

Until The Embargo is lifted by an act of the US Congress, American citizens either travel under the auspicious of a sponsored People-to-People Program or a Cultural Exchange Program. I definitely hopes this happens under President Barack Obama's administration; I also hope that that prison is closed tightly as well.

What I don't wish to encounter when I return again after being there at the end of next month, February '15 through a week ending in 7 March are a lot of American Fast Food joints and Starbuck's rearing their unhealthy heads in this island country.

I'm not a coffee drinker but abhor Starbuck's finding its place in cities like Rio de janeiro and other South American countries that have stellar coffee!

We were served terrible coffee in Cuba. It seems that the hotels catered to what they thought the tourists would like. Some mornings at the Hotel Nationale we could find a coffee urn at the very back of the Breakfast room that had the good Cuban coffee, but not always.

Yeah! http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/cuba-op...rrow-1.2901683

Even Fodors is posting about it:
http://www.fodors.com/news/will-2015...uba-11138.html.

Are you going? I am going to go in the next 2 years, before it is ruined, like Prague.

From 28 February until 7 March 2015, I will be on a restricted [timed-limited] trip to Havana, Cuba. My week in Havana via a People-to-People program sponsored by a company out of Canada and licensed by the US Treasury will allow me to explore for the second time. It's bizarre, but I have a memory loss and a meagre collection of photos which I took during a wonderful, legal trip to this island country in 1998.

I plan to participate in the company's itinerary, but I also plan to deviate from it somewhat. I want to visit Fusterlandia, Pargue John Lennon, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Centre, and the statues of both Arafat and Mother Theresa. ...also plan to take lots of school supplies for the kids at one or two schools we'll be visiting. I'm excited! I'm quite "stoked" but will be much, much, much more so when we citizens of the USA will be able to visit Cuba "FREELY" as we have and can to many other parts of this world of ours!