Best Of

Have a seat folks, this is going to be a long one.

Nothing about Cuba is what you might expect, including this tour. This is not your typical Tauck vacation. You will be traveling under a support for the Cuban people license, under US Government rules Concerning Travel by US Citizens to Cuba. Each day is fully scheduled with little free time. You will leave the hotel between 7 and 8 am and not return until 4 or 5 pm. The free time is between returning to the hotel and leaving for dinner. There is one free night in Havana.

This tour is both uplifting, in your direct interactions with the Cuban people, and heartbreaking, in the realities of life in Cuba today. Having said that, we had a great time and we're very happy we went. Our Tauck Tour Director, Ronny, and our Cuban Tour Guide, Nubia, were fabulous. Both were extremely knowledgeable and fun to travel with. We also had a great group of fellow travelers who made every day an adventure. The Cuban people are warm, friendly and welcoming. They are happy to share their culture and answer questions about their work and lives, and they genuinely want to learn about us too.

You can read about all the great things we did in the itinerary on the Tauck website, but here are some of the things I wish I knew before we went.

PACE AND MOBILITY – As noted above, each day is fully scheduled. The only free time is between returning to the hotel and leaving for dinner, and one free night in Havana. You should be prepared to climb on and off the bus about 6 times each day. The sidewalks are often uneven, broken, or eroded. Streets are uneven, with potholes, and puddles to dodge after rain. You should be able to walk on dirt and grass. In some places you will need to go up or down steep staircases.

HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS – The hotels and restaurants are subject to change due to various U.S. or Cuban regulations, so I won’t go into detail on the specific places we visited. If you are accustomed to traveling with Tauck, and staying in some of the best hotels in the world, keep in mind that they use the best hotels in Cuba that Americans are allowed to stay in under the support for the Cuban people license, and the list changes frequently. Our hotel wasn’t a hovel, but it wasn’t a 5 Star hotel either. It was neat, clean, and the service was good. It had a rooftop swimming pool, and we had access to the sister hotel next door with a cigar room and entertainment in the lobby. Its location in Central Havana was great.

Most meals were in locally owned paladar restaurants. Some were in people’s homes. There was always more than enough food, which sometimes made us feel guilty, and the selections might be limited based on what is available to them. Things that were on almost every menu were rice, beans, taro in some form, Ropa Vieja (shredded beef), pork, chicken, and fish or lobster. They will do everything they can to accommodate special dietary needs, but your options may be limited. On our free night in Havana, we had daiquiris at the Floridita Bar where Hemingway drank, and had dinner at one of the restaurants recommended by our tour director. Both were within walking distance of our hotel.

CLOTHING – Cuba is casual. Pack light pants, shorts, tee or sport shirts, light dresses, etc. You won’t need anything too dressy, but you’ll want to be neat at dinner. Be sure to have comfortable shoes, a hat for sun protection, and a light sweater or jacket.

TOILETRIES AND MEDICINES – You won’t find them in Cuba so bring everything you think you might possibly need, and enough of it for each person. We brought cold medicines, Pepto, Imodium, aspirin, Band Aids, antibacterial ointment, sunscreen, etc. Hand lotion and cosmetics are luxuries there. Many public bathrooms don’t have toilet paper (or even toilet seats) so carry some tissues or wipes and hand sanitizer with you. As all of these things are so hard to come by in Cuba that many of us gave everything we didn’t use to our Cuban guide at the end of the tour. You can help Cubans by leaving them behind and lighten your load on the way home!

WATER – Don’t drink it. Don’t rinse your toothbrush with it. Don’t swallow it in the shower. Don't even look at it. Even the Cubans boil the water before using it. Tauck and the hotel will provide plenty of bottled water for everything you need. Be sure to pack the Pepto or Imodium just in case you have any intestinal issues.

MONEY – US Credit and Bank Cards do not work in Cuba so you must bring cash. We used lots of ones, fives, and tens. I don’t recommend anything larger than twenties. Bills must be in good condition. They will not take them if they are too worn or ripped. There are ways to convert your Dollars to Cuban Pesos, but it might not be necessary. Your Tour Director will guide you through it. Almost everything is included in this tour, including the tips for the Tour Director, Cuban Guide, and Bus Driver. Expect to use cash for one dinner, souvenirs, cigars, drinks, etc. We brought $300 each and it was more than enough, but we bought very little, and it really depends on how much you plan to drink and shop.

SHOPPING – There is not a lot of time to shop, and your options are limited. Our first shopping opportunity was at the rest stop on the way to Vinales, where there were a few tables selling wooden crafts, jewelry, magnets, keychains, hats, and Havana Club and Che Guevara T-shirts. There were some things there that we didn’t see anywhere else, so if you like it, buy it. The next stop is the “street market” in Vinales which is about 20 tables that sell the same type of souvenirs, plus some small canvas paintings, cigar holders, domino sets, etc. Again, if you like it, buy it. Back in Havana, there is a short stop at the San Jose Market, where you will find lots of original paintings as well as many souvenir stalls. Here you’ll find the biggest selection, but the sellers are aggressive, which made some people uncomfortable, and you only have about 30 minutes to shop. You can also buy some locally made products at Project Beyond Roots and Vi Humos (stops on the itinerary). The final shopping opportunity is at the Duty Free in the airport, which is just a few stalls selling souvenirs and T-shirts.

I hope this information is helpful. If you go into this trip with an open mind, you are interested in immersing yourself in Cuban art and culture, and you want to interact directly with the Cuban people in a meaningful way, you will love it. Feel free to ask questions.

We have two back-to-back trips next year with Tauck.   We are going to Namibia for eleven days and then Elegant Africa for twelve days.  We will have $1,150.00 for the tips.  I just wish they would add it to the price of the trip to make our lives easier than carrying around a lot of money.

Ok, then it’s time to see if we can pay via credit card or maybe that way after we return home. It’s too much cash to carry around. And no, I’m not going ot Venmo. Or wouldn’t it be easier to raise tour prices (again) so TD’s can get better pay.

I appreciate all the hard thought and effort people have made to address this issue, but it still seems to me such a silly first world problem…how about a little change of perspective? Just think about how fortunate we are to be able to travel with Tauck or, for that matter, to be able to travel at all. Tis the season to be especially grateful. Wishing everyone happy holidays and stress free tipping.

Sealord - In any case the cash requirements for a Tauck trip are less than the daily tour charge for one person.

It's not that the amount is too much to give in a tip, it is that it is too much for some people to feel comfortable carrying around.

You apparently are comfortable carrying $600 - $700 in cash. Lots of people aren't.

The thread is just discussing if there is a way to provide an optional (that wouldn't preclude you tipping in cash) web-based system for the people that don't feel comfortable carrying the amounts of cash that you feel comfortable carrying but still want to provide a generous tip.

This optional system would not impact your preferred method at all.

This is a really interesting discussion…. We don’t fill out the evaluation forms anymore. We bring them home and formulate a letter a week after when we have fully thought about everything and then mail it. Given the fact that we complained in a big way about a tour director in Ireland in 2012 and Mike H had the same guy and was also complaining about him at least 10 years later, it is pretty obvious that they read them, may or may not call and act concerned, and then don’t do much. They may change hotels or itineraries ( eg Scandinavia), but about certain things, complaints fall on deaf ears. As for tips- we write checks for american dollars. We don’t care if we are luddites. It is the most convenient way to tip in American dollars and we don’t want to carry a lot of cash🤷🏻‍♀️. I was recently called by customer service about an unrelated issue , and expressed dissatisfaction about the tipping mechanism in place. My suggestions were either include it in the price ( like the cruises) or let us do it through the Tauck website. I assume they don’t want to deal with tips because then the income will have to be “ claimed” and taxed. Personally, I think the tip should be included in the price. I also think tours should be advertised by number of full days…. A welcome dinner and a breakfast on the way to the airport are not 2 tour days. Just a pet peeve….