New Cuba trip for 2025
I see that Tauck has a new Cuba tour for 2025. I'm intrigued. Might be a good winter trip for those of us who live in cold climates? Charter flight out of Miami, which is pretty easy for us on the east coast.
Has anyone been to Cuba in the past? We wanted to go years ago,but politics made that impossible. Looks like this could be an opportunity.
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I went to Cuba in 2016 when it first opened up - with a tour company other than Tauck. I would recommend a trip to Cuba for anyone, just to see what socialism does to a country.
You can see my trip at https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2016Cuba-01.htm
Having Cuban family, that left due to Communist many years ago... I would not spend a penny to go to Cuba.
But just an FYI if you happen to see in Holguin, Cueto or Santiago some beautiful mansions that are now Museums.... those did belong to my family.
Promise kept by Fidel to my family since they knew each other and live in the same neighborhood since childhood but did not share same political ideologies.
I wanted to go when that Tauck tour was new some years ago, I guess before the time Mike went, My husband had no interest. I told two girlfriends, they wanted to go with me, in the end, they went, I didn’t. They were not impressed and never traveled with Tauck again. Not long afterwards, IMALEMON who does video reviews on this forum sometimes, posted a video of the entire trip, so I pretty much saw everything the tour did. Maybe someone can find it.
I know there are great mansions and some good home restaurants. One-of my good friends was born in Cuba.
Video tour of Cuba by IMALEMON https://forums.tauck.com/discussion/1653/video-of-cuban-tour-4-11-june-2012
I did this trip Christmas week in 2012; I think that was the first or second year Tauck had offered this. I am not sure what regulations apply now but back then this trip was highly regulated. On the first night in Miami, we all met to get information on the travel to Cuba the next day, and currency restrictions and the like, and we were given a specific document that served as the US Treasury Department license for us to visit that country (at the time it was illegal for most US citizens to travel to Cuba - not sure what the status is now). (It was a good thing I kept that license as a few years later I was denied registration for TSA membership because of this travel and they would not approve my membership until I proved I had traveled to Cuba legally). Also, each day was structured with certain educational programs and attendance at these was mandatory or we were told our license could be revoked. This was not a "days at the beach" kind of tour. I don't think we had more than a few hours the whole week to do our own thing. As noted, circumstances may be different now but I would check this out before making a reservation if you have any concerns about these (maybe prior) requirements. Having said this, the trip was fascinating and we had some great experiences. I was always glad I did this trip while it was possible to do so. By the way, this would not be a good "first tour" with Tauck as the standards in Cuba ("best available") do not match those of Europe or other first world areas where Tauck generally travels. The hotels are a bit rustic and the food sometimes simple, and there are a lot of run-down areas, but experiencing such a unique place was worth overlooking those elements.
I have a different take on going to Cuba. I believe everyone should travel to Cuba at least once in their life so that you can experience the effects of Communism on a Country and its people. I toured Cuba for 11 days in 2017 on a custom crafted "Educational Cultural People to People Exchange with a focus on Photography" program. This was an independent Tour led by two Photographers, who sadly, are no longer with us. I visited 16 different towns and cities and was able to visit schools, medical clinics and to stay in locally run bed and breakfasts and small hotels. I have to say this was one of the most fascinating trips I have ever taken as I was able to view the "real" Cuba. It is true that all tours are highly structured as to where you can go and and the places you will visit. I thought we would be eating basic food such as beans, rice and pork, however, this was not so. The food was amazing and plentiful, music everywhere and oh those classic cars. I felt as though I had entered a time warp and was back in the 50's. As a Photographer, photo opportunities were amazing, there was a picture on every corner. The Cuban people were warm and welcoming and so resilient. Nothing is wasted in this country and it was fascinating to me to see everyday life. However, you have to keep in mind that the Tourists are treated totally different than the general population that live here. Our Tour Guide was amazing and told us personal stories about day to day life and it can be heartbreaking. I feel that any type of general Tour, especially nowadays, will be pretty well sanitized and compartmentalized. I think the Country was much more open in 2017 than it is now. However, I think it is still worthwhile to visit and observe and you will come home with an elevated appreciation that we are very fortunate to be living in a free country.
When I was in Havana in 2016, there were several new hotels that were very nice. Some friends stayed in one of those hotels in Havana and they reported it was one of the best hotels they had ever stayed in. That was when the country was open - I don't know the status of those hotel now.
The Hotel Nacional, however, was terrible. It has a lot of history, but unless they've renovated it, choose another hotel.
I found the food in the paladares (privately owned restaurants) excellent. I especially liked the black beans and rice. But I suppose it depends on what you expect. The breakfast spread in the hotels was embarrassing to me because of the poverty in the country. It was the equal of breakfast in any higher end hotel in Europe.
I would not be surprised if left over food, including scrapings from the guests’ dinner plates, found their way to some of the Cuban people. It's inconceivable that the food would be trashed in a country that poor.
I haven't looked at the new itinerary yet, but I would definitely consider doing this tour again. I don't travel based on preconceived notions of what 'should' be. I travel to learn and to experience the culture and history. Granted, the stops we experienced were probably quite orchestrated and controlled at the time, but we found the locals to be genuine.
Thanks, SGF, for letting me know that the tour is offered again.
I was born in Cuba, my parents divorced in 1950, my dad moved to NYC and I went with him, I would go visit my mom in the summer until 1959 when she asked me not to go because of her legal background she already knew that Fidel Castro was a communist and was concerned with my visit. I did not see my mom again until 1966 when she came to the States after my grandmother passed away as my grandmother did not want to leave so my mom stayed with her. My stepfather owned 5 gas stations, fortunately he sold 4 before the government took the last one away from him. When they came they left homes, cars and my mom buried all her jewelry in the back yard as they were only allowed a suitcase with clothing. Thankfully during the first 2 years of Castro they had been able to send money to a bank in NYC. The people that go on tours get to see what the government wants them to see and not the real Cuba where toilets don't work and people have to flush them with buckets of water, or how long they have to stand in line to get a handful of rice.
I'm with Mil and there's no way I would give one penny to the Cuban government.
I'm not a fan of supporting a socialist regime either. But I think Cuba is a good object lesson in the dangers of socialism and that's why I think more Americans should go there and see what it's like.
I reviewed the itinerary and was not impressed at all. The tour we took focused on culture, performances, architecture, lectures and interactions with locals. This 'new' tour is heavy on baseball and old cars--perhaps an interest for some.
I am curious about this trip. I did notice on the intro page it says: "All hotel accommodations – 1 night in Miami at The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, Miami and 5 nights in Havana at the Meliá Habana", but that doesn't seem to match up to the itinerary.
Quite often, Tauck forget to change parts of the tour pages. It might mean a call to them.
British may be correct. Also, this tour seems to be in a bit of flux.
Often, (but not in this case so far), if you go to the Pricing and Availability tab and click on a date, you'll get a pop-up that lists changes to lodging for various tour dates and days. Here is what the current Cuba popup says:
Jan 12, 2025
Note: Due to the nature of travel in Cuba, itinerary is subject to change; the order and individual components of the itinerary may change depending on the day of the week, but a full itinerary will be preserved.
Thank you all for your comments. I imagine that this trip isn't like a typical Tauck tour - then again, my husband and I aren't really typical Tauck travelers, although we are very adaptable. I appreciate the personal issues some of you have. We too have those issues with certain countries based on our family histories. I believe travel should be interesting, educational and enjoyable. I can't travel to places that make me feel uncomfortable in my surroundings, but I recognize that these things are very individual.
The tour seems a little "light" in terms of exploration of the island. Guess we'll wait and see. Thanks again. Glad to hear any more thoughts as time goes on.