So you’re thinking about taking a cruise to Cuba.
As the Fathom ship Adonia launches a schedule of biweekly cruises from Miami to Cuba, passengers will find a few changes in scheduling and activities from the inaugural May 1 trip, the first to the island by a U.S.-based passenger ship in nearly four decades.
Four weeks ago, when the first cruise ship in more than 50 years sailed from the United States and around Cuba, the Sun Sentinel's Mike Clary was aboard. He shared the story of the historic journey aboard the MV Adonia, and you can find the reports at SunSentinel.com/CubaCruise.
With the 704-passenger ship set to leave PortMiami every other Sunday for a weeklong voyage to Havana, Cienfugos and Santiago de Cuba, here’s what we learned on the first cruise:
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Question: Is traveling to Cuba by ship a good way to see the country?
Answer: In a seven-day trip around the island, passengers spend two-thirds of their time at sea, and only about 50 hours on the ground in Cuba.
So a more time-efficient way to explore Cuba is to take a charter flight directly to Havana, Santiago de Cuba or one of several other Cuban cities and begin exploring from there. There are several ways to get around once in Cuba: Cuba’s domestic airline, state-run train or bus systems, or rental cars.
The journey from Havana to Cienfuegos by train, bus or car takes about four hours or less. On the Adonia, the trip from Havana to the city on the south coast takes a full day and a half at sea as the ship sails around the western end of the island. During that time you could be reading about Cuba, or practicing your salsa moves to live music onboard, but you won’t be seeing Cuba.
If you do decide the cruise option isn’t for you, travel agents and charter companies in the U.S. can make reservations for travel within Cuba before you go.
Most Adonia passengers, however, are making their first visit to a communist-ruled island that is just being opened up to American visitors, and many said the cruise provided a good introduction for subsequent exploration.
Q. What are the advantages of traveling by ship?
A. After a day of exploring a city on foot, many passengers appreciated being able to return to a floating hotel at the dock where they could find a hot shower, a good bed in a comfortable cabin and a cafeteria that is almost always open. Although there are fine restaurants in Cuba's major cities, finding light fare while on-the-go touring is not always easy. There are no Starbucks, no fast-food franchises. So the availability of consistent and plentiful food on board can be attractive.
The cruise line also will schedule optional onboard programs related to Cuba.
For those not comfortable wandering the streets of Cuba on their own, Fathom offers walking and coach tours to places such as national historic sites, organic farms and artist studios, and outside of Santiago de Cuba, the shrine to Cuba’s patron saint in the town of El Cobre. The cost of the tours is included in the price of the voyage.
Q. What changes has Fathom made as a result of the first cruise?
A. Cuban tour guides are to get more training after complaints they were too inflexible and too stingy with information, and onboard programs on Cuban art, architecture and music will be beefed up, according to officials of Carnival Corp.'s Fathom brand.
Perhaps most importantly, passengers will be told they are free to leave conducted tours to wander around on their own.
Travelers also will be offered more choices of activities and restaurants in each of the Adonia’s stops in Havana, Cienfugos and Santiago de Cuba.
Q. What is the ship like?
A. Launched in 2001, the Adonia has a capacity of 704 passengers, with a crew of more than 350. It is smaller than many cruise ships, enabling it to get into ports such as Havana, too shallow for bigger vessels. Many of the senior officers are British, and the crew includes men and women from more than 20 nations, including India and the Philippines.
The Adonia does not have a casino, and there are no Broadway-style shows. What it does offer, in addition to cruise ship basics such as a swimming pool, workout room, restaurants and bars, are various classes, such as Spanish, yoga, Cuban history, meditation and storytelling.
Q. What is the difference between Adonia's three stops, Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba?
A. Passengers spend two full days in the Cuban capital of Havana, a sprawling city of more than 2 million. The historic attractions are many, the restaurants and privately run "paladares" catering to tourists first-rate, and there are plenty of taxis, tour guides and shows to see. In a visit that lasts a total of 36 hours, passengers can get only a taste of the largest city in the Caribbean, a dynamic cultural mecca founded in 1514.
Cienfuegos, the Adonia’s second stop, is a city of 150,000 residents, filled with charm and French-influenced neoclassical architecture. Known as the “Pearl of the South,” Cienfuegos invites casual exploration, but the stop here is brief — just six hours. Many travelers said they would have enjoyed more time here.
Cuba’s second-largest city, Santiago de Cuba, on the island’s eastern end, is the home of rum and revolution. Flanked by the Sierra Maestra mountain range, this is where Fidel Castro launched the revolution in the early 1950s, and is a city with distinctive Afro-Cuban cultural influences. There is much to see — the old Bacardi factory, and the tomb of Jose Marti, for example — but Adonia passengers are on the ground for only about eight hours. As in Cienfuegos, the stop here is brief, forcing travelers to make hard choices about how to use their time.
Q. Can I plan my own trip to Cuba?
A. Yes. You can book a flight to Cuba through a charter service. The flight from Miami to Havana takes about 45 minutes. The average round-trip fare: $400. The U.S. and Cuba have agreed to license 20 daily flights to Havana and 10 each to nine other Cuban cities. American Airlines, JetBlue and several other airlines are applying for those routes, but they have not been assigned. So you cannot yet call up an airline and book a flight.
Q. Are hotel rooms available and what are they like?
A. Hotel rooms in Cuba can be in short supply, especially during the winter season, from November through April. A room at Havana's famed Hotel Nacional, for example, goes for about $300 U.S. a night. But there are many rooms for rent in private homes for as little as $30 a night, often with breakfast. Airbnb, a U.S. website that lists rental lodging, also now operates in Cuba.
The big hotels in Cuba, including many operated by the Spanish firm Melia, are very similar to big hotels anywhere. They offer restaurants, bars, room service and Internet connections. But for a more intimate look at Cuba, many travelers prefer to stay in private homes, known as “casas particulares,” which are licensed by the government. In these casas, interactions with residents are often personal. The residents can tell you about local eating places, share family stories, and talk about the daily economic struggles of Cubans who have no access to visitors and tourist dollars.
Q. What about car rentals and driving around Cuba?
A. Rental cars are available, but driving even Cuba’s major highways can be a challenge, thanks to potholes, roadside vendors and free-ranging animals, not to mention trucks that frequently stop to pick up Cubans in need of a ride. Signage is inconsistent, and finding your way around the interior of maze-like cities such as Camaguey can be frustrating.
To explore a city or local region — especially for those without good Spanish or experience on the island — hiring a car and driver might be a better option. Negotiate the rate.
Q. Will I need to get a visa before I go to Cuba?
A. Visitors to Cuba are required to have a visa. When you book a trip to the island, Fathom and other tour operators provide the visas at an average cost of about $80. Cuban-born travelers who came to the U.S. after 1970 are required by the Cuban government to have a Cuban passport in addition to their U.S. passport. The cost of the visa and passport for those travelers is about $430.
Q. Who can go to Cuba?
A. Americans can go to Cuba as a member of a tour group or as an individual traveling under one of the 12 categories authorized by the U.S. government. Those categories include family visits, religious, educational or humanitarian activities, journalism and professional research.
Before leaving port, passengers are asked by Fathom to check a box on an affidavit that most matches the purpose of their trip. But passengers also may declare they are going on a Fathom-guided program, and agree that they “will participate in the full-time schedule of educational and people-to-people exchange activities arranged by Fathom.”
This led to some confusion and complaints during the first days in Havana when some passengers wanted to drop out of the walking tours and return to the ship. Some tour guides, provided by Fathom’s Cuban partner, the state-run Havanatur agency, told travelers they could not leave the group. Fathom quickly issued a clarification that passengers could “self-certify” that they are following U.S. regulations and do whatever exploring on their own they choose.
No one is watching individual travelers to see if they are engaging in so-called “people-to-people” activities while on the ground in Cuba. In effect, the only remaining U.S. ban is on tourist activities, such as spending all your time at a beach resort.
Q. Is Cuba safe?
A. Yes. Although Cuba doesn't report crime statistics and state-run media rarely cover crime, rates of violent crime on the island are considered low, especially compared to the U.S. Violent crimes against visitors are rare. Uniformed police are visible on the streets in areas where tourists usually go.
At the same time, Cuba is governed by an authoritarian regime that restricts speech and assembly. On its website, the U.S. State Department warns that the Cuban government has detained U.S. citizens it suspects of engaging in activities perceived as a threat to state security.
Q. Are Cubans welcoming to American visitors?
A. Yes. In all three cities, people greeted Adonia passengers warmly and seemed eager to engage. The enthusiastic greeting from hundreds of high-fiving Cubans at the dock in Havana was the highlight of the journey for many passengers. At Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba, there were many fewer people at the dock, but there were groups providing traditional music and dancing, and the welcomes were festive.
Q. Is not being able to speak Spanish a problem?
A. The state-run Cuban tourist agencies have guides trained in English, French, Italian and other languages spoken by visitors from various countries. Off the beaten tracks, especially in the Cuban countryside, most Cubans do not speak English. But the friendliness and eagerness of the Cuban people to engage with arriving Americans made for memorable encounters even among those who did not have a common language. For example, Fathom passengers stopped in at barber shops for haircuts, bought fruit or souvenirs from street vendors far from the central plazas, and were invited into the homes of people they ran into while exploring on their own.
Q. Will my cellphone work in Cuba?
A. Some U.S. carriers have or are beginning to make agreements with ETECSA, the Cuban national telecommunications company, to provide roaming services in Cuba. Sprint and Verizon, for example, currently offer roaming services in Cuba.
Specialized mobile phone companies such as Cellular Abroad, Cello Mobile or Mobal rent phones for use in Cuba, according to the Federal Communications Commission’s website. Fees average $3 per minute of call time and up to $1.50 per outgoing text message.
You can also rent a Cuban cellphone from Cubacel, ETECSA’s mobile phone arm.
Q. What about Internet connections?
A. Many of the larger hotels and resorts across Cuba offer WiFi, as do scattered Internet cafes, charging varying hourly rates. Increasingly there are also government-provided hot spots on the street, marked by groups of Cubans sitting or standing while working their cellphones. WiFi access costs about $2 an hour, but you need to buy an access card at ETECSA.
Aboard the Adonia, Internet service is available for 50 cents a minute or through a package buy of 250 minutes for $62.50.
Q. Can I spend U.S. currency and use my credit cards in Cuba?
A. Cash is king in Cuba. Cuba has two forms of currency, the convertible peso, called CUC and used by tourists, and the Cuban peso, used by Cubans in the markets and ration stores. Money can be changed at the airport, Havana's seaport and at CADECA exchange houses located in every city in Cuba.
Although the exchange rate is about 1 U.S. dollar to one CUC, Cuba imposes a penalty on changing U.S. dollars. Result: $1 U.S. equals about 87 cents in CUC. (Some travel websites advise changing U.S. dollars to British pounds or Canadian dollars before leaving for a better exchange rate in Cuba.)
With few exceptions, U.S. credit cards are not accepted.
Q. What can I bring back from Cuba?
A. Travelers returning to the U.S. from Cuba can bring home up to $400 worth of goods acquired for personal use. This includes no more than $100 worth of alcohol or Cuba's famous cigars.
Q. So how much rum and how many cigars will $100 buy?
A. That depends. The best Cohiba and Montecristo cigars are pricey. But for $100 you can come home with a bottle or two of Havana Club rum and a handful of the less expensive smokes.
Q. What should I bring that I might not have thought of?
A. The availability of fast food and sanitary conditions of public toilets in Cuba may not be what most Americans are used to. Tissues, hand wipes, and easy-to-carry snacks such as granola bars are easily packed. Comfortable walking shoes are a must. And it is hot, hotter than Florida. Bring hats, sun screen. Bottled water is usually available for purchase for about $1.
Q. Cruises can be susceptible to outbreaks of illness. What should I do to stay healthy?
A. Wash your hands, thoroughly and often. A small outbreak of suspected gastroenteritis was reported on the last full day of the Adonia's inaugural cruise. Hand-sanitizing stations are available throughout the ship, which follows U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for reporting and combating any suspected contagions.
Q. What does a voyage to Cuba on the Adonia cost?
A. Fares start at about $2,700 per person for an interior cabin, and rise to about $4,000 for an outside cabin with a balcony. Suites start at about $8,000. While at sea, all meals were provided. In port, breakfast and dinner were served onboard, while lunch at a Cuban restaurant was included as part of a guided tour.
Q. So, in conclusion, how was the visit?
A. Cuba is complex, endlessly fascinating, and impossible to fathom in a visit that is at least partially scripted and measured in hours. Yet aside from some complaints about the scheduling and conduct of tours and some confusion over what travelers were permitted to do on their own, many Adonia passengers said they enjoyed the trip. And that was chiefly due to their interactions with the Cuban people.
As Sherlock Robinson, a 66-year-old former New York City photographer, said, “The warmth of the people of Cuba, the reception they gave us, and then everywhere we went in Havana showed that they have a wonderful spirit about them. And you don’t see that anywhere else.”
For more information, see fathom.org.
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