maarsen Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 I just got an email from Sheraton offering me a chance to be the first to book a room in their new hotel in Havana, Cuba. Being Canadian, a chance to see Cuba is something I have done numerous times already. How about it, Americans on the board here. Any desire to visit before Trump tries to develop properties there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zelticgar Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 I'll likely wait for the cruise lines to open up more options so I can sail into Cuba for a day or two. I'm not sure if i would want to burn a full week of vacation there right now but I would love to check it out. I sailed past Cuba in April on another cruise line and the southern part of the Island looks really rugged. No idea what the beaches are like but I'm assuming they must have some beautiful areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S John Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 If it was a free trip or (even better) someone paid me to go there for work then I would definitely go and even be excited about it. As for spending my own money and vacation time.. Cuba doesn't really move the needle for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zelticgar Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 11 minutes ago, S John said: If it was a free trip or (even better) someone paid me to go there for work then I would definitely go and even be excited about it. As for spending my own money and vacation time.. Cuba doesn't really move the needle for me. Exactly, if I am going to the Caribbean I usually split the trip up into days spent on the beach or days spent adventuring (hiking, scuba, snorkeling, watercraft etc...) I could be convinced that Cuba hits these goals and probably at a cheaper price point than a lot of areas but I would want to be 100% sure there were options. I have no interest in looking at antique cars or staying in shitty hotels so show me the leisure activities and luxury beaches or I'm going back to San Juan, Aruba, Grand Cayman or Mexico. I do think that eventually sailing over to Cuba on a ferry out of Ft. Lauderdale, Miami or Key West will be a reality and that might be well worth the trip. I have a lot of family in Florida so splitting up a trip to visit family for a couple of days and then shooting over to Cuba for a few days would be very appealing provided they have some resorts to stay at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DireWolfSpirit Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 One day, not immediately, but not in the too distant future, I would like to go there. Cuba will definately be a destination for me eventually, it just may be a few more yrs before I get to them. The music, food, and Carribean alll sounds neat and I'm sure there will be some great people to meet hopefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inigima Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 American tourists are apparently consuming beer at a pace that outstrips Cuban production capacity: https://munchies.vice.com/en/articles/american-tourists-are-causing-a-beer-shortage-in-cuba Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
all swedes are racist Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 3 hours ago, Inigima said: American tourists are apparently consuming beer at a pace that outstrips Cuban production capacity: https://munchies.vice.com/en/articles/american-tourists-are-causing-a-beer-shortage-in-cuba Fools. The cafe con leche is obviously the sustenance of choice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fragile Bird Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 13 hours ago, zelticgar said: I'll likely wait for the cruise lines to open up more options so I can sail into Cuba for a day or two. I'm not sure if i would want to burn a full week of vacation there right now but I would love to check it out. I sailed past Cuba in April on another cruise line and the southern part of the Island looks really rugged. No idea what the beaches are like but I'm assuming they must have some beautiful areas. Cuba has spectacular beaches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Maarsen, They had 1950's era cars in the 19th Century? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baxus Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 I'd most definitely visit Cuba if given a chance. It will have to wait a while though, since I've already decided on my next couple of vacations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maarsen Posted July 26, 2016 Author Share Posted July 26, 2016 1 hour ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said: Maarsen, They had 1950's era cars in the 19th Century? There are lots of horse drawn wagons and such, non existent streetlighting, and a lifestyle not much different from the 19th century. And an almost complete lack of billboards and other outdoor advertising. Very little pollution and environmental degradation. I love going there and the people are very nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Maarsen, I was teasing. I'd love to visit Cuba. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Arryn Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Carribean's not really my scene...maybe because I spent a lot of time in the keys growing up...but if I was going it'd be Cuba or Guadeloupe, or some tiny remote island. Not an all-inclusive/cruise ship kinda guy, and it's mostly that down there from what I'm told. But I'd do Cuba for the baseball alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maarsen Posted July 26, 2016 Author Share Posted July 26, 2016 1 hour ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said: Maarsen, I was teasing. I'd love to visit Cuba. Considering that I give your leg a tug every now and then, fair enough. My wife and I are looking to go again this winter. We just haven't decided where. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pepper Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 I would have loved to visit Cuba. It's not going to happen anytime soon, at least probably not before it begins to turn into a vile disgusting cruise ship destination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zelticgar Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 1 hour ago, Dr. Pepper said: I would have loved to visit Cuba. It's not going to happen anytime soon, at least probably not before it begins to turn into a vile disgusting cruise ship destination. I think the vile destinations are less about the cruise ships and more about the individual islands characters. You get a huge variety in the Caribbean regardless of whether there are cruise ships or not. Jamaica sucks to visit on a cruise ship but I've heard the resorts are really nice. I've never done the Eastern Caribbean but I've been all over the Western and Southern plus Bermuda and Bahamas and quite frankly, Jamaica and Nassua are the only two Cruise destinations that i would consider crappy but even Nassua has Atlantis which is a cool place to check out. Grand Cayman, Mexico, Aruba, San Juan, Bermuda (not really Caribbean but I'll include it). - all great places to visit regardless of whether Cruise Ships go or not. I think eventually Cuba will be built up a little more. someone mentioned going to see the baseball games. I think that would be an awesome experience. I suspect the growth of travel in Cuba will explode over the next 3 to 5 years and by 2020/2021 they will have enough variety of options to accommodate the mass market cruise traveler all the way down to the vagabond hostile type trekkers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pepper Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 13 minutes ago, zelticgar said: I think the vile destinations are less about the cruise ships and more about the individual islands characters. You get a huge variety in the Caribbean regardless of whether there are cruise ships or not. Jamaica sucks to visit on a cruise ship but I've heard the resorts are really nice. I've never done the Eastern Caribbean but I've been all over the Western and Southern plus Bermuda and Bahamas and quite frankly, Jamaica and Nassua are the only two Cruise destinations that i would consider crappy but even Nassua has Atlantis which is a cool place to check out. Grand Cayman, Mexico, Aruba, San Juan, Bermuda (not really Caribbean but I'll include it). - all great places to visit regardless of whether Cruise Ships go or not. I think eventually Cuba will be built up a little more. someone mentioned going to see the baseball games. I think that would be an awesome experience. I suspect the growth of travel in Cuba will explode over the next 3 to 5 years and by 2020/2021 they will have enough variety of options to accommodate the mass market cruise traveler all the way down to the vagabond hostile type trekkers. No, it has little to do with destination and everything to do with cruise ship culture. It's vile, with few exceptions. I tend to lump resorts in with all of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zelticgar Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 4 minutes ago, Dr. Pepper said: No, it has little to do with destination and everything to do with cruise ship culture. It's vile, with few exceptions. I tend to lump resorts in with all of that. I guess to each their own. I'm not a huge fan of crowds and some of the hokey activities but cruise ships serve a purpose and in some cases provide a great vacation experience. I prefer to use them to preview destinations before committing to going for a full week or two of vacation. This is how I ended up doing follow up trips to Aruba and Bermuda (multiple times). It also works well for us when we travel with multiple generations of family members. I have a feeling Cuba will be a major destination for the cruise ships so hopefully it will be limited to only one or two ports so the rest of the island stays untouched Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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