Anyone ever been to Cuba

[the_only_turek_fan]

Do you need a visa?

[black rubber disc bunny]

Originally Posted by the_only_turek_fan

Do you need a visa?

No you don't.

[algernon]

they give it to you on the plane, iirc. Take a trip to the town of Trinidad, if you have a spare day...There's a real life pirate-cave that's been converted into a Disco (bar). Easily the coolest club I've ever been to. Trinidad is on the Southern edge of the Island. Very cool architecture as well, from the conquistador days.

[BlackArcher101]

You need a "tourist card". A handy webpage for future reference.

http://www.voyage.gc.ca/preparation_...urisme-eng.asp

[the_only_turek_fan]

Thanks guys!

[Cowboy89]

One thing to be weary of is officials on the ground stamping your passport. It could have reprecussions with any US travel you plan in the future. When I went to Cuba a few years ago they didn't stamp my passport most likely with that in mind. A person I work with has been to a few US unfriendly nations and everytime we fly to the US she has to plan to be at the airport with a lot more time to spare than I need to because she gets selected for searches and additional security every time.

[Boblobla]

Maybe not a visa, I am sure that they accept mastercard too.

[ken0042]

^^ I know you were just making a joke there Bob, but the one thing to be aware of is if your credit card will be accepted in Cuba. I haven't been to Cuba but I have heard that some Visas and M/Cs cannot be used in Cuba- I think it has something to do with what percentage the bank is owned by American interests or something.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Cheese is the resident Cuba expert, I would think.

[stang]

Originally Posted by algernon

they give it to you on the plane, iirc. Take a trip to the town of Trinidad, if you have a spare day...There's a real life pirate-cave that's been converted into a Disco (bar). Easily the coolest club I've ever been to. Trinidad is on the Southern edge of the Island. Very cool architecture as well, from the conquistador days.

Been there... friggin awesome!!

When i went, we had no problems with visas/MCs but no interact...although our travel agent said they would work.

thats been 6 or so years now though

Edit: the best part was you could rent scooters and rip around town on them.... pretty fun

[Phanuthier]

Have fun in Cuba TOTF! I love Cuba, IMO Cuba >> Mexico, Hawaii

[Cheese]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Cheese is the resident Cuba expert, I would think.

Thanks Dis...not quite an expert yet. All applicable answers have been posted. No visa needed, and they dont stamp passports. If you have a decent travel agent the tourist card is usually provided before you go...otherwise they are handy on the plane. No big issue and no hassle.
The Cuban airport can be fun getting through customs and you will require patience as they are not fast at all. Could take you half an hour...could take 4 hours. They are also good at rifling through your luggage, so ensure the wife or g/f hides the toys!
Heres a link to Debbies for resort reviews...they are generally pretty accurate.
http://www.debbiescaribbeanresortrev...ubarevind.html
Remember some people are Debbie downers no matter what, but you can get a general impression by reviewing a bunch of them.
Cuba is awesome...if Varadero is your destination make sure to get into Havana and check out the old cars driving around town.
We always bring some old clothes or toys for families in Cuba...they will love you. We also leave a few bucks a day for the maids, and sometimes gifts like toothpaste, small perfumes, or simple school supplies like pencils, pens etc. They will treat you like gold if you do this. A few Cuban Pesos jingling in your pockets for groundskeepers etc go a long way. These people earn on average about $20 a month. There is a group that also sends medical supplies to rural areas that you can help if you want to dig around for their info. Generally tipping or gifting is not required and likely wont make a difference in your stay...its just nice to give back to those who really need it.
http://www.debbiescaribbeanresortrev...cuba/cuba.html

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by Boblobla

Maybe not a visa, I am sure that they accept mastercard too.

Beaten to the punch

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Boblobla

Maybe not a visa, I am sure that they accept mastercard too.

Oh, if you get off on some of the small cays, nope, they do not accept credit cards. Be prepared for the fact that credit is not as prominent as in other parts of the world, and be prepared to pay an extra cost for using a credit card too.

And make sure your credit card has no affiliation with USA, none of those are accepted period.

[the_only_turek_fan]

Thanks guys and thanks Dayel.

We are not staying at a resort actually. Going to do the backpacking/hostel thing.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

Have fun in Cuba TOTF! I love Cuba, IMO Cuba >> Mexico, Hawaii

IMO

Cuba >> Pacific Mexico >> Hawaii
Caribbean Mexico >>> Cuba>> Pacific Mexico >> Hawaii

There is a difference

[Deelow]

All depends where. I took a good deal trip to Cayo Coco, Cuba last year. I've never been so bored on vacation. That and the fact that it's 80% Quebecois. Honestly I'd prefer the Americans in Puerto Vallarta.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Deelow

All depends where. I took a good deal trip to Cayo Coco, Cuba last year. I've never been so bored on vacation. That and the fact that it's 80% Quebecois. Honestly I'd prefer the Americans in Puerto Vallarta.

LOL..Cayo Coco, more 50 year old naked boobs than booze.

[driveway]

As previously stated, Cuba rules.

Since you're doing the backpacking thing, here are a few tips based on my own backpacking/hostel experience.

1. Do not go to Varadero. Varadero sucks. All it is is a beach.

2. Allow people to approach you. They will be looking for your money, however, they will also know where to get decent food. If you can afford it, let someone take advantage of you for a couple days while you take advantage of them. You will be paying for all their meals, but the food will be worth it. And probably dirt cheap anyway.
If they invite you to their home, go. You'll get to see how they live (unimaginably poor) and will maybe get to do some awesome things. I got to experience a street-party in old havana where a guy was playing salsa music out of a discman attached to two crappy speakers and was serving malt-liquor out of a barrel. 2 bucks for a litre of the stuff. The next night the mother of the family asked if I'd be willing to buy them dinner. I said of course and she took ten bucks (ten bucks!) from me and bought enough chicken and rice to feed the entire "apartment block" - really, one big old colonial building that probably once housed a single family and was then home to about thirty people.

3. If you're arriving in a town and don't have a place to stay planned, don't worry about finding one. If you're wearing a backpack, you'll get approached as soon as you walk off the bus. Probably by more than one person, these people will be more than happy to take you somewhere to stay. Usually, they're getting a cut from whoever they are bringing you to.

4. The Ultimate Cigar-Acquisition Tip.
If, like me, you are not a huge cigar fan, but would kind of like to have some cigars to smoke while you're in Cuba, here's how to get guaranteed genuine cigars for as cheap as possible.
Go on a cigar-factory tour. Go at a very busy time on a very busy day. Hang well at the back of the group. At one point on the tour, you'll be on the factory floor, in a room that feels like a classroom. You'll be surrounded by people at desks rolling unlabeled cigars. As soon as the tour guide finishes his/her spiel and starts off to the next part of the tour, turn to whichever worker you're standing beside and quietly make an offer for whatever they have on their desk. I paid $20 US for a handful of about a dozen and a half cigars.
The issues with this method are that you don't know what you're getting, and there may be some guilt around exposing a local to possible repercussions.
If you care about your cigars and want to know what you're getting, just buy from the store at the factory.

5. If possible, check out a baseball game. They play really, really high-level ball in Cuba. I saw Havana Industriales play some other team in the huge stadium in Havana. Place probably seats 40 000+. I think there were about 900 people there to see the game. We sat third row, right up from 1st base. It was freaking awesome.

Have a blast down there, man!