Cuba travel

sham08

I have heard from a few people that if you visit Cuba your passport gets stamped and you may have issues gaining access to the United states at a later date, is this trues? I don't think that could be the case but I am just wondering. Thanks

togster

Yes....it is true.

sham08

Thats crazy, would the states actually stop you entering or just ask you a few questions? I couldn't understand for ages how www.expedia.com (American travel agents) had no packages on their website to Cuba, but it must be that they don't allow their citizens to travel. Land of the Free???

kev_s88

sham08 wrote: »

Land of the Free???

who ever told you that is your enemy!!!

Rob_l

sham08 wrote: »

Thats crazy, would the states actually stop you entering or just ask you a few questions? I couldn't understand for ages how www.expedia.com (American travel agents) had no packages on their website to Cuba, but it must be that they don't allow their citizens to travel. Land of the Free???

Huh you didn't know Americans were not allowed go to Cuba, how did you manage that one?

sham08

Its catch 22 isn't it, want to go to Cuba before Castro dies but don't want to get excluded from the states either.

Rob_l

sham08 wrote: »

Its catch 22 isn't it, want to go to Cuba before Castro dies but don't want to get excluded from the states either.

Are you going to shoot castro?
That might help you get into the USA

eve

sham08 wrote: »

Its catch 22 isn't it, want to go to Cuba before Castro dies but don't want to get excluded from the states either.

How long is left on your passport? What I have heard of people doing is to go to Cuba when there's a year left on their passport. Then apply for a new (clean) one and go to the States then.

qwertyphobia

listen it's grand the cuban authorities know about this so they don't stamp your passport. Fly in mexico and get a flight from there. But don't get a Cubana airline flight, trust me on that one they are so crap.

egan007

The few people you heard from are full of it...

Cuba does not stamp passports they stamp your Cuban Travel Card whihc you apply for in the Cuban Embassy in London http://www.cubaldn.com/home.htm

When you arrive they staple it to your passport.
You can remove it when you leave.

sham08

Do most travel companies arrange for you to fly to mexico and then across to cuba or fly direct? Aside from the trouble of passports etc I have heard it is an incredible place to visit

egan007

Most direct is to Fly Dublin Paris - Paris Havana
There are some charter flights Through the UK and Holland.
If I was going again I'd look for charter because the AirFrance flight is Brutal.

Overall Cuba tip. Learn 10 phrases in Spanish (assuming you can't speak it) and you will have a TOTALLY different experience.

sham08

Other half is fluent in spanish so I'm lucky that way

Gran Hermano

As already mentioned, the Cubans will not stamp your passport.
I frequently fly into both the US and Cuba and US immigration have
no way of knowing based on your passport whether you have visited
Cuba.

soundbyte

egan007 wrote: »

the AirFrance flight is Brutal..

Explain??

Gran Hermano

soundbyte wrote: »

Explain??

My experience of of Air France to Cuba was that the staff are bordering
on rude. I'm familiar with the cultural differences between France and
Ireland, but I found them aloof, cold and they acted as if any request
was a major issue. There were hours on the flight where not one air hostess
was visible - not good when you need a glass of water or food/refreshments
on a long flight.

Steamer

I sent my parents to Cuba last April and they got their passports stamped. Then in October my mum and I went to New York. The authorities in passport control in Shannon did take the passport into another office to check (which we kind of expected) it but that was all, not an issue.

They had a great trip and flew with Air France as far as I know and loved the service. I would expect it to be a great experience, especially Havana.:D

sham08

I am unable to go to Cuba until September, but I am a aware of the rainy season, has anyone been there at this time, is it something that would prevent you going?

Gran Hermano

September is the wettest month of the year in Cuba and tropical
downpours are not like Irish rain.

Not only is it wet it's slap bang in the middle of hurricane season.
Hurricanes don't affect all regions every year, but is that a gamble
you want to take?

Temperatures are in the late 20s to low 30s in September and it'll be humid.

Electric

We were there for 2 weeks last September and the weather was fine. It was hot but not too humid. It did rain for a day or two but the showers didn't last too long and a half hour later it was like they never happened. And there were no hurricanes.

Plus we did have some SPECTACULAR thunder storms!! Every evening we would sit out on the terrace and watch the lightening. But the thing was there wasn't a drop of rain. The thunder would roar and it would stay as dry as a bone.

We went on a package deal with Thomas Cook which was ok.

If I were to do it again I would just go to Havana and maybe go along the western coast to do some diving/snorkelling - it was amazing!

I don't think I would do package again. While we really loved the hotel (we were in Cayo Coco) the thing is you could have been anywhere. You just didn't get the feel of Cuba.

mariannewims

Quote:
Originally Posted by egan007
the AirFrance flight is Brutal..

Explain??

---

I'd have to agree, I've been on many long haul flights-all of them longer than Paris-Havana, and it was the worst I've been on! Very uncomfortable, service was awful and they ran out of WATER about 2 hours in! Never again...

bobbyjoe

They don't stamp your passport.

rosiec

My passport was stamped when i went to cuba. It was stamped once on the way in and once on the way out. But then again I was over there doing some conservation work so maybe its different for normal tourists. And if your worried about getting access to the states contact their irish embassy, they'll give you all the info you need