Cuba

[am1]

Sad news that Canadian airlines are not able to continue to bring passengers to Cuba. It is going to wreck their tourism industry.

I went last year with my wife for 4 nights. 2 nights in Havana and 2 at an all inclusive in Vadereo. Very nice but the hotel was not up to par as other islands with all inclusive. It was nice experience that not everyone is easily allowed there. Too many smoking Canadians mostly who spoke French. Very few kids but it was the week after New Years. It seems the island being close to Canada and very cheap all inclusive packages for Canadians it served a big niche.

Hopefully things get better in the short term and long term.

 

[moonstone]

Yes, Cuba is/was a very popular destination for Canadian AI vacations as it is about the cheapest place to go, with the DR being a close 2nd. Our DD with many different school & university friends, has been 6 or 8 times, including a few times to various resorts in the Varadero area. She found the resorts there to be the best of all the places in Cuba she had been. That being said, even a 5* resort there was no where close to a 5* resort on any other Caribbean island. Cuba has, for many years, had a lot of trouble getting food that cant be grown there, so often times the food at resorts was very repetitive due to no variety, and plain. Our DD isnt a picky eater and always took a jar of peanut butter, a bunch of granola bars and protein drinks so she didnt starve when she got to the buffet and there was no or very little food left, much of it she wouldnt eat (she doesnt eat anything that had 4 legs). She did love the beaches and laying in the sun. She talked us into going about 12 years ago and although we had a nice time, we will never go back, there are too many other nice islands to go, with much better food, for just a bit more money.

With the fuel shortages down there, Canadian (& other countries that go there) airlines can not take a chance on not being able to get jet fuel for the trip home. Our DS's friend is an Air Transat pilot and he flew an empty plane down earlier this week to bring vacationers home. Also the resorts cant get diesel fuel to run their generators for the many hours per day that the electricity is off. No generators mean no refrigeration for the food or no way to cook it, no AC or lights in the resorts. Not good for the tourism industry. Of course the locals are really having a tough time as well with no fuel for their cars, lots of food shortages, no electricity in their homes and no work for many who work in tourism related jobs. It is a sad situation there.

~Diane

 

[stmartinfan]

We took a Roads Scholar trip to Cuba about 10 years ago. We had the chance to meet many local people who were running programs to help kids in their areas or organizing activities that formed a sense of community. They were trying their best with limited resources—making ballet shoes by burning styrofoam to make glue was an example that struck me. Even then, when they had the Venezuelan and Russian support, the average person was waiting in line for bread and had limited access to the kind of food we were served in restaurants. After our experience I have a lot of sympathy for the average people who welcomed us warmly but feel powerless under all the surveillance by the state.

 

[Carolinian]

There are restrictions on Americans traveling to Cuba, but my brother is a scientist and went on quite a few scientific trips there. He enjoyed the cultural aspects there outside of work. One hopes that there will be changes that open Cuba back up for all Americans like it used to be sixty some years ago.

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

Cuba used to have a lot of American Cars from the 40's and 50's running around the island. Some of these old cars are now considered quite valuable due to their scarcity. Is that still the case or are they driving foreign imports these days ?













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[DrQ]

Cuba used to have a lot of American Cars from the 40's and 50's running around the island. Some of these old cars are now considered quite valuable due to their scarcity.

Not really, they are akin to resto-mods. They have been HEAVILY modified to work with other automotive parts and engines that they could obtain to keep them running. Imagine Mad Max cars with a 1950-60's facade.

 

[Talent312]

... One hopes that there will be changes that opens Cuba back up for all Americans like it used to be sixty some years ago.

I had an Aunt (deceased) who played in a band that spent several months in Cuba in 1937. She was 26 at the time and described her time there as a lot of fun. "Those were the days." She also said that, after returning to Miami, she found herself dining at a restaurant next to Amelia Earhart.