Card Player Cruises Exclusive Private Excursions in Cuba ** ALL SOLD OUT **
You are going to Cuba! We are lucky to be visiting Havana and I hope you share my desire to see as much as possible while we are there and to experience the history, culture, and everyday life of the Cuban people. I have been doing a lot of research to come up with the right tours that will enable us to make the best use of our time in Cuba. Our tours are customizable and private. I will explain the various tour options in this email. If any of these interest you, please sign up as soon as possible; space may be limited on some of these tours and we need to reserve the cars asap. You are welcome of course to book your excursions through the cruise line, but they will be a lot pricier and not customizable. Most of our tours will be in groups of four in classic cars.
Disclaimer: If you have cruised with us before, you know that we always offer private excursions. Our customers love these trips and they are a lot more fun and more flexible than the cruise line tours. This is because we use tour operators we know and usually recommend tours we have taken many times. It is uncomfortable for me to recommend tours that I haven’t personally experienced, but in this case, I have no choice since I’ve never been to Cuba. However, I have done extensive research online about tours in Cuba and their legality and I feel quite confident that I have picked the right tour operator. He is very professional and answered my 72 emails (no exaggeration) quickly each time. He has fantastic reviews online. On October 26, Jan and I will be meeting with him in Cuba to personally experience Havana. On that day, we will only be there from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m, unlike the overnight stay we will get to have on the poker cruise. Therefore, we won’t be able to try out the Havana by night tour or any of the day two tours. When we meet him, if we aren’t 100% satisfied (I feel quite sure that we will be since I have a great feeling about him from all of our back and forth emails), we will alert you about other options. In the meantime, please read about the tours and follow the instructions at the end to make and pay for your reservations if you wish to do so.
DAY ONE HAVANA TOURS (NOVEMBER 8) **SOLD OUT **
1. Havana by Day Tour **SOLD OUT **
The day tour is approximately six hours (10am to 4pm). You will meet your guide and begin with a walking tour in the historical center of Havana. You will learn about Cuba’s history as you walk through some of its main squares and view historical buildings, theaters, and hotels. You will have some stops along the way at places like the Arms Square, the Cathedral, and the Ambos Mundo Hotel where Hemingway once lived. You will walk at a relaxed pace with plenty of time to take photos and ask questions. There will be some free time before your lunch stop at a local private restaurant (please note that lunch is not included in the tour price). The tour will include a drink at the National Hotel, the most iconic hotel in Cuba. The National Hotel was the site of the Cuban Mafia and some scenes from the Godfather were filmed there. It also was involved in the missile crisis. You will have full access to its beautiful terrace overlooking the ocean and see where all the big celebrities visiting Cuba have stayed.
The driving portion of the trip will take you around the modern section of Havana for approximately two hours in a classic car dating back to the ‘50s and perhaps even earlier. Some cars will be convertibles and some will have hard tops. We will break you into groups of four along with a driver and a dedicated English speaking tour guide. If you have more than four people in your group, the cars will go in a convoy and you will have one guide for your entire group. You will be driven along the Malecon (Cuba’s most famous seaside avenue) stopping to see some of Havana’s famous attractions including the Revolution Square and the area in front of the National Capitol Building overlooking Central Park. Before returning to the cruise terminal, you will stop by Bar Floridita (also known as the “cradle of daiquiri” often frequented by Hemingway), walk along Orreilly Street (real Cuba), and visit a local market with a little time for shopping.
Once you are split into groups of four, you are welcome to customize your tour by letting the guide know if you want to add or skip a particular stop.
You will return to the port around 4 p.m. and have time to freshen up, nap, or have some free time to do as you please before the evening tour.
The price for this tour is $160. (A similar tour through the cruise line is $260 if booked early, 10% more if booked on the ship.)
2. Accessible Havana by Day Tour **SOLD OUT **
This 5-6 hour tour will be conducted by car, but you still must be able to walk a few blocks to get to the meeting point for the classic cars. Your trip itinerary may vary slightly from the Havana by day tour since a few places on the walking tour may not be available by car, but you will still get to see most of the famous attractions of amazing Havana. You will be driven in groups of four in a hard top classic car with air conditioning since you will be in the car most of the day. There will be a lunch stop (lunch is not included in the tour price) at a local restaurant and you will return to the cruise ship terminal between 3-4 p.m.
The price for this tour is $160.
3. Havana at Night Featuring the Tropicana Nightclub Show and a Local Dinner **SOLD OUT **
You only live once and will probably not be back in Havana, so why not experience as much as possible while there? This trip will feature a visit to the Tropicana nightclub. If you want to have dinner in town instead of on the ship, you will be picked up around 7:30 p.m. and taken to a local restaurant to experience typical Cuba cuisine. (The price of dinner is not included and will probably be $20-$35 per person.) After dinner, you will be driven to Havana’s Marianao neighborhood, home of the world famous Tropicana Nightclub. You will experience two hours of Cuban music, dancing, amazing costumes, singing, and variety acts during the Tropicana cabaret. The Tropicana revue gets the highest ratings of all the shows in Havana and is the “must see” show. The venue is outdoors under the stars. You will have premium seating at the show. Included is a small bottle of rum, coke, ice, and peanuts for every two people. The show begins at 10 p.m. and then you will be driven back to the cruise ship around midnight. The price for this excursion is $160. (The same trip booked through the cruise ship without premium seating or dinner transportation is $189.) By the way, Jan, Mark, Tina, and I are definitely going on this one and look forward to it!
4. Havana at Night Featuring the Tropicana Nightclub Show (without dinner) **SOLD OUT **
This is the exact same tour as #3 above (the Tropicana Nighclub) but without the dinner stop. If you choose to have dinner on the ship or in town, you will be picked up at 8:45 p.m. and driven directly to the Tropicana nightclub.
The price for this excursion is $155 and you will have preferential seating.
5. Evening at the Buena Vista Social Club **SOLD OUT **
For those people on a tighter budget or who just don’t like big revue-type shows, you might choose this tour. The Buena Vista Social Club offers a different type of show…it isn’t flashy and there are no feathers, but you will get to hear local musicians and there usually are a few dancers. The show changes nightly depending on which musicians are available. Your pickup will be at 8:45 for this 90-minute show which starts at 9:30. The club is very close to the cruise terminal.. Please note that you will not have preferential seating and it may be a bit smoky inside as smoking is allowed. I looked at the reviews online and most people really liked the music and the dancing but some said it was a bit crowded.
The price is $85 per person including transportation and three drinks at the show.
DAY TWO TOURS (NOVEMBER 9)
1. Vinales Tour (10 am-6pm) **SOLD OUT **
You will be driven 2-2.5 hours from Havana to discover the Vinales Valley National Park. During this drive, your guide will tell you about the history and culture of Cuba. Your tour will include a visit to a cigar plantation where you will learn how they make those famous Cuban cigars, a visit to a former slave refuge, time for lunch (not included), and free time in downtown Vinales to shop and get to know the community. You will return to the cruise terminal in time for dinner on the ship. Price for this tour is $125 per person.
2. Havana Tour Day Two **SOLD OUT **
Want to discover more about Havana? You will get to experience different things than you saw on the day one tour. You will visit a cigar factory and the Rum Museum, stop by an agrarian market where the locals buy their food (quite a different experience than in the US), and see more of the squares and the artsy section of Havana. You will go in groups of four in a classic car and can customize your itinerary with your guide.
The price for this tour is $120 including all admission fees.
3. Day Tour to Matanzas and Varadero Including Sightseeing and the Beach: **SOLD OUT **
Driving time to Matanzas is about an hour and 10 minutes and Varadero is 30 minutes past Matanzas so you will get to see a lot of Cuba on the way. You will travel in air conditioned classic hardtop cars. You will meet your guide and driver at 10am to begin the tour. The first stop is at the Jesus Christ of Havana statue to get a view of the city from the eastern side. Next stop is a scenic viewpoint at the Bacunayagua Bridge, the highest bridge in Cuba. We will have a toilet/refreshment stop there; rumor has it that they serve the best pina coladas on the island in a pineapple for about $5. We will arrive in Matanzas about noon and do a little sightseeing in the historical center. Next is a lunch stop at a local restaurant called El Carbon (great lobster at reasonable prices) and then we will spend the afternoon in Varadero at one of the most beautiful beaches in Cuba (also rated one of the best beaches in the world). The sand is soft and white and the water is a beautiful turquoise hue. We will spend 2-3 hours at the beach and then return to the ship around 6 p.m.
Because you will be in groups of four people per car, you can customize your tour to include more stops or delete some stops.
The price for this tour is $125.
Lunch and beach chair/umbrella rental are additional.
Note: If you are traveling alone, we will match you up with other people to make groups of four for the car transportation. We will need at least four people for each tour. If you are traveling with other people, please be sure to list their names so we can assign you to the same car. Price of the tours is subject to increase (for example if they fill up and we have to go to outside suppliers for more cars) until you have made your reservations and prepaid. Itineraries are subject to change slightly due to weather, traffic conditions, delays, etc.
Whichever tour(s) you choose, you might want to bring some toiletries or new or “gently” used clothing or toys to give to the local people. This is totally optional, but these items are useful to the locals.
Once you have decided which tour(s) you would like to book please click the "BOOK NOW" button below and fill in the booking form. It is very important that you write down the exact name of the one(s) you are interested in before leaving this page so that on the booking form you book the correct tour(s). Changes later may not be possible.
