Cuba Cruise Summer Special
High season sailings at limited-time, exclusive low season prices: Havana, Cienfuegos, Santiago de Cuba & Montego Bay, Jamaica
Overview
Style | Independent PackageThese un-escorted packages have no set schedule or guides, so you have the freedom and flexibility to explore on your own from your centrally-located hotel. More of these packages
Freedom to explore at your own pace; unescorted |
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Departures | |||
Themes | History & Culture, Small Ship Cruises | ||
What to Expect | This educational program includes a reasonable amount of walking or hiking and requires an average level of physical fitness. The Celestyal Crystal may have up to 1,200 passengers. Travel safely and confidently with our new health & safety protocols. | ||
Already booked? | Find everything you need to know before you go, including information about passport & visa requirements, flights, luggage, and more. |
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In partnership with Celestyal Cruises, we're bringing you this spectacular and exclusive summer special for June – August sailings. This last minute deal offers 50% off your cruise fare, with round-trip flights from Miami to Havana included. These last-minute deals are an unbeatable low season price for high season Caribbean travel.
This Cuba Cruise Summer Special program explores the colors, culture and welcoming people of this captivating Caribbean island with all the convenience and enjoyment of cruising. You’ll embark aboard the Celestyal Crystal in Havana, and make additional ports of call in Cienfuegos, Santiago de Cuba, and Montego Bay, Jamaica. You'll experience true People-to-People tourism both onboard, with lectures, classes and entertainment, and during your included tours and sightseeing on land, all designed to introduce you to the people of Cuba and provide ample opportunities to interact with them in meaningful and rewarding ways.
For those who enjoy cruising and are looking for an incredibly affordable way to visit Cuba, you won’t want to miss this opportunity. Your ship, the Celestyal Crystal, has a yacht inspired design with classic teak promenade decks evoking an intimate atmosphere, with all the amenities of a hotel at sea, including: spacious staterooms and suites; pool with Helios pool bar; fitness center and spa, and a casual and fine dining restaurant. But this is a special last minute offer expiring May 31, and space is very limited. So hurry, because we know you won't find a better value to Cuba anywhere else.
Package includes
- Flights
- Cruise
- Transfers
- Meals
- Guides
- Nonstop round-trip flights from Miami to Havana including fuel surcharges, taxes and fees
- Round trip transfers from Havana Airport to port
- 7 nights standard inside cabins (Cat IB) aboard the Celestyal Crystal
- Unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink package
- Port charges of $234 per person included
- Cruise gratuities of $70 per person included
- 20 meals: 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 7 dinners
- 3 People-to-People shore excursions
- On board People-to-People program including lectures and entertainment
- U.S. Treasury Department, OFAC License Certification and Authorization Letter
- Cuba Entrance Visa
- Health insurance in Cuba (mandatory)
Optional add-ons
- Evening visits in Havana
Why you'll love it
- Visit the real San Juan Hill
- Learn to dance Salsa, Rumba & Cha Cha like a Cuban
- Enjoy lively lectures on Cuba's fascinating history
- Learn about the history of rum
- Watch how Cuban cigars are hand rolled
- Attend a Cuban cooking demonstration
- Learn to make mojitos like a pro
- Meet Cubans where they live, work & play
Videos
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Depart Miami/Arrive Havana/Embarkation
7 nights Celestyal Crystal. Dinner.
- Depart Miami on your flight bound for Havana, Cuba
- Arrive in Havana and transfer to the port to board your cruise
- Evening optional shore excursions in Havana
Full Day Itinerary: Today, your exciting voyage begins as you arrive in Miami for your short flight to Havana, Cuba. Upon arrival collect your luggage, continue through customs formalities, and meet our representative who will transfer you from the airport to the port. Check into your cabin and have some time to explore the ship and its amenities. Embarkation must be completed from 1:00pm-11:00pm.
Enjoy your evening at leisure, take part in exciting optional excursions, or explore the nightlife of Havana on your own.
Optional Excursion: Tropicana Cabaret, $149 (shore excursion purchased on board). The internationally known Tropicana is the biggest nightclub in Havana. Every night, more than 200 dancers and singers perform on stage, accompanied by a giant orchestra. Your price includes the show with preferred seating, welcome drink, and a quarter bottle of Havana Club rum with drink mixers and snacks.
Optional Excursion: Buena Vista Social Club Tribute, $110 (shore excursion purchased on board). Revel in this incredible tribute show to the Buena Vista Social Club, a spectacular act with world-class performers. See salsa and bolero numbers performed by some of the original Buena Vista Social Club members and Grammy-award winners.
Optional Excursion: City Tour at Night with Dinner, $83 (shore excursion purchased on board). Step back in time, deep into Old Havana and its fortifications, as you take a night tour of its spectacular plazas – each with its own architectural character: including the Plaza de Armas, Castillo de la Real Fuerza, the Plaza de la Catedral and the Old Square. Then depart for the Fortaleza De San Carlos De La Cabana, to witness a ceremonial cannon shot, signaling the closure of the city gates. Then, head to one of Havana’s famous Paladares for dinner.
Day 2: Havana
Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
- Lecture - An introduction to the musical instruments that make Cuba unique
- N’Sila Che Che performance of Afro-Cuban music and dance
- Afternoon tour of Havana
- Ship sets sail at 10:00pm
- Evening discussion about Cuban Flora and Fauna
- Dance like a Cuban!
Full Day Itinerary: Begin your day with an onboard introduction to instruments that create the distinctive sounds of Cuban music. Following the introduction to Cuban instruments, enjoy a performance of N’Sila Che Che, a form of Afro-Cuban music and dance, by a group of artists from the Municipal Museum of Regla.
Afterwards, feel free to disembark and enjoy time to explore Havana on your own, before returning to the ship for lunch.
After lunch, visit the Museo de la Revolución. Later, stroll along Old Havana’s cobblestone streets or visit the Museo de Bellas Artes.
Join your fellow travelers this evening for an interesting presentation on the flora and fauna of Cuba’s unique ecosystem.
Tonight, join the Cuban dance instructor’s out on the floor and show off your newly learned dancing skills, with music by an authentic Cuban band!
Day 3: At Sea, en route to Cienfuegos
Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
- Enjoy a day of on board activities
Full Day Itinerary: Enjoy a day of leisure with on board activities.
Day 4: Cienfuegos
Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
- Arrive in Cienfuegos this morning, ship in port 8:00am-3:00pm
- Enjoy a shore excursion in Cienfuegos
- Lecture on the Musicality of the Cuban People
- Open discussion to review the People-to-People experience of the last week
- Learn to make a Cuban Cocktail
- Dance like a Cuban finale!
Full Day Itinerary: This morning arrive in Cienfuegos, known as “the Pearl of the South.” Visit the University of Cienfuegos for a rare opportunity to meet the university’s engaging professors and hear their insights of the city’s history.
Continue on a tour of the city center, including the famous opera house and theater, Teatro Terry.
Visit the Graphic Society of Cienfuegos to meet with local artists who lead programs for young artists with special needs.
Then, experience the Spanish-Moorish architecture of Palacio de Valle, built to resemble an ornate Moroccan casbah. Return to the ship for lunch, or enjoy a meal at one of Cienfuego’s paladares and explore a little more on your own.
This afternoon, learn about the Musicality of the Cuban people, followed by an open discussion with your fellow travelers and the Cuban crew about your experiences on this people-to-people journey around Cuba.
Enjoy a mixology lesson this evening, to learn how some of Cuba’s best cocktails are shaken and stirred. While mixing, the bartender’s will share the origins and stories behind each beverage.
Tonight, put on your dancing shoes and dance the night away at the final Cuban dance party!
Day 5: Montego Bay, Jamaica
Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
- Arrive in Montego Bay, Jamaica, ship in port 8:00am-8:00pm
- Enjoy the morning at leisure or take advantage of onboard activities
- Attend an afternoon lecture about Visual Arts in Cuba
- Salsa dancing lessons
Full Day Itinerary: Arrive in Montego Bay, Jamaica and enjoy the morning at leisure or take advantage of onboard activities. Later, enjoy a lecture and discussion about the distinctive trends which have emerged in Cuban visual arts.
Tonight, join professional Cuban dance instructors onboard the ship to learn the rhythms of salsa dancing!
Day 6: Santiago de Cuba
Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
- Arrive in Santiago de Cuba this morning, ship in port 8:00am-4:00pm
- Enjoy a morning shore excursion of Santiago de Cuba
- Attend a lecture on Cuban history
- Meet and mingle with the Cuban staff
- Rumba dancing lessons
Full Day Itinerary: This morning, visit the city of Santiago de Cuba. Meet with a historian and director of the African Cultural Center for a presentation followed by a dance performance.
Then, continue on to visit three of the most iconic sites in Santiago. Visit a memorial to Antonio Maceo, the “Bronze Titan”, who led two wars for independence against the Spanish. Then stop at San Juan Hill, where Teddy Roosevelt and his rough riders defeated the Spanish during the Cuban-Spanish-American War. Lastly, visit Moncada Barracks where Fidel and Raul Castro began their 1953 assault on the Batista regime.
Afterwards, return to the ship for lunch, or stay in town for some independent exploration.
This afternoon, attend a lecture on the fascinating history of Cuba. Then, spend some time with the on-board Cuban staff. Hear what it was like to grow up in Cuba and immerse yourself in their stories of daily life and culture.
Later this evening, learn the seductive Rumba from expert Cuban dance instructors.Day 7: At Sea, en route to Havana
Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
- Spend the day at sea including on-board People-to-People activities
- Cuban cooking demonstration
- Presentation about Cuban cigars
- Documentary film about Cuba
- Popular Cuban Culture lecture: El Ajiaco
- Presentation on the history of Rum
- Meet and mingle with the Cuban staff
- Evening discussion and question & answer session about Cuba
- Cha-Cha dancing lessons
Full Day Itinerary: This morning, enjoy a cooking demonstration and discover some of the many flavors of Cuban cuisine. The chef will show how Creole and Spanish cuisine blend to create an authentic Cuban dish, with simple, hearty flavor.
Attend a presentation to learn about the history of the origins of tobacco in Cuba and see first-hand how the famous Cuban cigars are individually hand-rolled.
Watch a fascinating and informative documentary film about Cuba.
Attend a lecture on popular Cuban Culture, namely how foods such as “Ajiaco,” one of the staples of Cuban cuisine, are thought to be symbolic of Cuban culture. Cuba’s geography and national symbols as well as historical places will also be discussed.
Then, join your fellow travelers for an overview of the history of the rum industry and culture in Cuba, and how rum became Cuba’s national drink.
Later, spend more time with the on-board Cuban staff and have the opportunity to ask questions about their experiences growing up on the island while sharing with them your own stories about growing up in the USA.
Tonight, join the professor in residence for an in-depth discussion about what sets Cuba apart from her Latin American neighbors, followed by a question and answer session.
After dinner, expert Cuban dance instructors will teach you how to Cha Cha.
Day 8: Disembarkation/Depart Havana/Arrive Miami
Breakfast.
- Enjoy breakfast on board this morning
- Disembark between 11:00am and 1:00pm, and transfer to the airport for your flight back to Miami
- Your journey comes to an end as you touch down in Miami later today
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Trip Details
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What should I know before I go? We've compiled a comprehensive checklist, including information on how to pay your balance due, flights & transfers, packing & luggage, and more.
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Do I need a visa or other documents? Are there any entry requirements? Travel visas are required for this package. Please review the visa & entry requirements.
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Can I make changes to my trip? Want to upgrade your seats? Depart from another city? Something else? Just ask!
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Can I bring my kids? Are there any age restrictions? To book this package, you must be 21 or older. Your traveling companions must be 8 or older at time of travel.
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Should I purchase travel insurance? Yes! We recommend you purchase travel insurance to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected. For your convenience, we offer a plan provided by Travelex Insurance Services.
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What's the fine print? Review the terms & conditions for this package.
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What should I know about Cuba? Check out our guide for practical travel tips, the best time to go, videos, and more.