Cuba - Travel agent for American traveling to Cuba via Cancun?

Hi FT,

I realize that many of these questions have been asked (and answered) in this subforum, but as it's among the least-trafficked subforms I've ever seen on FT, I wanted to ask again. Any and all advice is very much appreciated.

My wife and I will be at a wedding in Playa del Carmen south of Cancun from May 15-17, and our tickets back to the US via Cancun aren't until the 26th. We would like to fly to Havana on the 17th and back on the 24th.

My wife has booked a casa particular in Havana for our first three nights, but I need to find an agent who can help:

Book the airline tickets
Arrange transfer from Havana airport to the casa particular
Reserve a hotel in Trinidad or Pinar del Rio for the remaining four nights
Arrange transfer from Havana to the above destinations and then back to the Havana airport
Hopefully help book some day outings from the second city and potentially hire a guide


Neither my wife nor I speak Spanish, and as we're American citizens we understand that we need to go through an agent in another country and be careful about what we say/carry on our way back into the US.

Again, thanks in advance for any advice anyone can offer. I've spoken with a couple agents that have basically given me the creeps - long response times, difficult to get on the phone, and generally not someone I want to trust with a trip like this - unless I get a ringing endorsement from someone here.

Thanks!

You could book airline tickets directly on Cubana's wesbite:

www.cubana.cu

I am an American and I am invited to visit Cuba with some Mexican friends early next year. I need to know if I will able to purchase a vacation package with my US based CC? The charge will be in Mexican pesos through a Mexican travel agency. Secondly, I would like to know if I will be able to credit my flight to my MexicanaGo account without any problem? The flight will be a RT flight from Cancun to Havana.

Thanks...

I don't think the Treasury Department under Geitner is going to be prosecuting Americans for spending money in Cuba.

Honestly, I would not feel scared using your US credit card or crediting your miles to MX.

Thank you MatthewLAX.

Neither my wife nor I speak Spanish, and as we're American citizens we understand that we need to go through an agent in another country and be careful about what we say/carry on our way back into the US.


MatthewLAX may be right that no one is going to enforce this old law now, but how does it work to be "careful" about what you say when you return?

If the agent says, "Where did you visit?", and you say "Mexico", and he says, "Did you visit any other country?", what do you say then?

If the agent says, "Where did you visit?", and you say "Mexico", and he says, "Did you visit any other country?", what do you say then?

You say no, because Cuba will not stamp your passport if you ask them not to.

You say no, because Cuba will not stamp your passport if you ask them not to.

Yes, but it's still a lie if you say "no", isn't it?

Yes, but it's still a lie if you say "no", isn't it?

Yes.