Cuba Cruise Travel Guide Everything you need to know before you go

Getting There

Who can go to Cuba?

Americans can go to Cuba as a member of a tour group or as an individual traveling under one of the 12 categories authorized by the U.S. government. Those categories include family visits, religious, educational or humanitarian activities, journalism and professional research.

Before leaving port, passengers are asked by Fathom to check a box on an affidavit that most matches the purpose of their trip. But passengers may also declare they are going on a Fathom-guided program, and agree that they “will participate in the full-time schedule of educational and people-to-people exchange activities arranged by Fathom.” This led to some confusion and complaints during the first days in Havana when some passengers wanted to drop out of the walking tours and return to the ship. Some tour guides, provided by Fathom’s Cuban partner, the state-run Havanatur agency, told travelers they could not leave the group. Fathom quickly issued a clarification that passengers could “self-certify” that they are following U.S. regulations and do whatever exploring on their own they choose.

No one is watching individual travelers to see if they are engaging in so-called “people to people” activities while on the ground in Cuba. In effect, the only remaining U.S. ban is on tourist activities, such as spending all your time at a beach resort.

Is traveling to Cuba by ship a good way to see the country?

In a seven-day trip around the island, passengers spend two-thirds of their time at sea, and only about 50 hours on the ground in Cuba.

So a more time-efficient way to explore Cuba is to take a charter flight directly to Havana, Santiago de Cuba or one of several other Cuban cities and begin exploring from there. There are several ways to get around once in Cuba: Cuba’s domestic airline, state-run train or bus systems, rental cars.

The journey from Havana to Cienfuegos by train, bus or car takes about four hours or less. On the Adonia, the trip from Havana to the city on the south coast takes a full day and a half at sea as the ship sails around the western end of the island. During that time you could be reading about Cuba, or practicing your salsa moves to live music on board, but you won’t be seeing Cuba.

If you do decide the cruise option isn’t for you, travel agents and charter companies in the U.S. can make reservations for travel within Cuba before you go.

Most Adonia passengers, however, are making their first visit to a communist-ruled island that is just being opened up to American visitors, and many said the cruise provided a good introduction for subsequent exploration.

Can I plan my own trip to Cuba?

Yes. You can book a flight to Cuba through a charter services. The flight from Miami to Havana takes about 45 minutes. The average round trip fare: $400. The U.S. and Cuba have agreed to license 20 daily flights to Havana and 10 each to nine other Cuban cities. American Airlines, JetBlue and several other airlines are applying for those routes, but they have not been assigned. So you cannot yet call up an airline and book a flight.

Will I need to get a visa before I go to Cuba?

Visitors to Cuba are required to have a visa. When you book a trip to the island, Fathom and other tour operators provide the visas at an average cost of about $80. Cuban-born travelers who came to the U.S. after 1970 are required by the Cuban government to have a Cuban passport in addition to their U.S. passport. The cost of the visa and passport for those travelers is about $430.

What are the advantages of traveling by ship?

After a day of exploring a city on foot, many passengers appreciated being able to return to a floating hotel at the dock where they can find a hot shower, a good bed in a comfortable cabin and a cafeteria that is almost always open. Although there are fine restaurants in Cuba’s major cities, finding light fare while on-the-go touring is not always easy. There are no Starbucks, no fast food franchises. So the availability of consistent and plentiful food on board can be attractive.

The cruise line will also schedule optional onboard programs related to Cuba.

For those not comfortable wandering the streets of Cuba on their own, Fathom offers walking and coach tours to places such as national historic sites, organic farms and artist studios, and outside of Santiago de Cuba, the shrine to Cuba’s patron saint in the town of El Cobre. The cost of the tours is included in the price of the voyage.

What changes has Fathom made as a result of the first cruise?

Cuban tour guides are to get more training after complaints they were too inflexible and too stingy with information, and onboard programs on Cuban art, architecture and music will be beefed up, according to officials of Carnival Corp.’s Fathom brand.

Perhaps most importantly, passengers will be told they are free to leave conducted tours to wander around on their own.

Travelers will also be offered more choices of activities and restaurants in each of the Adonia’s stops in Havana, Cienfugos and Santiago de Cuba.

Each stop of the Cuba cruise

Passengers spend two full days in the Cuban capital of Havana, a sprawling city of more than 2 million. The historic attractions are many, the restaurants and privately-run paladares catering to tourists first-rate, and there are plenty of taxis, tour guides and shows to see. In a visit that lasts a total of 36 hours, passengers can get only a taste of the largest city in the Caribbean, a dynamic cultural mecca founded in 1514.

Cienfuegos, the Adonia’s second stop, is a city of 150,000 residents, filled with charm and French-influenced neoclassical architecture. Known as the “Pearl of the South,” Cienfuegos invites casual exploration, but the stop here is brief – just six hours. Many travelers said they would have enjoyed more time here.

Cuba’s second-largest city, Santiago de Cuba, on the island’s eastern end, is the home of rum and revolution. Flanked by the Sierra Maestra mountain range, this is where Fidel Castro launched the revolution in the early 1950s, and is a city with distinctive Afro-Cuban cultural influences. There is much to see – the old Bacardi factory, and the tomb of Jose Marti, for example – but Adonia passengers are on the ground for only about eight hours. As in Cienfuegos, the stop here is brief, forcing travelers make hard choices about how to use their time.

The 8-day long voyage begins at the Port of Miami before circling around the entire Cuban coast, stopping at the three of the country’s port cities along the way.

What is the ship like?

Launched in 2001, the Adonia has a capacity of 704 passengers, with a crew of more than 350. It is smaller than many cruise ships, enabling it to get into ports such as Havana, too shallow for bigger vessels. Many of the senior officers are British, and the crew includes men and women from more than 20 nations, including India and the Philippines.

The Adonia does not have a casino, and there are no Broadway-style shows. What it does offer, in addition to cruise ship basics such as a swimming pool, workout room, restaurants and bars, are various classes, such as Spanish, yoga, Cuban history, meditation and storytelling.

What does a voyage to Cuba on the Adonia cost?

Fares start at about $2,700 per person for an interior cabin, and rise to about $4,000 for an outside cabin with a balcony. Suites start at about $8,000. While at sea, all meals were provided. In port, breakfast and dinner was served on board, while lunch at a Cuban restaurant was included as part of a guided tour.