Hop a cruise ship that stops in historic Havana,
The easiest way to see Havana is via cruise ship
THERE may be a travel advisory in place for Americans visiting Cuba, but diehard cruisers aren’t listening. So much so that when Americanbased cruise lines began service to Cuba last year, they were inundated with bookings from passengers anxious to visit Havana before, well, the ships ruined it.
Time seems to have stood still in Cuba since John F. Kennedy’s 1962 embargo, yet the 42,426-square-mile Caribbean nation is embracing the tourist trade with entrepreneurial fervor. A lot of visitors are ferried in by giant vessels bearing insignia from Norwegian to Royal Caribbean, with most featuring an overnight stop in Havana.
I was a guest on Carnival’s five-night trip from Tampa, stopping in Key West before heading 97 miles south to the Cuban capital.
Luckily, the port is positioned in the heart of Habana Vieja (old Havana), so it’s an easy walk into the bustling streets, lined with bars and paladares — family-run eateries that have been springing up across the city, serving classic Cuban dishes like ropa vieja, tender pulled beef served with fresh, local vegetables. Horse-drawn carriages and the trademark vintage cars — imported before Fidel Castro took power in 1959 — await.
Cruises are a natural choice for multigenerational trips because of endless amenities and food, all-inclusive pricing and plannedout destinations, yet Cuba may not seem a natural choice. But Cubans have a familycentric culture that makes visiting a joy. Havana is also a living history lesson, with Spanish architecture and sites such as the Plaza de la Revolucion, one of the world’s biggest squares, featuring the wrought-iron visages of Castro and Che Guevara.
There are plenty of cruise-organized excursions where kids can join local musicians and dancers as well as take part in various community projects. Some families brought along school supplies to distribute.
Carnival runs five-, six- and eight-night Caribbean cruises from Miami and Tampa on the Carnival Paradise and Carnival Sensation with a stop at Havana (two nights on the eight-day cruise). Prices start at $309, plus a $75 visa fee, per person ( Carnival.
com). Travel must include a “people to people” element, which can be fulfilled with one of the excursions.
Little critters will especially love the wild suburb of Jaimanitas, now known as Fusterlandia after Cuban artist José Fuster, who created it. For the past 30 years, Fuster has spearheaded a Dr. Seuss-like makeover of 80 houses, which are now plastered with tile mosaics and sculptures. The area is effectively a walk-through community art project.
Families on our cruise were also keen to explore the nation’s unique link to author Ernest Hemingway. (What middleschool student hasn’t read “The Old Man and the Sea”?) From 1940, he lived there for 20 years, and has achieved cult status.
We drove to his house Finca Vigía( aka “lookout estate”) in San Francisco de Paula 9 miles outside the city, in an immaculate 1956 Chevy Bel Air, courtesy of Old Car Tours (from $50; OldCarTours.com).
For $5, visitors can explore the lush, tropical grounds and look through the doors and windows. (Since it’s under renovation, you can’t go inside.) Instead, we stopped at a tiny roadside bar to try a Coctel Vigía — the pineapple, rum and sugar cane drink that Hemingway invented (under-21s can get a virgin version). The ingredients are crushed through a crank-operated wringer, which customers are encouraged to churn.
Havana at night makes for lively strolling. For tired little ones, pedicabs serve as a fun mode of transport. The paladares’ tables spill onto the cobblestone streets, live Latin music fills the air, and the Cuban rum mojitos are delicious, plentiful and cheap. What more could you want?