Cuba Discovery
Nov 13 - 18, 2023 | Premier World Discovery | Havana, Cuba
From $4899*
About this trip U.S. travelers can still travel to Cuba! Premier World Discovery allows you to travel legally to Cuba under the new OFAC Regulations, which were published on June 5, 2019. Our scheduled tours follow the General License category of “Support for the Cuban People,” and our itineraries include activities that are intended to strengthen civil society in Cuba. Every day’s program is designed to promote independence for the Cuban people and is complete with meaningful interactions with the Cuban people. We operate these tours under an OFAC (the Office of Foreign Assets Control) general license, under section 31 CFR § 515.572(a)(1), to provide travel services to U.S. travelers to Cuba. Our tours meet all requirements listed by section 31 CFR § 515.574 for Support for the Cuban People. We also organize tours in several of the other 11 categories of travel that are permitted, including § 515.565 (educational activities), § 515.566 (religious activities), and § 515.575 (humanitarian projects). Our immersive Cuba tours provide a rich and authentic way to learn about the lives of Cubans while also sharing our perspectives on the world with them. Our goal is for there to be a mutual benefit to all involved as we learn from each other. Your participation in our Cuba tours supports the Cuban entrepreneurs that provide us with private services along the way. Traveling to Cuba with Premier World Discovery provides a hassle-free, fully legal way for Americans to visit, experience, and check off that “bucket list” to Cuba you have always dreamed of. With over 22 years of specializing in global group travel and operating tours in Cuba since 2012, servicing thousands of travelers and hundreds of groups to Cuba. We are experts in finding and offering authentic experiences that get you behind the scenes to understand Cuba's rich culture and history. Our extensive network of guides, drivers, restaurant owners, artists, and more is essential to the success of your travels in Cuba. We offer pre-set /scheduled departures to Cuba that allow you to book and enjoy immersive tours to Cuba with experts that provide unique exposure to a dynamic and diverse culture. Travelers must have a full-time schedule of activities that enhance contact with the Cuban people and result in meaningful interactions with individuals in Cuba. Our expertly designed tours provide this rich content every day. Premier World Discovery’s tours include a schedule of interesting, educational, interactive, and meaningful exchange activities; these tours are not self-directed or self-guided. Trips are fully scheduled, and activities are immersive and incredibly insightful for the Cuban visitor. - Premier World Discovery
Highlights • Museum of the Revolution • Old Havana Walking Tour • Artist Jose Fuster • Cigar Factory Tour • Colon Cemetery • Havana Club Rum Museum • Hemingway’s Farm • Habana Compas Dance Group Performance • Old Style Classic Car Club • Nacional Hotel Tour • Pinar Del Rio & Vinales Valley • Tobacco Farm & Farmhouse Visit
Details *Price is per person based on room occupancy chosen. Tour is operated by Premier World Discovery as a disclosed principal. The deposit is $600 per person. Your check or credit card is welcome. The tour balance is due August 13 with a discount of $100/person if paid by check. The document required for US Citizens is Passport valid through May 18, 2024, with two blank pages and a Cuban visa (application fees are included in the package price). Other citizens should consult their consulate (Cuban-born passengers require a different Visa process and additional costs). • Click for more information about this Premier World Discovery leaving from Champaign. Insurance coverage available is Premier’s TPP; for coverage details, see premierworlddiscovery.com/tpp.html covering cancellation charges; other terms at steviejaytravel.com/terms are incorporated by reference. • Price and details are subject to change. Acct#231113
Tour Activity Level EASY 1 2 (3) 4 ACTIVE on a scale of 1 to 4, the tour is a 3, more active than average. Level 1: The tour operates at a very leisurely pace and involves some minimal physical activity such as climbing stairs, boarding a motorcoach, walking into a museum or other venue and walking from the hotel reception area to hotel rooms and dining areas. Level 2: This tour requires average physical activity. You should be in good health, able to walk some stairs and walk reasonable distances, possibly over uneven ground and cobblestoned streets. Level 3: This tour includes moderate physical activity. The itinerary blends some longer days with shorter days. You should be in good health, able to walk a flight of stairs or more and participate in walking tours or nature walks, possibly over uneven ground and cobblestoned streets with periods of standing. There could be some early and late activities, and temperature and altitude changes. Level 4: This tour is active, requiring participants to be in good physical shape to fully enjoy the experiences. This itinerary has more activities which may include such things as longer walking tours over uneven ground, transfers over uneven and dusty terrain, high altitudes or very early morning departures. All conditions do not apply to all days, so please read the itinerary carefully and speak to one of our Reservations Coordinators to determine if this tour is right for you. Unfortunately, this tour is not appropriate for individuals who use wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, or similar equipment.
Travel & Save! The Premier Compass Club rewards our valued guests with special recognition and a Compass Club Loyalty Credit on future tours and cruises. Guests who have completed a trip will automatically be enrolled and will receive an additional $100 per person or $200 per couple Compass Club Loyalty Credit applied to their next Premier World Discovery tour or River Cruise. Loyalty Credit is valid for 24 months from your last tour.
Travel Protection Plan option for Refund FULL REFUND if sick and unable to travel*, or if canceling for any reason, get a 75% credit towards a future Premier World Discovery tour later in the year (the latter applies up to 48 hours before scheduled departure). The optional Travel Protection Plan costs $375 per person and is not refundable. The Travel Protection Plan also includes Post-Departure coverages for Trip Interruption and Delay, Baggage & Personal Effects and Delay, Emergency Accident/Sickness Medical Expense, Emergency Evacuation/Repatriation of Remains, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Non-Insurance and Emergency Travel Assistance Services 24/7. premierworlddiscovery.com/tpp.html *You are also covered if there is a death in the immediate family.
Accommodations 5 nights 5 Nights - Grand Hotel Aston La Habana, or Quinta Avenida Habana Hotel, Havana
What’s included • Round trip motor coach transportation from Central Illinois • Round trip airfare • Round trip transfers from airport to hotel Premier tour director, baggage handling, air-conditioned transportation, sightseeing and admissions per itinerary • Bilingual CubanTour Guide • Cuban Health Insurance • 12 Meals: 5 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, and 3 Dinners • Current air departure taxes, fees, and Cuba visa • Hotel accommodations • Features per itinerary • Gratuities for Hotel Porters, Wait Staff at included Meals, Local Step on Guides and All People to People Visits & Interactions • People to People Interactions
What’s included • Round trip motor coach transportation from Central Illinois • Round trip airfare • Round trip transfers from airport to hotel Premier tour director, baggage handling, air-conditioned transportation, sightseeing, and admissions per itinerary • Bilingual CubanTour Guide • Cuban Health Insurance • 12 Meals: 5 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, and 3 Dinners • Current air departure taxes, fees, and Cuba visa • Hotel accommodations • Features per itinerary • Gratuities for Hotel Porters, Wait Staff at included Meals, Local Step on Guides and All People to People Visits & Interactions • People to People Interactions
What's Not Included • Travel insurance Premier World Discovery's TPP plan is available at an extra charge of $375 per person • Tips to Tour director and drivers, allow $70-110 per person • Local tour host—we get you to Chicago O'Hare & checked in—then Premier Tour Director meets you on arrival • Airline checked bag fee currently, there is no charge for checking a bag, but this is subject to change • Any tax/fuel surcharges • Price not yet reduced by $100 per person discount for paying the balance by check
Itinerary
Day 1, 11/13/23 Monday: Central Illinois-Chicago/O'Hare-Havana Upon arrival in Havana at the Jose Marti International Airport and clearing customs, meet your local English-speaking Cuban Guide outside the baggage terminal. Your drive from the airport orients you to Cuba’s enigmatic capital city, whose nearly 500-year Old Havana is home to the largest collections of Spanish- Colonial architecture in the Americas. Make a photo stop and learn more about the Plaza de la Revolucion, the center of Cuban political life where millions of Cubans listened to speeches of Fidel Castro. Religion has always played an important role in Cuban society. Enjoy a fascinating walking tour of the Colon Cemetery, founded in 1876 and noted for its elaborate sculpted memorials containing more than 500 major mausoleums and chapels. The cemetery is the final resting place for famous Cubans, including artists, writers, musicians, and ballplayers. Check into your hotel and unpack for your five-night stay. Dinner is included at a local restaurant in Havana this evening. (D) Overnight: Havana
Day 2, 11/14/23 Tuesday: Old Havana (UNESCO) - Museum of the Revolution This morning enjoy a guided walking tour of pedestrian-only Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. See the beautiful Cathedral de la Havana, built in baroque style in 1748, and learn about its preservation and continuous restoration. Next, enjoy a fascinating tour of the Havana Club Rum Museum with a local Cuban rum expert to learn about the history and process of making Cuban Rum and an opportunity to sample the differences. Following lunch at a local Paladar in Old Havana this afternoon, we visit the famous Museum of the Revolution, which displays documents, artifacts, weapons, and planes from the revolution. Learn about the Bay of Pigs, the 1961 historic clash between the CIA-trained Cuban exiles & rebel forces. Next, head to the charming fishing village of Jaimanitas to visit the incredible Home and Work Shop of world-famous artist, painter, and ceramicist Jose Fuster often called the “Picasso of Cuba.” He has adorned an entire neighborhood with colorful, ornate mosaics. Here we spend time discussing the influence of the artist’s work and their lives and community. Dinner is on your own this evening, allowing you to explore Havana's fine restaurants, cuisine, and Jazz clubs. Perhaps even take in the world-famous Tropicana Cabaret Show on your own, which offers an evening of music and history at this famous nightclub show that presents song-and-dance performances of 1950s Cuba. (B,L) Overnight: Havana Photo below: A blue oldtimer taxi is driving through Habana Vieja
Day 3, 11/15/23 Wednesday: Havana-Cigar Factory-Habana Compas Following breakfast, we begin the day with a fascinating visit and guided tour with a local cigar expert to the La Corona Cigar Factory. See firsthand and learn about the history and the process of hand-rolled Cuban cigars. The factory rolls such brands as Hoya de Monterrey and Cuaba & Punch. Next, enjoy a performance by the amazing Habana Compas Dance Group. Interact with the students and teachers to learn more about the Cuban dance culture. Next, tour the famous Nacional Hotel, once Havana’s flagship hotel that has hosted celebrities and world leaders during its heydays, such as Winston Churchill and Frank Sinatra, to name a few. Free time to explore this historic property housing pictures and nostalgia from a bygone era or even sip a Mojito on the patio. Meet a former famous professional Cuban baseball player and discuss the history and love of this game in Cuba and the U.S. Dinner is included this evening at a local Paladar. (B,L,D) Overnight: Havana Photo below: Cuban woman with a cigar
Day 4, 11/16/23 Thursday: Havana-Vinales Valley (UNESCO)-Pinar Del Rio Today we travel out of Havana and into the rural Cuban countryside to the Vinales Valley, located in the westernmost mountainous range in Cuba and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This region, the western province of Pinar del Rio, is known for its stunning scenery, a landscape of prehistoric-looking flat-top mountains or “mogotes,” tobacco plantations, caves, and rivers. Next, visit a traditional Tobacco Farm and Farmhouse to meet with the farmer to learn about tobacco cultivation and the drying process and experience a cigar rolling demonstration inside the drying hut. Enjoy a visit inside his farmhouse, meeting and interacting with his family while enjoying some Cuban coffee. A great opportunity to witness up close how Cuban families live in a rural setting. Next, enjoy lunch at the beautiful Finca Paraiso Paladar (organic farm), offering incredible panoramic views of the Vinales Valley and an opportunity to meet the Cuban family that owns this organic farm. Later stop at the Los Jasmines viewpoint offering incredible views of the Vinales Valley and an opportunity to enjoy the spectacular scenery and take photos of this beautiful and unique region of Cuba. Return to Havana later this afternoon with the evening on your own to explore Havana’s many outstanding Paladars, Jazz clubs or simply relax. (B,L) Overnight: Havana Photo below: Viñales Valley & Mogotes
Day 5, 11/17/23 Friday: Havana-Hemingway Farm-Classic Car Club Next, enter the world of Ernest Hemingway with a visit to Hemingway’s Farm, Finca La Vigia (meaning ‘lookout house’). This beautiful property hosts the house where the Nobel Prize winner lived with his wife Martha for 21 years. View the perfectly preserved home where many of Hemingway's personal furniture and belongings remain intact. View his famous boat on display, the Pilar, which he used to patrol for Nazis in the Caribbean waters and featured in his novel “Islands in the Stream.” A photo stop is made at the Morro Castle, built in 1589 to protect the mouth of the Havana Harbor. “Morro” in Spanish means a rock that is very visible from the sea and therefore serves as a navigational landmark. Perched on the headland on the opposite side of the harbor from Old Havana, it can be viewed from miles around as it dominates the port entrance. Next, visit the San Jose Craft Market and Art Center to meet and interact with the local artists to discuss and learn the importance of their art in Cuban culture. Learn from the artists who share their experiences pursuing the arts with limited access to materials and funding. Before dinner, meet the local Old Style Car Club owners. A chance to interact and talk with the owners, learn why Havana’s streets are filled with vintage American automobiles, and understand what it takes to keep them on the road. Enjoy a drive through the streets of Havana in a vintage car to your farewell dinner at one of Havana’s top local Paladars. After dinner, you can meet and discuss with the owners how this private Paladar enterprise works in Cuba. (B,L,D) Overnight: Havana Photo below: first, see the American classic car club's prizes, then ride in one to our farewell dinner
Day 6, 11/18/23 Saturday: Havana-Flight Back to Chicago O'Hare-Champaign Following breakfast this morning, we’ll transfer to the airport for our return flight back to Chicago with incredible memories of Cuba's amazing people and culture. Board motor coach to Champaign. (B) Photo below: Downtown Havana skyline
Map
Price
Double Traveler $4,899* - Most rooms have one or two beds. If you prefer two beds, note that, and we will request it. Price is per person based on two sharing the room. If you are booking separately from your roommate, please choose this.
Single Room $5,499* - This room has one twin bed for one person. The number of single rooms is limited.
Triple Room Traveler $4,849* - This room is for three people. The number of triple rooms is limited, so they usually must be booked early. The price is per person based on three sharing the room.
No Deposit Payment is required when Requesting a Booking to Cuba. We will contact you about that. Thank you.
Then the balance is due by 8/13/23 & if paid by check, you get a $100* discount.
*All amounts are Per Person. Optional Travel Protection Plan +$375.
Questions: Bill Owen 217 619-0202
Booking Form
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