Q – Like many traveltruth fans, we have always wanted to go to Cuba. Now, it seems, things are opening up and we noticed that Tauck Tours is offering programs there next year. Can we book this and do you recommend this. Does Tauck have a decent reputation?
A – Tauck is, in our view, the world’s best First-Class Tour Operator. That is very different than being the world’s best “Deluxe” operator but for most upscale clients, Tauck is the most reliable, best organized, tour operator for sophisticated travelers who don’t need the top suite in the best hotel but welcome a company that does away with the stereotypical trappings of group travel such as name tags, guides hoisting umbrellas in the air to be followed, and trips to stores that pay kickbacks tot he company or the guide.
But Cuba is a different animal. The rules on “Exchange Programs” haven’t really been changed so the eight-day program Tauck runs in Cuba includes six days of “people-to-people” educational exchanges. You will be exposed to Cuban music and you will meet professionals and students. There is an exposure to Cuban art and an interesting series of insights into Ernest Hemingway’s Cuba. This is a tour that is different because portions of what you will see and do are directed by the government of Cuba, anxious to put its best foot forward. Expect your group to average 20-30 travelers and plan on one night in Miami followed by six nights at the Melia Habana Hotel.
It is always good to remember that American tourists are often a secondary factor when it comes to number of visitors. Cuba has been open to tourism for many years and so there is some local infrastructure. It is the Americans who have chosen to boycott the country and place limitations on the ability of its citizens to travel within the country unrestricted.
So, with that said, we think you should go. There is still space on several 2014 dates.
