Excursions - Ship vs Private

I chose this trip because of the itinerary, which scheduled 3 nights in Havana, and also visited Cienfuegos and Santiago.

The ship is fine, not much to do. The food at the buffet (I did not eat at the dining room) was OK, not great, soups were awful, desserts limited.

Because of my booking date, I was able to do excursions on my own, although one is really on the honor system and it is possible to book private excursions. My problem with the ship excursions is that, because of the newest regulations, they emphasize "people to people" activities to the detriment of typical sightseeing.

For example, the ship excursions I joined included time consuming visits to "private artists" and galleries, as well as some cultural dance demonstrations that were interesting, but took time from visiting tourist spots.

I hired a private guide using the private agency "Customizing Cuba Tours" to visit Matanzas and Cardenas, two cities with personal ties. My guide, Hamlet, was OUTSTANDING. His agency was very professional throughout the booking process, and everything worked like a clock. The interaction in a private excursion is far more powerful than any other contrived "people to people" contact.

I also hired Hamlet to drive me around Havana to visit some of my childhood haunts, and again it was a most rewarding experience, thanks to Hamlet's professionalism. I highly recommend "Customizing Cuba Tours".