Cuba Question

[drdisney]

I'm going to be going on the Disney Magic in Oct and I 've been on 4 Carnival Cruises and All of them say the same thing. No products are allowed from Cuba.My Question is WHY ? I'm a 24year old and I've tried looking into this on the web and have found nothing.Can anybody tell me why are we so mad at Cuba. It Looks Like Cuba is the Only Country in the world that we have a ban on and I can't understand why.Thanks everyone for your help on this

[mcnuss]

Please don't take offense at this, but are you kidding? You were not taught in school why we have a trade embargo with Cuba? I am no teacher but here is an article that will help you to understand. http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?z=1&pg=2&ti=761569844&cid=147#p147

Whether you end up agreeing or disagreeing, you'll at least be informed. Good reading.

[gottaluvdisney]

I am 31 yrs old now and when I look back to my high school History teacher....I see how kids can go without being taught properly. He based his grades A, B, C, etc on a bonus point system. He would give say 1,000 points to a person who answered a question correctly...then the next question if it was harder you got 10,000...and sometime when he went crazy he would give 1 million bonus points or 3 million bonus points....and some of his 'history' would be on the Bible as he was really religious. He actually told my Japanese exchange student that Budha didn't exist and would question you in class if you believed in God and people would get bonus points for that....anyway so at the end of a semester the top 5 students in bonus points would get an 'A' then next 5 would get an 'B' and so on. He went in order of rows, so it was all how the questions fell and he would skip around so it wasn't consistent. To say the least, I didn't stay long and chose to take Economics to fill my credit needed. Needless to say, my parents made a complaint after the Budha incident and nothing was done about it.

And I could go on about my English teacher...but that is a whole other topic!...

I was never and still not good in History or Politics but I am just glad I have great parents who taught me a lot of life's lessons.

[drdisney]

Thanks for the link. I never knew that this whole thing started by sugar.I've always heard of the "Bay of Pigs " and the Cuban Missle problem .Hopefully in the future the U.S. and Cuba can work this thing out :)

[Werner Weiss]

Click here (http://www.state.gov/p/wha/rls/fs/2001/2558.htm) see what the US Department of State says about US-Cuba relations.

There are cruise ships that go to Cuba -- but not ones from any of the US cruise lines that you're familiar with. For example, the European cruise line Festival Cruises (http://www.festivalcruises.com/english/default.htm) calls on Cuban ports as part of itineraries departing from Caribbean ports such as Santo Domingo. They also offer itineraries that begin and end in Havana. To Europeans, Canadians, and others with non-US passports, Cuba is a vacation option. But any US travelers to Cuba must comply with stringent US laws -- or must be willing to break US laws (which I certainly wouldn't recommend).

Passengers on the Disney Magic can buy Cuban cigars in St. Maarten. But don't even think of binging them back into the US.

[Dave_from_Marietta]

You might want to consider renting "13 Days" (<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0146309">link</a>), an excellent dramatization of the Cuban Missle Crisis. Although this movie doesn't really explain the whole Bay of Pigs thing, it does give you an excellent feeling for the stand-off we've been experiencing for the last 40 years or so.

[JimB.]

FYI, if you are caught trying to bring cuban cigars back into the United States, the fine can be up to $2000............................

per

cigar.


You will probably just have to destroy them, but if you happen to run into a customs agent having a bad day, it could be ugly.......

and expensive.

[Tluvs2talk]

I know a few people on our cruise to St. Maarten were talking about taking the cuban brand wrapper's off of the cigars and bringing some back to the US. I would think officials would be able to spot them with or without the wrappers. I would not want to take a chance.....

[padisneyfan]

I thought US citzens weren't allowed to travel to Cuba, but from what I'm reading on this post is that you are able to if you follow certain guidelines. I remember when we were in Cancun there were trips to Cuba for non US citizens. I guess that is why I thought we weren't able to travel there at all. However, Pres Carter was just there a few weeks ago. Just call me confused? Not that I plan to travel there.

[Fawn]

My Aunt is a fairly well-respected Hispanic artist, and was invited to Cuba for a showing of her works several years ago. As far as I know, she had no trouble getting permission to travel there.

[drdisney]

I don't care for cigars since I don't smoke. I am more into there cooking and way of life and such.Even though we have had problems in the past I'm sure there are some things the US can learn from Cuba and Visa Versa.I heard some of there Chicken Dishes are wonderful, Far Better then what you would find in Miami or the States.

[ducklite]

Originally posted by Fawn
My Aunt is a fairly well-respected Hispanic artist, and was invited to Cuba for a showing of her works several years ago. As far as I know, she had no trouble getting permission to travel there.

US Citizens can get visas to visit Cuba for various cultural and humanitarian purposes. Doctors without Borders and Habitat for Humanity send people there for example.

Some US citizens also circumvent the rules by traveling to another countrfirst, then accessing Cuba from there, however US Immigration is on to this and watching, and with what I hear it's rather unpleasant when they catch you.

Anne

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by padisneyfan
I thought US citzens weren't allowed to travel to Cuba, but from what I'm reading on this post is that you are able to if you follow certain guidelines.
Here are the rules for US citizens travelling to Cuba: http://travel.state.gov/cuba.html

You have to be licensed by the US Treasury Department to go to Cuba, and there are requirements that you must meet to obtain a license. You can't get a license just to go on vacation, but you can get for a license if you meet defined qualifications.

According to the Web page, "The Cuban Assets Control Regulations of the U.S. Treasury Department require that persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction be licensed to engage in any transaction related to travel to, from and within Cuba. Transactions related to tourist travel are not licensable. This restriction includes tourist travel to Cuba from or through a third country such as Mexico or Canada."

Also, "Failure to comply with Department of Treasury regulations may result in civil penalties and criminal prosecution upon return to the United States." No thanks. I won't go to Cuba while these regulations are in effect.

But some day, relations between the US and Cuba will improve, and Cuban itineraries will become very common on 3, 4, and 7 night cruises from Florida. That's because Cuba is so close to Florida.

[Señor Ferrari]

Originally posted by drdisney
It Looks Like Cuba is the Only Country in the world that we have a ban on....

Actually, I believe the U.S. currently has trade emgargoes on Iran, Iraq, the Sudan, and until recently, Pakistan and Afghanistan. I think we still have some sort of restrictions with North Korea and Vietnam, but I'm not sure about that.

I would love to go to Cuba some day. From what I understand, Cuba would love to become a port of call for Caribbean cruisers. However, the way our laws currently read, there's a long period of time required before any ship which calls at Cuba can call in the US. It may be as long as a year.

A European cruise line, Costa, I believe, is supposed to homeport a ship in the Dominican Republic next summer, and sail an itinerary which calls at Havana. I don't think that they'll even market these trips in the U.S.

[aprilgail2]

Originally posted by mcnuss
Please don't take offense at this, but are you kidding? You were not taught in school why we have a trade embargo with Cuba?


I am 39 and I can honestly say that I never learned anything about Cuba while we were in school either!

[Fawn]

Originally posted by ducklite


US Citizens can get visas to visit Cuba for various cultural and humanitarian purposes.

Anne

Well, that must be it! I believe she was invited there by the Cuban government. It was an cultural/art exhibition, so I guess that is why Immigration allowed it.

I know she said that the Cuban people were wonderful, and she enjoyed her trip. Although very poor, the island is naturally beautiful!

[drdisney]

I Feel There is ALWAYS two sides to a story.After going on many cruises and hearing the same thing over and over about no items from cuba, All I wanted to know was why. I don't understand why were going to let something that happend almost over 20 years ago stop us from discovering new ways of life.

[Mjasp]

Don't we have a military base of some sort there. I thought we had some Afganistan prisoners there.

[MdmMim]

It was a pretty scary time to grow up--we had air raid drills at school all the time, where we had to go out into the hallway, kneel down in front of our lockers, and cover our heads with our hands. (This was when I was in elementary school--we were just little kids.) People talked about building bomb shelters, and nuclear fallout shelters were set up in many locations. I remember a magazine (I think it was Parade) in which there was a Communist timetable for taking over the world--I'll never forget that thing--I can still see it! When the Bay of Pigs incident was going on, I thought we were all going to die. I was scared!

Enough of the reminiscings of an Old Bat! I'll get back to my rocking chair now...

[Mjasp]

MDM...I remember that also. And the black and yellow fallout shelter signs in school hallways.

Rocking away here also.

[Fawn]

I'll join ya in that rocking chair! My kids take history in school, but they will never understand as well as those of us who lived thru it. There is no cold war in their memory...no Berlin wall...no crouching under your desks in school during drills...nobody chatting about building bomb shelters at dinner.

I'm thankful they don't have those memories. But their generation will remember Desert Storm, the Towers, the Pentagon, and the war we are now living with. Each generation has their burdens.

But hopefully, we will all NEVER forget how incredibly lucky we are to be living in the United States of America!

Wow...cigars to patriotism. How's that for six degrees of separation! :smooth:

[LarryC]

Originally posted by Mjasp
Don't we have a military base of some sort there. I thought we had some Afganistan prisoners there.

Yes, we do. The United States Navy has a base IN CUBA. It is known as Guantanamo Bay, and it where we are currently incarcerating the Afghan prisoners.

U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay is the oldest U.S. base overseas and the only one in a Communist country. Located on the southeast corner of Cuba, in the Oriente Province, the base is about 400 air miles from Miami, Florida.

In December 1903, the United States leased the 45 square miles of land and water for use as a coaling station. A treaty reaffirmed the lease in 1934 granting Cuba and her trading partners free access through the bay, payment of $2,000 in gold per year, equating to $4,085 today, and a requirement that both the U.S. and Cuba must mutually consent to terminate the lease.

Diplomatic relations with Cuba were cut in 1961 by President Dwight Eisenhower. At this time, many Cubans sought refuge on the base. U.S. Marines and Cuban militiamen began patrolling opposite sides of the base's 17.4 mile fenceline. Today, U.S. Marines and Cuba's "Frontier Brigade" still man fenceline posts 24 hours a day.

[Mjasp]

Thats it Guantanamo Bay! I knew we did just didn't remember the name. See I guess I'll stop rocking for a while, I'm not that old, I still have memory. LOL

[iluvorlando]

My DH and his family (FIL is retired USN) lived in G.B. for 2 years!! Loved that goat milk!:rolleyes:

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Originally posted by drdisney

I don't understand why were going to let something that happend almost over 20 years ago stop us from discovering new ways of life.

It was actually over 40 years ago, but there are many, many Cuban exiles living here in the U.S. and to them it was as if only yesterday. They were seperated from families and other loved ones and they had family fortunes seized by the Cuban government. They are now very influential in U.S. politics, particularly in Southern Florida. Anytime the U.S. makes overtures suggesting the normalization of relations with Cuba, you will hear from these folks.

If you're interested in learning more about Cuba, the Miami Herald covers both the country and our relations with Cuba on an ongoing basis.

www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/cuba/