Talk:Americans in Cuba

Anyway ,who cares about American citizens in Cuba? Maybe it's even better they stay out of there....203.160.1.43 23:56, 20 July 2008 (EDT)

I actually love Cuba and its people and my aunt is Cuban; technically I am 'from the united states' but I have no allegiance to it.... And I am shortly going to pursue UK/European citizenship. Why bash those of us so-called "Americans" who need this information? My god, some people just have no sense or class! Thank you for this great sub-article, to whoever wrote it. 69.204.255.34 21:13, 30 December 2009 (EST)

US Overflights

Since 2008, all Canada-international flights passing through US airspace, such as flights from Toronto to Cuba - have to provide passenger lists to US authorities. I'm trying to find out if any Americans have ever been nabbed for violating the embargo based on these flyover records. I'm trying to arrange for an American friend to join me on a bike trip to Cuba, and it's easier for them to drive to Vancouver and fly than to fly to Mexico and change planes (thus paying twice for their bike), but seems riskier in potentially generating a paper trail of their trip.

(WT-en) Neil 15:13, 22 January 2011 (EST)

travel

I flew in May from Toronto and had no problems

Knights of Columbus banned?

The article says the Knights of Columbus are banned in Cuba, but Wikipedia[1] says they are chartered in Cuba amongst other countries and I can't find anything about this ban elsewhere. Can anyone verify this? (WT-en) Hypertall 21:46, 10 September 2011 (EDT)

Cuba, Missouri

I hear Cuba, Missouri admits Americans. See Route 66. :) K7L (talk) 02:28, 2 November 2012 (CET)

Musical interlude

This article immediately puts me in mind of a song. Rchard Farina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Fari%C3%B1a) grew up in New York, had a Cuban father, visited in early 60s, and wrote this song for the House Unamerican Activities Committee.

Lyrics here http://mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=10283 performances on YouTube. Pashley (talk) 03:43, 2 November 2012 (CET)

Bribes

Does the mention of bribes here breach our illegal activities policy, or is the fact that the whole article concerns something illegal mean that anything goes? --Inas (talk) 04:52, 2 November 2012 (CET)

It does breach our policy, and isn't a good recommendation anyway, so I'm removing it. And yes, the whole article violates our policy... but I still think it should stay ;) --Peter ^Talk 05:12, 2 November 2012 (CET)

OK, not really the whole article. I myself have traveled there legally, under the somewhat dubious auspices of one of those licenses. --Peter ^Talk 05:15, 2 November 2012 (CET)

Penalties?

What does an American risk by going to Cuba illegally? Jail? A fine? Loss of the "misused" passport? Being added to some list that leads to hassles on future flights? Are these the same penalties as for another embargoed country, say North Korea?

What about a non-American? For example, I am Canadian, there are flights from here & friends report it is a nice cheap holiday. If I were to go, could I expect trouble the next time I wanted to enter the US? Pashley (talk) 16:42, 19 April 2013 (UTC)

Americans in Cuba: New Developments 01/2015

Swept in from the pub

I discovered recently our article Americans in Cuba, which it seems is in need of a significant update given recent events. Of course, it will also need updating once the U.S. establishes its embassy. Powers ^(talk) 20:20, 4 January 2015 (UTC)

It seems that the only travel-related changes that have been announced are minor changes that affect travellers in the existing categories of Americans that are permitted to visit Cuba. See this. I've added a diclaimerbox to the page, pointing to the State Dept. webpage about travel to Cuba and noted at the end that the information is subject to change & may become outdated. I also think it's important to highlight that not much change has occurred yet, since I imagine some people have heard that the sanctions will be eased and may naively think that all travel is now permitted. I also had an inclination to add "It is also important to note that some changes may be announced, but may not actually happen until legislation is passed by Congress" for that same reason, but decided to try to keep the disclaimerbox short and to the point. AHeneen (talk) 05:28, 5 January 2015 (UTC)

I tightened up the prose a bit in the infobox. -- AndreCarrotflower (talk) 05:47, 5 January 2015 (UTC)

The other major change that I'm aware of is that it's no longer illegal to bring Cuban cigars or rum back to the U.S., a prohibition that is explicitly mentioned at the bottom of the article. Is it worth updating that text to indicate the new value limits? Powers ^(talk) 21:30, 5 January 2015 (UTC)

New US-Cuba travel and trade rules 'set for Friday' -- The article is just a "breaking news" stub as I make this comment, with no details. Just says: "New travel and trade rules between the US and Cuba are to take effect on Friday, according to news agencies." AHeneen (talk) 14:23, 15 January 2015 (UTC)

Revisions

I've tried a couple of times now to start revising this article in light of the new restrictions, but I keep finding I just don't know enough to write good prose on it all. For example, I know that travelers can now import up to $400 in Cuban goods. But this article says "You are allowed to bring informational materials (books, CDs, records, etc.) and certain types of artwork into the United States, but importing other types of Cuban goods is not allowed." I don't know how to revise this sentence; are the informational materials and artwork exempt from the $400 limit, or are they covered under it?

Also, I understand that U.S.-issued credit and debit cards may now be usable in Cuba, but I have no information on how widely accepted they are, nor what effect this has on the foreign but U.S.-affiliated bank cards described in the article.

-- Powers ^(talk) 22:26, 13 February 2015 (UTC)

For decades now stores in Canadian tourist towns have had a good stock of premium-priced Havana cigars, mainly for the American tourists. Will they now be imported to the US and that business lost? Pashley (talk) 05:43, 14 February 2015 (UTC)

According to an article I just read today, only products made by private Cuban entrepreneurs can be imported commercially. Since rum and cigars are made under government auspices, they are not eligible for commercial importation. Powers ^(talk) 18:44, 15 February 2015 (UTC)

As I understand the text above there are two requirements that both have to be fulfilled. 1. You may only import informational materials and art but no other kinds of stuff (if you bring a single candy bar or a pen you could get fined) and 2. the value of what (books etc.) you import may not exceed $400. ϒpsilon (talk) 19:02, 15 February 2015 (UTC)

I'm not sure I understand your point. The sentence I quoted is out of date. You can now import all sorts of stuff, including cigars and rum. My question is whether the new $400 limit only applies to things that weren't exportable before. Powers ^(talk) 21:21, 15 February 2015 (UTC)

OK, I didn't know the sentence was outdated. ϒpsilon (talk) 20:11, 16 February 2015 (UTC)

Well that's rather the root of the problem. The entire article could be outdated, given recent events. I just don't know how much. Powers ^(talk) 20:40, 16 February 2015 (UTC)

Any good ideas here?

What Obama’s Cuban deal means for American travelers Pashley (talk) 16:30, 17 June 2015 (UTC)

Cigars and rum

I am confused by this edit by User:K7L, as I thought I read just the other day that President Obama had lifted the $100 limit on Cuban cigars and rum, allowing Americans to bring them in (from any country) for person use. Powers ^(talk) 21:24, 17 October 2016 (UTC)

The original news item is http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/14/americas/cuba-cigars-us-embargo-lifted/index.html although US Customs is still showing the old limit at https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/36/~/importing-cuban-cigars K7L (talk) 05:35, 18 October 2016 (UTC)

Flights

Now that commercial flights have begun to Havana, I fear this entire article is essentially out of date. Certainly the Get In section needs wholesale revision, as tourists now appear to be allowed to visit. Powers ^(talk) 02:38, 12 December 2016 (UTC)

This entire article will be out of date on Jan 20, 2017. Yuuuge problem there.

And no, tourists are not allowed to visit. "Travel-related transactions are permitted by general license for certain travel related to the following activities, subject to the criteria and conditions in each general license: family visits; official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and certain intergovernmental organizations; journalistic activity; professional research and professional meetings; educational activities; religious activities; public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions; support for the Cuban people; humanitarian projects; activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes; exportation, importation, or transmission of information or information materials; and certain authorized export transactions." ...but... "Is travel to Cuba for tourist activities permitted? No. " See [2] and [3]. K7L (talk) 02:51, 14 December 2016 (UTC)

I don't care about January 20, 2017. I mean, right now, it seems to be out of date. Powers ^(talk) 21:39, 14 December 2016 (UTC)

I intend to be hiding in Canada on January 20, 2017. :) In the meantime, I've tried to rewrite the section a bit. Go ahead and revert if it's rubbish. K7L (talk) 15:42, 15 December 2016 (UTC)

Cuba

Swept in from the pub

Unsure about this edit, rolling Americans in Cuba back to the version of 12:12, 18 October 2016‎. The situation regarding Cuba is not static and we're certainly not where we were in October due to a number of subsequent events: the first American Airlines flight from Miami to Havana in 50 years flew yesterday, Castro is dead, the outcome of the 2016 US election stands to undo much of the change made under Obama. It's an unfortunate quirk of the US electoral system that Florida (and maybe Ohio) can basically dictate the outcome of an entire presidential election; that does allow a small Cuba-expatriate group based primarily in Miami to dictate US foreign policy with bizarre results. K7L (talk) 18:19, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

No one has any idea what Trump is actually going to do, and that might even include Trump himself--he certainly doesn't give any details as to what he means by "a better deal". He could be serious, or it could just be another one of his boisterous campaign promises that means nothing once you scratch beneath the surface. At this stage, it's all speculation, which seems like a poor addition to our travel pages. PerryPlanet (talk) 19:27, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Furthermore (and I know this is the most technical of quibbles) Trump has not yet been elected. The American people have chosen electors, yes, but those electors have not yet met to certify that the person who won less votes will indeed become President. It is entirely possible (albeit a remote possibility) that the electors in their infinite wisdom decide to scatter their votes or otherwise make use of their rights under the constitution to determine the President. Furthermore there are recounts/audits ongoing, but those are unlikely to change the composition of the electoral college. At any rate, noting that changes are likely is a prudent course of actions, but as of yet we will not know what those changes may be. Obama might even hand over Guantanamo to Cuba as a lame duck gesture to create a problem for his successor. Such acts out of spite have happened, most notoriously during the excruciatingly long November-March transition from Buchanan to Lincoln, when secession already ran rampant but Buchanan did nothing. Hobbitschuster (talk) 19:39, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

WV is a travel guide, not a rolling commentary on the political situation in any country. Events such as the US election and Brexit (as examples) will have longer term travel impacts, but it doesn't serve the traveller for us to try and predict them. Plenty of other places on the Internet for that! --Andrewssi2 (talk) 19:55, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

True, but people who come to e.g. articles about Americans in Cuba or the United Kingdom and who (mis)heard something on (fake) news might be curious, so we should at least acknowledge that news mean things are in flux if it is so. We similarly describe(d) the turbulent early years of German long distance buses pretty much as they happened and still note that nothing is set in stone there. Hobbitschuster (talk) 20:14, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

The box already specifies that the situation can change unpredictably. It should also mention that commercial flights are now scheduled between the U.S. and Havana. Powers ^(talk) 21:59, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

At this point? The situation will change... the only question is how severely. To completely ignore the not-so-minor detail that Obama will no longer be in office on Jan 20, 2017 is a huge omission if he alone has been driving the effort to restore diplomatic ties to Cuba. K7L (talk) 03:12, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

It pays to mention that the incoming US President may change things, but let's keep in mind that Raul Castro is no spring chicken, either, and also that he could always offer Trump some profitable investments... Ikan Kekek (talk) 04:31, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Americans in Cuba debit cards

Swept in from the pub

On the page Americans in Cuba in the Buy sections there is reference to Duales , CaribbeanTransfers, Telecash-AIS and Monetaria. All link to dead web pages. Any of this information still actual? --Traveler100 (talk) 14:44, 6 November 2017 (UTC)