Cuba | Bainbridge Band Boosters 2020-OLD
Cienfuegos, Trinidad and Havana
April 4 – 12, 2020
$3,195 per person in double or triple occupancy
Single room: Add $650
Join Cross Cultural Journeys and Bainbridge Band Boosters on an exciting learning journey as we explore the roots of Cuban music, art and culture. You will get a chance to participate in music classes; rehearsals; as well as private and public concerts with our Cuban brothers and sisters. Begin your journey in historic Santa Clara; and continue to the colonial towns of Cienfuegos and Trinidad before arriving in Havana a 5-day musical and cultural exchange. You will spend time visiting with and rehearsing with up-and-coming Cuban music students in their studios and music conservatories. You will have a chance to interact with the Cuban people who always welcome visitors with friendly smiles, laughter, and conversation.
The emphasis of the journey will be on music, exchanges with the Cuban music students, and intercultural learning. A unique time in the country's history, this is a chance to experience Cuba up close as restrictions on open travel to Cuban are still in place*.
*IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING TRAVEL TO CUBA AFTER JUNE 5th, 2019:
Travel to Cuba from the United States is allowed under 11 OFAC categories, with support from organizations such as Cross Cultural Journeys.
Cross Cultural Journeys received a legal People-to-People license from the US government to take Americans to Cuba for the first time in 1998. With over 50 visits since that time, CCJ has built strong relationships in Cuba's cultural, music and arts scenes, as well as with government officials, teachers and many local communities and individual people across the island. In January of 2015, President Obama loosened the restrictions for Americans on some travel to Cuba. Since then, Cuba has seen an immediate surge in American travelers by the thousands, something that will expectantly continue for the next several years.
After a couple of years of tightening the US embargo against our island neighbor, the current US administration prohibited travel under the category "People-to-People" on June 5th, 2019.
The Bainbridge Band Boosters itinerary is tailored to the "Support for the Cuban People" category of travel.
Restrictions will apply. Individual travel and tourism without a full-time tailored itinerary and for a specific purpose is once again prohibited by the US government.
If you have questions about traveling to Cuba after June 5th, 2019, please call our office at 1-800-353-2276.
Daily Itinerary:
Day 1 | Santa Clara Arrive at the Santa Clara airport and be met by your Cuban English speaking guide. Drive to lunch at outdoor paladar that is an art and theatre project for local artists of the area. A paladar is a privately-owned restaurant usually in someone’s home. This afternoon visit the Che Guevera and Tren Blinado monuments and hear the history of the Revolution. Check into your hotel. Time for a swim and relaxation after a day of travel. Buffet dinner at the hotel followed by nightly outing to a music establishment. Santa Clara Hotel (L/D)
TRINIDAD, in central Cuba, is one of the best preserved cities in the Caribbean. Dating back to a time when sugar trade was the main industry in the region, it offers exquisite Spanish Colonial architecture and warm, friendly people. A day spent within Trinidad’s streets is essential to exploring local arts and crafts, especially textiles.
Day 2 |Trinidad After breakfast at the hotel, drive to the UNESCO town of colonial Trinidad, enjoying a walking tour of the historic area with a local guide and learn. Visit a music school and hear a performance from a local youth band (TBD). Visit the artisan’s street for crafts or jive on local music at Casa de Trova. Visit the artist galleries. Lunch on own at Sol y Ananda or any other of the other numerous fabulous restaurants in Trinidad. In the early evening enjoy group salsa class in the old ruins at Casa de la Música. Dinner at the hotel. Nightly outing at Casa de la Música. Trinidad Hotel (B/D)
Cienfuegos Cuba’s La Perla del Sur, the “Pearl of
the South” summons travelers from around the world, drawn into its seductive melee of French Colonial spirit and architecture. A relatively young city, Cienfuegos was settled in 1819 by French and Louisianan immigrants and to this day retains much of its former charm, leading to its 2005 declaration as an UNESCO World Heritage site.
Day 3 | Cienfuegos After breakfast, we drive to the historic French colonial town of Cienfuegos, called the Pearl of the Caribbean. Visit the plazas and the Art Galleries around the main square. We will enjoy a private concert by either the Cienfuegos choir or an incredible guitar ensemble. Lunch on your own. Afternoon visit to Thomas Terry theater. Dinner at Villa Lagarto with performance by local violin group. Cienfuegos Hotel (B/D)
HAVANA, only 90 miles off the shores of the Florida Keys, is one of the most romantic and bustling cities of the Caribbean islands. The Malecón (waterfront) is washed day and night by the Atlantic Ocean's deep blue crushing waves. Next to the crumbling pastel facades, the sidewalks fill with young musicians and artists, and local Cubans on their way to and from work. All over town, you will find amazing small family run restaurants, and despite the country's limited resources, they are able to provide visitors with some of the most exquisite and creative cuisine of the region. Enjoy music and dance at local bars and clubs along the cobble stones streets in Old Town or at the Jazz and Blues clubs in Havana's Vedado district and Miramar neighborhoods. Meet amazing contemporary young painters and sculptors, visit art galleries and museums you will never forget. Don't miss visiting a cigar factory or trying the local specialties; Mojitos and frozen daiquiris made with the local Havana Club or Santiago rum! Finally, check out a true Havana treasure, only 45 minutes away, the white sand beach of Santa Maria.
Day 4 | Havana After breakfast we depart for Havana. Lunch en-route to Havana at a roadside stop for Cuban sandwiches. Arrive and check in to your Havana hotel. Time to relax by the poolside. Dinner at a paladar in Old Havana. Havana Hotel (B/L/D)
Day 5 | Havana After breakfast we depart to join a Master Class at Amadeo Roldán Music Conservatory or Escuela Nacional de Arte (La ENA). Lunch at La Moneda, a rooftop paladar overlooking the old city and the fortress. After lunch, we take a walking tour of Old Havana visiting its four plazas and historic architecture. If time permits, visit the Taller de Grafica, an artist co-op started by Che Guevera. Dinner at the hotel, before departing for an evening performance at a Havana concert venue (TBD). Havana Hotel (B/L/D)
Day 6 | Havana After breakfast we depart to join a Master Class and get to jam with the full-time music students at Amadeo Roldán Music Conservatory or Escuela Nacional de Arte (La ENA). Lunch at a nearby paladar. In the afternoon we visit Museo de Bellas Artes Cuban art collection and the Museum of the Revolution in the Presidential Palace. Return to the hotel. Dinner on your own. Nightly outing at Zorra y el Cuervo Jazz Club. Havana Hotel (B/L)
Day 7 | Havana After breakfast, depart to visit Ernest Hemingway's Finca La Vigia, his last residence in Cuba, followed by lunch at Casa Grande in Cojimar. Afternoon music classes and set up at Casa Miglis in Vedado (TBD). Dinner on your own. Havana Hotel (B/L)
Day 8 | Havana After breakfast, we visit Cajejón de Hamel to learn about rhumba music and Santería, the African spiritism of Cuba. Lunch on your own. After lunch, we prepare for our finale concert at Casa Miglis. We will invite the students from the music conservatories to join us. Farewell dinner at Casa Miglis and jam session with our Cuban friends. Havana Hotel (B, D)
Day 9 | Havana / Home After breakfast, we bid Cuba farewell and depart for the José Martí Airport and our flights back home. (B)
April 4 – 12, 2020
$3,195 per person in double or triple occupancy
Single room: Add $650
COST: $3,195 per person in double or triple occupancy
SINGLE ROOM: Add $650
DEPOSIT: To be able to book accommodation and your space CCJ requests a $595 deposit per person at time of booking
TRIP DEPOSIT: $595 due by September 30, 2019
PAYMENT PLAN available
JOURNEY DETAILS:
INCLUDED: Documentation and itinerary for legal travel to Cuba from the United States; medical insurance while in Cuba (i.e. not emergency evacuation – check with your health insurance); in country transportation per itinerary; accommodation in double occupancy; best available hotels outside Havana; full breakfast buffet (B) daily at the hotel; lunch and dinner (L/D) per itinerary; Cuban English speaking local guide; one CCJ trip manager; guest speakers; all entrance fees on itinerary; preparation materials; tips for bellman and included meals on itinerary; bottled water on the bus.
NOT INCLUDED: Cuba Entry Card (obtained together with your air travel to Cuba – information will be sent after registration). Meals not on itinerary; alcoholic beverages; excursions not on the itinerary; tips for local guide and driver (optional, yet customary); travel cancellation and evacuation insurance (strongly recommended, info will be sent upon registration).
NOTES: This itinerary is subject to change to take advantage of the serendipity of the moment when we are in Cuba... to meet someone special, to engage in an activity that might occur unexpectedly, or to accommodate circumstances beyond our control. Restaurants or hotels may change in similar category.
TRAVEL PROTECTION: Cross Cultural Journeys recommends that you purchase a travel protection plan to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected. Travel protection plans include coverage for Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Emergency Medical and Emergency Evacuation/Repatriation, Trip Delay, Baggage Delay and more.
Contact Cross Cultural Journeys at (800) 353-2276 to learn more about how to help protect you and your trip investment.
Please Note: To be eligible for the waiver of pre-existing medical condition exclusion, the protection plan must be purchased within15 days (Travel Basic) or 21 days (Travel Select) from the time you make your initial trip deposit. However, the plan can be purchased any time prior to departure.
The product descriptions provided here are only brief summaries and may be changed without notice. The full coverage terms and details, including limitations and exclusions, are contained in the insurance policy. If you have questions about coverage available under our plans, please review the policy or contact Travelex Insurance Services at 800.228.9792 or email customersolutions@travelexinsurance.com. Travelex CA Agency License #0D10209. All products listed are underwritten by, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company (formerly known as Stonewall Insurance Company), 1314 Douglas Street, Suite 1400, Omaha, NE 68102. 11.17 E7N
| ACTIVITY LEVEL: This journey requires participants to be able to walk a couple hours each day. There are many times to rest but ability to keep up the group’s pace is essential. There will be some events that will go late into the night, and some that will require an earlier start to the day. It is essential for group coherence and legal requirements that all travelers adhere to the itinerary and only go off on their own when free time permits them to do so. Most people find no issues with the activity level but those with any conditions should call our office to discuss their limitations. |
Our Team is Here to Help
Call: (800) 353-2276
321 High School Road NE, Suite D3, Box 353, Bainbridge Island, WA, 98110
