We are going to have a fun day for our Cienfuegos Cuba Cruise Excursion, so be sure to get up early so you can watch the ship enter the bay and dock, it’s a beautiful sight on a tropical morning.
This will be a bus tour, as we have a lot of ground to cover. Our first stop will be an early morning produce market. It is hard to figure out what is going on as it seems like we are the only ones here other than the vendors. Not a lot of food but it sure is an interesting market.
Benny More was a Cuban singer, songwriter and bandleader in the 50’s. He was instrumental in the formation of Banda Gigante, one of the leading big bands in Cuba at that time. His famous song “Cienfuegos Es La Ciudad Que Mas Me Gusta a Mi” is being used as a slogan for Cienfuegos in this tattered, but still great sign. There is Benny to the right and his trademark hat and baton on top of Cienfuegos.
Next in line for our Cienfuegos Cuba Cruise Excursion, we will head to the town center and learn more about the history of this French Colonial city. As usual there are always some beautifully maintained 50’s American cars to take photos of, like this Chevy.
That yellow building behind the green Chevy is the Teatro Tomas Terry, built in 1890 and declared a National Monument in 1978. The theater can accommodate 950 spectators on 4 levels, The frescoes inside are spectacular and guess what? Yes, we are going inside for a concert. I find it best to go upstairs and find a seat there as you get a more impressive view of this magnificent piece of architecture. I have been to 2 concerts here so far and have seen some of the best performances of my life.
From here, we will head up along the coast, get your camera ready. Look across the bay and you will get a fine view of your ship.
There is some fine French Colonial architecture to gaze on like the Encanto Palacio Azul Hotel, while we head to our next destination.
Next up is the majestic Club Cienfuegos with grass tennis court out front!
Now we have arrived at the Hotel Jagua, a Mid Century architectural dream hotel, let’s pull up in the driveway and park.
The lobby of the hotel has constantly changing art exhibits, check out Salvador Dali.
Have a seat and watch the action surrounded be even more art.
Please note, this is one of the best places to get cigars. On the other side, behind the reception desk there is a row of gift shops with one specializing in cigars. Stock up here, easy and the price is great. You can even get some 7 yr old Havana Club rum.
The pool is a sight to see, a lot of our perceptions of Cuba definitely don’t look like this. It did seem like there were very few guests at the hotel as it was very hot and the pool was essentially empty.
Let’s get back on the bus and head towards town and we will drive by a Cuban Baseball Stadium. This is the home of the Cinefuegos Elefantes. Yasiel Puig of the MLB played with the Elefantes before coming to the US. I would so love to rent a room in a house nearby and go to the games every day.
We will be dropped off in town to walk around and do some shopping. Here’s a bronze of Benny More with a billboard of Che Guevera in the background. If you open your eyes, you will see so many amazing things on this Cienfuegos Cuba Cruise Excursion.
Cubans are given a ration book and this provides them with very low cost food on a monthly basis. We happened to walk past one of the ration shops. Note the shelves filled with one thing, cooking oil.
We will also walk by a fine shop to pick up a full range of Cuban Rums. If you have room, get a bottle of Aguardiente Mulata. It is a white agricole rum produced directly from the clear juices of sugar cane. Unique and oh so good!!
Time to end our Cienfuegos Cuba Cruise Excursion and head back to the ship to cruise on to our next destination. Be sure to be on deck when we leave the bay. So much fun to wave and say goodbye to our Cuban hosts.
And we have a list of some suggested books on Cuba that will make your experience more meaningful. having a deeper understanding of past and present Cuba will open your eyes and hearts to this wonderful and enigmatic island. Click on our Books For Your Cuba Cruise page.
Whether you are Cruising to Cuba on board Royal Caribbean, Fathom, Oceania, Norwegian, Azamara, Viking or Carnival be sure to work a Cienfuegos Cuba Cruise Excursion into your plans!