CUBA LIBRE Board Member Phyllis Goldstein visits the once off-limits island nation BY STEPHEN VRATTOS Photos by Phyllis Goldstein Traveling to Cuba was never on North Shore Towers Board Member Phyllis Goldstein’s “bucket list.” Even when relations between the Communist nation and United States resumed at the end of 2014 after more than fifty years and citizens of both countries were allowed to more freely visit one another, Goldstein was indifferent about the prospects of vacationing there. Still, as a global gadabout, Goldstein was itching to hit the high seas and go somewhere during the long winter months and the current unrest in Europe made traveling there unappealing. Fortunately, the rave review of an August cruise to Cuba enjoyed by fellow co-op companions put the island nation squarely in Goldstein’s sights, and this past November 27, she and husband Mitch, along with another NST colleague with her partner, Alan and Annie, embarked from Miami for a seven-day Cuban cruise. As fate would have it, longtime Cuban President Fidel Castro died on November 25, the day before Goldstein and company flew to Miami to begin their voyage. The ship, which would normally accommodate more than 700 passengers left port with under 500, and Goldstein believes this may have been the result of cancelations prompted by the death of the country’s leader. But Goldstein and her travel-mates were unswayed and the ship left as scheduled with them on board. Goldstein’s party traveled on the “Adonia,” part of the Fathom Cruise Line, which is owned by Carnival, and she quickly recognized the type as a sister to the one she and Mitch used on a cruise to Alaska a couple of years ago… well, not quite. Though the design was the same, the quality of services and amenities on board were of a lesser degree. The cost, however, was twice that of their northern sojourn, far exceeding even the most generous 2-year inflation estimation. Goldstein suspects the Cuban Government enjoying a healthy percentage of every cruise to her shores going into her coffers may account for this. The hotel accommodations, too, would be a shock to most Americans, whose expectations when traveling are greater than those of world travelers from outside the U.S. No surprise, since the Cuban government has not had to cater to American visitors for more than a half century. As a result, what the country considers a 5-star hotel, may not reach more than a 1-star in most Americans’ eyes. The cruise stopped at three prominent sites: Santiago de Cuba on the southeastern end, Cienfuegos, further west on the southern shoreline and Havana, the nation’s capital, located on the northern western shore. Historians may recall the first stop as the site of the famous Battle of San Juan Hill, during the Spanish-American War, on July 1, 1898, where Commander Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders achieved their greatest victory. More than half a century later, Santiago de Cuba served as the jumping off point for the revolution in 1953. The Cuban Convertible Peso, known as the CUC, is the country’s monetary unit, but since it is not recognized outside of her borders, travelers can only exchange their money upon arrival at the first port of their journey and vice versa, remaining CUCs must be converted back at the final embarkation point from the island. As luck would have it, the exchange office ran out of American dollars, when Goldstein and company were leaving, so she opted for Euros. Trips to Cuba are dissimilar from traditional trips in that they are delineated “people to people cultural exchanges,” meaning each stop must include some sort of event, wherein visitors experience something specific to the culture of the Cuban people, whether that be exposure to the arts, historic Phyllis and Mitch Goldstein Gran Teatro de La Habana "Marx" brother 12 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ February 2017
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