Sarasota World Affairs Council (SWAC) is pleased to announce and invite SWAC members to join its first Educational and Cultural Trip to Cuba, from March 28 to April 1, 2016. The tour will be limited to 50 participants and will emphasize the historic and cultural aspects of Havana. It will also cover the visits made by Pope John Paul II in 1998, Pope Benedict XI in 2012, and Pope Francis in 2015 and the role these visits played in the restoration of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States.
In the spirit of people-to-people exchange, SWAC participants will interact with the people of Cuba during their 5-day, 4-night trip, which will include:
Tour of Old Havana and architectural sites
Museum of Fine Art
Museum of the Revolution
Historic Old Cathedral of Havana
Revolution Square site of the three historic Papal masses
Hemingway Trail
National Hotel tour and history
Capitolio tour (currently under renovation)
El Morro Tour (site of the sinking of the Maine)
Audience with Cardinal Ortega - the role of the Catholic Church in Cuba today
University of Havana tour and current student-exchange programs
Oceanic research overview in association with the Mote Marine Lab.
The all-inclusive price is $1,850.00 per person, double occupancy. This price includes round-trip airfare from Miami, all meals and beverages, a 5-star hotel, luxury bus liner each day (air conditioned and with a bathroom), an English-speaking guide, and all visa and airport fees. Single rooms are available for an additional $250. A down payment of $1,000 dollars is due by February 28, 2016, with the balance due by March 10, 2016. All payments are final and non-refundable.
For those not wishing to drive to and from Miami, a bus will depart from the entrance of the Ringling Museum at a cost of $25 per person each way. For those who would like to drive to Miami, we are pursuing a special arrangement with an airport hotel that also offers complementary parking for the time you are in Cuba.
For more information on this historic trip, please contact SWAC Board Member and Cuba expert Mr. Jorge Fernandez at 215-859-3275 or jifernandez1@aol.com. Mr. Fernandez has conducted many similar tours to his homeland since 1998 and most recently led a group of 50 from Sarasota last September during the visit of Pope Francis. We are very pleased and grateful that he has offered to organize this trip for SWAC as well as lead the group.
To reserve a place, please send a check for $1,000 per person, made out to VA- Cuba Tour (with the memo line reading SWAC 2016 Cuba Tour), along with a Xerox copy of your passport, your mother's maiden name, and your address to:
Mr. Jorge Fernandez SWAC Cuba Tour Director P.O. Box 44 Lahaska, PA 18931
Since this trip is being organize by SWAC, a non-profit organization, we encourage a separate, tax-deductible donation to SWAC for arranging this tour. We hope you will be generous, as we have chosen this option rather than adding a set per-person fee to the price of this trip.
Please join us for this amazing opportunity!