Baseball Diplomacy Finds Its Place in U.S.-Cuba Relations: Hall of Fame Texas Rangers Broadcaster Eric Nadel Returns to Host Baseball Tour in Cuba with insightCuba in December

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., March 30, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following Eric Nadel's much applauded Baseball in Cuba tour with insightCuba in December 2014, die-hard baseball fans have an extra reason to cheer. Since President Obama's loosening of travel restrictions to the once off limits neighboring island, travel to Cuba for sports reasons has never been more accessible. The change in the air is electrifying. And for the game of baseball, it couldn't be truer. Sport fans can dust off their baseball caps this December 11-17, 2015 as the Hall of Fame Texas Ranger broadcaster returns to Cuba to host a small group of Americans on a unique 7-day, 6-night journey with insightCuba to see a side of Cuba few Americans have ever seen.

"There's a shared connection between the U.S. and Cuba, and it has to do with baseball. Eric brought our American guests, local Cubans, and Cuban baseball players together to share stories, smiles, and make friendships for the first time in decades," says Tom Popper, president of insightCuba.

InsightCuba, the leading provider of authorized people-to-people travel to Cuba for U.S. citizens since 2000 and Eric Nadel are resuming this Specialty Cuba tour following the success of last December's inaugural trip. Guests on the tour will experience Cuba and baseball through Eric's eyes as he offers his Major League Baseball insider perspective. 

"When our last group was in Havana with me, it was incredible. Blending my lifelong experience in Major League Baseball, with my passion for Cuba, and knowledge of Cuban baseball provided our guests a truly once in a lifetime experience," says Nadel, who continues, "but to top it off, we were in Havana when President Obama and Raul Castro made their bilateral announcement about improving relations. We were part of history as it was unfolding."   

The 7-days tour starts in Havana, where representatives of Cuba Deportes will offer insight into the world of Cuban sports. Then, a first encounter with Cuba's vibrant art scene will take place at Callejon de Hamel in Havana Centro. Here, participants will discover the noted African influences spanning the Caribbean nation.

The tour will journey next into the Matanzas and Pinar del Rio provinces, at the guidance of Eric Nadel and insightCuba's local guide, which will include meeting with notable sports figures and attending Cuban baseball games, all while discovering Cuba's unrivaled lure and splendor. In Matanzas, guests will visit Palmar del Junco, where, in 1874, the first official game of Cuban baseball was played, and take in their very first game on Cuban soil, on Matanzas' Pablo Avelino Stadium. It's in Pinar del Rio, the Caribbean haven famous for its rustling tobacco fields, that cigar lovers will witness first hand the ins and outs of Cuban tobacco production at a tobacco farm.

The remaining days in Havana will encompass a variety of people-to-people outings: meeting Regla's little league baseball team, and commuting as the locals do, on the Regla ferry, visiting the dynamic artists and musicians behind Muraleando, one of Havana's most groundbreaking projects, as well as relishing the rare opportunity to meet some of Cuba's retired baseball stars over cocktails at the iconic Hotel Nacional. In addition, participants will get a snapshot into the lives and work of Cuban photographers at Havana's Fototeca, which houses one of the city's few darkrooms, while in Parque Central, a lively discussion on Cuban baseball will ensue at Havana's infamous "esquina caliente."

And yet, it's not just about baseball on this sports tour. Similar to all the Signature Cuba tours insightCuba offers, travelers will savor the local, Cuban cuisine at popular, privately owned paladares.

Price for Eric Nadel's Baseball in Cuba Tour, December 11-17^th 2015, is $4,595 for double occupancy, with no additional charge for single occupancy.

What's Included:

• Tour hosted by Eric Nadel, broadcaster for the Texas Rangers.
• Superior accommodations at the Melia Cohiba in Havana
• insightCuba exclusive-guided programming
• Experienced insightCuba tour leader
• Expert Cuban guide
• Private Cuban driver
• All meals while in Cuba, except for two paladar evening dining experiences on your own
• All in-country ground transportation, and airport transfers
• U.S. Department of the Treasury general license and certificate of travel
• All in-country ground transportation, and airport transfers
• All entrance fees to scheduled activities and events
• Flight package (cost additional) including; round-trip charter air; all ground transportation, and airport transfers in from in Miami and Havana as part of the tour
• Fresh bottled water while touring
• Travel health insurance, emergency medical evacuation, and trip cancellation coverage (up to $1,000)
• insightCuba travel guidebook
• 24 hour emergency customer service hotline
• Gratuities for luggage handling, restaurant service, and programmed activities throughout tour
• Small group size (usually 16 or fewer; never more than 24)
• Tickets for scheduled baseball games

Flight package comes at an additional cost of $645, including round-trip charter air from Miami to Cuba, priority check-in at Miami International Airport, Cuban visa and baggage fee for the first checked bag, and Cuban airport departure tax. For more information on Eric Nadel's Baseball in Cuba tour, visit www.insightcuba.com or call 800-450-2822 to speak with expert insightCuba travel specialist.

Biography:  Eric Nadel, the winner of the 2014 Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame, has been broadcasting Texas Rangers baseball for 36 years. He has learned Spanish to better communicate with Latin American players and has traveled widely in Latin America, taking part in baseball broadcasts in Venezuela, Dominican Republic and Cuba. Eric is a seven-time recipient of the Texas Sportscaster of the Year Award and a member of the Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York and graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in Political Science.  

About insightCuba
InsightCuba is the leading provider and pioneer in legal people-to-people travel for Americans to Cuba. Since its inception in 2000, the organization has sent more than 12,000 guests to Cuba and has crafted hundreds of custom group tours.  When travel to Cuba was reauthorized for all Americans in 2011, this not-for-profit company (a division of Cross-Cultural Solutions) was the first to bring American travelers back to Cuba. InsightCuba offers six, regularly scheduled Signature Cuba tours with more than 150 departures annually, a series of Specialty Cuba tours, and dozens of custom group tours each year.

SOURCE insightCuba

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