ABOUT
Krista Severeid – Cuba Travel Professional
Krista has worked for Cultural Island Travel since January 2015 when the thaw in diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba began, opening the floodgates for Cuba Travel! Since then she has enjoyed planning countless trips for individuals, couples, families and large groups. Especially rewarding is hearing enthusiastic feedback about how Cuba and the warm and fascinating Cuban people have affected the hearts and lives of her clients. Ask Krista about her recent trip to Cuba with her husband and baby son! It was a very special trip. In addition to her work with CIT, Krista is a professional singer and actress. Her lifelong passion for performing arts has led her around the world as a performer and teacher. In this way she has much in common with the flourishing artistic community in Cuba.
Krista holds degrees in Music and Theatre from Pacific Lutheran University and has been a member of Actors Equity Association, the union of professional stage actors and stage managers, for over twelve years. Krista has taught performing arts to students aged 5 to 95 with Cascade Christian Schools, Legacy Performing Arts, Icicle Creek Center for the Arts and Starkidz. Krista brings her enthusiasm for the arts and travel to the Cultural Island Travel family as well as her passion for customer service and excellence. Customer service opportunities throughout her career have included positions as Maitre d’ for several top rated Jean Georges Restaurants in NYC in addition to various Administrative and Sales opportunities. With a broad base of experiences to offer and a newfound love for Cuba and its people, Krista is excited to help you plan the trip of a lifetime!
TESTIMONIALS
What Our Customers Say About Cultural Island Travel
Guadalupe Lechuga,
September 18, 2017
I have been on a number of tours, and this is, by far, the very best tour we’ve ever experienced. My friends Ron and Suzanne Sherman and I could not be more delighted and amazed at the excellently planned and executed trip by CIT. From the beginning, Krista Severeid always kept on top of arrangements and my endless questions. Once we arrived, our tour guides were more “goodwill ambassadors.” Laura Gonzalez and Irma give “customer service” a whole new meaning! These ladies were as attentive and wonderful! Always took the extra step to ensure our comfort and enhance our experience! Special mention goes to our driver, Josue. I told him I think he had a Cuba GPS chip implanted in his brain, there was never a street or shortcut or alley he didn’t know! Always felt very safe and protected. Our accommodations were superb! Even when Hurricane Irma intervened in the middle of our trip, the CIT staff and Laura and Irma kept on top of making sure we were safe and well taken care of! We were able to do a few things at the end, which Irma went out of her way to arrange. Could not recommend CIT more highly to anyone and everyone interested in a true, cultural experience in Cuba! Thank you, CIT!!
Rhonna Phillips,
February 22, 2017
Thoughts on Ari. He was great. Can’t imagine a better guide. Wouldn’t want anybody else from now on.
Friendly, on time, organized, relaxed, follows the schedule, hears requests, assists with request including taking extra time, easy to talk to, direct, says NO clearly when something cannot happen, hired great driver, hired great specialty tour guides, answered all our questions so we really got to know the culture, rearranged our dinner reservations when he had a better suggestion, gave us good nightlife suggestions, arranged for our evening taxi out, always made sure we were enjoying what we were doing. Rendezvousing with Ebony and her group was fun too. We feel we made a friend and plan to maintain contact with him.
I thought you, Krista S, did a great job of answering my questions and informing me of what CIT could offer me with a Cuba trip. No pressure, no overselling. When we asked especially for a water view you gave us really nice options. Our Vedado apartment was really nice, super clean & comfortable and the location was great. Comparably our 5th and 6thgroup members were pretty blah about their hotel. Since we signed on early and were first for our calendar week, you were very accommodating to allow us to do some customizing of our activities. That was really super nice. I liked that everything you said was forthcoming, came. Every time table you gave was literal. The whole process was very dependable. This created a secure feeling and trust. That was nice especially going to a foreign country where the US relations have been tenuous.
John and Judith Miodownik,
March 28, 2017
Hi Krista, John and I had a simply grand time in Cuba . We found Mario to be a terrific guide and Victor a really good driver. Mario was informative,flexible and most caring. The itinerary was excellent and we even had Stephen Colbert singing Happy Birthday to John in Trinidad at the restaurant,what fun. We would high recommend CIT.
Richard Lemon
Krista who handled our complicated details was a model of warm response, calling me back once at midnight her time to answer a question not deserving that care. She knew me and cared about the details. She listened to what I wanted and did it.
Cherry Payne & Bob Howard
November 7, 2016
Krista…I realized that I never thanked you for all your good work. I wanted to let you know that we had a FABULOUS time in Cuba! Ari and Ebony were just great, all of the drivers were excellent, and the special tour guides that we had were very informative and engaging. I know this trip was a challenge with two itineraries and then the last minute cancellations, but we are so glad that it all worked out.
Thank you and CIT for what must have been a lot of behind the scenes work to ensure all the vendors and hotels were booked and ready.
Scott and Tami Steindorf
December 23, 2016
Hello Krista –
We wanted to let you know what a wonderful time we had on our trip, and wanted to thank you and everyone at Cultural Island Travel for arranging everything for us.
Our 3 days in Havana flew by – it was a historic time to be there, with the passing of Fidel on the day we arrived. While some of our scheduled events (concerts, museum trips) were cancelled, we got to spend more time exploring Old Havana on foot. The people there were amazing – we took over 3000 photos during our three day stay. I had read before we left that sometimes parents don’t have photos of their children, so we took along an instant polaroid type camera so that we could give them photos. This was a heartwarming experience – not only did we photograph some beautiful, gracious people, but they loved receiving photos of themselves and their children in return.
Our stay was definitely too short – we can’t wait to go back and explore more of the island when we have more vacation time.
Mario and the other guides were super, and our experience was SO wonderful, especially since Mario had to improvise with the itinerary since many places were closed.
Thank you and everyone at Cultural Island Travel!
We hope your holidays are happy.
Dave
Jazz Fest-December 2016
Aloha Krista!
Your guides were amazing, very knowledgeable and very patient with us! Some of us were more demanding and challenging, and at times I felt like they had to heard cats… three thumbs up for your guides as they handled us all with ease. The itinerary was enriching, diversified and included fantastic dinners. It really was an incredible experience. Irma even arranged to recognize my birthday with the group at one of the dinners which was very thoughtful.
R Sharon Wilson
November 17th 2016
I am unable to find the words to describe how Dennis and I feel about our trip in November. It was so incredible. Irma, Josue and Hondro were wonderful hosts. So much more than tour guides. We love them and Cuba. Even if the embargo is lifted completely we will continue to travel with Cultural Island. We travel a great deal and usually do not do tours but this experience was exceptional. Thank you all so much
Phillip Johnson
March 21, 2017
Krista,
Thanks so much for your help! The trip was amazing. Patricia was wonderful as our guide!
Phil
