So I am on my cruise, smoking with some new cigar friends in the smoking section and we see four guys in a wedding party light up cigars. I could make out from a distance that they were Cuban H. Upmann cigars.

After a light and a few drags, they did the nasty many often do at weddings. They crushed them into the ashtray, not even allowing them the decency of a slow burning death but instead, a crushing destruction.

One of the guys near me almost passes out when he saw this. The others suddenly struggled breathing. They were was devastated. I quietly got up, went to the ashtray, pulled the cigars out and one by one, removed and dirssected the cigars and the bands. They were quite fresh. So fresh in fact that I managed to nearly make my two fingers meet as I squeezed them. All had major numerous tobacco voids on them.

After a few more checks, I was delighted to tell the guys smoking with me that they could breath again and relax. FAKES!!!, hence the happy ending part. Bet those wedding guys that lit those cigars will go back home and tell anyone willing to listen that they smoked Cuban cigars and can't understand what the hype is all about.
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:-)
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Great story
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Too bad that they had fakes for such an occasion... The only plus is that it leaves more (authentic) Cuban's for the rest of us.... :-)
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Thanks for the story. Now tell us one about fake sticks at a honeymoon.

With a happy ending, of course.
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:-)
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Fake cigars smoked at weddings leads to divorce according to 4 out of 5 divorced couples that smoked fake Cubans at weddings. Yes, a little known fact that is most assuredly Grade A BS
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Like Michael implied, 4 less guys competing with us for Habanos. :-)
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Carlos, I've never been on a cruise.
Straight up question...
Can a brother purchase the real deal on board?

As much as cc's get faked, I always wonder about liquor, which is another thing everyone drags home. Is that faked as much as cc's are?
That's a general question, I'm just asking because you generally know these kind of things.
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On ships leaving and returning to US (including Puerto Rico), nope. Nothing violating Embargo sold onboard. The ones these guys had were likely the famous fakes from the Straw Market in Nassau, which was our first stop.

As booze goes, that market has changed dramatically. Hardly anyone (me being one of the few) buy on ship due to new flight regulations limiting onboard liquids and airline baggage fees based on weight. That really hit this market hard. You just don't see many leaving ship with booze boxes and does that do it, they are locals like I was on this cruise.
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I thought only Bill would dare try that.:-)
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Thanks, Carlos!!!
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