Hi ECB,
So for Uzbekistan, the national currency is the Uzbek Sum. We recommend you take money in US Dollars and Euros (these must be clean notes) and in small denominations as these are widely accepted. You are unable to change the Uzbek Sum back at end of your stay so change little by little as you go along.
And for Cuba we recommend that you take Sterling or Euros, preferably in cash as US Dollars are no longer accepted as legal tender in shops and businesses. You will have to exchange your Sterling into convertible currency on arrival and pay a commission fee. Convertible Cuban Peso is not traded outside of Cuba therefore you have to take Pound Sterling or Euros to convert on arrival.
In regards to visas - The Cuba visa is processed from all the details on the booking, so as long as these details are there, it can be done straight away. For the Uzbekistan visa, it is usually done as a group and takes around 4 weeks. We do have to do individual visas occasionally when you have an extended stay or flight upgrade. We would need your passport for the individual visa but only a passport copy for a group one.
I hope this helps.
Kindest regards,
Monty