Cruises to Cuba

[NYcruzzer]

Looks like we are getting closer....

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/07/23/gop-controlled-senate-panel-votes-to-lift-cuba-travel-restrictions/?intcmp=latestnews

[tomk3212]

I would LOVE to cruise to Havana & other ports on the island BUT the government there is going to have to do a TON of port infrastructure upgrades in order to accommodate a modern cruise ship. I'm not aware of any cruise line that has ports of call in Cuba.

 

I think it'll take 5-10 years to upgrade the port infrastructure facilities (dredging, large docks, passenger terminals, etc.) before we see a ship like the Getaway or Oasis of the Seas start doing regular cruises to the island of Cuba.

 

I can see smaller cruise ships (the size of the old NCL Majesty) that may be the first ones able to make regular calls in Havana. Then as the port infrastructure is upgraded & improved larger cruise ships being able to be accommodated on a regular basis.

 

Anyone else have any thoughts? As I said to begin with I'd LOVE to be able to cruise to Havana & other ports in Cuba

 

Tom

[russianmom]

I'm not aware of any cruise line that has ports of call in Cuba.

 

 

 

Tom

 

Carnival Corps Fathom is going to start calling there next year May 2016 and also Your Cruise Cuba- which I believe is the old Louis Majesty has been going there for about a year for Canada/UK citizens.

[Presbycruiser]

I got to visit Communist dictatorships when I was an exchange student in Germany shortly before reunification ... visited East Berlin and Moscow. I'll pass.

[Barb Nahoumi]

How long did it take Bermuda to ready the Dock Yard to receive large ships? I don't think that it was 10-15 years. Only a few.

 

NCL could start with the Dawn, Sky, or Spirit. If need be they could tender.

[mugtech]

Carnival Corps Fathom is going to start calling there next year May 2016 and also Your Cruise Cuba- which I believe is the old Louis Majesty has been going there for about a year for Canada/UK citizens.

 

Pay $3,000 to take a 7 day cruise to do volunteer work? Not my idea of a vacation.:D

[hypercafe]

MSC is going to home port a ship there starting next year. Just because the US was not going there does not mean the rest of the world wasn't.

[Jane Don]

There are already ports I know of one 1200 pax ship that does a Cuban tour It is comparable in price to NCL, and departs from Montego Bay Jamaica. There are fewer amenities, as it is a smaller ship but there is no humanitarian work involved.

[MSH from Norway]

I would LOVE to cruise to Havana & other ports on the island BUT the government there is going to have to do a TON of port infrastructure upgrades in order to accommodate a modern cruise ship. I'm not aware of any cruise line that has ports of call in Cuba.

 

I think it'll take 5-10 years to upgrade the port infrastructure facilities (dredging, large docks, passenger terminals, etc.)

 

Anyone else have any thoughts? As I said to begin with I'd LOVE to be able to cruise to Havana & other ports in Cuba

 

Tom

 

 

Guess what....

There is in fact a large world outside the small USA....:)

 

And outside here we know the facts:

 

http://www.msccruises.no/no_no/Cruise-Avreise/Finn-ditt-Cruise.aspx?DateF=2015-12&DateT=&Reg=&Port=&Ship=OP

 

MSC Opera is leaving Genova 2. desember 2015 for Havana.

 

MSC Opera will do weeklong cruises til april next year.

 

Prices around 1000 dollar and up.

[MSH from Norway]

There are already ports I know of one 1200 pax ship that does a Cuban tour It is comparable in price to NCL, and departs from Montego Bay Jamaica. There are fewer amenities, as it is a smaller ship but there is no humanitarian work involved.

 

http://yourcubacruise.com/

 

The ship is Celestyal Cristal.

 

And it departs both from Montego Bay AND Havana.

[tomk3212]

Guess what....

There is in fact a large world outside the small USA....:)

 

And outside here we know the facts:

 

http://www.msccruises.no/no_no/Cruise-Avreise/Finn-ditt-Cruise.aspx?DateF=2015-12&DateT=&Reg=&Port=&Ship=OP

 

MSC Opera is leaving Genova 2. desember 2015 for Havana.

 

MSC Opera will do weeklong cruises til april next year.

 

Prices around 1000 dollar and up.

 

If I wanted a sarcastic, smart-a** reply I'll post on a Facebook wall, thank you.

 

UNlike most of the rest of the world we US citizens cannot just jump on a plane or cruise ship from the US & travel to Cuba. Perhaps you should have checked that FACT out first. That's why most US citizens don't know very much about traveling to Cuba. That's why I asked the question whether other cruise ships regularly make ports of call in Cuba. That's also why I Replied to the OP expressing an interest in travelling to Cuba.

 

I do thank you for the information re: MSC cruises. When our travel ban gets lifted I'll know where to look.

 

Tom

[chengkp75]

There are already ports I know of one 1200 pax ship that does a Cuban tour It is comparable in price to NCL, and departs from Montego Bay Jamaica. There are fewer amenities, as it is a smaller ship but there is no humanitarian work involved.

 

No, there is no humanitarian work, but just like fathom, US citizens, who can currently only board in Jamaica, are required to do cultural exchange programs. If I remember correctly, they have to register with a non-profit company to meet the US embargo requirements.

[Jane Don]

No, there is no humanitarian work, but just like fathom, US citizens, who can currently only board in Jamaica, are required to do cultural exchange programs. If I remember correctly, they have to register with a non-profit company to meet the US embargo requirements.

 

Many people choose to travel without meeting the embargo requirements. That is their choice and their risk to take.

[Misskitty72]

I have friends in Europe who took a vacation to Cuba a few years ago. (Not on a cruise..land-based)

 

Let's just say the conditions in Havana were not what they were expecting. And they were students at the time, so the bar was already set pretty low. In short, while there were some nice beaches and impressive architecture, there was poverty everywhere. It's kind of hard to enjoy a holiday when you see so many people suffering and in need.

 

But, I think things can only get better and I would expect tourism to become a bigger part of their economy, but I wouldn't plan on vacationing there for a few years.

 

I'm American so I've obviously never been to Cuba. This is just what I have heard from others.

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

Louis Cristal, (now Celestyal Crystal) was NCL Leeward from 1995 - 2000.

This is the ship Your Cuba Cruise uses & has for the past 2 years. I've been on it twice & while on it saw a Thomson ship & a Noble Caledonia ship, smaller ships than the Oasis or Getaway for sure, but then how many ports can they dock in?

 

Cuba is a beautiful, diverse country but even though some of it's buildings are crumbling it's still an interesting place to visit with friendly people making the best of their situation.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[NLH Arizona]

How long did it take Bermuda to ready the Dock Yard to receive large ships? I don't think that it was 10-15 years. Only a few.

 

NCL could start with the Dawn, Sky, or Spirit. If need be they could tender.

 

A recently completed upgrade at Mariel, an industrial port about a 45-minute drive west of Havana, could be a possibility if Cuba ever looks to receive the bigger cruise vessels.

[hypercafe]

They could tender there like they do in many islands.

 

Sent from my SM-T320 using Forums mobile app

[4774Papa]

I got to visit Communist dictatorships when I was an exchange student in Germany shortly before reunification ... visited East Berlin and Moscow. I'll pass.

I lived in the Middle East and Germany for most of the 80s and early 90s.

Visited the DDR, East Berlin (before and after the wall came down), Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary.

 

All were depressing compared to Western Europe. The infrastructure was pathetic. The department stores made a Salvation Army thrift store look great. The people did not look happy, with the exception of our trip that included a week in Poland in the fall of 1989, after the parliamentary elections where Solidarity had crushed the Communists, but the President was still Communist and Soviet Troops still occupied the country. Most people wore Solidarity pins and openly insulted the Communists. Change was in the air and that was wonderful.

 

At some point, after the Castro's demise, perhaps they will be able to hold free elections. That is when I will go to Cuba.

[NYcruzzer]

I lived in the Middle East and Germany for most of the 80s and early 90s.

Visited the DDR, East Berlin (before and after the wall came down), Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary.

 

All were depressing compared to Western Europe. The infrastructure was pathetic. The department stores made a Salvation Army thrift store look great. The people did not look happy, with the exception of our trip that included a week in Poland in the fall of 1989, after the parliamentary elections where Solidarity had crushed the Communists, but the President was still Communist and Soviet Troops still occupied the country. Most people wore Solidarity pins and openly insulted the Communists. Change was in the air and that was wonderful.

 

At some point, after the Castro's demise, perhaps they will be able to hold free elections. That is when I will go to Cuba.

 

 

Cruise ships currently go to other ports that do not hold free elections. Some ports in Asia and the Middle East come to mind

[HarpHarp]

Cruise ships currently go to other ports that do not hold free elections. Some ports in Asia and the Middle East come to mind

 

How about the Baltic cruises that stop in St. Petersburg?

[4774Papa]

Cruise ships currently go to other ports that do not hold free elections. Some ports in Asia and the Middle East come to mind

Yes, I have done trips or river cruises to Russian, Ukraine, China, UAE and Oman in the past three years. Also, I visited several communist countries before they obtained their freedom.

 

My reasoning is more than just opposition to the government. I am not a huge fan of the Caribbean, so going to Cuba has no huge draw for me, and much less until the Castros are gone.

I am sure there are some nice "tourist hotels and beaches" there, but I am not a beach person.

I would be interested in visiting the huge prison where Che murdered tens of thousands, but I am sure that is not possible.

[4774Papa]

Apparently a lot of Cuban want to leave their country.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/half-cuba-mens-hockey-team-defects-080115006.html;_ylt=AwrC0wxZ_7RVD1sAj1fQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTByZnU4cmNpBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwM5BHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg--