Cuba this spring:from Cruise Industry News

[taxare]

We booked the April 18 sailing a couple of weeks ago and have been watching availability on both cruises. To my naive POV something seems odd. Since last Friday to today both cruises went from pretty good availability to basically sold out. If you try to do a "online booking" in categories that are showing up as "wait list" on the front page it shows "unavailable" on the booking page for a number of categories. I am wondering whether there are a certain number of cabins they are taking offline so they can do some refurbishment during those two weeks?? If so, I wonder if that would impact our enjoyment of the cruise? I am skeptical that over this past weekend there are so many people that decided they can/want to go to Cuba in April??

[mrlevin]

We booked the April 18 sailing a couple of weeks ago and have been watching availability on both cruises. To my naive POV something seems odd. Since last Friday to today both cruises went from pretty good availability to basically sold out. If you try to do a "online booking" in categories that are showing up as "wait list" on the front page it shows "unavailable" on the booking page for a number of categories. I am wondering whether there are a certain number of cabins they are taking offline so they can do some refurbishment during those two weeks?? If so, I wonder if that would impact our enjoyment of the cruise? I am skeptical that over this past weekend there are so many people that decided they can/want to go to Cuba in April??

 

You are surprised so many cabins have been sold and i am surprised they are not sold out. After all, there are only 350 cabins; I imagine both cruises will be totally sold out this week.

 

Marc

[iguy]

You are surprised so many cabins have been sold and i am surprised they are not sold out. After all, there are only 350 cabins; I imagine both cruises will be totally sold out this week.

 

Marc

 

I agree, Marq. We expected the Havana itinerary to sell out very quickly and accordingly we reached out to our TA on the weekend to reserve a spot. FWIW, when we booked this cruise our TA told us Regent was so busy dealing with enquiries about this itinerary (and from those whose itinerary was changed without notice to include Havana and drop Key West and Roatan), that it was difficult for her to reach them.

 

I do not anticipate Regent undertaking any refurbishment during the two weeks of the Havana itineraries. Quite apart from spending money when Regent could be making it by filling the ship, there is a limit to what can be done while at sea.

[taxare]

Indeed you are both probably correct, and despite the controversy over Cuba we are very pleased to be going. It does look like there is a fair amount of availability on Oceania, but after five Regent cruises we are pretty pleased with them. They will only have from April 8-11 to do some necessary limited refurbishment, and will be quite busy during those four days! Based on TahoeTravelers review it does sound like they are currently doing a little more than the typical maintenance during their voyage. See you in Havana!

[hvsteve1]

Del Rio interview on Cuba.

 

http://www.travelweekly.com/In-the-Hot-Seat/Frank-Del-Rio-Norwegian-Cruise-Line-Holdings-CEO?ct=cruise&cid=eltrcruise

[iguy]

For those waiting for Regent to post the excursion(s) available for the Mariner’s Havana cruises, I see that Regent’s sister company Oceania has but one ½ day excursion posted for its stop in Havana on March 9, 2017. Because this cruise also departs for Cuba from a US port and would be subject to the existing restrictions against travel to Cuba by US citizens having to fall under the “people to people” exemption, I suppose it might be reasonable to expect that at least one of the excursions offered by Regent during its two-day stopovers in April might look a lot like this.

 

link: https://www.oceaniacruises.com/Caribbean-cruises/miami-to-miami-MNA170307/port-havana-HAV/?voyageday=3#all

[hvsteve1]

Who has heard from Regent offering an alternate 10-day cruise in exchange for giving up their space on this Cuba cruise?

[Bigdogwon]

Who has heard from Regent offering an alternate 10-day cruise in exchange for giving up their space on this Cuba cruise?

We received two offers yesterday for our space on April 18 sailing.

[JMARINER]

We received two offers yesterday for our space on April 18 sailing.

 

We had an offer from Regent too. Change to latter 10 day Caribbean itinerary with "upgrade" to concierge for the same price as this 7 day.

 

I know that if Regent wants my cabin bad enough they will offer a lot more, in cash. So if anyone who is booked is even thinking about their offer, wait, becasue IMO the offers will get much better.

 

 

J

[sharon2975]

Has anyone heard of any offers on Explorer? Just curious????

[Travelcat2]

Has anyone heard of any offers on Explorer? Just curious????

 

I suppose that anything is possible but it is doubtful that there will be any offers on the Explorer in the foreseeable future. An exception was the maiden voyage when there were more than 200 people on the waiting list -- some offers were made to go on another cruise. As someone who has sailed on the Explorer, it would take a whole lot of money in order to give up a suite on that amazing ship.

Edited January 6, 2017 by Travelcat2

[Gilly]

Well, someone must have accepted an offer, since we (and others) were waitlisted for next week's cruise from LA since last March and only had our suite confirmed in late August. I understand offers were being made for alternative cruises (plus cash or credit, I guess) and if they were not taken up, we'll be sharing... :-0

Edited January 6, 2017 by Gilly

[taxare]

For those waiting for Regent to post the excursion(s) available for the Mariner’s Havana cruises, I see that Regent’s sister company Oceania has but one ½ day excursion posted for its stop in Havana on March 9, 2017. Because this cruise also departs for Cuba from a US port and would be subject to the existing restrictions against travel to Cuba by US citizens having to fall under the “people to people” exemption, I suppose it might be reasonable to expect that at least one of the excursions offered by Regent during its two-day stopovers in April might look a lot like this.

 

link: https://www.oceaniacruises.com/Caribbean-cruises/miami-to-miami-MNA170307/port-havana-HAV/?voyageday=3#all

Thanks for sharing this. My TA was told that all of the excursions will not be available until after the final payment is due (1/11 and 1/18). This is disappointing.

 

We also received the offers to change our 4/18 sailing.

[hvsteve1]

This cruise is an adventure and last minute excursions are part of being among the first to see a country (at least from USA). The trade-off is the low price of the cruise.

[iguy]

This cruise is an adventure and last minute excursions are part of being among the first to see a country (at least from USA). The trade-off is the low price of the cruise.

 

It would seem that Regent is counting on almost all passengers sharing this view!

 

They might be right.

 

:)

[quepaquete]

This cruise is an adventure and last minute excursions are part of being among the first to see a country (at least from USA). The trade-off is the low price of the cruise.

 

 

 

Far, far from being the first Americans to visit Cuba. Celestyal cruises have been doing cruises to Cuba for a long time with mostly American passengers.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Travelcat2]

Not being informed about the Havana excursions offered to Mariner passengers before final payment is due (in 5 and 12 days from now) is more than disappointing, it is surprising, at least to me, especially because NCL is sending the Oceania Marina to Havana 3 times before the Mariner arrives.

 

I understand that these itineraries are being reorganized at a very late date and there must be a lot to do to ensure that the excursions meet the regulatory requirements of the general licence issued by the US Treasury Department. This is a unique situation where, because of the embargo, passengers cannot easily look up previous cruises to see the range of excursions typically offered, at least to US citizens.

 

So TC let me ask you this, for a 7 night cruise, if it were any other itinerary would you make final payment if there were no excursions listed for 2 of the 4 days ashore? Not even samples of prior excursions? And where even in the absence of there being any excursions offered you could not legally disembark and wander around on your own?

 

Just curious what others think about this.

 

I've given this a lot of thought. First and foremost, in the 13 years we have sailed with Regent, I have learned to trust them. I definitely would make final payment and would be confident that excursions will be in place prior to the cruise. Also, having visited Havana myself, if there is free time, you will have the freedom to walk around, ship and get some local food.

 

I strongly recommend that you set up your account at rssc.com if you haven't done so already. This will allow you to regularly check excursions and book them as soon as they become available.

 

If you have additional questions just ask:)

[iguy]

I've given this a lot of thought. First and foremost, in the 13 years we have sailed with Regent, I have learned to trust them. I definitely would make final payment and would be confident that excursions will be in place prior to the cruise. Also, having visited Havana myself, if there is free time, you will have the freedom to walk around, ship and get some local food.

 

Thanks, TC.

 

Without delving into the question of to what extent the US embargo is actually enforced, I assume that as an experienced traveller who apparently has managed to get to Cuba and back despite the ban against tourism, you are well aware that for those subject to US jurisdiction general tourist activities you describe like wandering around on unsupervised jaunts and dropping in to shops and restaurants on a whim are exactly what the law prohibits?

 

What is permitted is a full-time schedule of educational / cultural exchange activities. Not sure how unstructured free time fits into that, but I am open to being pleasantly surprised!

 

:)

[forgap]

Thanks, TC.

 

Without delving into the question of to what extent the US embargo is actually enforced, I assume that as an experienced traveller who apparently has managed to get to Cuba and back despite the ban against tourism, you are well aware that for those subject to US jurisdiction general tourist activities you describe like wandering around on unsupervised jaunts and dropping in to shops and restaurants on a whim are exactly what the law prohibits?

 

What is permitted is a full-time schedule of educational / cultural exchange activities. Not sure how unstructured free time fits into that, but I am open to being pleasantly surprised!

 

:)

 

We were in Cuba in November on a people to people tour. We were able to wander around on our own and go to dinner on our own with no restrictions. Cuba is rapidly changing. A walk about was prohibited two years ago, according to our guide, but not now.

[iguy]

We were in Cuba in November on a people to people tour. We were able to wander around on our own and go to dinner on our own with no restrictions. Cuba is rapidly changing. A walk about was prohibited two years ago, according to our guide, but not now.

 

That is good information to know. Thank you.

 

And as a Canadian I must say I resent being subjected to US jurisdiction in this regard in any event!

[Travelcat2]

We were in Cuba in November on a people to people tour. We were able to wander around on our own and go to dinner on our own with no restrictions. Cuba is rapidly changing. A walk about was prohibited two years ago, according to our guide, but not now.

 

 

Thank you for reinforcing my comments about being able to walk around Havana without restrictions. Sadly, the misconceptions about Cuba are about the same as their misconceptions about the U.S. It is only through sharing information that the truth will emerge.

[iguy]

We were in Cuba in November on a people to people tour. We were able to wander around on our own and go to dinner on our own with no restrictions. Cuba is rapidly changing. A walk about was prohibited two years ago, according to our guide, but not now.

 

Thanks for the information. The experiences of those who have been to Cuba are very helpful since Regent is unable to describe what passengers might expect.

 

I have a follow up question. Did your excursion also or primarily include other organized activities?

 

The distinction being that as written, the rules clearly prohibit purely tourist activities, like lying on a beach. But apparently if the activities involve exchanges with Cuban people about life in Cuba and the US they would be permitted. Wandering around on your own seems much closer to the former than the latter, but less so if the time available for walking around is incidental to the organized activities.

 

Thanks for any additional information you can provide.

[iguy]

 

Since you are from Canada, have you visited Cuba previously? It is so easy and relatively inexpensive to visit there. In terms of U.S. jurisdiction, you may not have booked the cruise if you knew that it was stopping in Cuba since you can visit without restrictions. For better or worse, Regent is a U.S. based company and the ship is departing from Miami. The big deal about these cruises is that many U.S. citizens can visit Cuba for the first time.

 

TC, truth be told, we are on the Mariner's November 2017 Amazon cruise and find ourselves 5 days short of gold status. So we wanted to take a short cruise before that to qualify for a bag of laundry a week to reduce or eliminate our need to battle for the laundrettes, which is by far the least luxurious aspect of the Regent experience. This comment can be filed under "First World Problems."

 

This revised itinerary to Cuba seemed like the best option, although a very expensive way to get a bag of laundry per week!

 

:rolleyes:

[forgap]

Thanks for the information. The experiences of those who have been to Cuba are very helpful since Regent is unable to describe what passengers might expect.

 

I have a follow up question. Did your excursion also or primarily include other organized activities?

 

The distinction being that as written, the rules clearly prohibit purely tourist activities, like lying on a beach. But apparently if the activities involve exchanges with Cuban people about life in Cuba and the US they would be permitted. Wandering around on your own seems much closer to the former than the latter, but less so if the time available for walking around is incidental to the organized activities.

 

Thanks for any additional information you can provide.

 

Our tour was organized with many activities to interact with the cuban people. I found the tour educational and enlightening. Once we got to Havana, we had vastly more opportunity to walk around and experience the city. One tour stop was the Santa Clara market which is about as touristy as you can get...lots of art and nick-nacks that defined tourism.

 

It was ironic that there was a ballet festival in Havana while we were there. I had seen a photo essay of dancers in the streets of Havana and I knew that ballet was an important part of the culture. Many of us wanted to get tickets but we could not as it was not considered part of our people to people mission. Now, we could go to the Tropicana show or the Buena Vista Social Club show, but not the ballet!

 

At the airport when we were going home, we met a group of people on a trip organized by the Kansas City Ballet. They had been to the entire festival! But, their mission was a cultural exchange, ours was people to people.....No regrets, as we met wonderful people, heard fantastic music, saw incredible art, and learned about history, culture, and pros and cons of revolution. (or as our local guide kept saying, "the triumph of the revolution")

[iguy]

Our tour was organized with many activities to interact with the cuban people. I found the tour educational and enlightening. Once we got to Havana, we had vastly more opportunity to walk around and experience the city. One tour stop was the Santa Clara market which is about as touristy as you can get...lots of art and nick-nacks that defined tourism.

 

It was ironic that there was a ballet festival in Havana while we were there. I had seen a photo essay of dancers in the streets of Havana and I knew that ballet was an important part of the culture. Many of us wanted to get tickets but we could not as it was not considered part of our people to people mission. Now, we could go to the Tropicana show or the Buena Vista Social Club show, but not the ballet!

 

At the airport when we were going home, we met a group of people on a trip organized by the Kansas City Ballet. They had been to the entire festival! But, their mission was a cultural exchange, ours was people to people.....No regrets, as we met wonderful people, heard fantastic music, saw incredible art, and learned about history, culture, and pros and cons of revolution. (or as our local guide kept saying, "the triumph of the revolution")

 

Thank you!

 

I have learned a few things today. One is that the “people to people” license appears to have certain flexibility or, shall I say, is open to a broad interpretation.

 

The other is that trying to logically understand the nuanced distinction between the Buena Vista Social Club being acceptable but not the ballet could drive one crazy!

 

I shall not even try.

 

It’s all a big adventure anyway . . . any interaction and sharing is better than isolation.