Cruising to Cuba

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Perhaps the hottest new destination for 2017 and beyond is Cuba.  

Several cruise lines offer People-to-People experiences which include overnights in Havana, Cuba. This is perhaps the best way to visit Cuba because it eliminates any fears about the country's infrastructure not supporting tourism - your ship is your oasis.  We'll use Carnival Cruise Line for the basis of this article, but we could assist you in planning a Cuban cruise experience on any line sailing there.

President Donald Trump announced earlier this year he would reverse the historic thawing of relations between the U.S. and Cuba made under the Obama Administration. The new actions are aimed to once again restrict travel to Cuba and block business deals between the two countries. If you have a remote interest in visiting Cuba, then perhaps now would be the time to plan a visit before travel is once again restricted.

Until the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issues new regulations regarding travel to Cuba, there is no impact to Cuba sailings. Once new regulations are issued, cruise lines will notify their guests accordingly.

Who Can Travel to Cuba?

U.S. (including Cuban-born) and international guests are eligible to travel to Cuba from the U.S. if they either i) meet at least one of twelve categories of authorized travel; or ii) obtain a specific license issued by OFAC.  For complete details, see the travel links below.

People-to-People Experiences

People-to-people programs are a permitted category for U.S. guests to visit Cuba. These programs must include a full-time schedule of activities that will create educational interactions between guests and the Cuban people.

Activities can include shore excursions offered by Carnival and/or guests can opt to participate in a self-guided program. However, such self-guided guests must still have a full-time schedule of authorized activities and must maintain their own records demonstrating such a full-time schedule.

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