NCL adding more sailings to Havana, Cuba

[Jason]

Norwegian Cruise Line is touting new seven-night Caribbean cruises that include a call in Havana, Cuba — a first for the line. 

Until now, the Miami-based company's only voyages with Havana on the schedule have been short trips lasting four nights. Norwegian also plans new nine- and 13-night sailings that feature a call at Havana.  All of the new voyages will take place this fall on the 1,936-passenger Norwegian Sun. 

The new seven-night cruises will kick off in September through October out of Miami. In addition to Havana, the itinerary will feature stops at Costa Maya, Mexico; Harvest Caye, Belize; and Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian's private island in the Bahamas. 

Also taking place this fall, Sun's new nine-night cruises will expand upon the week-long sailings with additional visits to Roatán, Honduras and Cozumel, Mexico. They'll also start in Miami. 

Sun will sail a single 13-night voyage that includes Cuba on Oct. 30. Also starting in Miami, it'll feature calls at eight destinations including Puerto Limón, Costa Rica; Cartagena and Santa Marta, Colombia; and Oranjestad, Aruba.

Norwegian also added a new five-night cruise to Cuba and the Bahamas from Port Canaveral, Fla. on Sept. 3. 

Sun already had been scheduled to spend the summer sailing short trips to Cuba out of Port Canaveral, Fla. Norwegian also offers short trips to Cuba out of Miami on the 2,004-passenger Norwegian Sky. Norwegian is one of more than half a dozen cruise lines that have begun sailing from the USA to Cuba over the past year.  

Cruise lines began planning the voyages several years ago after the Obama administration loosened rules on travel to Cuba. President Trump tweaked the rules last year but not in a way that had a significant impact on cruises to the country.

The Cuba calls offered by the lines are designed to provide an opportunity for "people-to-people" exchanges between Americans and Cubans as allowed by U.S. rules governing visits to Cuba. U.S. visitors are limited in the activities they are allowed to do in Cuba by the terms of the USA's five-decade-old embargo.

By Craig Platt, Traveller.com
Re-posted on CruiseCrazies.com - Cruise News, Articles, Forums, Packing List, Ship Tracker, and more
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[WeCruiseToo]

We really need to add a cruise to Cuba to our plans in the near future.  We’d like to see it before it becomes too commercialized?  Who’s cruised to Cuba already?  Any favorite stories you’d like to share?