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NCL is going to Cuba!


LMKakaThing2
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Looking forward to hearing the details. I wonder if Americans will be required to take an NCL excursion in order to be allowed off the ship. Or will they take people's word for it that whatever they are doing on shore falls under OFAC's general license?

 

And who knows what the rules will be after January 20…

Edited by hawkeyetlse
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No thanks, I lived in Germany when the wall came down and ventured into East Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia. The roads were terrible, stores made the Salvation Army thrift shop look good and many buildings still damaged from WWII.

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Looking forward to hearing the details. I wonder if Americans will be required to take an NCL excursion in order to be allowed off the ship. Or will they take people's word for it that whatever they are doing on shore falls under OFAC's general license?

 

And who knows what the rules will be after January 20…

 

If it is like Fathom was, you could either do an excursion or, if on your own, certify that you were doing a "People to People" activity.

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No thanks, I lived in Germany when the wall came down and ventured into East Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia. The roads were terrible, stores made the Salvation Army thrift shop look good and many buildings still damaged from WWII.

 

There was no war in Cuba.

The roads are, in many areas, the equal or better than many in the US.

Many new restaurants, privately owned (Paladars) throughout Cuba.

You may be surprised. We definitely were.

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Just saw on Facebook that NCL is going to start going to Cuba in May of 2017!

 

http://www.nclhltdinvestor.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=1003219

 

May of 2017? That's like only 5 months away. I doubt very seriously that it's going to Cuba in May because it's not even shown on the itinerary yet.

 

There might be quite a bit of upset cruisers onboard if they signed up to cruise on a ship that took them somewhere they weren't suppose to go.

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I just checked NCL's website for cruises leaving Miami on Norwegian Sky for May 1st thru June 2nd, and there is no itinerary that indicates the ship is going to Cuba.

 

If someone is already booked on that ship for a date during that time, could the cruise line change their itinerary to go to a port that wasn't on the itinerary?

 

It appears to read that in order for you to get off the ship there, you would need to take a shore excursion that would classify it to be okay with regulations.

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I just checked NCL's website for cruises leaving Miami on Norwegian Sky for May 1st thru June 2nd, and there is no itinerary that indicates the ship is going to Cuba.

 

If someone is already booked on that ship for a date during that time, could the cruise line change their itinerary to go to a port that wasn't on the itinerary?

 

It appears to read that in order for you to get off the ship there, you would need to take a shore excursion that would classify it to be okay with regulations.

 

Of course they can change any itinerary any time they want, even after you are physically on the ship. Check out the threads about Bermuda cruises forced by hurricanes to go to the Bahamas instead.

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There was no war in Cuba.

The roads are, in many areas, the equal or better than many in the US.

Many new restaurants, privately owned (Paladars) throughout Cuba.

You may be surprised. We definitely were.

 

Don't be fooled. As many Paladars are failing as there are new licenses granted. The heavy taxes and fees along with officious inspectors leaves no room for profit and they are failing.

 

The roads you speak of were built with labor from Fidel's and Raul's political prisons.

 

.

Edited by Lido_Deck
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May of 2017? That's like only 5 months away. I doubt very seriously that it's going to Cuba in May because it's not even shown on the itinerary yet.

 

There might be quite a bit of upset cruisers onboard if they signed up to cruise on a ship that took them somewhere they weren't suppose to go.

 

All the recent changes regarding Cuba were done by Presidential Order, so when President Elect Trump takes office he can immediately reverse them.

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Of course they can change any itinerary any time they want, even after you are physically on the ship. Check out the threads about Bermuda cruises forced by hurricanes to go to the Bahamas instead.

 

Changing a route the week or day of the trip due to weather is different than changing a route several months in advance. For 2016 to Bermuda I think it only happened once.

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No thanks, I lived in Germany when the wall came down and ventured into East Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia. The roads were terrible, stores made the Salvation Army thrift shop look good and many buildings still damaged from WWII.

 

 

 

Was in Cuba about 10 years ago

Found the same thing I'm in no rush to go back

Having said that the beaches and resort were ok and hopefully they will begin to turn a corner with new investment

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Changing a route the week or day of the trip due to weather is different than changing a route several months in advance.
Of course it's different, but they do both. For example everyone who booked the Epic going to Mallorca this summer ended up going to Marseille instead, and everyone who booked to go to Marseille next summer is going to Mallorca instead… Both times the changes were announced around August, for cruises starting the following April.

 

In this case, they are making the announcement more than 6 months out, which is a reasonable time frame. This is not your run-of-the-mill port substitution, because Cuba is not your run-of-the-mill Caribbean destination, but the solution to any issues that people may have is still the same: If you don't like the announced change, cancel your cruise. But they need to actually update the itineraries and contact booked passengers directly about this ASAP.

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Let me just say, I am not one that believes everything I read on social media. I am thinking if this is a settled deal we would have seen it in the paper or some other place. If it is a settled deal, i am not sure if I am ready to give them any of my hard earned money but the thought is interesting. I will play this one my ear.

 

ok, it looks like it is for real. I am still going to play a waiting game, might also wait until they decide to add the itinerary to a 7 day cruise. I have to admit, I am one of those who keep saying, why doesn't NCL go to more new ports. Looks like my wish may come true: now, do I want to give money to them?

Edited by newmexicoNita
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No way would we do a 4-day cruise to a place where you can't get off the ship without a pre-approved excursion booked. There are many more Caribbean 7-day options to destinations more interesting to us than Cuba. But, to each their own.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

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I wouldn't do a 4-day cruise, period. Except in Miami, it's very easy to combine with another cruise just after, so I'm not ruling it out.

 

As ECCruise suggested above, if it's like fathom, you should be allowed to go off on your own. Pure tourism is still technically illegal for Americans, and you are supposed to maintain a full schedule of approved activities, but the "people-to-people activities" are defined so broadly that you could probably spin most things to fit the definition:

activities intended to enhance contact with the Cuban people, support civil society in Cuba, or promote the Cuban people’s independence from Cuban authorities, and that will result in meaningful interaction between the traveler and individuals in Cuba (source: Treasury Dept FAQ)
It seems to me that you can spend all your time shopping, going to bars and restaurants, even hanging out at the beach, as long as you say that your primary intention was to interact meaningfully with ordinary Cubans. You have to keep a journal of these activities, but when will anyone ever ask to see it?

 

Of course if the rules tighten up again in January they might have to call the whole thing off, but NCL has to take the risk. They can't just ignore a huge potential new market in the Caribbean and let all the other cruise lines get in there first. And I imagine it's also a personal thing for FDR…

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Looking forward to hearing the details. I wonder if Americans will be required to take an NCL excursion in order to be allowed off the ship. Or will they take people's word for it that whatever they are doing on shore falls under OFAC's general license?

 

And who knows what the rules will be after January 20…

 

Wealthy South Americans come to South Florida, buy a yacht and then sail it to Cuba to moor it. Then they hire a couple young girls for $97 dollars a month each who take care of the yacht while the wealthy owners are back in South America, but the girls' job is to take care of the owners when they are back in Cuba. $97 per month is about 4-5 times the average Cuban's wage (Doctors about $25 per month), so these young girls can live pretty well on the yacht and support their families as long as they continue to please the owner.

 

.

Edited by Lido_Deck
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Wonder if those booked in May on Sky will have choice to keep reservation. Fathom rerouted some Dominican Republic sailings in October and November and allowed booked passengers to go to Cuba at no extra cost.

 

Curious what Sky's pricing will be like. Fathom has insides and outsides to Dominican Republic until May for $299 a week. Price for Cuba sailings start at around $1500.

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