Will NCL Begin Serving Cuba?

[em-sk]

With the opening up of Cuba to American tourism will be start to see cruise lines such as NCL begin visiting the Island?

 

Opening up the largest Island in the region to Americans will be interesting....

[mugtech]

Cuba is not open to tourists from the USA, that would take an act of congress.

[djmess]

I think the OP is referring to all the news from yesterday. Indicating the embargo being lifted. No indication that i heard of how long or what would be involved, but just the direction that the country is going.

 

I for one would love to go on a cruise with a stop in Cuba, whenever thst may be allowed for US citizens

[nets33]

Actually US Citizens can travel to Cuba - my Mom is going in 2015 - if you are travelling with an organization as part of a People-to-People program.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

This has actually been in negotiations to lift the embargo for about 13 months. The travel industry especially the cruise industry has already been looking at this and basically waiting.

To answer the OP's Question.....YES

Many of the ports I the Caribbean are getting stale opening up Cuba for new very close destination will have all the cruise lines jumping to change and alter some of their itineraries. This will be a great boost for the East Coast cruising. The only unknown is how long it will take.

[SissasMomE]

Cuba is not open to tourists from the USA, that would take an act of congress.

 

Not with this current Administration :rolleyes:

[HokiePoq]

I have read two different things on this. One says no change in tourism; another says cruise ships will want to go there.

I, too, have a friend going there as part of a "cultural exchange". It's a Grand Circle tour I think.

I would be eager to take a Caribbean cruise that goes to Cuba. If Congress has to act on this, I hope they do.

[njhorseman]

I have read two different things on this. One says no change in tourism; another says cruise ships will want to go there.

I, too, have a friend going there as part of a "cultural exchange". It's a Grand Circle tour I think.

I would be eager to take a Caribbean cruise that goes to Cuba. If Congress has to act on this, I hope they do.

 

I'm sure US-based cruise lines will want to go there, but legally even with the changes announced by the White House yesterday they still can't. That's why you've seen the "no change in tourism".

Edited December 18, 2014 by njhorseman

[njhorseman]

Not with this current Administration :rolleyes:

 

I would say that based on yesterday's announcement, the White House is well aware that lifting the tourism prohibition requires an act of congress

 

Anyway...we're not supposed to be discussing politics here.

[swilliams1660]

Cubans will still not legally be allowed to enter the United States unless they have an overpowering fastball.

[RuthlessBoss]

If they do, I'd vote for Getaway to be the ship. Go to Cuba in exchange for Nassau to add to their itinerary with St Thomas and St Maarten.:D

[sfaaa]

Keep the embargo in place. Absolutely zero interest to patronize a place like Cuba.

[garycarla]

Cuba is not open to tourists from the USA, that would take an act of congress.

 

You might want to read the news. This is all in the works after the President announced...

[SissasMomE]

I would say that based on yesterday's announcement, the White House is well aware that lifting the tourism prohibition requires an act of congress

 

Anyway...we're not supposed to be discussing politics here.

 

Yeah ... it was a joke based on past performance.

[SissasMomE]

Keep the embargo in place. Absolutely zero interest to patronize a place like Cuba.

 

I wouldn't mind visiting there. It is someplace different, and better than Nassau!

[hawk1972]

Some "experts" are saying it could be several years before Cuba is opened up to regular tourism, such as cruise ships. But cruise line stocks are already going up.

 

From a news story linked on another thread in this forum:

 

"Wells Fargo Securities cautioned near-term Cuba-related gains 'will likely prove fleeting.'

 

"In analyst Tim Conder's view, 'Clearly Cuba is the positive “tail risk” of what could go right for the cruise industry. However, lifting broad travel and economic/trade sanctions by Congress must occur prior to the cruise industry seeing any material benefit. We believe it will be several years, at best, before all of the pieces fall into place to allow US-based cruise operators to begin calling on Cuban ports,' he said in a note."

Edited December 18, 2014 by hawk1972

[Demonyte]

Some "experts" are saying it could be several years before Cuba is opened up to regular tourism, such as cruise ships.

 

 

Cuba is already opened for "regular" tourism from pretty much anywhere else in the world (that is their biggest industry, I'm told) and for everybody else Cuba is already a tourist destination just like the other neighbouring islands.

 

From what I read from similar thread over on Celebrity board, there are cruises that call there also, at least on British ships. Yes, US cruise industry is probably world's biggest but it doesn't mean that there wasn't very significant tourism industry in Cuba already.

[dalgirl]

Can't wait for the opportunity to visit Cuba - someplace new to go in the Caribbean. Only the US has been banned from visiting, Canadians and other tourists have been there for years and my understanding is that some resorts are in place and that they are quite nice. I would think that the cruiselines will be reviewing port facilities, etc. and it could be a few years before it is ready for cruiselines serving US customers.

 

But when it is, I will be on the ship:)

[hawk1972]

Cuba is already opened for "regular" tourism from pretty much anywhere else in the world (that is their biggest industry, I'm told) and for everybody else Cuba is already a tourist destination just like the other neighbouring islands.

 

From what I read from similar thread over on Celebrity board, there are cruises that call there also, at least on British ships. Yes, US cruise industry is probably world's biggest but it doesn't mean that there wasn't very significant tourism industry in Cuba already.

 

OK, my Ameri-centrism is showing. :) I was talking about American tourists, who as I understand it are not free to travel to Cuba as they wish. I think that's what this current discussion is addressing.

[Demonyte]

OK, my Ameri-centrism is showing. :) I was talking about American tourists, who as I understand it are not free to travel to Cuba as they wish. I think that's what this current discussion is addressing.

 

 

Sure. :) But the lack of American tourists doesn't mean that someplace couldn't have thriving tourism industry with regular tourism and that it would be something that they'd need to work on. ;)

[ECCruise]

Okay, here is the real scoop.

 

US citizens can visit Cuba in a number of ways...including religious, educational and the most popular, "people to people" tours. We were there 2 years ago this month. You are on an organized tour, you visit facilities such as schools, senior citizen homes, cultural events and, in our case, a question and answer seminar with a Cuban economist. We had plenty of free time and were fully able to go off on our own as we did numerous times in Havana and in other places we visited. You are not given a "canned" presentation. You see Cuba exactly as it exists.

 

None of that changed yesterday. Nothing more is opened up, nothing less. The changes are virtually all political: Starting to normalize relationships, exploring the possibility of an embassy and the like.

 

Open travel, and especially US cruise visits, will require the lifting of the 50+ year old embargo and there is NO indication that that is going to be any time soon. It requires a 2/3 Congressional majority vote and the support, frankly, is nowhere near that in 2014.

 

I would not expect to see a US cruise ship in Cuba much before the end of the decade.

[SissasMomE]

Sure. :) But the lack of American tourists doesn't mean that someplace couldn't have thriving tourism industry with regular tourism and that it would be something that they'd need to work on. ;)

 

My in-laws honeymooned there, in Havana, eons ago (56 years, I think). They said it was beautiful!

[Robert Peel]

An interesting article written in the Toronto Star in Canada on tourism in Cuba, its future and future cruises.

 

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/12/17/uscuba_thaw_means_holiday_is_over_for_canadian_tourists_experts_say.html

[Mwright91]

Considering who gets most of the money in Cuban tourism... I hope it isn't anytime soon that ships with 1000's of people are stopping there anytime soon.

 

This recent Politico article sums it up pretty well...

Consider tourism. The Cuban military has a enormous holding company called GAESA. One of its companies, Gaviota, operates an extensive network of hotels and resorts from which it earns a bonanza of foreign exchange, according to the strategic consultancy Stratfor. Imagine if the Pentagon owned the Radisson, Marriott and Hilton hotel chains. That is the Cuban tourism industry in a nutshell.

I would rather save my port fees and tourism dollar for one of the other beautiful countries in the Caribbean. I would prefer US cruise companies wait until reforms come to the people of Cuba.

[sc2011]

Not with this current Administration :rolleyes:

 

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