Cuban Cruises Now Over

[CORKY_Q]

From the current USA Today:  

 

The Trump administration on Tuesday imposed major new travel restrictions on visits to Cuba by U.S. citizens, banning stops by cruise ships and ending a heavily used form of educational travel as it seeks to further isolate the communist government.

The Treasury Department announced that the U.S. will no longer allow cruises to Cuba or the group educational and cultural trips known as “people-to-people” travel to the island.  The sanctions will take effect on Wednesday after they are published in the Federal Register.

[oneputt18]

Looks like Cuba cruises may end. 

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-admin-restricts-us-travel-cuba-banning-group/story?id=63478154

[bouhunter]

Two other topics on this in the RCCL section have been deleted or moved.  There are RCCL cruises going to Cuba......

[The Grumpus]

Sure sounds that way. 

 

C'est La Vie

[ReneeFLL]

It looks lile there might be some allowances, at least I hope so. One comment I heard on the news was that people already booked would be grandfathered in. Another site I read said that the cruise lines could request a specific license. At this point I think it is probably speculation. We are already booked for October 9th so I'm hoping we will be able to go. I guess only time will tell.

[bouhunter]

One article says the ban is "effective tomorrow"......

 

 

[Capt_BJ]

this appears to be new ... same topic but a new attack: 

 

By Sarah Marsh and Marc Frank HAVANA, June 4 (Reuters) – The Trump administration on Tuesday imposed heavy new restrictions on travel to Cuba by U.S. citizens, including a ban on cruises, ......

[The Grumpus]

My TA told us she thinks we will still be able to go in November and leave the ship in Havana, if we pay in full today, before the restriction.  She's trying to confirm that with RCI.

[The Grumpus]

My TA told us she thinks we will still be able to go in November and leave the ship in Havana, if we pay in full today, before the restriction.  She's trying to confirm that with RCI.

[Rewind]

Glad I went in April.

[dodgestang]

The difference between discussion forum and corporate websites.

 

Forums: The US government makes an announcement about new cuba policy and it gets posted within SECONDS of hitting the news wire.  People begin discussing, some say "There are still cruises going to cuba", some say "Existing with be grand fathered in", some say "itineraries with change", some say.......6,000 pages are soon formed

 

Corporation: The US government makes an announcement about new cuba policy.  The news gets sent in emails to team of lawyers who are asked to get on top of it.  That team has to reach out to government to get all details of order and form a legal opinion of how it impacts RC.  RC then reviews that opinion and develops a mitigation strategy based on what is in the best interest of the company with regard to what cruises will be impacted, how they will impacted, etc....maybe a couple different 'strategies' are devised with how to unveil these changes (if any) to the public, if any compensation is needed, etc etc etc....all this is long turn around time.  In the short term all scripts will be updated by tomorrow (if not sooner) to speak to "RC is reviewing what this change will mean and will update its loyal customers as quickly as possible" .....since there will be an avalanche of calls about this.  Additionally look for trip insurance rates on any Cuba cruise to either immediately sky rocket or become unavailable 😉

 

[mnocket]

45 minutes ago, CORKY_Q said:

From the current USA Today:  

 

The Trump administration on Tuesday imposed major new travel restrictions on visits to Cuba by U.S. citizens, banning stops by cruise ships and ending a heavily used form of educational travel as it seeks to further isolate the communist government.

The Treasury Department announced that the U.S. will no longer allow cruises to Cuba or the group educational and cultural trips known as “people-to-people” travel to the island.  The sanctions will take effect on Wednesday after they are published in the Federal Register.

 

I'm glad I went recently.  One thing seems strange to me.  The article says they are ending the "People to People" travel provision.  If I'm not mistaken, this provision was already axed by Trump and most US travelers were actually traveling under the "Support of the Cuban People" provision.  In either case, it seems that Cruise travel has been specifically singled out for elimination.

[Big_G]

I thought I read in the Q&A on the Treasury site that people already booked would still be allowed to travel.

[oneputt18]

17 minutes ago, Big_G said:

I thought I read in the Q&A on the Treasury site that people already booked would still be allowed to travel.

It does say paid travel is grandfathered in, but if the cruise is not full, will the cruise line still sail? 

Have to wait till it all shakes out. 

[Big_G]

Just now, oneputt18 said:

It does say paid travel is grandfathered in, but if the cruise is not full, will the cruise line still sail? 

Have to wait till it all shakes out. 

 

Educated guess is they will alter the itinerary to fill the ship and it won't go over well.

[ReneeFLL]

10 minutes ago, Big_G said:

 

Educated guess is they will alter the itinerary to fill the ship and it won't go over well.

 

I know I will be cancelling if they don't go to Cuba.

[Sea Hag]

Well drat! 😡

[Justmekaren918]

It says American Cruise ships well all of the Royal ships are not US Registered, so technically it shouldn't effect anything! 

[uday23]

With the recent news of an all out ban on cruise ships from cruise ships stopping in Cuba taking effect on Wednesday... Does anyone know how this will be handled by RCCL?  ie. Refunds? People currently on cruises? Where will the ships be reassigned to? Is there any exceptions to allow continuance? Any further insight would be helpful.

Edited June 4, 2019 by uday23

[rt1092]

8 minutes ago, Justmekaren918 said:

It says American Cruise ships well all of the Royal ships are not US Registered, so technically it shouldn't effect anything! 

It will include any ships sailing out of a US port

[rt1092]

7 minutes ago, uday23 said:

With the recent news of an all out ban on cruise ships from cruise ships stopping in Cuba taking effect on Wednesday... Does anyone know how this will be handled by RCCL?  ie. Refunds? People currently on cruises? Where will the ships be reassigned to? Is there any exceptions to allow continuance? Any further insight would be helpful.

Royal got Coco Cay ready, just in time.

 

[rt1092]

36 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

 

I know I will be cancelling if they don't go to Cuba.

I remember the prices for the Empress before they were able to go to Cuba. Hopefully they will return. 

I doubt if this is going to be a forever thing. But it could last a while.

[The Grumpus]

40 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

 

I know I will be cancelling if they don't go to Cuba.

There is a substantial premium in cost associated with the Cuba sailings on Majesty that does not exist on non-Cuba sailings.  If indeed Cuba is removed from the itinerary, and RCI were to leave the price "as is", I will be cancelling as well.

[hillslife]

Just spoke to my TA.. he advised waiting to book ( I was trying to book today to get in the grandfathers phase) but he said according to the cruise passenger contact they can still not go to Cuba once you board and you have no recourse .   The contract says they can change ports at any time .. we have had that happen before... and they have had no official word from the cruuse lines  yet and all lines are still selling the cruises, very briskly today, as listed but don’t know if they will even go there😩🙄

 

Disappointing and frustrating 🤔😢

Edited June 4, 2019 by hillslife
Typo

[pcdoctor01]

18 minutes ago, hillslife said:

Just spoke to my TA.. he advised waiting to book ( I was trying to book today to get in the grandfathers phase) but he said according to the cruise passenger contact they can still not go to Cuba once you board and you have no recourse .   The contract says they can change ports at any time .. we have had that happen before... and they have had no official word from the cruuse lines  yet and all lines are still selling the cruises, very briskly today, as listed but don’t know if they will even go there😩🙄

 

Disappointing and frustrating 🤔😢

 

I feel you.  I really had my heart set on Cuba.  I wonder what the new itinerary will be?