Cruises to Cuba to become more restrictive
Cruises from the USA to Cuba will be allowed to continue under President Trump’s Cuba policy, but the trips could become more restrictive, industry and Cuba watchers say.
Passengers on voyages to Cuba operated by U.S.-based companies such as Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean may no longer be able to get off ships in Cuban ports such as Havana to explore on their own, says John Kavulich, president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, a group that supported the Obama administration’s rapprochement with the island nation.
While final rules won’t be written for several months, it is likely that “only group tours will be permitted for passengers on the vessels,” Kavulich says.
The new policy, which Trump announced June 16 at an event in Miami, will end individual “people-to-people” travel from the USA to Cuba, which has been allowed for the past year under relaxed rules implemented by the Obama administration. Travelers on “people-to-people” trips to Cuba once again will be required to be part of a licensed group.
The new policy also could have an impact on the tours that are available to cruisers. The policy will restrict U.S. businesses from dealing with entities tied to the Cuban military and intelligence services, which control a significant amount of the tourism infrastructure in the country.
Kavulich notes that many U.S.-based travel agencies and tour operators contract for tours with Havanatur, a subsidiary of Cimex, which is controlled by the FAR, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of the Republic of Cuba.
Still, the extent of the impact on cruise companies, if any, from the restriction on dealing with such entities is unclear. A U.S. Treasury FAQ on the topic said U.S. businesses that already have a relationship with such entities before the new rules take effect will be permitted to continue with the relationship. A spokesman for industry giant Carnival Corp., a pioneer in the new wave of cruises between the USA to Cuba, told USA TODAY the company saw no issues with its tour partner in the country.
Many in the cruise industry don’t expect the new policy to have a major effect on cruises to Cuba, says longtime industry watcher Mike Driscoll, editor of
“The belief is ultimately Trump is pro-business, and he (is doing) nothing here to undermine the cruise line business,” Driscoll says. “Expectations are (for) cruise business as usual, once the media spotlight fades away.”
Both Kavulich and Driscoll note the new policy’s grouptour requirement should, if anything, help the cruise industry draw more business.
Demand for Cuba cruises has been “impacted by individuals using airlines for independent travel” to Cuba, which now will be forbidden, Kavulich says.
Carnival Corp. said it was “pleased that the policy changes announced by the Trump administration will allow our ships to continue to sail to Cuba.”
Carnival Corp. became the first cruise company to offer voyages between the USA to Cuba in decades when its Fathom brand began trips from Miami in May 2016. While Fathom has stopped sailing to the island nation, Carnival Corp.’s much bigger Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America Line brands are scheduled to start Cuba cruises in the coming months.
“Our experience in Cuba this past year has been extremely positive,” Carnival said in its statement.
“We look forward to the new cruises being planned for Cuba with Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America Line. We also have requested approval for our other brands to travel to Cuba.”
Carnival Corp. also owns Princess Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line and other brands.
Also releasing a statement saying it was pleased that cruises to Cuba could continue was Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, the parent of Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. All three brands have started Cuba cruises in the last three months.
Norwegian said it would work with the administration to comply with any regulations that are implemented.
“We were very concerned about any potential changes, given how popular Cuba itineraries have proven to be with our guests, and we view this as a win for the cruise industry, our valued guests and travel partners,” Norwegian said in its statement, which was released after Trump spoke. “Across our three brands, there are 70,000 guests booked to sail to Cuba who would have been very disappointed if they were unable to experience this spectacular destination.”
Passengers on cruises to Cuba departing in the next few weeks will not be affected by the new policy, which won’t take effect until formal rules are written over the next 90 days.
More than half a dozen cruise lines have launched Cuba voyages from the USA over the past year. They include cruising giants such as Norwegian and Royal Caribbean as well as smaller operators such as Oceania and Azamara Club Cruises.
The companies have said the Cuba trips provide an opportunity for “people-to-people” exchanges between Americans and Cubans as allowed by U.S. rules governing visits to Cuba.
While the Obama administration loosened restrictions on travel to Cuba in 2016, U.S. visitors still are limited in the activities they are allowed by the terms of the USA’s five-decadeold embargo. The embargo specifies that activities fall within one of 12 approved categories, including educational pursuits such as people-to-people exchanges.