Americans may soon be able to sail from Miami to Havana on a major cruise line which boasts freedom of the seas Castro's Communist Cuba lacks many freedoms.
RCL says it received Cuban government approval for its brands to operate voyages to the country from The US. The Florida-based RCL hasn't released details but said that voyages to Cuba begin in March.
These will be the first major cruises to sail from the USA to Cuba in decades. The only other cruise vessel sailing from the USA to Cuba is the 704-passenger Adonia, which flies the flag of Fathom, a little-known, one-ship brand launched earlier this year by Carnival Corp. (CCL)
While the US government has loosened restrictions on travel to Cuba over the past year, visitors are limited by the five-decade-old embargo that requires activities to fall within one of 12 categories including educational pursuits such as people-to-people exchanges.
This announcement comes as President-elect Donald Trump threatens to undo the Cuba/US relationship if certain conditions are not met. “if Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole, I will terminate the deal.”