Back to News Menu        Cruise News for the Corporate Travel Professional                 July 2015

The largest cruise ship currently based in Cuba is the Celestyal Cristal, which first entered service for a Canadian-Cypriot joint venture, which is now wholly owned by the Louis Group, which operates Celestyal Cruises. Now as Celestyal Cristal, this vessel operates from Havana by winter and in the Greek Isles by summer.

Several non-US cruise lines such as Star Clippers, Thomson, Saga, Fred Olsen, Swan Hellenic and Noble Caledonia include stops in Cuba in their Caribbean itineraries. Ironically, Costa Cruises too was once active in the Cuban cruise market and had an agreement to operate cruise ship terminals at a number of Cuban ports.  However, this arrangement had to be terminated when Carnival acquired Costa.

Carnival's announcement that its newly announced line - fathom’s - 710-berth Adonia would be offering fortnightly 7-night sailings from Miami to Cuba highlights the easing of trade and travel restrictions with the United States earlier this year. US president Barack Obama recently announced that the US Embassy in Havana would reopen next Monday, July 20, more than fifty years after the US and Cuba broke off diplomatic relations.

Carnival Corp is the first US-based cruise operator to win approval to operate culturally-themed excursions to Cuba. In May, the US Treasury Department also approved several licenses for passenger ferry services between the United States and Cuba.

And in addition, earlier this month, the Treasury Department issued a license authorizing Palm Beach-based luxury yacht company Paul Madden Associates to provide charter services to Cuba.

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