Back to News Menu          Cruise News for the Corporate Travel Professional               June 2016

A new cruise line based in Miami hopes to offer trips from Florida to Cuba. Victory Cruise Lines Ltd. is awaiting approval from the Cuban government, President and CEO Bruce Nierenberg said in a phone interview Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the cruise company will begin sailing July 8 from Montreal to Chicago on a 10-day cruise on the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes. It will follow that with a series of 10- and 15-day cruises between ports in Chicago, Canada and Gloucester, Mass.

During the winter, the Victory 1 ship will move to Port Canaveral near Orlando, where Victory hopes to sail on its first seven-day cruise to Cuba on Oct. 28. A series of cruises from Miami to Cuba would take place from November to April, with stops at ports including Havana, Santiago de Cuba and Cienfuegos. Those cruises are expected to range from three to 14 days.

The 202-passenger Victory 1 is a former Saint Laurent ship that began service last summer under cruise operator Haimark Line. It sailed along the eastern seaboard and the Great Lakes after a major renovation.

Victory Cruise Lines, based in Miami, plans to launch service in July with the 202-passenger Victory I ship. (Victory Cruise Lines Ltd.) "It looks terrific," said Nierenberg, who toured Victory recently. "It's a charming vessel and was designed as a coastal cruiser."

Haimark had planned to use the Saint Laurent for cruises between Miami and Cuba starting in February, but the company ran into difficulty after a ship accident that resulted in several cancellations. The company later filed for bankruptcy. Nierenberg, through another company, United Caribbean Lines, had been a partner with Haimark on its Cuba program. "We were all set up to go and start in the winter, then Haimark ran into issues and filed for bankruptcy," he said.

The vessel's European owner remained interested in the Cuba venture and decided to launch Victory to fill the gap left by Haimark. Consumers showed strong interest in the Great Lakes cruises and the Caribbean before Haimark ceased operations, Nierenberg said, He attributed that to a growing desire among mature, upmarket travelers to stay closer to home during the summer instead of venturing to places like Europe, given recent terrorist attacks.

The Cuba cruises, if approved, will operate under current U.S. regulations that allow travel to the Communist-led island under 12 categories of travel, including for cultural, humanitarian and educational exchanges.

Victory's U.S. and Cuba cruises will include shore excursions along with wine and beer at lunch and dinner at no additional charge, the cruise line said. As of Wednesday, cruise fares were not yet published on its website.

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