Royal Caribbean to cruise to Cuba from Tampa as well as Miami
Cruise giant Royal Caribbean's first voyage to Cuba will kick off in April from Miami, and the line also plans cruises to the island nation from Tampa.
The line on Friday announced its 1,602-passenger Empress of the Seas would begin Cuba sailings on April 19 with a five-night trip from one of the PortMiami terminals just across from its headquarters. The voyage will include a single day in Havana as well as a day in Costa Maya, Mexico.
Empress then will reposition to Tampa to offer two Caribbean voyages with calls at Havana -- a seven-night sailing starting April 30 and a five-night sailing starting May 20. The cruises will be the first from Tampa to Cuba in at least five decades.
Additional four- and five-night cruises out of Tampa that include calls in Cuba will take place through the summer, the company said.
Approved! Royal Caribbean, Norwegian are going to Cuba
Royal Caribbean and its sister brand Azamara Club Cruises received approval for Cuba sailings on Wednesday from the Cuban government but at the time did not announce itinerary plans.
The parent company of Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line also received approval for Cuba trips on Wednesday. The lines will begin trips to the country in March, April and May, respectively.
The Cuba calls planned by the lines will provide an opportunity for "people-to-people" exchanges between Americans and Cubans as allowed by U.S. rules governing visits to Cuba, the companies have said.
While the Obama administration has loosened restrictions on travel to Cuba over the past year, U.S. visitors still are limited in the activities they are allowed to do in the country by the terms of the USA's five-decade-old embargo. The embargo specifies that activities fall within one of 12 approved categories. The categories include educational pursuits such as people-to-people exchanges.
Fares for Royal Caribbean's new Cuba voyages start at $415 per person for the five-night trip out of Tampa. They are open for bookings as of today.
