MrMarc Posted April 18, 2019 Report Share Posted April 18, 2019 It is interesting, in researching this it appears that the Cuban Government has cracked down on private tour guides, arresting and intimidating them)Blexie) to the point that they are shutting down(FerTours). Apparently, this had started before yesterday's announcement. Cuban tourism is a politically charged issue in both countries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMarc Posted April 18, 2019 Report Share Posted April 18, 2019 I just received a call back from the OFAC enforcement office and I spoke to someone in their General Counsel's office. The answer is...they do not know. The actual regulations mentioned in the speech have not been drafted, and the people I spoke with had no idea of any kind of timetable. There is an OFAC page that has the current information and you can sign up for email updates:https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/programs/pages/cuba.aspx I think I have gone up the chain as far as I can, so now I will have to accept the "just wait and see" situation. WAAAYTOOO, Ken23 and twangster 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyC Posted April 18, 2019 Report Share Posted April 18, 2019 I have a feeling we will not be going in December as planned...was thinking of cancelling that one anyway as I am having difficulty getting the time off. We are doing a side to side, so would end up cancelling both as I don't want to pay to fly for only a 4 night. I was really looking forward to the Key West though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
princevaliantus Posted April 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2019 34 minutes ago, KathyC said: We are doing a side to side, so Same as b2b? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted April 18, 2019 Report Share Posted April 18, 2019 1 hour ago, princevaliantus said: Same as b2b? Side to Side (S2S) is getting off of one ship and getting directly onto a different ship. Sweety, KathyC and princevaliantus 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweety Posted April 19, 2019 Report Share Posted April 19, 2019 1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said: Side to Side (S2S) is getting off of one ship and getting directly onto a different ship. On my bucket list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMarc Posted April 19, 2019 Report Share Posted April 19, 2019 https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/trump-administration-issues-new-restrictions-on-cuba-travel?fbclid=IwAR09j5PSoxHigTE67eFKRZZd7TDZPAMbHtAebElUtU_6NPxUET3Uduc5oo4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shari Posted April 19, 2019 Report Share Posted April 19, 2019 11 hours ago, MrMarc said: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/trump-administration-issues-new-restrictions-on-cuba-travel?fbclid=IwAR09j5PSoxHigTE67eFKRZZd7TDZPAMbHtAebElUtU_6NPxUET3Uduc5oo4 The most notable line in this article is: "This form of travel will still be allowed for American tourists accompanied by U.S.-based, authorized sponsors, like cruise ship operators." Looks like cruises to Cuba will continue. KathyC and MrMarc 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted April 19, 2019 Report Share Posted April 19, 2019 2 hours ago, Shari said: The most notable line in this article is: "This form of travel will still be allowed for American tourists accompanied by U.S.-based, authorized sponsors, like cruise ship operators." Looks like cruises to Cuba will continue. It could be a ship provided excursion will be required, not optional as it is today. Time will tell. The Cruise Junkie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cruise Junkie Posted April 19, 2019 Report Share Posted April 19, 2019 It looks like now Royal Caribbean does not list empress or Majesty any time past Feb 2020. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted April 19, 2019 Report Share Posted April 19, 2019 11 minutes ago, Jaymac Radio said: It looks like now Royal Caribbean does not list empress or Majesty any time past Feb 2020. . They never have. The Cuba season is not announced with the rest of the Caribbean. The Cruise Junkie and Pen 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cruise Junkie Posted April 19, 2019 Report Share Posted April 19, 2019 Just now, twangster said: They never have. The Cuba season is not announced with the rest of the Caribbean. Ok Now I Get It. They Play It Buy Year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillip Diamond Plus Posted April 19, 2019 Report Share Posted April 19, 2019 Empress would be a great ship for Bermuda! I believe that Empress might be small enough to dock In Hamilton and St. Georges like ships used to do. But I'm not sure??? coneyraven 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DublinFC Posted April 20, 2019 Report Share Posted April 20, 2019 Dang, that would have been a nice trip to take. Oh well, plenty of other places to visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZCruiser Posted April 20, 2019 Report Share Posted April 20, 2019 Crossing fingers and hoping for the best. Was planning early 2021 for a Carribbean and a Cuba cruise and have been waiting on itineraries for Cuba to be released before booking anything. Oh well, guess we'll just have to see how it all plays out. At least I can focus on planning for a Panama Cruise in 2020 instead!! SpeedNoodles, Baked Alaska and The Cruise Junkie 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2mybugs Posted April 20, 2019 Report Share Posted April 20, 2019 I’m in a panic! We are scheduled for majesty 4 day on June 15. I literally booked it 2 weeks ago. I’m dreading May 2. My next two trips after are on vision (Europe) and rhapsody for itineraries. The reason we booked majesty was for Cuba...I will so be disappointed if it changes port. I’m sure they wouldn’t cancel...we are going to key west, Havana and home. If they cancel Havana I assume they will dock us at Nassau since they have to have someplace out of the us. I know they won’t cancel. I’m just so disappointed that we only did this ship because of Cuba. We could have done other longer cruise, or bigger ship. Don’t get me wrong...I don’t hate smaller ships. I just would not have done this small with my 22 year old for her graduation present without Cuba! So we wait.....and see........ jane The Cruise Junkie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLA Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 Joining in here - really crossing my fingers that the November cruise I'm taking with my mom won't be affected. May 2nd is my birthday even... can I just continue to have my opportunity to visit Havana and Cienfuegos for my birthday? That'd be great. mom2mybugs 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baked Alaska Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 3 hours ago, KLA said: May 2nd is my birthday even... can I just continue to have my opportunity to visit Havana and Cienfuegos for my birthday? That'd be great. @KLA Wishing you a Happy Birthday and hoping you get your "Havana, ooh na-na"s! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMarc Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 I am scheduled for a 5 day on Majesty on June 10. Now that the holiday weekend is over, the decision makers will be returning, but I don't think we will hear anything until later in the week. The longer they take to decide what the new rules will be, the longer it will take to get them drafted and enacted. So while it is frustrating, I think that no news is good news at this point. Try not to stress though, there really isn't anything we can do. I am sure that the travel industry lobbyists are out in full force. The Cruise Junkie and Baked Alaska 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2mybugs Posted April 23, 2019 Report Share Posted April 23, 2019 9 hours ago, MrMarc said: I am scheduled for a 5 day on Majesty on June 10. Now that the holiday weekend is over, the decision makers will be returning, but I don't think we will hear anything until later in the week. The longer they take to decide what the new rules will be, the longer it will take to get them drafted and enacted. So while it is frustrating, I think that no news is good news at this point. Try not to stress though, there really isn't anything we can do. I am sure that the travel industry lobbyists are out in full force. I’m on the week after you for the 4 day! I’m hoping things drag out and we get our Havana stop in. I have totally decided though to go with a royal Caribbean excursion on this one though...seems just a smarter way to do it. Jane Hoski, MrMarc and Baked Alaska 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted April 23, 2019 Report Share Posted April 23, 2019 40 minutes ago, mom2mybugs said: I’m on the week after you for the 4 day! I’m hoping things drag out and we get our Havana stop in. I have totally decided though to go with a royal Caribbean excursion on this one though...seems just a smarter way to do it. Jane I also booked a Royal excursion. "Just in case". When the first Cuba changes came people booked before a certain where grandfathered. That's a possibility this time but might include an excursion restriction or grandfathering. You can always cancel an excursion up until a few days before sailing so it was a safe thing to do. We'll see. Time will tell. The Cruise Junkie and mom2mybugs 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMarc Posted April 23, 2019 Report Share Posted April 23, 2019 On 4/22/2019 at 11:53 AM, Baked Alaska said: @KLA Wishing you a Happy Birthday and hoping you get your "Havana, ooh na-na"s! Are those legal there? Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baked Alaska Posted April 23, 2019 Report Share Posted April 23, 2019 3 minutes ago, MrMarc said: Are those legal there? Only in Cuba MrMarc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacharius Posted April 23, 2019 Report Share Posted April 23, 2019 On 4/22/2019 at 8:41 AM, KLA said: Joining in here - really crossing my fingers that the November cruise I'm taking with my mom won't be affected. May 2nd is my birthday even... can I just continue to have my opportunity to visit Havana and Cienfuegos for my birthday? That'd be great. Easy, just grab another citizenship and boom...Cuba is back in the picture. Just have to get there a different way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcarney Posted April 23, 2019 Report Share Posted April 23, 2019 On 4/19/2019 at 10:22 AM, Shari said: The most notable line in this article is: "This form of travel will still be allowed for American tourists accompanied by U.S.-based, authorized sponsors, like cruise ship operators." Looks like cruises to Cuba will continue. They edited the article and removed that sentence. The Cruise Junkie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted April 23, 2019 Report Share Posted April 23, 2019 18 minutes ago, Zacharius said: Easy, just grab another citizenship and boom...Cuba is back in the picture. Just have to get there a different way Renouncing US citizenship and moving to another country just to visit Cuba seems rather extreme. Unless you plan to renounce your US citizenship having citizenship in another country doesn't help you. As long as you are a US citizen these restrictions apply to you regardless how you get there or what other countries you claim to be a citizen of. If you fly to Canada and take a flight to Cuba it's not the Canadian's airline job to recognize you are a US citizen and stop you from flying. Cuba won't care when you arrive in Cuba, this isn't their restriction. However when you arrive back in the US and they ask what countries have you visited... now you have a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacharius Posted April 23, 2019 Report Share Posted April 23, 2019 9 minutes ago, twangster said: Renouncing US citizenship and moving to another country just to visit Cuba seems rather extreme. Unless you plan to renounce your US citizenship having citizenship in another country doesn't help you. As long as you are a US citizen these restrictions apply to you regardless how you get there or what other countries you claim to be a citizen of. If you fly to Canada and take a flight to Cuba it's not the Canadian's airline job to recognize you are a US citizen and stop you from flying. Cuba won't care when you arrive in Cuba, this isn't their restriction. However when you arrive back in the US and they ask what countries have you visited... now you have a problem. Americans have been going to Cuba on US or other passports for years. For those of us with two passports, even one of them being the US, it's pretty easy to get to Cuba. Sure, you're technically breaking laws, but it's somewhat hard to get caught if you're smart and don't use that US passport. It's likely going to continue to get harder with technology, though. I'm not saying I have ever done this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted April 23, 2019 Report Share Posted April 23, 2019 4 minutes ago, Zacharius said: Americans have been going to Cuba on US or other passports for years. For those of us with two passports, even one of them being the US, it's pretty easy to get to Cuba. Sure, you're technically breaking laws, but it's somewhat hard to get caught if you're smart and don't use that US passport. It's likely going to continue to get harder with technology, though. I'm not saying I have ever done this... And they can continue to do so, illegally. US carrier's like JetBlue, Southwest, Delta, etc. will stop offering a direct route. There is nothing stopping a ship flagged in the Bahamas from sailing to Cuba but absent of 2,000 law breaking US citizens they likely would not fill the ship. I have two passports. I have family that has and continues to visit Cuba. They'll be thrilled with the new restrictions. When restrictions were loosened up they all feared American tourists would kill Cuba's uniqueness and turn it into just another Caribbean tourist trap. Now that fear will be cast aside and many countries from all over the world can continue being tourists in Cuba without the American tourist invasion. Law breaking US citizens can fly on their planes with them just like they did before. Lying to US customs and immigration can have consequences though. Baked Alaska and MikeK 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayley_bopp Posted May 2, 2019 Report Share Posted May 2, 2019 On 4/22/2019 at 2:41 PM, KLA said: Joining in here - really crossing my fingers that the November cruise I'm taking with my mom won't be affected. May 2nd is my birthday even... can I just continue to have my opportunity to visit Havana and Cienfuegos for my birthday? That'd be great. Happy Birthday @KLA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coneyraven Posted May 2, 2019 Report Share Posted May 2, 2019 On 4/19/2019 at 7:13 PM, Phillip Diamond Plus said: Empress would be a great ship for Bermuda! I believe that Empress might be small enough to dock In Hamilton and St. Georges like ships used to do. But I'm not sure??? You may be on to something there. I know, when we were there last October, we saw a Viking Cruise Ship docked at Hamilton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted May 2, 2019 Report Share Posted May 2, 2019 Just now, coneyraven said: You may be on to something there. I know, when we were there last October, we saw a Viking Cruise Ship docked at Hamilton. And when my wife and I were there last October, we saw a Regent ship docked at St. George's. coneyraven 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted May 2, 2019 Report Share Posted May 2, 2019 Little tidbit from Richard Fain that no changes to Cuba yet: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2019/05/02/royal-caribbean-talks-cuba-early-perfect-day-response-and-more-during-earnings-call Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaMG Posted May 2, 2019 Report Share Posted May 2, 2019 On 4/17/2019 at 7:50 PM, Gears said: Hmmmm...maybe embark out of Cozumel with no US port stops(?). Some cruise lines have passengers embarking and disembarking at several ports on an itinerary. MSC actually does precisely this in December, January and February with two alternating 7-night itineraries: Cozumel, Cuba, Belize and Honduras; and Cozumel, Cuba, Montego Bay and Caymen Islands. I can't help wondering if it's a deliberate ploy. But I guess it's not much help if you have to break the law to do it. Hope it all works out for all of you who have been looking forward to visiting Cuba. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2mybugs Posted May 3, 2019 Report Share Posted May 3, 2019 8 hours ago, Matt said: Little tidbit from Richard Fain that no changes to Cuba yet: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2019/05/02/royal-caribbean-talks-cuba-early-perfect-day-response-and-more-during-earnings-call I am not worried about royal! I’m worried about what the administration does. If they ban travel, then royal will honor that. Crossing fingers.... Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThyriC Posted May 3, 2019 Report Share Posted May 3, 2019 Man and I really wanted to take a cruise to Cuba, I always wanted to visit because it looked so beautiful. Not to mention the culture and the FOOD! Oh well, here's to hoping that relations with Cuba improve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jjohnb Posted May 3, 2019 Report Share Posted May 3, 2019 On 4/19/2019 at 7:13 PM, Phillip Diamond Plus said: Empress would be a great ship for Bermuda! I believe that Empress might be small enough to dock In Hamilton and St. Georges like ships used to do. But I'm not sure??? It can, we sailed on the Empress out of Phila to Bermuda (Hamilton & St George) several times a few (well many) years back. That was one of our favorite itineraries, much nicer than sailing into the generic Naval dockyard. If they can no longer sail to Cuba maybe they can use the Empress for the Phila to Bermuda run again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevpeirce Posted May 3, 2019 Report Share Posted May 3, 2019 2 hours ago, Jjohnb said: It can, we sailed on the Empress out of Phila to Bermuda (Hamilton & St George) several times a few (well many) years back. That was one of our favorite itineraries, much nicer than sailing into the generic Naval dockyard. If they can no longer sail to Cuba maybe they can use the Empress for the Phila to Bermuda run again! Where in Philly did this dock? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
princevaliantus Posted May 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2019 2 minutes ago, kevpeirce said: Where in Philly did this dock? Probably around Philadelphia's Pier 82 on the Delaware River. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted May 14, 2019 Report Share Posted May 14, 2019 We sailed her (the Nordic Empress back then) to Bermuda from NYC back in 2002. Docked at the Naval Yard then moved to Hamilton. It was a wonderful cruise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coneyraven Posted May 14, 2019 Report Share Posted May 14, 2019 On 5/3/2019 at 1:05 PM, Jjohnb said: It can, we sailed on the Empress out of Phila to Bermuda (Hamilton & St George) several times a few (well many) years back. That was one of our favorite itineraries, much nicer than sailing into the generic Naval dockyard. If they can no longer sail to Cuba maybe they can use the Empress for the Phila to Bermuda run again! I wonder call the Royal naval Dockyard "Generic" --- It's actually quite nice there. Of course, there's been a huge emphasis on developing that end of the island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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