Azamara Club Cruises has announced the addition of four new sailings to its lineup of Cuba itineraries. Departing from Miami, the new sailings will overnight in Havana and call at new maiden ports Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba.
In Cuba guests will have the chance to participate in people-to-people cultural exchanges, including chances to experience the destination at night. Experiences will include a visit to the open air cabaret, Tropicana, a Nelson Dominguez art gallery tour, Havana by classic car along the Malecón waterfront and Hemingway’s Havana, with more coming soon. All tour programs offered by Azamara are designed to meet U.S. requirements for travel to Cuba, the cruise line said.
Azamara’s full list of Cuba itineraries for 2017 and 2018 is as follows:
- Havana Discovery Voyage: Departing on November 20, 2017 (10-Night Miami to Miami)
- Havana Getaway Voyage: Departing November 27, 2017 (4-Night Miami to Miami)
- Panama Canal & Costa Rica Voyage: Departing January 4, 2018 (11-Night Miami to Costa Rica)
- Cuba Intensive Voyage: Departing March 9, 2018 (10-Night Miami to Havana); Features two overnights in Havana
- Cuba & Grand Cayman Voyage: Departing March 19, 2018 (7-Night Miami to Miami)
- Cuba Intensive Voyage: Departing March 28, 2018 (10-Night Miami to Miami); Features two overnights in Havana
Azamara’s latest announcement comes as Cuba cruises are kicking into high gear. Over the past two weeks two major cruise lines made their inaugural calls in the country. Royal Caribbean International’s Empress of the Seas made its first call in Havana as part of a five-night sailing from Miami. This week, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Sky made its first Havana call with Norwegian executives onboard to celebrate. Norwegian Sky will now begin offering weekly roundtrip cruises from Miami to Cuba, with a total of 53 four-day voyages planned.
Cruise travel to Cuba is getting underway as a recent study by Allianz Global Assistance points to cooling interest in land-based travel. According to the survey, interest in travel to Cuba fell 2 percent this year, with rising factors making Americans hesitant to travel to the country including lack of information on Cuba’s travel experiences, travel infrastructure and Internet and mobile connectivity. The most popular reason respondents cited that would make them more likely to travel to Cuba was resorts and beaches.
Stay tuned to www.travelagentcentral.com for the latest Cuba travel news, trends and updates.