It Is Still Possible For Americans To Travel To Cuba

Above, some vintage American cars in Havana. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It has been a couple of weeks since the U.S. Treasury Department announced new Cuba travel restrictions and regulations. Cruise line companies had to cancel upcoming cruises to Cuba and some, such as Carnival, saw drops in their stock values.

I took a cruise to Cuba in April with Royal Caribbean and there were rumblings at that time that we may be on one of the last cruises to Cuba even while we were at sea.

However, it is still possible for Americans to travel to Cuba.

According to Travel Weekly:

As the cruise industry scrambled to adjust schedules in the wake of President Trump's ban on sailings to Cuba, some tour operators were dusting off campaigns intended to make it clear to travel advisors and the public that the island nation remains accessible to Americans. 

While there were early concerns that all the headlines and confusion about the ban would lead to a drop in bookings, some Cuba operators said last week that they were seeing a boost in interest, including from people whose cruises had been canceled.

To read more, go here.

Cuba Cruises Banned For U.S. Citizens

Above, our cruise ship, Majesty of the Seas, in Havana Port in April. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is now obvious that the cruise to Cuba Mitch Geriminsky and I took in April was "just in the nick of time" as President Trump has imposed new restrictions on travel to Cuba that will take effect Wednesday.

This does not come as a surprise as there were strong rumors at the time of our cruise that we may be on one of last cruises to Cuba. Our cruise was aboard the Majesty of the Seas with Royal Caribbean cruise lines.

According to Fox 17 Nashville:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Tuesday imposed major new travel restrictions on visits to Cuba by U.S. citizens, banning stops by cruise ships and ending a heavily used form of educational travel as it seeks to further isolate the communist government. 

The Treasury Department announced that the U.S. will no longer allow cruises to Cuba or the group educational and cultural trips known as "people to people" travel to the island. 

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the measures are a response to what it calls Cuba's "destabilizing role" in the Western Hemisphere, including support for the government of President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. 

"This administration has made a strategic decision to reverse the loosening of sanctions and other restrictions on the Cuban regime," Mnuchin said. "These actions will help to keep U.S. dollars out of the hands of Cuban military, intelligence, and security services."

Cruise ships have brought thousands of Americans to Cuba since the U.S. began restoring full diplomatic relations with the communist government in December 2014 and have provided an important economic lifeline to the island.

To read more, go here.