The U.S. announced new restrictions yesterday on travel to Cuba for U.S. citizens, effective today, June 5, 2019. These restrictions prohibit cruise ships and yacht visits. Many cruise lines had been operating in Cuba since the Obama administration relaxed the regulations. According to the Ministry of Tourism, 800,000 passengers visited the Caribbean island by cruise ship in 2018.
With this new scenario and its immediate implementation, doubts have gripped both companies and travelers. Yesterday, the companies were expecting to speak with the US administration; today, Royal Caribbean has already announced that its cruises departing on June 5th and 6th will not stop in Cuba.
The question also lies in how this ban affects European cruise lines that do not have North American capital, i.e., MSC Cruises, and if it decides to maintain its stops in Cuba, what would happen to its American passengers.
The Cuban exile community has welcomed the measure, arguing that this type of tourism provided resources to the oppressive state. In the coming days, depending on the response from U.S. authorities, we will likely see numerous statements from cruise lines regarding the upcoming changes.
