Carnival Cruise Lines has added five more voyages onboard Carnival Paradise, departing out of Tampa, with extended calls in Havana in 2018.
Citing strong demand, the new voyages include three five-day cruises to Havana and Cozumel or Key West departing February 17, July 2 and September 5, 2018; a six-day sailing calling at Havana and Grand Cayman departing August 26, 2018; and an eight-day voyage with stops at Havana, Grand Cayman and Cozumel departing August 18, 2018.
All of the voyages include a day-long call and overnight in Havana with the eight-day cruise of August 18, 2018, offering two full days at the historic Cuban capital.
In June, Carnival announced a series of four- and five-day voyages to Havana. Upcoming voyages in the initial program include four-day cruises departing August 24, September 7 and 21, and October 5 and 19, 2017, as well as May 3, 2018, and five-day voyages departing August 28, September 25 and October 9, 2017.
Guests aboard Carnival Paradise can select from nearly 20 different shore excursion experiences that showcase Cuba’s culture, beauty and architectural landmarks.
The ship also has a 12,000-square-foot Spa Carnival health and wellness facility and Serenity adults-only retreat. Family-friendly programming includes Seuss at Sea in partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises. The ship features four swimming pools and a 115-foot-long cascading water slide.
Travel is compliant with regulations of the U.S. Department of Treasury that permit travel operators to transport approved travelers to Cuba to engage in approved activities. Cuba remains the only country in the world where U.S. citizens face tourism travel restrictions.
Cuba’s Tourism Sector Continues to Grow
Cuba’s tourism sector grew by 23.2 percent in the first half of 2017, according to new data from Cuba Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero.
That represented a total of 2.7 million tourists compared to the first six months of 2016, driven by a surge in U.S. tourism.
The U.S. market grew by 150% year over year, although that number is likely to drop considerably thanks to the recent tightening of travel restrictions by the Trump administration.
U.S. tourists can still visit the island, but only using officially licensed legal Cuba tour operators.
