Cruising may be the best way to see Cuba right now, especially for American tourists accustomed to a certain level of service from hotels. When the Adonia sets sail from Miami on May 1, it will mark the first time a regularly scheduled ship has sailed to Cuba from the US in 50 years.
The Adonia belongs to Fathom, Carnival Corporation's "social impact" brand. Fathom offers alternating, week-long cruises to Cuba and the Dominican Republic. In the Dominican Republic, passengers may choose to engage in some volunteer activities or not. In Cuba, because current restrictions on travel, most of the time passengers participate in educational shore tours as a group.
Pearl Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbeans Cruises Ltd., and Oceania Cruises (part of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings), also anticipate getting the go-ahead from Havana very soon.
Why cruise to Cuba as opposed to booking a land-based trip?
"With the Cuban infrastructure stuck in time, travelers need to be aware of the fact that the roads are in bad shape, the electrical system is archaic and troublesome, the water;s not always running and available and (there are hotels with no air conditioning" says Shawna Hoffman, long-time cruise expert and Cruising to Cuba CEO.
"Cuba has a ways to go before it is up to the standards that Americans are use to when traveling. But when you travel by ship, you get a safe, air conditioned haven to come back to every night. You also have the influx of investments from the cruise lines to make sure that your land excursions are safe and up to par," says Hoffman.
In addition, most of the cruise lines handle the paperwork required for visas, you only unpack once, and cruises guarantee your room. Booking a cabin also assures you of a place to sleep. Hotels frequently overbook leaving some land-based passengers without rooms, according to a group travel specialist.
No comments:
Post a Comment