Cruisers on Florida’s west coast will get additional opportunities to visit the land that time forgot in 2018 thanks to Carnival Cruise Line adding additional cruises to Cuba from Tampa.
The Carnival Paradise will sail three five-days cruises to Havana and Cozumel or Key West on February 17, July 2 and September 5, 2018. Havana and Grand Cayman are on tap for a six-day sailing on August 26, 2018. For those looking for an extended voyage, an eight-day cruise will depart on August 18, 2018, and call on Havana, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.
Each of the cruises includes a day-long call and overnight in Cuba, while the eight-day cruise will offer guests two full days – plenty of time to explore all that Havana has to offer.
These additional 2018 sailings were added due to demand created when the Obama administration eased the travel restrictions for Americans to travel to Cuba. In order to visit, cruise lines must meet certain guidelines to ensure passengers engage in cultural activities (shore excursions) that meet the requirements for “people-to-people” travel as defined by the U.S. government.
All cruise lines sailing to Cuba from the States meet the requirements.
BONUS: See photos from a reader’s recent cruise to Cuba by clicking here.
Carnival Paradise started sailing to Cuba in June 2017 and offers four and five-day cruises from Tampa. It’s currently the only ship in the Carnival fleet visiting the island nation.
The ship itself was launched in 1998 and carries a maximum 2500 passengers and 920 crew. She was built to become the world’s first non-smoking cruise ship, but in 2003, that plan was scrapped. Remnants of that piece of her history are still visible with “no smoking” signs painted over on the side of the ship.
She’s an older girl, with the majority of her staterooms being interior or ocean view, with a limited number of balcony cabins. Her last major refurb was done in 2008.
BONUS: Click here for a review of a Western Caribbean Cruise on the Carnival Paradise.