RCI-Royal Caribbean rerouted Majesty of the Seas voyages scheduled to arrive in Port Havana on Thursday and Friday. One cruise will go to Costa Maya instead, and the other will stay at sea for one more day of cruising.
When Carnival Cruise Line made the announcement, at least one of its ships, Carnival Sensation, had been rerouted to Cozumel Mexico instead of Havana Cuba. It departed from Miami on Monday, June 3. Back in 2016, Carnival was the first cruise line in the USA to sail to the country since the 1959 revolution.
For other tourists with cruise plans through July, Carnival issued a travel alert explaining the alternative choices. Passengers may remain on the original cruise, which will have to sail to another destination. These passengers will receive US$100 in OBC/onboard credit or choose to travel on another voyage (receiving a US$50 OBC) or cancel the booking with a full refund.
Carnival Corporation will no longer operate Cuba cruises, effective immediately, the company announced on Wednesday, June 5. The decision, coming a day after Trump administration banned voyages, private yachts and fishing ships from visiting Cuba, left many cruisers confused, especially those en-route to Cuba.
The new regulations affect around 800,000 bookings which are scheduled or underway, with Carnival and other companies, like NCL-Norwegian and RCI-Royal Caribbean, according to CLIA. The bookings were made under a license issued by the US government which allowed “people to people” travel to Cuba. The category has been banned by the new regulations.