Azamara Club Cruises' first Cuba trip set for March

Azamara Club Cruises' first Cuba trip set for March
Gene Sloan , USA TODAY 3:20 p.m. EST December 9, 2016

Azamara Club Cruises will operate its first voyage to Cuba on March 21.

The sailing will be a 13-night trip from Miami that includes an
overnight stay in the Cuban capital of Havana along with visits to Key
West and Tampa, Fla.; New Orleans; and Cozumel, Mexico, the small-ship
line announced Friday. The voyage will take place on the 686-passenger
Azamara Quest.

For now, the March sailing will be the only Cuba cruise on Azamara's
schedule, but the line said it is looking to add additional voyages to
the island nation.

Azamara and its sister brand Royal Caribbean received approval for Cuba
sailings on Wednesday from the Cuban government but at the time did not
announce itinerary plans.

Royal Caribbean on Friday said its first trip to Cuba will take place in
April.

The parent company of Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and
Norwegian Cruise Line also received approval for Cuba trips on
Wednesday. The lines will begin trips to the country in March, April and
May, respectively.

The Cuba calls planned by the lines will provide an opportunity for
"people-to-people" exchanges between Americans and Cubans as allowed by
U.S. rules governing visits to Cuba, the companies have said.

While the Obama administration has loosened restrictions on travel to
Cuba over the past year, U.S. visitors still are limited in the
activities they are allowed to do in the country by the terms of the
USA's five-decade-old embargo. The embargo specifies that activities
fall within one of 12 approved categories. The categories include
educational pursuits such as people-to-people exchanges.

Fares for Azamara's new Cuba voyage start at $2,799 per person. It is
open for booking as of today.

Source: Azamara Club Cruises' first Cuba trip set for March -
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2016/12/09/azamara-club-cruises-cuba/95209340/