# Cuba Cruise Ban Leaves Travelers Confused and Uncertain > How the ban on cruises to Cuba upended plans for thousands of travelers, why it caused so much chaos, and what alternatives are still open to tourists. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/zaborona-kruiziv-na-kubu-vyklykaie-plutanynu-ta-nevyznachenist-sered-mandrivnykiv/ - Language: en - Published: 2024-09-05 - Categories: Travel, Culture, Beaches, Tours, Cuba, Seas & Oceans --- The last American cruise ship in Havana harbor, Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas, pulled away from Cuba on Wednesday afternoon. It was an abrupt end for a growing market of American cruise lines, triggered by the Trump administration's Tuesday announcement banning cruise travel to Cuba from the United States. "This affects nearly 800,000 passenger bookings that are currently scheduled or already underway," the industry group Cruise Lines International Association said in a statement. "We are disappointed that cruise lines will no longer be able to operate in Cuba," said Adam Goldstein, chairman of the association. "While this is beyond our control, we sincerely regret the impact on every cruise guest who was looking forward to their previously booked itinerary to Cuba." Cruise companies are scrambling to understand the fallout from the policy change and to adjust their itineraries accordingly in the wake of the announcement. Carnival Corporation, the parent company of Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America and Seabourn, confirmed on Wednesday that the companies are no longer permitted to sail to Cuba "effective immediately." "Carnival Corporation currently operates trips to Cuba on Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America Line, and Seabourn was set to begin sailing to Cuba in November. Additional details for already booked cruises will be provided by the cruise lines," the company said in a statement. Carnival Cruise Line shared some details about current and upcoming sailings, including the Carnival Sensation cruise that is currently in progress. Guests aboard that ship will visit Cozumel, Mexico, on Thursday instead of Havana. The cruise line apologized and offered those passengers a $100 onboard credit. Carnival Cruise Line is also in the process of contacting guests on upcoming sailings about their options, which include canceling affected itineraries for a full refund, keeping affected cruises with a $100 onboard credit per person, or switching to a different itinerary and receiving a $50 onboard credit per person. Royal Caribbean announced on Wednesday that 2019 sailings with stops at Cuban ports on Majesty of the Seas and Empress of the Seas will call at alternative ports in the Caribbean. Cruise guests will be allowed to cancel their current bookings for a full refund or keep their bookings with a new itinerary and receive a 50% refund. Norwegian Cruise Line said on Tuesday that the company is "closely monitoring these recent developments and any potential impact on cruise travel to Cuba. We will keep our guests and travel partners informed as more information becomes available." The confusion surrounding the ban is palpable among cruise companies, travel websites and passengers holding tickets to Cuba. Erica Silverstein, a senior editor at the cruise review site Cruise Critic, said they are fielding questions about what the ban means for people who have paid in full or are awaiting final payments on planned trips to Cuba. "It's worth remembering that cruise lines can change itineraries relatively quickly. We see this often during bad weather or when there's unrest in certain regions," Silverstein said. The Trump administration's policy change also eliminates "people-to-people" group travel (nonacademic educational and cultural exchanges) as an approved category of travel for Americans. The Treasury Department clarified in a statement that "certain group educational people-to-people travel that was previously permitted will continue to be allowed, provided the traveler has already completed at least one travel-related transaction (such as buying a plane ticket or booking accommodations) before June 5, 2019." JetBlue, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines issued statements saying they are reviewing the changes and intend to comply with the new rules. Under former President Barack Obama, the rules for travel to Cuba were relaxed, making it easier for individual Americans to comply with certain approved categories of travel without a formal application and approval process. President Trump tightened those rules in November 2017, allowing only "people-to-people" group travel under the supervision of a U.S. organization. "This subcategory of travel was eliminated, but there is a grandfather provision that essentially allows American travelers who, for example, have booked a flight or rooms and were planning to make a people-to-people trip, to complete it," said Pedro Freyre, a partner and head of the international practice at the national law firm Akerman, whose clients include cruise lines and airlines. "But that doesn't square with ending the ability of cruises to call there," Freyre said. It's precisely that inconsistency that has cruise lines scrambling to figure out how the new policy will affect their operations. And it leaves passengers who have booked future sailings in limbo.