Cool cruises to hot Cuba

AS AMERICANS await travel restrictions to Cuba to be lifted in the wake of the recent landmark US-Cuba agreement to resume full diplomatic ties, tourists from all over the world are already flocking to the communist country - hoping to catch its retro 1950s vibe before it fades.

Cruises to Cuba seem like a no-brainer for those who want to experience Havana nights without hassle.

Travel industry observers say that cruise ships are a way to get around the rapid transformation that comes with the influx of tourists, as well as ease the Cuban infrastructure and hospitality sector into the big time. They are, as a Bloomberg forecast of US travel to Cuba published in June puts it, "mobile hotels that bring their own infrastructure, contain their guests, and don't stay too long". (British author Graham Greene probably had no idea how right or prescient he was, when he wrote of the Cuban capital, "It was a city to visit, not a city to live in", in his novel Our Man In Havana.)

Major cruise lines Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival have already expressed interest in sailing to Cuba, while smaller ships are promising cosy groups, personalised journeys and even bespoke service.

Earlier in July, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings' chief executive Frank Del Rio told The New York Times: "I can't stop thinking about it . . . Cuba and the cruise industry are just a match made in heaven, waiting to happen." A couple of days later, the Miami Herald reported that MSC Cruises will be starting Caribbean cruises from Cuba this December - beating the other mainstream cruise lines to the punch.

The 2,120 passenger MSC Opera will leave Genoa for Havana on Dec 2. After docking at the Cuban capital, it will cruise the region - including stops at Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Mexico - before departing Havana for Europe on April 12, 2016.

Similarly, Greece-based Celestyal Cruises will introduce, from December 2015 to April 2016, its seven-day Cuban itinerary. Ports of call are Havana; Maria la Gorda in Western Cuba, famed for its diving camp; the city of Cienfuegos, north of the 18th century fortress Castillo de Jagua, built to repel Caribbean pirates; Santiago de Cuba, rich in Afro-Cuban cultures; and Montego Bay, in neighbouring Jamaica. Offshore excursions options include visits to cigar and rum factories, as well as sugar and coffee plantations, catamaran trips and mangrove tours.

California-based AdventureSmith Explorations, a company that specialises in adventure cruise holidays, will also start in December eight-day Cuba cruises on board a three-masted schooner named Panorama, which holds 49 people in 25 cabins. When in port, the Panorama's guests will visit local artisans, experience a community project working to preserve Afro-Cuban culture, take walks with local historians and enjoy music at the famed Buena Vista Social Club. Rates start from US$4,999 per person (in a double cabin), including round-trip air fare from Miami, meals, cabin accommodations, visa and mandatory medical insurance.

Cuba requires all travellers to its shores to take out travel insurance or a medical insurance policy in their home country, or from Cuban insurance companies at its airport, ports or marinas. Singapore tourists to Cuba need to apply for a tourist card to visit the country, and can do so via the Cuban consular office in Jakarta.

AdventureSmith founder Todd Smith says that the response, since their Cuba People to People Cruise package was announced in April, has been "incredible". "We have never had a trip launch this successful," he tells The Business Times via e-mail. The trip sold out so quickly, he says, a second boat - the Panorama II - has recently been added to the line-up, and twice as many cruises scheduled.

Cuba is attractive to travellers because of its unique culture resulting from the country's isolation, says Mr Smith. "People are curious to learn what Cuba is like and how Cubans live their day-to-day lives," he adds. Following Fidel Castro's Marxist-Leninist revolution in 1959, the US broke diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961, and imposed a trade embargo.

AdventureSmith hopes to add an itinerary that circumnavigates the entire island of Cuba in the next couple of years, as well as offer cruises year-round. Says Mr Smith: "I see continued high demand as people want to see authentic Cuba before too many changes take place. Eventually, the big cruise lines will gain approval to visit Cuba, and things may change from an up-close cultural interaction to more fun-in-the-sun type of travel."

"In the meantime," he adds, "I am pleased to see small ships pioneering authentic sustainable travel in Cuba."

"I last visited Cuba in 2001, and I can only imagine how different it is becoming as its tourism industry develops and barriers to trade and travel come down," says Jayne Sam, 38, a curator and traveller thinking of revisiting the destination. "It's probably better to visit Cuba now before it undergoes drastic change."