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Havana port cancelled


Bethcb
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I just got a notice from Oceana that our November 23,2019 Amazon Cruise has a change in ports. No longer going to Havana, Cuba due to berthing issues”. Added a Dominican Republic stop. Any idea why this was changed?

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Definitely something going on there. There was a big marketing push for the Cuba itineraries, and now they're backing off of them. There's probably more to this than a place to park the ship.

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I see in some of the dates posted MSC is in port plus another ship & since it is there "homeport" maybe that is the reason

I am just guessing

also could be something to do with the USA state dept & their rules

who knows

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It’s what happens when cruise lines are pushed to put out schedules 2 years in advance. Things change.

 

Oceania is coming out with its early 2020 schedule next week. Let’s see a show of hands from those that believe that schedule is firm!

 

The further out they print a schedule, the greater the likelihood of changes.

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Definitely something going on there. There was a big marketing push for the Cuba itineraries, and now they're backing off of them. There's probably more to this than a place to park the ship.

 

 

Not so sure, Orv.

Havana is keeping everyone on tenterhooks, as this newspaper clipping reveals :

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/marella-cruises-itinerary-tui-drop-havana-nassau-lisbon-stops-customers-furious-a8210791.html

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Where is the other thread? Wondering if our 7 day summer cruise to Cuba will be changed. Very interesting! Thanks again!

Have you checked on O's website to see if any changes were made to your sailing??

 

Most seem to be 2019 cruises

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I just got a notice from Oceana that our November 23,2019 Amazon Cruise has a change in ports. No longer going to Havana, Cuba due to berthing issues”. Added a Dominican Republic stop. Any idea why this was changed?

Our Jan.12 trip had Cuba replaced with St. Bart's. Not too happy. The visit to Cuba was a principle reason we booked the trip.

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My husband and I are booked on Oceania's "Timeless Cuba" 7 day cruise January 13-20 2019. If it wasn't for this thread, I never would have re-checked our itinerary, which we booked exactly a year ago. Our two-day stop in Havana is now just one day, with a second day added for Cienfuegos. I'm not sure how recently things changed, but I've heard nothing from my travel agent (who does a very good job keeping us in the loop), nor did I receive any notification. I've read some positive comments about Cienfuegos, but was very much looking forward to those two days in Havana.

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Azamara has some nice Cuba itineraries and a small ship that might have an easier time docking. When I was in Havana on the Insigna, there were only 2 berths and the other one had a large MSC ship in it.

 

FWIW, Azamara’s R ships are exactly the same as Oceania’s R ships that are scheduled to visit Cuba.

In other words, it’s not the ship size per se that seems to be the problem here.

Just what the problem is I do not know.

Our Insignia cruise to Cuba in Nov ‘19 has not changed (so far) with an overnight in Havana.

Let’s hope it will stay so.

Edited by Paulchili
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ATW2020 has deleted our overnight in Havana; Jan 9 is now Key West 8am-5pm

 

In Havana Jan 10 7am-5pm. The itinerary change was made a couple of days ago.

 

So no Tropicana or Buena Vista Social Club for this girl.....

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Although I look any every Oceania itinerary with suspicion because imo O cancels and changes more ports than any other cruise line, cancelling Havana is a far more grievous affront than other ports. Visiting Cuba is probably the only reason many people booked these cruises and replacing Havana with Key West or the Dominican Republic is a joke. If for whatever reason O can no longer visit Cuba is beyond their control they should immediately stop offering sailings that include it.

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If Oceania comes out , this week, with a long list of cruises going to Havana and /or Cuba in 2020, and then later alters or cancels them; I believe that would significantly discredit NCL/Oceania management. Truly perceived as bait and switch at this point.

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FWIW, Azamara’s R ships are exactly the same as Oceania’s R ships that are scheduled to visit Cuba.

In other words, it’s not the ship size per se that seems to be the problem here.

Just what the problem is I do not know.

Our Insignia cruise to Cuba in Nov ‘19 has not changed (so far) with an overnight in Havana.

Let’s hope it will stay so.

Yes, I know the ships are the same size....not my point. Azamara is just another option that has some Cuban-intensive itineraries....not a slam on Oceania either....just passing info along for those who want more than 1 day in Cuba.

 

Maybe the Cuban govt is limiting each ship to just one day in order to keep up with the increased demand for cruise ships wanting to visit there?

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Considering Carnival just announced 20 additional voyages to Cuba for 2019. In February, Norwegian Cruise Line announced it would add seven-, nine- and 13-night Cuba sailings- I think the port is going to overcrowded and many more O cruises might get shortened.

 

 

I wonder if they are trading slots for these added NCL cruises.

 

 

Hopefully O does not announce a change for us after our final payment. That will be the end.

Edited by PaulMCO
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What's frustrating is that all the other Oceania 7 day Cuba cruises for the remainder of 2018 AND all of 2019 still show two consecutive days in Havana. It appears that the only 7 day cruise they've changed for 2019 is the one we're on, January 13-20 on the Sirena. Plus they've changed the name of our cruise. It had been "Timeless Cuba." Now it's "Colonial Cuba." Not-so-lucky us!

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What's frustrating is that all the other Oceania 7 day Cuba cruises for the remainder of 2018 AND all of 2019 still show two consecutive days in Havana. It appears that the only 7 day cruise they've changed for 2019 is the one we're on, January 13-20 on the Sirena. Plus they've changed the name of our cruise. It had been "Timeless Cuba." Now it's "Colonial Cuba." Not-so-lucky us!

If you are before final payment just cancel the cruise & look for one that suits you better

 

JMO

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Yes, I know the ships are the same size....not my point.

 

It sure looked to me like that WAS your point (underlining mine).

Here is your quote:

“Azamara has some nice Cuba itineraries and a small ship that might have an easier time docking”.

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So many of us have posted this thought before but it bears repeating

 

If some port is on your must see list, book a land trip. Port changes occur all the time and any cruise you book comes with that risk. Never book a cruise for a particular port if you would not have booked the cruise if the port were cancelled

 

Cuba was on our bucket list so we spent 10 Days there on a land tour. No disappointment

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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Gleeful Girl, my DH and I booked this cruise directly with Oceania, so that is probably why they emailed me about the change to Havana. We have friends on the wait list, so for now, we will wait and see if there are any further itinerary changes. My biggest fear is we make our final payment (Oct. 15) and then they cancel all of the Cuba ports and make it a "Caribbean" cruise. We like the one week, Sunday to Sunday, aspect of the cruise as this works well with my DH's work schedule, and the timing in January is a positive. My DH does not have much interest in visiting Cuba, but agreed to this cruise because our other Oceania cruise was wonderful. We often do land tours, but for this destination we wanted the luxury (and food!) of Oceania along with a "taste" of Cuba.

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