What have they done to your Cuba cruise?

[CRUISEFAN0001]

3 minutes ago, MitzyG said:

Honestly...I'm not going (thank heavens).   It just makes me think twice about certain destinations, at least while a certain leader is in office.

Wishing you the best...but there are plenty of risk cruise port locations all over the world and have been for many decades. There certainly is risk in the Eastern Mediterranean for example. The Cuba situation didn't happen overnight or since 2016 either.

[theschwanz]

14 minutes ago, CruisinCanuck63 said:

From another thread and poster don731:

 

From a TA:

 

Cuba Travel Update - Just in from Royal Caribbean - The Majesty of the Seas sails tomorrow and was supposed to go to Havana. Will now go to Costa Maya. It would now appear that all Royal Caribbean sailings to Cuba have or are being rerouted from having any stops in Cuba..

Per Royal Caribbean - Passengers on the sailing tomorrow on the Majesty of the Seas are getting a refund in the value of 50% per stateroom of your cruise fare paid as a credit to your onboard account. And, if you have any pre-paid Royal Caribbean International shore excursions for Havana, you'll also receive a refund in the form of a credit. You may use these credits anywhere onboard and if you don't use them, they'll be refunded back onto your credit card on file.

Will update as we get word from the other vendors.

 

Thank you. Booked on the June 10 sailing so this is valuable info. Thanks!

[Ms BumbleBee]

Just received this:

 

Dear Guest, 

Today, the United States government shared that educational and recreational (or people-to-people) travel to Cuba is no longer permitted and you may be wondering how this affects your upcoming cruise. Please know, we are assessing what these changes mean for all of our future Cuba cruises and we kindly ask for your patience. We promise to share an update with you and your Travel Partner by tomorrow, June 6th, at 6:00 PM EST. 

Thank you for your patience, we will be in touch soon!

Sincerely, 

 

Aurora Yera-Rodriguez

Director of Guest Services

Royal Caribbean International

[Milwaukee Eight]

6 minutes ago, Ms BumbleBee said:

Just received this:

 

Dear Guest, 

Today, the United States government shared that educational and recreational (or people-to-people) travel to Cuba is no longer permitted and you may be wondering how this affects your upcoming cruise. Please know, we are assessing what these changes mean for all of our future Cuba cruises and we kindly ask for your patience. We promise to share an update with you and your Travel Partner by tomorrow, June 6th, at 6:00 PM EST. 

Thank you for your patience, we will be in touch soon!

Sincerely, 

 

Aurora Yera-Rodriguez

Director of Guest Services

Royal Caribbean International

Delay, delay, delay.....

[Artemus]

(lurking for 1,000)

[ZoeyVictoria]

7 minutes ago, Ms BumbleBee said:

Just received this:

 

Dear Guest, 

Today, the United States government shared that educational and recreational (or people-to-people) travel to Cuba is no longer permitted and you may be wondering how this affects your upcoming cruise. Please know, we are assessing what these changes mean for all of our future Cuba cruises and we kindly ask for your patience. We promise to share an update with you and your Travel Partner by tomorrow, June 6th, at 6:00 PM EST. 

Thank you for your patience, we will be in touch soon!

Sincerely, 

 

Aurora Yera-Rodriguez

Director of Guest Services

Royal Caribbean International

 

Isn’t “tomorrow” June 5, not June 6?

[CRUISEFAN0001]

9 minutes ago, Ms BumbleBee said:

Just received this:

 

Dear Guest, 

Today, the United States government shared that educational and recreational (or people-to-people) travel to Cuba is no longer permitted and you may be wondering how this affects your upcoming cruise. Please know, we are assessing what these changes mean for all of our future Cuba cruises and we kindly ask for your patience. We promise to share an update with you and your Travel Partner by tomorrow, June 6th, at 6:00 PM EST. 

Thank you for your patience, we will be in touch soon!

Sincerely, 

 

Aurora Yera-Rodriguez

Director of Guest Services

Royal Caribbean International

Thanks for sharing...it looks like they'll be some late-night meetings in Miami tonight.

[Jzx1103]

Not sure why Royal is delaying informing passengers beyond June 5th and 6th sailings, its stated pretty clearly by the Trump Administration. Unless Royal has some lobbying power up its sleaves 🤔

Edited June 5, 2019 by Jzx1103

[d1k]

12 minutes ago, Ms BumbleBee said:

Just received this:

 

Dear Guest, 

Today, the United States government shared that educational and recreational (or people-to-people) travel to Cuba is no longer permitted and you may be wondering how this affects your upcoming cruise. Please know, we are assessing what these changes mean for all of our future Cuba cruises and we kindly ask for your patience. We promise to share an update with you and your Travel Partner by tomorrow, June 6th, at 6:00 PM EST. 

Thank you for your patience, we will be in touch soon!

Sincerely, 

 

Aurora Yera-Rodriguez

Director of Guest Services

Royal Caribbean International

Thank you for posting this.  I haven't gotten anything but at least I know what to expect now time -wise and can stop eating my feelings.

 

[TravelerThom]

How many of you have actually read https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/cuba_faqs_new.pdf

posted today? A decision to abort close in trips to Cuba is not making sense. 

 

“Effective June 5, 2019, a regulatory amendment to the CACR removes an authorization for people-to-people educational travel that was conducted under the auspices of an organization that is subject to U.S. jurisdiction and that sponsors such exchanges to promote people-to-people contact (group people-to-people educational travel). This amendment also includes a grandfather clause authorizing certain group people-to-people educational travel that previously was authorized where the traveler has already completed at least one travel-related transaction (such as purchasing a flight or reserving accommodation) prior to June 5, 2019.”

 

Surely ships leaving this week (and for the next several weeks) have finalized (or nearly finalized) manifests of people who have completed at least one travel-related transaction, and are therefore grandfathered. What am I not understanding?

 

Edited June 5, 2019 by TravelerThom

[d1k]

I'm on the June 10 sailing......just got this from my TA...

 

I just heard from Royal that they are changing cruises sailing tomorrow until they hear final word tomorrow night. 

Once I hear final word from Royal I will email you, but right now there have been no changes to your cruise.

[Kingofcool1947]

3 hours ago, Ms BumbleBee said:

I leave in 10 days for a Cuba only cruise on the Empress (3 days in Cuba and one Coco Cay).  I called and they said they have no information one way or another and plan to have a statement in 24 hours.

 

There are only a few options :

1  Get the cruises that are booked grandfathered in

2.  Change the itinerary

3. Cancel

 

In our case the entire itinerary is Cuba and I cannot imagine that they can get any ports other than maybe Bahamas and 3 trips to CoCo Cay LOL which I think would cause a mutiny.  And cancelling is not going to be an option so they better try to find a loophole.

 

I think the biggest issue is the government gave them no time to make adjustments.  I guess in 10 days I will either be having a staycation or Cuba.  No way I am spending 8 days floating aimlessly around Miami...

The cruise line will change itinerary.  Haiti and/or the Dominican Republic instead of Cuba.   I heard both are beautiful and welcome tourists (cruisers)$$$’s.  Very safe counties, so I’ve been told,

Good luck and enjoy.

[Ms BumbleBee]

2 minutes ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

The cruise line will change itinerary.  Haiti and/or the Dominican Republic instead of Cuba.   I heard both are beautiful and welcome tourists (cruisers)$$$’s.  Very safe counties, so I’ve been told,

Good luck and enjoy.

 

I have zero interest in either locations - specifically at the premium price I paid.  I will be staying home and working on my yard versus a sub par cruise on a ship with no amenities and locations I have zero interest in.  I have been to both and have no interest in returning.  Cuba is a cultural destination and we all paid a premium to go.  Our payment window closed prior to April so we had no worries of cancellation when we paid.

 

Again I am not blaming RCL or even the gov't other than I wish they had made a grandfathering clause for people who had paid in full before changes were announced. 

 

 

[ShannonSC2]

I have friends who are sailing tomorrow on Majesty out of Fort Lauderdale and they have changed their itinerary.  They  have a sea day on Thursday and going to Costa Maya instead of Havana, Cuba.  They are adding a refund in the value of 50% per stateroom of the cruise fare paid as a credit to your onboard account.  If you don' use the onboard credit they will refund back the credit card on file.  They are a little disappointed as her parents were supposed to go but because her step dad was born in Cuba he couldn't get the correct paperwork needed so they cancelled.  

 

It is a shame that this is happening especially people who are already booked. 

 

[theschwanz]

23 minutes ago, d1k said:

I'm on the June 10 sailing......just got this from my TA...

 

I just heard from Royal that they are changing cruises sailing tomorrow until they hear final word tomorrow night. 

Once I hear final word from Royal I will email you, but right now there have been no changes to your cruise.

I am as well. Please post as you hear. I’ll do the same. 

[Heather1972]

54 minutes ago, TravelerThom said:

How many of you have actually read https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/cuba_faqs_new.pdf

posted today? A decision to abort close in trips to Cuba is not making sense. 

 

“Effective June 5, 2019, a regulatory amendment to the CACR removes an authorization for people-to-people educational travel that was conducted under the auspices of an organization that is subject to U.S. jurisdiction and that sponsors such exchanges to promote people-to-people contact (group people-to-people educational travel). This amendment also includes a grandfather clause authorizing certain group people-to-people educational travel that previously was authorized where the traveler has already completed at least one travel-related transaction (such as purchasing a flight or reserving accommodation) prior to June 5, 2019.”

 

Surely ships leaving this week (and for the next several weeks) have finalized (or nearly finalized) manifests of people who have completed at least one travel-related transaction, and are therefore grandfathered. What am I not understanding?

 

I don't understand Royal Caribbeans decision to abort Cuba for those 2 cruises. It very clearly states they would be grandfathered. --- coming from an annoyed cruiser to who knows where on Majesty on June 24.  

 

 

[LrdNorman]

4 minutes ago, theschwanz said:

I am as well. Please post as you hear. I’ll do the same. 

We are as well -- will post once we hear anything...

[Cruising89143]

4 minutes ago, Heather1972 said:

 

And then there is this...

 

Vessels ineligible for permits

The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, in coordination with the Office of Foreign Assets Control, is amending Export Administration Regulations to make passenger and recreational vessels and private and corporate aircraft ineligible for a license exception and to establish a general policy of denial for license applications involving those vessels and aircraft.

This indicates cruise ships are 'effectively ineligible for the necessary permits from Treasury and OFAC to leave the US for Cuba,' according to Collin Laverty, president of Cuba Educational Travel.

'There is no language about an exception for cruise ships or a delay, meaning these go into effect tomorrow, June 5th, 2019, and immediately halt cruise travel,' Laverty told Seatrade Cruise News. 'I believe the cruise industry is scrambling to determine what do with cruise passengers in the coming day and if there’s a way to get permission for the ships to proceed as planned.'

 

Full article....

http://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/news-headlines/uncertainty-over-trump-administration-s-cuba-cruise-ban.html

[fsjosh]

3 hours ago, BigHouseFootball said:

I’m sure Royal can find some short  itineraries until 2021. 

 

They'll have those ships sold by 2025.

[Hoopster95]

7 minutes ago, cruisingator2 said:

And then there is this...

 

 

 

And how about we find out tomorrow that everyone booked is grandfathered, Majesty heads to Havana tomorrow as planned, permits are ok.....

 

and the Cuban militia or some other group so pissed of with the USA is sitting in the middle of the port pointing guns at any cruise ship that tries to enter the port.

[TravelerThom]

14 minutes ago, cruisingator2 said:

And then there is this...

 

Vessels ineligible for permits

The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, in coordination with the Office of Foreign Assets Control, is amending Export Administration Regulations to make passenger and recreational vessels and private and corporate aircraft ineligible for a license exception and to establish a general policy of denial for license applications involving those vessels and aircraft.

This indicates cruise ships are 'effectively ineligible for the necessary permits from Treasury and OFAC to leave the US for Cuba,' according to Collin Laverty, president of Cuba Educational Travel.

'There is no language about an exception for cruise ships or a delay, meaning these go into effect tomorrow, June 5th, 2019, and immediately halt cruise travel,' Laverty told Seatrade Cruise News. 'I believe the cruise industry is scrambling to determine what do with cruise passengers in the coming day and if there’s a way to get permission for the ships to proceed as planned.'

 

Full article....

http://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/news-headlines/uncertainty-over-trump-administration-s-cuba-cruise-ban.html

Both OFAC and Commerce BIS title the section 

“Ending Exports of Passenger Vessels, Recreational Vessels, and Private Aircraft”

Are they seriously claiming that a vessel which makes a one or two day visit has been exported? George Orwell must be turning over in his grave.

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Not likely. Born in Miami and have lived in Florida all my life except Military. Cuban-Americans, the ones old enough to remember, the vast majority would welcome this ban on travel to Cuba.  

 

My father wants to go. I have to tell him tomorrow.  I guess hes in the minority 

[PhoenixCruiser]

Well this sucks!

[PhoenixCruiser]

17 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

My father wants to go. I have to tell him tomorrow.  I guess hes in the minority 

 

Ugh - that is a bummer for your father.

 

I feel bad for all of those who had cruises booked - or planned.

[Milwaukee Eight]

1 hour ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

The cruise line will change itinerary.  Haiti and/or the Dominican Republic instead of Cuba.   I heard both are beautiful and welcome tourists (cruisers)$$$’s.  Very safe counties, so I’ve been told,

Good luck and enjoy.

I must tell you, I really like your profile picture 

 

i was 101st Airborne.