Louis Cruises to sail Cuba charters

travelweekly

By Tom Stieghorst

Louis Cruises said it has chartered the 960-passenger Louis Cristal for a series of 15 cruises from Cuba in the winter of 2013-14.

The cruises will be offered through Toronto-based Cuba Cruise from Dec. 16, 2013, to March 31, 2014, with prices on seven-night voyages starting at about $600.

Cruises will depart Havana or Montego Bay, Jamaica, and include six Cuban ports of call.

Entertainment is to include local Cuban musicians and dancers, as well as North American hockey and football programming delivered via satellite.

Last year, Star Clippers said it would bring a tall ship to Cuba for a series of six- and seven-night Cuba cruises in February and March 2014.

The cruises cannot be sold to U.S. citizens because of a longstanding embargo against trade with Cuba.
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Also:
A Canadian company is launching cruises that circumnavigate Cuba starting Dec. 4 with prices from $586 a person, double occupancy, for a seven-night voyage.
Cuba Cruise’s 480-stateroom ship Louis Cristal will sail out of Havana with the ship calling at a new port every day. Ports of call include Bahia de Nipe, Cayo Guillermo, Santiago de Cuba, Cayo Caguamas, Cienfuegos, Trinidad and Punta Frances, and feature six UNESCO World Heritage Sites and four national parks and preserves.
Air-inclusive packages are available from various Canadian gateways with tour operators such as Transat Holidays, Hola Sun Holidays, Exclusive Tours and Tours Mont-Royal, including pre- and post-cruise land stays. For more information on the ship and itinerary, visit yourcubacruise.com.