Seatrade Cruise News is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Seabourn gets the go-ahead to visit Cuba

16c26147e6b3cba49ce2a6978bd2a216
All the cruises feature overnight stays in Havana
Seabourn became the latest cruise line to gain approval for Cuba sailings.

First voyage Nov. 4, 2019

Cruises from Miami and San Juan will start with a 12-day sailing aboard Seabourn Sojourn departing Miami on Nov. 4, 2019.

Seabourn will offer five departures. The 11-, 12- and 14-day sailings will visit five Cuban ports, calling at three or four on each itinerary. All five voyages feature overnight stays in Havana.

'We are excited to finally be able to include Cuba in our itineraries, and our guests and travel partners have been anxiously awaiting an ultra-luxury travel experience with a wider selection of destinations in this relatively undiscovered Caribbean treasure,' Seabourn president Rick Meadows said.

Havana, Antilla, Cienfuegos, Punta Francés, Santiago

Ports include Antilla (Nipe Bay), near Cayo Saetia National Park, a natural reservation with wide flora diversity and exotic fauna. Holguin province is home to communities like San Isidoro de Holguin, with 18th-century churches and sleepy plazas. The Sierra del Cristal range holds lush pine forests and Pico Cristal and Mensura national parks with the twin Guayabo waterfalls, Cuba's highest.

Cienfuegos is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its remarkable concentration of 19th-century architecture. An overnight stay allows exploration of the city's highlights, as well as cultural experiences and a visit to the colonial town of Trinidad, another UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Havana celebrates its 500th anniversary in 2019. An overnight stay offers opportunities to experience its history and the thriving music, dance and graphic arts scenes, as well connecting with artists, dancers and community projects. A highlight is Old Havana and its Fortification System, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Punta Francés is located on Isla de Juventud, where Cuban vacationers snorkel and dive on coral reefs and shipwrecks in the National Marine Park. A hidden gem, the island was once a pirate hideout. Now it supports farms dedicated to breeding sea turtles and crocodiles.

Founded in 1515, Santiago de Cuba is filled with monuments to colonial and revolutionary history, including UNESCO World Heritage Site San Pedro de la Roca Castle. A two-day stay gives time to see cathedrals and the museums of the Moncada Barracks, the Velazquez House, the Lucha Clandestina museum and the neighboring community of El Cobre and its Basilica de la Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre.

UNESCO Partner Tours

While off the ship, Seabourn travelers can join UNESCO Partner Tours exploring World Heritage cities.

The Nov. 4 round-trip from Miami calls at Havana, Antilla, Santiago and Cienfuegos, and visits Port Antonio, Jamaica, and West End, Cayman Brac. The same ports are on the Nov. 16 and 28 departures, also 12-day round-trips from Miami.

On Dec. 10, an 11-day Miami to San Juan sailing goes to Havana, Punta Francés, Cienfuegos and Santiago, plus West End, Cayman Brac, Port Antonio and Isla Catalina, Dominican Republic. 

On Dec. 21, a 14-day voyage from San Juan to Miami visits Havana, Santiago and Antilla, along with Port Antonio; Gustavia, St. Barthelemy; St. John's, Antigua; Carambola Beach, St. Kitts & Nevis; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Carnival Corp. & plc sister brands Fathom, Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America Line are also approved for Cuba visits.