Cruise Lines Heading for Cuba?

This is an anticipation that the Obama administration willlessentravel restrictions to Cuba. While U.S. cruise lines are not going public with their plans, they are making plans to head there as quickly as they are allowed to do so.Almost everyone in the travel industryagreesthat reopening Cuba to American tourists could give the recession-impacted travel industry a welcome boost. You can bet when that happens airline employees from the US will be non-reving into the island on the first flight they can get a seat on. They will also be on the first cruises setting sail for Cuba.

A survey of cruise lines, for the most part, produced carefullyworded answers about their Cuba plans when government-imposed travel and trade restrictions are lifted. Off of the record, most all already have contingency plans for Cuba including what ports they will call on and what the new itineraries to the Caribbean will look like. You can pretty much say that every single Caribbean cruise itinerary could be changed with the opening of Cuba for ports of call.

I recently asked a cruise executive privately how long it would take to announce the new itineraries once Fidel passed away and he told me within the month, probably two weeks.

A couple cruise lines executives have even spoken publically about this issue.

Frank Del Rio, the 54-year-old CPA who founded Oceania Cruise Line, can’t wait for the cruise lanes to open. He was born in Cuba, and fled the Communist island with his parents when he was 6 years old.

Del Rio, who resides in Miami, is a University of Florida graduate and is also chairman and CEO of Prestige Holdings Inc., the parent company of Oceania and Regent Seven Seas cruise lines. As such, he’s responsible for financial and strategic development of both cruise lines.

“Ten minutes after Castro dies,” he said, “negotiations to open up Cuba will begin. This is a real country with a distinct culture and history. There’s a lot in Cuba that the other islands don’t have. For one thing, it’s by far the biggest island in the Caribbean, and there are a lot of ports that would make very good stops as well as launching pads for other Caribbean destinations.

“It’s forbidden fruit, and that gives it very strong appeal. My dream is that the next Oceania ship will be christened in Havana harbor.”

Although Oceania has two ships under construction in Italy at a cost exceeding $1-billion, it’s unlikely that could happen soon.

“There’s no way the Marina, due to be launched in 2010, would be christened in Havana or anywhere else in Cuba,” Tim Rubacky, Oceania corporate communications director, said. “The ship needs to be christened before she sets sail with her first guests. Based on the construction schedule, it’s just not possible. That’s not to say one of the other new ships wouldn’t be.”

The partner ship of the 1,232-passenger Marina is scheduled for launching in the summer of 2011.

Early in his election campaign, President-elect Obama called for an end to the embargo. However he later modified his position,tosay thathis administration would have a less confrontational policy with the Communist nation, allow greater contacts and more frequent visits by Cuban immigrants but wouldn’t immediately end the embargo.

Cruise lines with a U.S. presence are prohibited by law from operating in or out of Cuba. But, said Lanie Fagan, communications director of the Cruise Lines International Association, “There are operators who do not operate to and from the U.S. who do call on Cuba.”

The nearly 50-year-old embargo prohibits exporting all but a few health and farm essentials to Cuba and bars Americans from traveling and spending money there. Violators can be subject to hefty fines, and in recent years, the Bush administration has stepped up prosecutions.

Even so, thousands of Americans have been going there annually without a State Department license, leaving from places like the Bahamas, Canada, Mexico and Jamaica and requesting Cuban custom officials not to stamp their passports.

When the time comes that Americans don’t have to stay under the radar, Cuba promises to be an intriguing option for cruisers.

“Crystal Cruises would certainly entertain calling on Cuba if it opens up to American tourists,” spokeswoman Mimi Weisband said. “We welcome the opportunity to add new destinations to our Caribbean itineraries and Cuba is ideally located for cruises into and out of South Florida. Like every place we visit, we would have to look closely at the island’s infrastructure for our luxury cruise operations.”

Cruise lines will be able to head to Cuba quickly because they have their own infrastructure and they don? need hotels. All those other Caribbean countries will be scared out of their minds because the market physically, literally about to shift, with everyone wanting to be first on their block to sail into Cuba and that includes airline employees!

When Cuba opens up and the cruise lines announce their new itineraries you can look for it first right here at InterlineTravelNews.com!