Two cruise lines regroup after Caribbean setbacks

Norwegian Sky outside Havana Port, Cuba.

Two cruise companies affected by sudden upsets in the Caribbean and Bahamas region are slowly regaining their footing.

For Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH), the big blow was the abrupt end to U.S. cruises to Cuba in June. NCLH had bet heavily on Cuba's reopening, scheduling not only short cruises on its contemporary Norwegian Cruise Line brand but longer visits by its two premium brands, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

As detailed in a conference call with investors, the U.S. government decision to shutter Cuba with no advance warning hit NCLH third-quarter earnings big-time.

"Given the suddenness of the termination and the lack of lead time we had to make any meaningful fleet redeployment changes, the third quarter bears the largest negative earnings impact from the Cuba travel ban," said Frank Del Rio, the company's CEO.

The hit was more than $47 million.

Overnight, high yielding routes to Cuba for the Norwegian brand turned into low-yielding routes to the Bahamas. And several months later came Hurricane Dorian, which made its own dent in NCLH's earnings through cancelled sailings and reworked itineraries.

Del Rio said Norwegian plans to redeploy half of its Bahamas capacity to higher-yielding areas such as Alaska, the eastern Mediterranean and Asia, and will slowly get out from under the Cuba aftermath.

Even more impacted by Dorian than Norwegian was Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, whose only destination is the Bahamas.

It suspended its two-day sailings to Grand Bahama for most of September, filling in the time by providing much-need relief and evacuation services.

The silver lining, of sorts, is that Dorian forced Bahamas Paradise into a new market, Nassau, which was not much affected by the storm. It now runs one of its ships from West Palm Beach to Grand Bahama and the other to Nassau.

Bookings for Nassau started slow, said Francis Riley, senior vice president of sales and marketing, but are now on par with those to Grand Bahama. Part of the attraction is the Cruise & Stay program where guest can vacation for two or four nights at one of four Nassau hotels:  Atlantis, The Melia, the Comfort Suites Nassau or the SLS Baha Mar.

Bahamas Paradise has a similar program in place on Grand Bahama with the Lucayan, which has reopened, and the Viva Wyndham, which plans to reopen Dec. 10.

Unlike Norwegian, Bahamas Paradise doesn't have plans to go elsewhere, and it is busy selling the Bahamas to Canadians and New Yorkers, who have just started getting the frosty temperatures they can look forward to until next spring.

So close yet so far: Disappointment on the Norwegian Sun

Lori Osgood's clients were eager to visit Cuba for the first time this week when they were to cruise into Havana aboard the Norwegian Sun. The group had been planning their family cruise since last November.

It was not to be. 

The Trump administration's new regulations implemented on Tuesday forced cruise lines to immediately remove Cuba from all itineraries.

"They were excited to soak in all that Havana had to offer -- the sights, sounds, people and culture," said Osgood, a Cruise Planners travel advisor in Jacksonville, Fla. "They are disappointed that they missed their chance."

Instead of Havana, the Norwegian Sun's passengers headed to Nassau, Bahamas. Norwegian informed passengers with an announcement on the ship. 

"I sell a fair amount of Cuba and am saddened that many of my clients who were planning to travel there will not have the opportunity to do so, at least not in the foreseeable future," she said. 

As for cruise travellers already booked for Cuba, she will spend "a few extra hours to make sure our clients who were supposed to go to Cuba are well taken care of."

Norwegian Alters Cuba Itineraries, Quantifies Financial Impact

Norwegian Sky cruise ship in Havana Cuba. (Photo by Brian Major).

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has updated its itineraries across all brands and estimated the financial impact the changes will have on its 2019 financials.

Currently, the company is working to modify all of its itineraries that included Cuba to reflect the ban on ships calling on the island.

“Our three brands are working diligently to accommodate the needs of our guests and travel partners as we quickly modify itineraries to meet the new Cuba travel regulations,” said Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.

“We share in the disappointment that comes with these changes especially on such short notice and sincerely appreciate the cooperation and understanding of our guests for this inconvenience. Our brands have put in place generous compensation programs that offer guests and travel partners a compelling, value-packed alternative.”

Norwegian also pointed to the financial impact these changes will have given the “extremely abbreviated timeframe” the cruise line had to make modifications.

The new restrictions will impact all of Norwegian’s brands, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Sailings that included a Cuban port of call represented slightly more than 3 per cent of the Norwegian’s remaining sailings in 2019 for all three brands.

This impact will result in an adjustment to the company’s earnings for the year. According to Norwegian, the modification of these itineraries, the substantial discounts offered to guests for them to remain on their booked cruise, the accommodation of cancellations and changes to reservations, incremental marketing investment to support the compressed sales cycle for the modified voyages, along with the protection of travel agent commissions will result in an estimated impact to Adjusted EPS for full-year 2019 of approximately $0.35 to $0.45.

Carnival adds five more Cuba cruises for 2018

Carnival Cruise Line has tacked on five more voyages featuring extended calls in Havana in 2018.

Like the previously scheduled ones, the cruises are on the Carnival Paradise sailing from Tampa.

They include three five-day cruises to Havana and Cozumel or Key West departing Feb. 17, July 2 and Sept. 5, 2018; a six-day sailing featuring Havana and Grand Cayman departing Aug. 26, 2018; and an eight-day voyage with stops at Havana, Grand Cayman and Cozumel departing Aug. 18, 2018.  

All of the cruises include a day-long call and overnight in Havana and the eight-day cruise offers two full days at the Cuban capital.

Majesty of the Seas to sail Cuba cruise in 2019

Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas

Royal Caribbean International's Majesty of the Seas will become its second ship to visit Cuba in 2019.

The line plans a four-day voyage from Port Canaveral departing March 25, 2019. The cruise will include a full day in Havana. Prices will start at $549 plus taxes and port fees, Royal Caribbean said.

Thus far, Royal Caribbean has only offered Havana on Empress of the Seas itineraries from Tampa, Miami and Port Everglades.

Norwegian Cruise Line arrives in Havana

Photo credit Dave Jones; Norwegian Sky leaving the Port of Miami.

Norwegian Cruise Line made the first call in Cuba in its 50-year history, as the 2,004-passenger Norwegian Sky arrived in Havana Harbor shortly after 7 a.m.

The ship docked at the Sierra Maestra Terminal in Old Havana alongside the Adonia, the Fathom ship making one of its final calls in Cuba. Also at anchor in the harbor was the Celestial ship Crystal.

Sailing roundtrip from Miami on a four-day itinerary, Norwegian Sky will overnight in Havana, allowing two full days of tours before sailing to Great Stirrup Cay on Thursday and returning to Miami on Friday.

The Norwegian Sky docked at the Sierra Maestra Terminal in Old Havana. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst

In remarks to a group aboard, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings chairman Frank Del Rio said it is appropriate that Norwegian travel again to Cuba after cruise lines have been out of the market for 50 years, because Norwegian is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Del Rio noted that he left Cuba when he was 7 years old, "and then 55 years later I popped in to say hello," when a ship from NCLH's Oceania brand made its first call to Cuba in March. NCLH's Regent Seven Seas Cruises line has also been to Cuba.

"Now this is our third ship, our third brand, our biggest brand, our most important brand. You guys are going to love Havana," Del Rio said.

The Norwegian Sky will sail weekly to Havana on the four-day itinerary through November.

Norwegian extends Cuba cruises through 2018

Photo credit Dave Jones, Norwegian Sky departing the Port of Miami.

Norwegian Cruise Line will further extend its offering of weekly roundtrip cruises from Miami to Cuba through 2018, with 33 new voyages.

This year's Norwegian Sky sailings are scheduled through December 2017, and cruises will resume March 26, 2018.

Thirty-two of the 33 new voyages will include an overnight in Havana and a call at Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian’s private island in the Bahamas.

The format on the Sky will continue to include alcoholic beverages in the cruise fare.

Norwegian will offer a selection of 15 half- and full-day shore excursions that are compliant with the U.S.'s rules about people-to-people travel in Cuba. 

Sales for the new cruises open April 20.

Pearl Mist sailing marks Port Everglades' return to Cuba cruising

Pearl Seas Cruises' Pearl Mist left Port Everglades on Jan. 17 bound for Cuba, the first ship in recent memory to depart on that itinerary from the Fort Lauderdale port.

"It's a big deal for us," port spokeswoman Ellen Kennedy said.

The 10-day voyage will touch seven ports in Cuba, and spend two days in Havana, making it the most destination-intensive Florida-Cuba cruise.

Pearl Seas plans 11 more such voyages before wrapping up its Cuba season in April.

Previously, only one other ship has sailed from Florida to Cuba, Fathom's Adonia. It departs from Miami.  

Later this spring, several other brands are scheduled to make inaugural trips to Cuba from Miami, including Azamara Club Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Royal Caribbean International.

Short windows limit marketing of Cuba cruises

Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas is scheduled to sail to Cuba from Miami on April 19, then move to Tampa for its next two Cuba departures.

Travel agents have begun selling cruises to Cuba set to sail in the first half of 2017, but some said the limited number of itineraries approved so far by the Cuban government makes it hard for them to justify a marketing campaign.

Royal Caribbean International has three cruises to Havana firmly scheduled, while Norwegian Cruise Line has five.

"There's definite interest in it, but it's not something that as of yet is a hot seller," said John Rice, president of Vacation Tour and Cruise in Tampa. "We have a lot of people asking about it. We've only done a couple of [sales] at this point in time."

While six brands were authorized in December to carry passengers on a handful of cruises to Cuba, no U.S. cruise line has permission to sail there after the end of May, although most have applied.

And in the U.S., the volatile politics of rapprochement with Cuba could very well signal an end to relaxed travel rules with the change in administrations this month.

That uncertainty is hampering what otherwise might have been a great new market for agents, Rice said.

"Right now, our big problem is we have absolutely no idea what the future will hold," Rice said. "My senator [Florida Republican Marco Rubio] is against this continuing. We've heard negative comments about the program from [president-elect Donald] Trump when he was running."

The latest opening for passengers interested in cruising to Cuba came Dec. 9, when the country approved a number of new entrants, including and Pearl Seas Cruises.

One of the Norwegian Cruise itineraries 

All those companies have opened sales and set dates for at least one cruise, offering consumers a variety of price points, cruise lengths and luxury levels for a U.S. departure that includes Cuba.

In the contemporary segment, the entrants are Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line. Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas has a five-day Cuba cruise scheduled to depart Miami on April 19, along with a seven-day cruise from Tampa departing April 30 and a five-day cruise from Tampa leaving May 20.

Rice said he is offering the five-day Tampa cruise at a lead-in price of $608 per person.

Norwegian Cruise Line has four-day cruises on the Norwegian Sky departing Miami every Monday in May that include an overnight in Havana and a stop at Great Stirrup Cay. Prices for inside cabins start at $699.

Cheryl Scavron, an agent at Dream Vacations in Pompano Beach, Fla., said the prices can seem expensive relative to a typical Caribbean cruise.

"People from here, it's in their minds that Cuba is 90 miles away; it shouldn't cost me that much to go there. They think about it as another Caribbean island," Scavron said.

Frank Del Rio, president of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, said in a recent conference call that the Cuba cruises would be priced at a premium because of their relative scarcity and pent-up demand.

Scavron said another hindrance is Royal Caribbean's decision to have just one cruise to Cuba from Miami before repositioning the ship to Tampa for the summer.

"People in this area, from Palm Beach and Broward counties, they don't want to drive to Miami, let alone Tampa," Scavron said. "I have a few of them booked on the inaugural sailing in April, but I was hoping we would be able to do more sailings from here."

"People from here, it's in their minds that Cuba is 90 miles away; it shouldn't cost me that much to go there." -- Cheryl Scavron, Dream Vacations, Pompano Beach, Fla.

Several cruises departing Miami for Cuba are scheduled by lines in the upper-premium segment, offering smaller ships and more luxury than the 1,602-passenger Empress and the 2,004-passenger Norwegian Sky.

Azamara Club Cruises will include an overnight in Havana on a 12-day Azamara Quest departure from Miami on March 21. Prices start at $2,799. And Oceania Cruises will spend from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. in Havana on March 9 as part of a 14-day cruise on its Marina ship, with prices starting at $3,199.

The Marina has two subsequent 10-day cruises that include overnight stays in Havana.

Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas also has departures from Miami scheduled on April 11 and 18 that will include an overnight stay in Havana. Prices for the seven-night cruises start at $2,999 per person.

Bill Schneider, owner of a Dream Vacations franchise in Tampa, said he has one client in particular who has been waiting for a newer, more luxurious ship such as the Seven Seas Mariner to book his initial cruise to Cuba.

"Regent is the way I'm pushing him," Schneider said.

He said that the Empress of the Seas sailings haven't drawn any calls.

"It really hasn't been promoted that heavily that they're coming, at least in the local market," Schneider said. "As New Year's comes, it's definitely going to be one of my featured sailings."

The Empress Cuba sailings opened for booking on Dec. 9 and have been selling extremely well, said Lyan Sierra-Caro, a corporate communications manager at Royal.

Only one line is offering ports other than Havana initially. Pearl Seas Cruises has a series of 11 10-day sailings from Fort Lauderdale starting Jan. 17 on its 200-passenger Pearl Mist coastal cruiser that will visit seven ports on the island, including Havana, Cienfuegos, Trinidad and Santiago de Cuba. The cruises end in April.

Carnival Corp.'s Fathom brand won permission to visit Santiago de Cuba as a port call on six sailings to the Dominican Republic this winter on the Adonia. In addition, the 704-passenger Adonia continues to sail every other week to Cuba, but those cruises, like the others, end after May.

Rice of Vacation Tour and Cruise said agents can only hope that more approvals are forthcoming after that.

"I think everybody's trying to move the ball forward, hoping that it helps us to try to get the program going," Rice said. "As a Floridian, it's something I've been supportive of for years. As an agency owner, it's just tough to operate in an environment where you don't know what the future's going to hold."

Fathom's Dominican Republic cruises to add Cuba call

Carnival's Fathom, ex-P&O Adonia

Fathom, Carnival Corp.'s social-impact cruise line, has been given permission to visit Cuba on cruises scheduled to go to the Dominican Republic.

Fathom will offer a port call in Santiago de Cuba, on the island's southeast coast, on six cruises next year that primarily go to Amber Cove, Carnival's port in the Dominican Republic.

The seven-day cruises will take place during the weeks of February 26, March 12 and 26, April 9 and 23, and May 7. Prices start at $599 per person.

The cruises depart Miami on Sundays. Fathom said the Santiago de Cuba port call will occur on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Travelers already booked for those cruises will need to add a $75 Cuban visa.

Fathom's ship, the Adonia, already sails every other week to Cuba with stops in Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago. Prices for those cruises start at about $1,900 per person.

In November, Carnival Corp. said that Fathom is discontinuing cruise operations next June. The Adonia will be returned to the P&O Cruises  fleet.

Royal's Empress refreshingly retro refurb

The pool deck on the renovated Empress of the Seas has a more airy design than the ships built more recently for Royal Caribbean International. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst

When Royal Caribbean International received the Empress of the Seas back from Pullmantur Cruises early this year, hopes were running high that the U.S. was on the cusp of a new era in its relations with Cuba.

Now it looks like it will get a chance to deploy the 1,590-passenger Empress as intended, following the news that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has received Cuban governmental permission for cruises there.

Until last week, the ship had been stuck in limbo waiting for a decision that had been expected much earlier in the year.

Royal has spent $50 million on renovations to the Empress of the Seas — known as the Nordic Empress when inaugurated in 1990 — and on a tour in July I found the ship to be a pleasant change from the style of vessels currently being built.

The two-story dining room on the Empress.

Start with the top deck, where the pool area feels more airy and open than the current designs. Instead of another whole deck running around the pool to provide shaded areas, there are canvas canopies stretched on a framework, making the feel lighter and brighter than on modern ships.

The airy feeling continues inside the ship, which was designed with lots of exterior glass to enhance the connection to the sea. 

The effect is noticeable throughout but particularly in the two-deck main dining room, which unlike today's designs is located in the aft, with double-deck windows in the rear.

Part of the reason the Empress feels different from modern ships is its use of materials. 

The architects employed shiny chrome surfaces as liberally as the car designers of the 1950s, particularly in the stairwells and staircases.

In other spaces there's more wood than you would see on a newer ship, such as the trim around cabinets, vanities, dresser drawers and door frames in the staterooms.

In many cabins, travelers will find the old-style, fold-down third and fourth berths fastened to the walls, instead of concealed in the ceiling. Also notable is the paucity of balcony cabins: only 71 were included in the original design.

In upgrading the cabins, Royal has paid the most attention to the suites, which got new furniture, carpeting, drapes and linens. The suites are also the only accommodations that have bedside USB outlets.

Other improvements include the ship's lounge, which has been updated as a Boleros, the Latin-themed bar and dance space found on three other Royal ships. A Chops Grille steakhouse has also been added.

At 1,590 passengers and 48,563 gross tons, the Empress is about a quarter of the size of Royal's largest ships, giving fans of smaller vessels a chance to experience the Royal brand attributes without the crowds.

"It truly is our boutique ship," said Mark Tamis, Royal's senior vice president for hotel operations. "So many of our guests love the intimate smaller spaces. This is the ship they grew up with."

Azamara unveils details of Cuba cruise

Azamara Quest due to start cruise's from Cuba.

Azamara Club Cruises will make an overnight stay in Havana on its March 21 departure of the Azamara Quest from Miami, taking advantage of newly granted permission by the Cuban government.

The 12-day cruise will also call in Key West, Tampa and Cozumel and spend two nights in New Orleans.

The cruise opened for booking on Dec. 9, with prices starting at $2,799 per person.

Azamara said that in time, it looks to add more ports of call in Cuba into several of its itineraries.

Carnival CEO says Trump likely to be pro-business

Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald with Travel Weekly editor in chief Arnie Weissmann at CruiseWorld. Photo Credit: Jamie Biesiada

Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald said that the election of Donald Trump as president has the potential to be good for the cruise industry, but he also said he hopes that Trump will do "the right thing" internationally.

Donald made the comment during a conversation with Travel Weekly editor in chief Arnie Weissmann at CruiseWorld, an annual Travel Weekly event in Fort Lauderdale that brings together travel agents and travel suppliers.

Asked by Weissmann for his response to the election, Donald quoted Secretary of State John Kerry, who several years ago said that there are no winners or losers after a U.S. presidential election. "The next morning we all wake up as Americans" who work on problems together, Donald said.

More specifically, Donald said, "On the surface, President Trump will be pro-business. At the same time, I hope he does the right thing internationally. Most of our business is outside the U.S."

In a follow-up about Cuba, Donald said that despite Trump's campaign rhetoric about reversing President Obama's openings toward Cuba, "I'm cautiously optimistic that bringing the two countries together is the right thing to do."

Earlier this year, Carnival Corp.'s Fathom brand became the first line to regularly shuttle passengers between the U.S. and Cuba in over 50 years.

Donald said Carnival continues to work on a private destination in the Bahamas but isn't ready to announce anything. Carnival executives have said in the past they have a potential site picked out on Grand Bahama Island.

"We want the right one on the right terms," Donald said. "We think we have something coming soon, but we don't want to count the chickens before they hatch, so to speak."

Donald took the chance to show the audience of several hundred travel agents clips from the new Carnival-produced Saturday-morning network TV shows, such as "Vacation Creation" and "Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin."

He also regaled the group with a tale of highlights from his rise to CEO of Carnival Corp. He said his initial introduction to Carnival Corp. chairman Mickey Arison was engineered by board member Uzi Zucker, a Bear Stearns partner who also served as an adviser to a private equity firm of which Donald was a part.

He also told about his ambition as an 11th-grader to be a very specific level of manager at a specific type of Fortune 50 company. He said the teachers at the all-boys Catholic high school in New Orleans he attended on scholarship constantly reminded their students to think big.

"Three times a day they told us, 'Gentlemen, prepare yourselves. You're going to run the world.'"

Agents get reacquainted with Royal Caribbean's Empress

Royal Caribbean International recently spent $50 million to refurbish the Empress of the Seas. It originally joined Royal in 1989 as the Nordic Empress and had been sailing for Pullmantur until earlier this year. 

The 1,602-passenger ship is currently doing 4- and 5-day Caribbean cruises from Miami through Oct. 29, but Royal expects to use it for cruises to Cuba once the Cuban government gives permission. Shown here is the pool deck.

Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst

Royal Caribbean International has an unusual dilemma with the Empress of the Seas.

Because it is planning to sail the ship to Cuba when it gets approval from Cuban authorities, it can't plan cruises very far ahead on the ship's current Caribbean itineraries.

So, for example, it can't sell groups early in the booking cycle to get a base of business going. It only has inventory available through Oct. 29, basically a three-month window.

Moreover, Empress is an old ship — the former Nordic Empress — albeit with a recent $50 million makeover. There's nothing really like it in the rest of the Royal fleet.

So Royal held an open house for agents last week, in a bid to show off the improvements, help agents get a better understanding of the ship and bring it top of mind.

The ship looked remarkably good for a 27-year-old vessel. Some minds were changed.

Cheryl Scavron, a Dream Vacations franchisee in Pompano Beach, Fla., said she initially thought the ship and its four- and five-day itineraries was best suited as a party cruise for young people. "Now that I see it again, I think this would be nice for a couple," she said.

Over the course of a couple of hours, about 200 agents got a thorough tour of the ship's cabins and public spaces. They also got entertained by a Cuban combo in boleros; had a sample of the mixed drinks served onboard; saw snippets of two main theater shows, "Bailamos" and "Three"; and had a lunch of branzino or steak in the main dining room.

Two Royal executives, senior VP of hotel operations Mark Tamis and senor VP of sales Vicki Freed, hosted the event, but Scavron was impressed that Royal brought sales reps, not only from South Florida, but from as far away as California, to conduct the tours.

"Vicki really knows how to sell a ship," Scavron said. "She brought in enough people, and had good entertainment. She made the ship look the best it can look," she said.

Little-known piece of history: A Cuba cruise from New Orleans

The Daphne when it was operated in the late 1970s by Karras Cruises. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Michael Grace

Though cruises between the U.S. and Cuba had been embargoed for more than half a century, there were exceptions, now all but forgotten.

In 1977 and 1978, the Greek-registered cruise ship Daphne made several departures from the port of New Orleans to Cuba, circumventing a trade embargo imposed after Fidel Castro’s 1959 rise to power in the island nation.

The Fathom Adonia last week made its historic cruise into Havana harbor, a voyage that Fathom’s parent, Carnival Corp., has promoted as the first U.S.-Cuba cruise in 50 years. And in terms of a U.S.-owned ship making a round trip to Cuba, it was.

But amateur cruise historian Michael Grace recalled recently how he had sailed aboard the Daphne on a 1978 Cuba cruise.

Cruise historian Michael Grace on a 1978 Daphne sailing between New Orleans and Havana.Photo Credit: Courtesy of Michael Grace

“It was right when the Super Bowl was [in New Orleans], and somebody said, ‘Do you want to go to Havana?’” said Grace, a Los Angeles-based writer and film-production manager. He jumped at the chance.

The year before, entrepreneur Fred Mayer had organized a New Orleans-Havana cruise on the Daphne through London-based Karras Cruises. It had been promoted as a jazz cruise, and among the 400 guests were several jazz legends, including saxophonist Stan Getz and pioneering bebop trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie.

Anti-Castro protesters were in New Orleans to demonstrate as the Daphne left on May 16, 1977. Cruising to Havana took nearly two days, and during the ship’s stay, Gillespie led a tribute concert for Chano Pozo, a Cuban percussionist and band mate who died in 1948.

After departing Cuba, the Daphne ended its cruise in the Bahamas, either to avoid protestors on a return trip to New Orleans or possibly as a way to skirt the embargo.

Travelers had to make their own way home from the Bahamas, according to contemporary reports. Four other cruises between New York and Havana had been scheduled for the following month, but they never took place, Grace said.

A year later, things had changed. The 1978 cruise to Havana was a round trip from New Orleans, and Grace recalled that, “When I went, there were no protests.”

The Daphne docked in Havana Harbor at night, and the port was dark, as was the rest of the Cuban capital, Grace said.

“Here you arrive in this enormous city, and it was sort of like in a blackout,” he recalled.

The ship stayed for two days. Grace said he made the trip with an art dealer who had hoped to buy Cuban products for resale, but there was nothing to buy. “There were cigars and bath soap in the shop,” he said.

Grace said there was also a Soviet cruise ship in port. “It was the height of the Russian support,” Grace remembered, and the administration of then-president Jimmy Carter was doing what it could to counter the Soviet influence.

Before Fathom's Adonia, the SS Florida was the last ship to sail regular cruises from Miami to Cuba, in 1959. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Michael Grace

“Politically, it changed or something,” Grace said. “[Karras Cruises] was able to operate to Havana.”

While in Cuba, passengers on the ship were taken to the Tropicana nightclub. Grace said the show was a classic costumed dance review. Instead of paper towels in the restrooms, guests were given sheets of toilet paper to dry their hands, he said.

In addition to Havana, the ship stopped in the Cayman Islands and Cozumel, Mexico, before returning to New Orleans, Grace said.

Roger Frizzell, the chief communications officer for Carnival Corp., said he was unaware of the Karras cruises, but he said Fathom’s voyage to Cuba was historic nonetheless.

“It appears to be a Greek line,” he said of the Daphne’s operators. “So I still believe our claim holds, since this is the first time in over 50 years that a U.S. cruise company has sailed from the U.S. to Cuba.”

According to Grace, the last ship to sail regular cruises from Miami to Cuba was the Florida, which gave up the route sometime in 1959.