According to travelagentcentral this morning, American citizens can now legally book cabins on Cuba Cruise itineraries to Cuba. Of course flights to and from Havana are still not widely or publicly available yet, so you must arrive/depart in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
This work-around was brought about by a program in the Fund for Reconciliation and Development (FRD). The US controlling body for travel restrictions, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) just approved the FRD program so you must enroll in that, but it turns out travel agents can easily do that. Here’s what TravelAgentCentral said about it:
Participants in the program will spend their days visiting and interacting with Cuban people and learning about Cuban culture and history first-hand, both onboard and ashore. The People-to-People cruise program departs every Monday from Havana and every Friday from Montego Bay, from now until March 30. Rates start at $830 CAD, plus the cost of registration $75 USD.
This is the first major step in seeing regular service to Cuba.
Who’s going to be the first to book?