MSC To Base Two Ships in Cuba in 2016!

Cuba is normally quite high up on the wish-list when you are looking at Sailing around the Caribbean but due to the relationship between Cuba and the United States of America it can be fairly difficult to get to Cuba by ship.

As you may or may not know MSC Cruises, which is a typically Italian way of Cruising has this year based the MSC Opera out of Cuba, the first time they have home ported from the Island and it has proved to be so popular that they are taking another step forward for Winter 2016 and basing not only one ship but two. MSC are the first global cruise line to sail from Havana. MSC Opera will be based there again but to be joined by the MSC Armonia to meet the rising demand on Cuba. It’s a bit like Dubai, this year you have MSC, Costa and Royal Caribbean there, next year Celebrity and Thomson will jump on the band wagon which should bring prices down making the more long haul destinations and cruises more affordable with more last minute deals.

As MSC are an Italian Based Company they are not stuck with the restrictions that the American Based companies are so they can really take advantage of this.

This year MSC Opera is sailing from Havana, taking in the exotic destinations of the Caribbean such as the Cayman Islands and Mexico, Jamaica and then giving guests 2 nights to explore the capital city of Cuba – Havana.

Next year Armonia will offer two separate 7 night cruises, which if you want to, you could back to back giving you 14 nights to cruise central America and the Caribbean, cruising to Mexico, Belize, Jamaica and Costa Maya and again that time in Cuba to Explore Havana.

CEO of MSC Cruises Ginnia Onorato confirmed the announcement from Geneva and said “With no less than nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and a long-held tradition of hospitality, Cuba has all the makings of a top world cruise destination. MSC Cruises is honoured to be able to support the further development of this huge potential, and we’re very thankful to the Cuban authorities for their ongoing cooperation in this regard”.

Would you want to sail from Cuba, or are you already booked on Opera for 2016?