Norwegian Cruise Line is expanding its cruises to Cuba with the addition of sailings from Port Canaveral starting next summer.
The 1,936-passenger Norwegian Sun will ferry passengers on four-night voyages with overnight stops in Havana, as well as Key West, and three-night itineraries to the Bahamas.
Norwegian Sun originally had been scheduled to spend the summer of 2018 in Alaska but the cruise line announced it will be repositioned to Port Canaveral next summer.
“We felt that Port Canaveral was the ideal location to offer our guests a value-rich onboard experience and exciting action-packed ports of call, including an overnight call in Havana, Cuba,” said Norwegian Cruise Line president and CEO Andy Stewart in a news release.
Airlines have recently decreased flights to the island nation, while cruise lines have added trips to Cuba. President Donald Trump restricted individual travel to the communist country, which saw an increase in visitors after the Obama administration lifted travel restrictions. Now, educational and cultural visits must be done as part of a group, a specialty of the cruise industry.
Norwegian is one of half a dozen cruise lines that have begun sailing from the USA to Cuba in recent months. They began offering Cuba sailings from PortMaimi in May.
March saw the first visits to Cuba by Oceania Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises ships. Royal Caribbean and Regent Seven Seas Cruises vessels began sailing to Cuba in April, and Carnival Corp. began offering the trips in May.