The growth of cruising to Cuba hit a new milestone on Tuesday, May 2, as a Norwegian Cruise Line ship called in the country for the first time.
With Norwegian's top executives looking on from the bridge and excited passengers lining its top decks, Norwegian Sky pulled into Havana just after dawn after sailing overnight from Miami. The 2,004-passenger vessel will remain in the Cuban capital through Wednesday afternoon.
The cruise was attende by NCLH's CEO Frank Del Rio, as well as other NCL executives, company's investors, board members, travel agency executives.
At 77,104 tons, Sky is the largest of nearly half a dozen cruise ships that have sailed from the USA to Cuba for the first time in recent weeks.
Sky's arrival comes just 8 days after Empress of the Seas. April also saw the first visit by an RSSC-Regent Seven Seas Cruises vessel. Oceania Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises ships arrived for the first time in March.
These vessels are following Adonia, the 704-passenger ship operated by Fathom Cruises that in 2016 launched the first USA-to-Cuba trips in decades. Owned by Carnival Corp., Fathom will cease operations in the coming weeks, as Carnival Corporation lines start cruising to Cuba in June 2017.
NCL Sky will be sailing weekly to Havana from Miami on a 4-night itinerary that also visits Great Stirrup Cay, NCL's private island in Bahamas. In doing so, NCL becomes the only line sailing weekly to Cuba from Miami.
Fares for the Norwegian sailings to Cuba start at USD 699 per person, including unlimited beverages.