The Azamara Quest this Friday became the first ship of the U.S. company Royal Caribbean Cruises to dock in the port of Havana. The cruise ship, with capacity for 690 guests, remained one night in the Cuban capital before leaving for Miami.
With the arrival of the Azamara Quest the company initiated its visits to Cuba after it was authorized to operate on the island in December 2016.
Thus, Royal Caribbean Cruises became the fourth U.S. company of its type to travel to Havana. Carnival – whose Adonia cruise ship was the first to arrive coming from the United States in more than 50 years -, Pearl Seas and Norwegian Cruise had previously done so.
At the official welcome of the Azamara Quest, held in the Sierra Maestra cruise terminal, Adam Goldstein, president and director of operations of Royal Caribbean Cruises, celebrated the arrival of his company’s ship to Havana’s port and confirmed the aim of maintaining Cuba among its destinations.
The company has planned a dozen journeys that include the island, with its brand by the same name as well as with the Azamara Club Cruises line, to which the cruise that arrived this Friday belongs.
On announcing the start of its trips to Havana, Larry Pimentel, president and CEO of Azamara, said that Cuba has been a wished-for destination for years and that his company, as one of the main U.S. cruise lines, hopes “to take clients to this wonderful country” in an “important offer that is going to have a real impact on our most loyal guests.”
Already on the island, Pimentel thanked the Cuban maritime authorities and showed his pleasure on traveling to a destination that awakens great interest among his clients because of its culture, music, climate and natural beauty.
Meanwhile, Portuguese José Vilarinho, captain of the Azamara Quest who has been with Royal Caribbean for three and a half years, said in a brief interview that “being in Cuba is a dream for me as well as for my company. We are completely full and with a very animated crew anxious to get to know Havana. I would like to congratulate you for the excellent port you have and your pilots’ skillfulness.”
Azamara Club Cruises has announced new trips to the island in November with this ship. That very month the Emperatriz del Mar, a ship of the Royal Caribbean International line with capacity for some 2,000 passengers, will start traveling to Havana in a journey of four nights and five days departing from Tampa, Florida, and including other ports in the region.
The arrival of cruises has contributed to the increase in visitors from the United States to the island in recent months. This despite the fact that the inhabitants of that country cannot visit Cuba as tourists, but rather through one of the 12 categories authorized for traveling to the island by the U.S. government.
The Cuban authorities are expecting a general increase in cruise operations in Cuba in the next few months, as well as the arrival of 4.2 million tourists in 2017.
