new cuba travel rules

UPDATED 6/5/2019. The Trump Administration has recently made an announcement, which rolls back almost all of the regulations, including people-to-people trips, but specifically cruise travel to Cuba. We’re monitoring the situation, and we’re in touch with our preferred travel partners to learn exactly what this will mean for our clients who are already booked on trips to Cuba. In the meantime, we’re updating all of our Cuba posts to ensure that Huckleberry Travelers have the most current updates.

Once again, politics have travelers asking whether they can still visit Cuba. Well, folks, we have good news. You can! Americans can still legally travel to Cuba, even after the Trump administration released a lengthy list of businesses with which U.S. citizens are no longer permitted to do business. 

The latest development? Effective November 9, Americans visiting Cuba may not patronize hotels, shops, tour companies and other businesses that the U.S. State Department has determined are owned, at least in part, by the Cuban military.

But, it’s still completely legal to visit Cuba. Commercial flights, cruise ships, hotels and tour providers continue to operate business as usual, and there are plenty of ways to enjoy your trip without violating the ban.

The State Department lists as off limits a total of 84 hotels, island-wide -- 27 in Havana alone -- including the Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski, which opened earlier this year, billing itself as Cuba's first real luxury hotel. But the Four Points By Sheraton, and hotels owned by Marriott are not on the list. Neither are other hotels popular with Americans. The Hotel Saratoga, Hotel Nacional and the Iberostar Parque Central are all in-bounds for Americans, though several of Iberostar's hotels outside Havana are on the list. 

The best way to visit Cuba is still on a tour or cruise, since the individual “people-to-people” program was eliminated earlier this year. Many cruise lines that are preferred providers of Huckleberry Travel continue to visit Cuba, with experiences that respect and preserve the island’s rich heritage. In fact, we just heard from Azamara Cruise Lines, a preferred cruise line for Huckleberry Travel, and one that has some of the most authentic and immersive itineraries we've seen anywhere. Azamara handles all planning and documentation for port visits and shore excursions in full accordance with the new regulations, so guests are free to embrace every moment of their time ashore with no concerns--just plenty of memories.

The bottom line is Cuba remains a legal, safe and welcoming destination for Americans—and we can send you there!