Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours has scrapped a sailing to Cuba planned for Scenic Eclipse in a few months time, revising its program to offer new options in the Caribbean and Central America. Gone is a 13-day Cuba in Depth itinerary. The schedule adjustment is understood to be a direct result of the Trump Administration’s ban on US citizens’ non-family travel to Cuba.
Last month, when question on the potential impact on Scenic Eclipse sailings to Cuba, a Scenic spokesperson told LATTE: “We are aware of the Cuba announcement by the US government and are currently analysing the details to understand the impact on our itineraries. In the meantime, we are reviewing our future itineraries and will be communicating with our guests and travel partners about those changes.”
Those new itineraries for the ultra-luxury cruise line have now been revealed and include a 13-day Taste of the Caribbean, departing on 8 October from Nassau, and an 11-day Colombia & Panama voyage, setting course on 20 October from Miami.
Scenic said the new journeys offer ports “not often found on typical Caribbean or Central American sailings”, and venturing to some “off-the-beaten-path” locations.
Guests who had booked on the Cuba sailings were were given a range of options, including to stay on the altered itinerary, move to another cruise or cancel their booking and receive a refund.
All affected guests have been contacted directly and via travel agents to ensure their preference is secured.
Scenic Eclipse remains on track for its inaugural sailing on 15 August.
A month ago the company declared its maiden sea trials held off the Croatian coast were a triumph.
This week, Scenic Eclipse was back out in open waters performing yet another series of high speed test runs in the Adriatic Sea, LATTE can exclusively reveal.