First cruise from Port Canaveral to Cuba returns
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The Norwegian Sun is the first passenger ship from Port Canaveral to visit Cuba.
Tim Shortt, FLORIDA TODAY
PORT CANAVERAL – Passengers on board Port Canaveral’s first regularly scheduled cruise to Cuba returned to Central Florida Friday.
The Norwegian Sun departed on the four-night cruise Monday and made stops in Key West and Havana, Cuba.
Norwegian cruises from Port Canaveral to Cuba begin
“It was exciting for me, because I always wanted to go to Cuba,” passenger Mike Dobbings said. “This is the first time we’ve been able to (do) that since the ’60s.”
More: Port Canaveral passengers seeking ‘something new’ board new Norwegian Sun cruises to Cuba
When Norwegian announced its plans last July to begin sailing from Port Canaveral to Cuba, the cruise line said the Norwegian Sun’s four-day cruises to Cuba “will transport guests to the heart of the action” in both Key West and Havana, calling in Key West’s Old Town district and Havana Harbor, which is located in the heart of Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
As part of travel restrictions to the communist country, passengers were required to plan an educational or cultural activity during their stay.
“People are living very happy. They’re very friendly people and I think they love all kinds of tourists,” passenger Sunita Teckchand said.
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Norwegian Cruise Line cruises from Port Canaveral to Cuba start Monday
“A lot of the people that are oppressed in Cuba are actually getting a lot of the tourist money that we’re spending over there, so it’s helping them immensely,” Dobbings said.
In addition to the four-night sailings to Cuba, the Norwegian Sun will operate three-night cruises out of Port Canaveral to the Bahamas that will sail every Friday. Those cruises will call at either Nassau or Freeport, as well as at Stirrup Cay, Norwegian’s private beach island.
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