A cruise to Cuba on Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line's Grand
Classica was not allowed to dock in Havana and instead made an unscheduled stop
in the Bahamas before returning to Palm Beach, Fla.
The four-day cruise, which departed Feb. 14, had been billed
as a music cruise with a unique format that was to have allowed Cuban relatives
of guests on the ship to board in Havana.
Some of the passengers were older Cubans who were on the
cruise to reunite with relatives that they had not seen in years.
The cruise had been organized in partnership with Viva
Travel, a Miami agency that had chartered from Bahamas Paradise in the past.
In a statement, Bahamas Paradise said, "Due to the
Cuban government denying entry into Havana without reason and despite advance
approvals in place, Viva Travel's charter of Grand Classica is headed for
Nassau, Bahamas, to complete her four-day cruise."
It was the first attempt to cruise to Cuba for Bahamas
Paradise. The line typically offers two-day cruises between Palm Beach and
Freeport in Grand Bahama.