By Anne Kalosh.
Victory Cruise Lines’ 13- and 14-night Cuba circumnavigations on VICTORY I between January and April 2019 are among the most comprehensive ways to explore this intriguing island.
The circumnavigations are round-trip PortMiami, with five departing Jan. 29, Feb. 15 and March 1, 15 and 29. A special spring weekend three-night cruise on April 15 will close the season.
Every sailing includes a full-time schedule of educational exchange activities such as interactions with musicians, artists, naturalists and Cuba’s new generation of entrepreneurs. Victory Cruise Lines meets all U.S. legal requirements for travel to the island.
Each circumnavigation will carry shipboard lecturers including Cuban historians to talk about the history and life of the country from the Cuban point of view. Fares for the 202-passenger VICTORY I include house wines, beer and spirits (your chance to sample the local rums available only in Cuba) and immersive shore excursions.
Check out these great deals on Victory’s Cuba sailings.
The two-week Cuba circumnavigations are round-trip from Miami. * Photo: Victory Cruise Lines
Santiago de Cuba
In Santiago de Cuba passengers will have lunch at El Morro Restaurant, serving top Cuban cuisine with panoramic sea views. Admission to El Morro Fortress is included. A visit to Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, the resting place of national heroes Jose Martí and Fidel Castro, will concur with the changing of the guard. The tour includes Moncada Barracks, where in 1956 Castro and his brother Raul led a small group in the opening action of the Cuban Revolution.
The Santiago call will be capped with a private performance by the Ballet Folklórico Cutumba, a vibrant folkloric dance company.
Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca (also known as Castillo del Morro) in Santiago de Cuba. * Photo: Victory Cruise Lines
Trinidad/Casilda
During the Trinidad/Casilda visit, the Manaca Iznaga Sugar Cane Plantation is the focal point of a tour to the Sugar Mills Valley. Visitors will meet ceramicists descended from generations of pottery-makers at the Santander family’s workshop. A walking tour of Old Trinidad covers artist studios and museums.
Trinidad de Cuba
The second day of the Trinidad/Casilda call affords a trip to a coffee farm in the Scambray Mountains. Lunch will be at a local paladar, a privately run restaurant. The afternoon includes a stop at the handicraft market.
Cienfuegos
Known as the “Pearl of the South,” Cienfuegos is noted for its neoclassical architecture. Activities will include a walking tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and a visit to the Cuban Union of Artists and Writers, followed by an exclusive musical performance.
Cienfuegos. * Photo: Victory Cruise Lines
The second day in Cienfuegos begins with an excursion to the Botanical Garden where visitors will learn about its Harvard connection. Then passengers will meet teachers and students at the Benny Moré Art School. The afternoon includes an excursion to the magnificent Thomas Terry Theater for an exclusive orchestral performance.
Havana
Two days in Havana crown the cruise. Passengers take part in a walking tour of Old Havana, followed by a guided tour and overview of the malecón (waterfront), University of Havana and the once-swanky Vedado neighborhood with a stop at Revolution Square. At a private rehearsal of the Malpaso Dance Company, Victory travelers will get to meet the dancers. That night the line will invite everyone to a private performance by members of the Buena Vista Social Club and the Afro-Cuban All Stars.
Havana’s Plaza de la Cathedral. * Photo: Victory Cruise Lines
On the second day in Havana, passengers will travel by classic cars to Ernest Hemingway’s country estate, Finca Vigia, now a museum. Then it’s on to the fishing village of Cojimar, the inspiration for Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea.” Lunch will be at Cojimar’s best paladar, where local fishermen will share stories about the writer.
Other Havana activities include guided tours of the Museum of the Revolution and Fine Arts Museum, and a visit to the Riera Studio, where the Art Brut Project Cuba features works by self-taught Cuban artists.
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HEIDI SARNA
