• Submitted by: manso
• Travel and Tourism
• 06 / 22 / 2011

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Tropicana Cruises, a London-based startup with links to Russia, will begin offering cruises from Puerto Progreso in Yucatán to ports in Cuba, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, Diario de Yucatán reported.

The first cruise, on the 272-passenger Adriana, is scheduled to leave Progreso July 2.

Tropicana, with offices in London and St. Petersburg, offers a seven-night cruise from Progreso to Havana, Trinidad and Grand Cayman for €720, and a 12-night cruise from Progreso to Grand Cayman, Trinidad, Santiago, Cayo Saetia and Havana for €1,260.

The company bought the 40-year old vessel from a French company and homeported it in Havana for the 2010-11 winter season. The Adriana sailed on 8-night cruises from Havana to Cayo Saetia, Santiago de Cuba, Trinidad and Nueva Gerona, as well as Ocho Rios in Jamaica through April.

Tropicana is marketing its Cuba cruises in Russia, Britain, Germany and Spain, but — due to U.S. sanctions — not in the United States. A company spokesman said that Tropicana was planning to break down its cruises in a Russian week, an English-speaking week, and a German- or Spanish-speaking week.

Yucatán Governor Ivonne Ortega Pacheco made the announcement about the cruises from Progreso during a five-day visit of a Cuban business delegation in Mérida. Officials representing 12 Cuban companies met with their counterparts from 40 companies in Yucatán during the visit.

Source: http://www.cubastandard.com/2011/06/20/cruise-ship-shifts-home-port-from...