Destination Cuba: Ferry Operators Eye Florida to Havana Service

[cpzilliacus]

WSJ.com: Destination Cuba: Ferry Operators Eye Florida to Havana Service - Move comes after Washington lifted some travel restrictions that have long made Cuba practically off limits for most Americans

Ferry operators are racing to be the first to tie up pier-side in Havana.

At least five shipping companies have applied for special licenses from the U.S. State Department to relaunch overnight ferry service from ports in Florida, according to shipping executives familiar with the matter. The routes were popular with American tourists and weekend revelers before sea links were closed off more than 50 years ago.

The Obama administration has eased sanctions and promises to normalize relations with Havana. As part of that move, Washington has lifted some travel restrictions that have long made Cuba practically off limits for most American visitors.

The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset Controls now allows visits for a variety of things that once required special approval. Those include trips by Americans to see family, professional and educational travel, and travel related to humanitarian projects and sporting events.

Tourism is still prohibited, but shipping executives are betting that those restrictions will fall away soon, too. Since the Obama administration first started easing travel restrictions to Cuba several years ago, approved travelers have been able to use several Washington-sanctioned charter flights to the island. There are some private ferry charters for humanitarian cargo and other approved shipments, too, but passengers aren't typically allowed aboard.

[vdeane]

This is the perfect time to build a literal bridge from the keys to Havana.  It can be called the Immigration Freedomway.

[cpzilliacus]

This is the perfect time to build a literal bridge from the keys to Havana.  It can be called the Immigration Freedomway.

95 miles is a pretty long bridge!

Wonder how deep the Florida Strait is at its deepest point?

Have to be pretty stout construction because of the threat from hurricanes (consider what happened to the Flagler's Overseas Railroad).

[sdmichael]

This is the perfect time to build a literal bridge from the keys to Havana.  It can be called the Immigration Freedomway.

95 miles is a pretty long bridge!

Wonder how deep the Florida Strait is at its deepest point?

Have to be pretty stout construction because of the threat from hurricanes (consider what happened to the Flagler's Overseas Railroad).

Rough estimates from the bathymetry in Google Earth are anywhere from 5000' to 1500' in depth. A ferry seems a better move.

[Henry]

This is the perfect time to build a literal bridge from the keys to Havana.  It can be called the Immigration Freedomway.

95 miles is a pretty long bridge!

Wonder how deep the Florida Strait is at its deepest point?

Have to be pretty stout construction because of the threat from hurricanes (consider what happened to the Flagler's Overseas Railroad).

Rough estimates from the bathymetry in Google Earth are anywhere from 5000' to 1500' in depth. A ferry seems a better move.

As nice as it would be to drive from Miami to Havana, this will never happen. So I agree that a ferry is the better way to go.

[Pete from Boston]

Just after reading this thread I came across this five-foot-tall poster in the bathroom of a Cuban restaurant in Jersey City, discussing what was then a new ferry from Key West to Havana:

[US 41]

Hmmm. I would not feel safe traveling to Cuba. I'll pass. And this is coming from a person that is willing to drive in Mexico, where everyone (family and friends) thinks I'll get kidnapped or murdered by a cartel.

[vdeane]

This is the perfect time to build a literal bridge from the keys to Havana.  It can be called the Immigration Freedomway.

95 miles is a pretty long bridge!

Wonder how deep the Florida Strait is at its deepest point?

Have to be pretty stout construction because of the threat from hurricanes (consider what happened to the Flagler's Overseas Railroad).

It's nothing compared to the full extent of the original proposal, which is only becoming more true by the minute.

[jeffandnicole]

Hmmm. I would not feel safe traveling to Cuba. I'll pass. And this is coming from a person that is willing to drive in Mexico, where everyone (family and friends) thinks I'll get kidnapped or murdered by a cartel.

America is probably the only normal 1st world country that doesn't allow people to travel to Cuba.  It's a big destination for Canadians, for example. And you'll be hard pressed to find any sort of problems that tourists experience in Cuba.