I’ve often said that the day that Carnival Cruises starts sailing to Cuba – would be the day I would stop going there. 

It happened this week.

And the 700-passenger Carnival cruise ship is not all that descended upon Havana last week.

The House of Chanel blocked off the historic boulevard, Paseo del Prado – framed by the dilapidated buildings of La Habana Vieja – to present their 2016-17 Cruise Collection.

And, ever at the forefront of trending news, Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, Kanye and their entourage of photographers, stylists and publicists showed up in Havana to film a segment of their reality TV show.

Kim Kardashian takes a selfie . . .

There’s good news and bad news about all of this . . . 

The good news:

The genie is out of the bottle and there’s no going back.

As I’ve been proselytizing since my early ventures to Cuba starting in 2010 – the time to go to Cuba is now. As in SOON! That recommendation has never been more urgent. The pace of change in Cuba is exponential.

Travel to Cuba is easier and easier – which is good news. Americans can now go to Cuba without complicated licensing and governmental restrictions. You can book accommodations online through Air BnB. In the short term, there will be direct flights from U.S. gateways on commercial carriers. Eventually, you’ll be able to use credit cards and get money from ATMs. There will be a Westin-branded hotel. And some day in the not-too-distant future, you’ll be able to use your cell phone for something other than taking photos.

For now, the country still retains some if its unique and antiquated frustrations for the visitor, which is what makes Cuba one of the most endearing and unusual places in the world. Such charms were lost on the preening, selfie-obsessed Kardashian sisters who complained about not having Snapchat. Apparently, their production team had difficulty getting locals to sign release forms because nobody knows who they are!

(I don’t know about you, but I think that’s good news.)

And Kim obviously wasn’t properly informed of the treachery posed by stiletto heels and skin-tight, full-length skirts on her afternoon sightseeing excursion.

One of the Kardashian sisters has a practical bone in her body . . .

But enough about the Kardashians . . . !

There are not enough hotel rooms in Havana or anywhere else in the country to accommodate the onslaught. There are only 63,000 hotel rooms in the entire country! The perfect solution: floating hotels. And there are thousands upon thousands of potential hotel beds departing every day from the port of Miami. Carnival Cruises cleverly maneuvered its way into uncharted waters when it received permission from the U.S. Department of Treasury to offer “people-to-people” activities that, at the time, were required of Americans traveling to Cuba. Their ship is a little one – only 700 passengers – but now that they have a toehold into Cuba, they’re looking to extend its approval to other brands in its portfolio.

“We’ve already submitted a number of requests for ports of calls for several of our ships,” said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation, adding he’s “confident” that Cuba will pace its permits. “It’ll probably be later this year or early next year before you see another of our lines or another line coming to Cuba.”

And the other cruise lines aren’t exactly treading water. Pearl Seas Cruises began selling Cuba itineraries last year and says it is expecting to receive approval to begin sailing in October. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is also actively seeking approval from Cuba to sail its Oceania brand to the island. French cruise line Ponant will accept U.S. citizens on its newly scheduled sailings from Miami to Cuba, beginning in January 2017.

Have you been on a Caribbean cruise lately – to St. Thomas or Nassau or Cozumel or Jamaica . . . where there will be six, eight, ten or more massive ships in port on any given day? It’s only a matter of time before Havana is similarly besieged.

The 700-passenger Carnival ship docks in Old Havana

Still, that’s good news for local people who will benefit from the influx of tourist dollars. And good news for American travelers seeking a cheap, easy way to see several places on this great big island without packing and unpacking.

The third thing that happened this week – in this country which was once opposed to any display of conspicuous consumption – was an invitation-only spectacle of Chanel’s haute couture Resort Collection for 2017. The main artery from the Malecon to the city center was closed off, and local Cubans were kept behind the security cordon as celebrities, supermodels and actors arrived at the show in classic cars rented for the evening.

Supermodel (and wife of Tom Brady), Gisele Bundchen, poses atop a classic car in Cuba

As skinny, emaciated models paraded down the Prado in “sheer blouses with full skirts in a ghostly gray palm frond print with pearl-clustered slides,” Havana residents watched in rapt curiosity from the balconies and rooftops of the crumbling, crowded apartment buildings where families eek out an existence with incomes that couldn’t even buy them a Coco Cuba t-shirt.

A male model struts his stuff in a robe printed with classic Cuban cars

Ah yes . . . change is inevitable. But many worry that these kinds of spectacles emphasize a culture of “them and us” which is radically different from the Cuba that has tried to dissuade such social and economic distinctions for so many decades.

Cuba will always be a unique country and culture, but its charms will gradually and inevitably be altered by the tourist invasion.

If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you know I’ve long been a proponent of ending the embargo. But I’m conflicted about the the negative impact of “progress,” as visitor numbers surge.

Still, no matter where I travel with my WOW! Travel Club, I always find a way to avoid the hordes and hucksters and hassles. And I’ll do it in Cuba, too. I still have space for my “Grand Finale Tour” of Cuba. Dates are October 23 – 29, 2016. Bottom line, you’ll always be able to go to Cuba . . . but this is your last chance to go there with me! I promise you – it’ll be unforgettable!!

Here’s the website. Remember my advice – go there now!