Fathom Cruises to Cuba and Dominican Republic to End in 2017

fathom lockup horizontal outline blueCarnival’s Fathom was the first of the cruise lines to sail United States-to-Cuba cruises from Miami. If you’d like to take a Fathom cruise to Cuba or the Dominican Republic, however, you’ll need to do it soon. A November 28 Condé Nast Traveler article reports that Fathom’s only ship, the Adonia, will shift to the P&O line and cease cruises to Cuba and the Dominican Republic. The article reports that Carnival has requested permission from Cuba with their other brands beginning in June of 2017. Continue reading

Adonia Arrives in Cuba

The Adonia, the moderately-sized cruise ship that currently makes up the whole of Carnival’s new Fathom cruise line, arrived in Cuba Monday, May 2nd.

It’s been a long time – almost 40 years, since U.S. ships have traveled to Cuba. The Cuban government’s decision to drop a restriction which prohibited Cuban-born people from traveling to Cuba by boat made the event even more special for Cuban-born Americans who were able to make the trip. There had been some controversy around the limitation on travel by Cuban-born citizens, but the issue was resolved with the lifting of the restriction. Continue reading

Fathom Cruises to Cuba Hit a Snag

cuba300Carnival Cruise Line’s new “social impact” Fathom brand of small ship cruises is scheduled to begin sailing from Miami to Cuba on May 1st. However, there are problems with how the Cuban government regulates travel of Cuban-born individuals to Cuba.

Current Cuban law allows Cuban-born people to travel to Cuban by plane but not by ship. The cruise line originally intended to comply with Cuban law by not allowing Cuban-born individuals to take the cruises to Cuba. That decision cause outcry from Cuban-Americans and has resulted in a class-action suit being brought against the cruise line. Continue reading