Carnival will be first in 50 years to sail cruise ship from U.S. to Cuba

It’s official: Carnival Corp. will be the first U.S. cruise company in more than five decades to sail a cruise ship to Cuba. There are still spots available on the historic first sailing.

“Today we made history,” Chief Executive Arnold Donald said Monday in a media call from Havana, Cuba. The news came during President Obama’s historic three-day visit to the island nation

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Arnold says its first Fathom cruise (which is spells with a lowercase “f”) to Cuba will leave Miami on May 1. It will stop at Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba with immersion activities onboard and on land.

The cruise will be aboard the Adonia, which holds about 700 people.

The idea behind Carnival’s newest brand, which launched in June, is designing the trip to provide “cultural, artistic, faith-based and humanitarian exchanges between American and Cuban citizens,” Carnival said in a prior statement.

The cruise company takes care of compliance with U.S. rules about people-to-people and educational requirements for visitors. Tourism to Cuba for Americans remains illegal, according to the 1962 embargo that remains in place.

Prices for weeklong cruises start at $2,662 per person, excluding port fees and taxes. Other cruises are scheduled for May 15, May 29, June 12, June 26 and more dates from July through September.

Info: Fathom cruise to Cuba, (855) 932-8466

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