Carnival Gets the Nod to Sail to Cuba with Cuban-Born Passengers

Following U.S. protests, political pressure and even a lawsuit against Carnival Corporation, Cuba has decided to allow Cuban-born passengers to travel to and from the island by sea, effectively clearing the way for Carnival to proceed as scheduled with its May 1 cruise from the U.S. to Cuba.

The decision marks a change in the nation's longstanding policy barring nationals from returning to the island by sea.

According to reports from Cuban newspaper GRANMA, the country has signed contracts with Carnival to launch sailing operations between the U.S. and Cuba in May.

In a press release Friday, Carnival said it "will sail as planned from the U.S. to Cuba with all travelers, including Cuba-born passengers, for the company's week-long voyages to Cuba."

"We made history in March, and we are a part of making history again today," said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corp. in a statement. "More importantly, we are contributing to a positive future. This is a positive outcome and we are extremely pleased. We want to extend our sincere appreciation to Cuba and to our team who worked so hard to help make this happen."

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who was born in Cuba, also released a statement Friday calling the policy change "the right thing to do," and congratulating Carnival for "probably one of the very few times that a corporation has successfully negotiated the changing of a policy with the Cuban government."

Gimenez had previously suggested in a letter that Carnival might be violating the county's human rights ordinance by discriminating against a specific class of people.

Two Cuban-Americans originally barred from buying tickets sued Carnival last week on the grounds that their civil rights were being violated. Secretary of State John Kerry said during a visit to Miami that Cuba should change its policy and Carnival nevertheless should allow anyone to travel on its ships.

Carnival announced Monday it would allow Cuban-born passengers to book cruises to the island but would delay the trips if Cuba did not change its policy. The May 1 cruise — the first in more than 50 years — is part of the ongoing thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations.

The GRANMA report indicates Cuba has adopted several provisions, including the authorization of entry and exit of Cuban citizens, regardless of their immigration status, as passengers and crew on merchant ships and cruise ships. The measures are set to take effect next Tuesday.

The report also says provisions for passengers and crew on pleasure boats will be announced in the future.

U.S. cruise ships stopped sailing to Cuba shortly after its 1959 revolution. Restarting them was an important element of the Obama administration's attempt to increase tourism to Cuba after the Dec. 17, 2014, decision to restore diplomatic relations and move toward normalization.

Cruises were seen by Cuban authorities as an easy way of bringing American visitors to spend badly needed dollars in Cuba without further straining the island's overbooked often decrepit hotels.

Carnival, the world's largest cruise line, operates 10 cruise brands around the world with 100 ships that visit some 700 ports, according to the company statement.

The 704-passenger Adonia plans to sail every other week to three Cuban ports: Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba. Cruise prices for the seven-day sailing start at $1,800 per person, excluding Cuban visas, taxes, fees and port expenses.

Source: NBC 7 (Miami)