Carnival Opens Bookings for Cuban-Born Passengers

Cuban-born travelers can now book a cruise on Carnival Corp.’s Cuba sailings, the cruise giant announced Monday, pending a change in Cuba’s policy that prohibits people born on the island from traveling there by sea.

Carnival Corp. said it remains “optimistic” that the Cuban government will alter its sea-travel regulation for Cuban-born individuals in the U.S. and around the world. If no change comes before Carnival Corp.’s inaugural May 1 sailing of its Fathom cruise line from Miami to Havana, the cruise company will delay its voyages until all passengers can travel, Carnival Corp. said in a release.

The announcement follows a turbulent week for the world’s largest cruise company in which protesters, politicians and even Secretary of State John Kerry spoke out against Carnival Corp.’s acceptance of the discriminatory Cuban regulation.

Doral-based Carnival Corp. has maintained that it has been in frequent discussions with the Cuban government about a possible change to the regulation, allowing it to be on a level playing field with air charters that now take Cuban-born people to the island on a daily basis. Under current regulations, people born in Cuban can travel to the island by air, but not sea.

"We want everyone to be able to go to Cuba with us," said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corp. “We remain excited about this historic opportunity to give our guests an extraordinary vacation experience in Cuba."

Fathom, which is scheduled to sail every other week beginning May 1 on weeklong voyages to Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba, has updated its reservation system to allow Cuban-born guests to also travel on its 704-passenger Adonia to Cuba. Tickets start at $1,800 per person, excluding Cuban visas, taxes, fees and port expenses.

Carnival Corp. gained approval from the Cuban government on March 21 to be the first American cruise company to sail to the island in more than 50 years.

In a letter to employees Monday, Donald said ensuring Cuban-born individuals can travel to Cuba has been a “top priority” for the cruise company.

“We have an obligation to all our employees, and to the communities in which they work and live, to be the best corporate citizen we can be. We believe this approach best supports that objective,” Donald said in the letter. “Again, we remain confident that we will reach a positive outcome and we continue to work full speed ahead in preparing for our every-other-week sailings from PortMiami to Cuba.”

Source: The Miami Herald