MIAMI - After much controversy, the Adonia set sail Sunday from PortMiami on its inaugural voyage to Cuba.
Carnival Cruise Line became the first American cruise ship company to leave an American port bound for Cuba in about 50 years.
Passengers were thrilled to be part of history.
"Originally we were thinking about flying," Leslie McKinney said. "(This is) very exciting."
Her words were echoed by others on board.
"We're going to take a historical, educational trip there and we're going to have the greatest time," Loretta McKinney said.
Fathom, one of Carnival’s newest brands, is a typical cruise ship as the focus is immersion.
"Travel is a really incredible form of connection and transformation," Tara Russell, CEO of Fathom said. "And at Fathom we're traveling deep."
WPLG-TV reports that unlike other cruises, passengers can expect a regimented schedule of events meant to give them an in-depth experience of the place they are visiting.
With its 600-plus passengers, the ship is set to arrive in Havana at about 10 a. m. Monday.
Passengers will spend Monday and most of Tuesday in Havana, then sail to Cienfuegos on Wednesday, a city known as the Pearl of the South.
On Friday, the ship will arrive to its final destination, Cuba’s second-largest city, Santiago de Cuba.
"All the programs that we built on the ground will richly and deeply immerse our travelers in the arts, in the food, in the music, in the film, in the architecture," Russell said. "And really in human-to-human connection between Fathom travelers and the Cuban people."
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