Fathom Adds Cuba To Dominican Republic Itineraries

Fathom will add a stop at Santiago de Cuba to six of its Dominican Republic sailings. Photo: nl:Gebruiker:Marc_G

Carnival Corp.’s social-impact brand Fathom will sail to Santiago de Cuba on six of its scheduled Dominican Republic cruises next year.  

The sailings, which depart from Miami on Feb. 26, March 1 and 26, April 9 and 23, and May 7 of 2016, where originally scheduled to sail only to Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic. Now, Fathom’s Adonia will call at Santiago de Cuba during the second day of each cruise before heading to the Dominican Republic, after which it will spend a day at sea and then return to Miami.  

Guests on the sailings now will get the opportunity to experience some people-to-people tours in the Cuban city, along with the originally scheduled social-impact activities in the Dominican Republic. Dominican Republic activities include excursions to improve homes and common areas in impoverished neighborhoods, working with special-needs rehab therapy patients and support arts and crafts at a women’s cooperative.  

According to agents, those social-impact activities don’t cross over to Santiago de Cuba—Fathom will offer some traditional tours in the Cuban city.  

Prices start at $599 per person for inside cabins, not including a Cuban visa and taxes, fees, port expenses and gratuities (an estimated $150 total per person).  

Fathom will cover the cost of a visa for those who have already booked one of the six sailings; they also can change to a Dominican Republic–only sailing or cancel with a full refund.  

“I applaud Fathom for taking care of their guests who already booked,” said Stella Larson, a travel agent who has experienced both Fathom itineraries for Windmill Travel. “The people’s attitudes are different on Dominican Republic sailings and Cuba sailings. Some people come to be a tourist in Cuba and others come to the Dominican Republic to make a difference. It will be interesting to see what the mix will be on the new sailings.” 

Larson said a group of her clients who were scheduled for a Dominican Republic sailing were “ecstatic” about the change to include Cuba, though it limits their abillity to take part in social-impact activities in the Dominican Republic.  

Fathom was the first cruise line to get permission to sail to Cuba from a U.S. port when it secured approval last year. It made its first sailings to Cuba in April, alternating Cuban and Dominican Republic sailings on the Adonia from Miami each week. It then decided to skip some Dominican Republic sailings to add Cuban itineraries because of “strong pent-up demand by travelers.”  

Now Fathom, which is in its last run of operations after announcing it will cease operations by the summer of 2017, has combined the two itineraries, giving guests a chance to see the best of both itineraries before the brand goes away.  

Fathom’s social-impact excursions, however, will live on. Carnival announced earlier this month that guests on six other Carnival Corp. brands will get the chance to participate in a social-impact excursion.