Mar 22 2016

Travel To Cuba Opens For Carnival Corporation’s Fathom

The doors for travel to Cuba are opening wider for Americans. On his historic trip, President Obama announced that American relations with Cuba will change, mentioning that the U.S. trade embargo with Cuba would be fully lifted.

Political and economic developments remain to be seen. In the meantime, several American travel corporations are moving forward with plans to increase American travel to Cuba. One such company that will help Americans with unrestricted travel to Cuba is Carnival Corporation.

Carnival Corporation to offer cruises to Havana

As reported in a Carnival Corporation press release yesterday:

Cuba granted approval for the company to begin travel to Cuba starting on May 1, 2016. Following U.S. authorization granted in July 2015, Carnival Corporation is now cleared to operate the 704-passenger MV Adonia to Cuba through its newest brand Fathom. This marks the first time in over 50 years a cruise ship is approved to sail from the United States to Cuba.

Cuban authorities from Havanatur Celimar, various other agencies and Carnival Corporation today signed agreements enabling cruising by Carnival Corporation to Cuba.

“Our Carnival Corporation and Fathom brand teams have worked closely with Cuba throughout this process and we are thrilled to begin regular sailings to Cuba from Miami starting on May 1, 2016,” said Tara Russell, president of Carnival Corporation’s new Fathom brand. “We have been told that we will be the first cruise line to sail from the U.S. to Cuba with our historic inaugural sailing.”

“We are excited about Cuban approval and are ready to take travelers there through an extraordinary guest experience on the beautiful MV Adonia,” said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. “This is a historic opportunity, and we know there is pent-up demand amongst Americans who want to experience Cuba. We believe there is no better way to experience so much of Cuba in seven days. Everyone who sails with us with Fathom to Cuba will have a very special, rewarding and enriching experience with our Fathom brand.”

Fathom Cuban itineraries feature three ports of call
During each sailing, Carnival Corporation through its Fathom brand initially will visit Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba, three ports of call for which Carnival Corporation has obtained berthing approval.

As part of this historic sailing in this inaugural year, travelers will enjoy an exciting Cuban experience and will sail aboard the 704-passenger MV Adonia, where they can choose to partake in onboard experiences, including Cuban- and Caribbean-inspired music and film options, as well as Cuban-inspired menu options.

Fathom to offer onboard activities unlike any other Carnival cruise

Special onboard programming will include a wide variety of activities covering an array of interests, ranging from an orientation to Cuba’s history, customs and culture, to geographic-inspired entertainment, to casual and fun personal enrichment activities, to conversational Spanish lessons, to guided sessions with the Fathom team.

“We are humbled and honored to offer a one-of-a-kind Cuban experience to our travelers,” said Russell.

Seven-day itineraries on Carnival Corporation’s Fathom brand depart from Port Miami on Sundays at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The ship will arrive at its first destination, Havana, the following morning (Monday) at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. The MV Adonia returns to its homeport, PortMiami, at 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time Sunday.

Booking details

Prices for seven-day itineraries to Cuba start at $1,800 per person, excluding Cuban visas, taxes, fees and port expenses and including all meals on the ship, onboard experiences and several on-the ground activities. Prices will vary by season.

To secure a spot on future sailings, a $600 per person deposit is required for all cabin categories and occupancy levels. Final payment is due 90 days prior to departure. To reserve a spot on future sailings, travelers may contact their travel professional or call 1-855-9Fathom. Learn more at http://www.fathom.org/.

Why take a cruise to Cuba?

Cruising with Fathom to Cuba offers travelers an opportunity to set foot on Cuban soil faster than if they were to arrange travel on their own. At this juncture, American travelers don’t have complete autonomy to make travel plans. There are still travel restrictions to Cuba.

Currently, Americans can travel to Cuba in organized groups. Looser travel restrictions will allow U.S. citizens to go independently on educational “people to people” trips.

2. Taking a cruise, travelers would fly to Miami to catch the ship, bypassing the hassle of arranging flights to Cuba. According to travel site Hopper.com, U.S. flights to Cuba currently average over $700.

These charter flights are infrequent, lack online booking and 24-hour customer service. Once more airlines are cleared to offer flights, prices will likely drop. In the meantime, travelers can pay less expensive airfare to Miami and board a Fathom ship instead.

3. Cruisers have the benefit of onboard programs and organized on-the-ground cultural exchange activities. Travelers get to enjoy the creature comforts that they’re accustomed to in accommodations on Carnival cruises.

These are just a few of the immediate benefits I can see for traveling with Fathom to Cuba. At this stage it looks like Carnival can get passengers to Havana easier and faster than anyone else.

Nov 21 2015

Cruise Travel: What You Should Know

Cruise Travel

Cruise travel is a fun way to ease into travel especially if you have kids. It’s convenient for family travel offering money savings and lots of activities.

If you don’t have the time to do all the research and planning, hire either a travel agent or a travel consultant like myself to craft the perfect experience for you.

This article is constantly being updated so make sure to come back for new information that will help you with your cruise travel.

Choosing the right cruise line

There are dozens of options in the market when it comes to cruise lines. They don’t differ only by price but also by cruising style, where they go and what they offer.

Carnival Cruises is known as the laid back fun party ship. For families new to traveling and those looking to do it modestly, a Carnival Cruise is an economical option.

On the other hand, Disney Cruise Line is a less moderately priced vacation, however it is very focused on creating a specific type of travel experience. Thus, you will pay for that.

Things to do on cruises

There’s something to do on cruises for just about everyone, young and old. If you can’t find anything on the ship to do, you’ll certainly find something on shore that will peak your interest.

One Free Thing To Do in The Cayman Islands

Travel tips

There are just a few things you need to know before you get on a cruise.

Safety on your cruise

Traveling solo on a cruise

If you want to put your Cruise planning on auto pilot, pick your dates, set your budget and outsource it!

Click below to have me plan your next trip.

Plan My Trip!

Jan 23 2014

Carnival Spices Up Ship Entertainment With Carnival Live Music Series

As I sit here on my very late Amtrak train back home to Maryland, desperately trying to ignore the clock approaching 2 am, my only solace is that I watched a fabulous intimate live show in Manhattan. Carnival unveiled yet another one of its new brand enhancements as a part of the $500 million multi year initiative to improve guest experiences.

The two-hour event was held at The Cutting Room music venue on New York’s East side filled with Carnival execs, PR peeps, media, investors, travel agents and other special invited guests.

Carnival President and CEO, Gerry Cahill, set the foundation for the presentation, noting that CCL has serviced 60 million guests over its 41 year history. With that longevity and to ensure customer loyalty, Cahill points out that the company recognizes the need for continuous innovation.

Carnival LIVE

Carnival LIVE is the latest improvement in Carnival entertainment and is being launched across all CCL ships in the brand. Senior VP of Guest Operations, Mark Tamil, went into details about the partnership with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), a top LA talent agency, to book the 15 artists on its starting roster.

Jennifer Hudson, Lady Antebellum, Jewel, LeAnn Rimes, and a dozen other big names have been signed to perform 49 Carnival concerts while in ports of call. Cruises guests attending these intimate concerts will pay a nominal upcharge, a fraction of what they’d normally pay in a traditional concert venue.

Grammy award winning artist Jennifer Hudson was a great opening act yesterday for Carnival LIVE.

Personal Notes

To say that Jennifer tore the small stage up with her bellowing voice, piano man, and over qualified backup singers is an understatement. I knew I liked her before but I’d never heard her sing live. She hit my music funny bone a couple of times, especially with her rendition of the DreamGirls hit song “And I am telling you”, which skyrocketed her into the musical stratosphere. Check out the LIVE performance here:

Predictions

That’s a teaser of what guests can expect on their next Carnival cruise vacation. I suspect that people will be even more deliberate with their sailing dates if they’re fans of any of the artists in the Carnival LIVE series. Carnival may even see a demographic shift with their sailings, reflective of the headlining performer.

Click here for a list of upcoming tour dates. Who would you cruise to see perform?

Sep 23 2013

Carnival Cruises New Program “Guarantees” Great Vacation Or Money Back

As quiet as it’s kept, cruising is one of my favorite forms of travel. And on all the cruises that I’ve taken, I’ve enjoyed a great vacation. Yes, the Cuban shuffle lines are corny and overdone. No, I’m not challenging my travel adventure spirit. Even with all the bad press that the industry (Carnival Cruises, in particular) has gotten over the past few years, there’s still something nostalgic about cruising for me.

Why? It could be that my grandmother, who I miss dearly, took me on my very first cruise; or that my husband and I tied the knot for the second time on one; or that my friends and I have some of the best travel memories from a ship. Whatever it is, I still enjoy cruising. Don’t judge me. Just the other day, at my husband’s grandmother’s funeral, my in-laws asked when would we all get together again. They all talked about how much fun they had on our wedding cruise. Good experiences breed repeat customers, especially ones that are pocket friendly.

Budget-Friendly Travel

For many individuals cruising is an inexpensive way to see several places on one trip and can be a very cost-effective form of family travel. However, no matter how cheap a cruise is, the last thing that you want to deal with is DRAMA. If the sh*t hits the fan, or your ship hits a ditch, your vacation is ruined. That’s money wasted. And at the end of the day, all of us want to know, how will a company make things right? Now, Carnival Cruise Line is answering that question.

“Great Vacation Guarantee”

Last week, Carnival announced their “Great Vacation Guarantee.” It’s the only program in the industry of its kind, where the company is offering a 110 percent refund, complimentary return flights and more, should a guest not be completely satisfied. Guests can end their voyage early and receive a $100 shipboard credit for a future cruise, should they be dissatisfied with their cruise for any reason.

Gerry Cahill, Carnival president and CEO, says that, “The ‘Great Vacation Guarantee’ is designed to provide an assurance to those consumers who may be considering a cruise, that we stand behind our product and, if they are dissatisfied for any reason, they have a simple and hassle-free means for receiving a full refund and more.”

How do guests exercise this “Great Vacation Guarantee”? They simply notify the ship’s guest services desk within the first 24 hours of their voyage to receive the full refund. The program is promoted through Carnival’s travel agent partners, as well as a special section on its web site at www.carnival.com/vacationguarantee, and through ads in major market U.S. newspapers and online.

The “Great Vacation Guarantee” is valid on all three- to eight-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Canada and New England departing through April 30, 2015. It’s also open only to U.S. and Canada residents. Note that I highlighted and bolded “the first 24 hours” – if you’re unhappy with anything, it better be before you’re done unpacking if you want to get a refund. Don’t try to ask for a refund on your last day of the cruise! I can guarantee that that’s probably not happening for you. Let’s see how many guests exercise the guarantee in the upcoming months and if this will change standards in the industry.

If you’ve ever been unsatisfied with a cruise or any other vacation, when does it usually happen? Does this program make you more inclined to cruise with Carnival?