Out to Sea for Aug.
29/15
By Jim and Barb Fox
The well-publicized
plans of sailing to Cuba on a new Carnival Corporation brand ship won’t be your
usual fun-in-the-sun cruise.
These and others
are part of a growing trend of “social impact experiences” while at sea as a
way of giving back to help out where the ships visit.
 |
| Cruisers learn how to rescue a dolphin and aid marine life in Barcelona, Spain on Crystal Cruises. (Crystal Cruises) |
Others, surprisingly
– along with Cuba and the Dominican Republic – Victoria, Halifax and St. John make
the list with Crystal Cruises “You Care, We Care” program.
Carnival
Corporation has launched “fathom,” its new “purpose-travel” brand, to begin
week-long sailings to Cuba next May, along with seven-day cruises starting a
month earlier to the Dominican Republic.
The company has
been granted approval from the U.S. to operate direct U.S.-to-Cuba travel to provide
a cultural exchange, said Roger Frizzell, Carnival’s chief communications
officer.
“We continue to
have positive dialogue with Cuban officials and remain very optimistic that we
will be granted approval as we continue to target May 2016 as our launch date,”
he added.
Carnival’s fathom
would be the first U.S. cruise company to visit Cuba since the start in 1962 of
a U.S. embargo barring Americans from visiting the Caribbean island nation.
Even as the U.S.
has recently relaxed rules, casual tourism to Cuba by Americans remains illegal
under U.S. law but visits are allowed for cultural, academic, religious and
exchanges called “purposeful travel.”
The new venture
begins next April when fathom will embark on weekly seven-day voyages to the Dominican
Republic from Miami aboard the MV Adonia, a 710-passenger vessel redeployed
from Carnival’s P&O Cruises in the United Kingdom.
 |
| Carnival fathom’s MV Adonia plans to offer seven-day voyages to Cuba and the Dominican Republic from Miami. (Carnival Corporation) |
The first “impact
destination” will be the northern region of the Dominican Republic, where
Carnival’s new port of call, Amber Cove, will serve as home
base.
After the inaugural
month, fathom intends to offer both the Dominican and Cuban itineraries on a
regular basis.
This will give
travellers the opportunity to choose from two destinations and a range of
activities from social impact in the Dominican Republic to educational and
cultural exchanges in both countries.
Arnold
Donald, Carnival president and CEO, said there is a “strong demand from
travellers who want to immerse themselves in Cuban culture.”
Calling it an
“historic opportunity,” Donald said this will enable more people to experience
Cuban society.
 |
| A cabin onboard the Adonia that Carnival plans to use to take cruisers to Cuba. (Carnival Corporation) |
Sailing, sailing
Travellers can reserve
their cabins now, with prices for the seven-day trip to the Dominican Republic
starting at $1,540 U.S. a person.
That includes an exterior
cabin with a view, meals on the ship, onboard social impact immersion
experiences, three on-shore activities and related supplies, taxes, fees and
port expenses.
The week-long
sailings to Cuba start at $2,990 U.S. a person, excluding taxes, port and other
government and related fees. It includes meals on the ship, onboard social
impact immersion experiences and in-port activities.
Launched last June
as Carnival’s 10th global brand, fathom expects to attract 37,000 annual travellers
who collectively could spend a total of more than 100,000 days a year either
volunteering or immersing in educational and cultural exchanges in local
communities.
Additional
information can be found at fathom.org;
1-855-9FATHOM
Caring, sharing
Luxury line Crystal
Cruises has expanded its “philanthropic excursions” in the popular Voluntourism
Adventure program.
These are available
around the world with the “You Care” element that offers cruisers an
“opportunity to make a difference in the places we visit at a very local
level.”
 |
| Volunteer efforts
by cruise travellers in global communities such as Cuba and the Dominican
Republic include planting cacao trees. (Carnival Corporation) |
The “We Care”
portion represents Crystal’s investment in preserving world historical sites.
It’s a way of
“embracing the notion of combining meaningful and educational tourism with
adventure travel” through hands-on volunteer efforts.
Among the
opportunities is in Victoria, B.C. where cruisers work alongside community
members and volunteers at the Mustard Seed Food Bank.
Others included helping
out in Halifax at Feed Nova Scotia, a charitable organization serving some 150 food banks
and meal programs, and Romero House in St. John, N.B., providing kitchen
aid for a housing community that assists less-fortunate locals and resettling
refugees.
Excursions
and sailing details can be found at crystalcruises.com; 1-888-799-4625
-30-
Jim and Barb Fox can be reached at outtosea50@hotmail.com
For more Out to Sea trip tips: http://outtoseatravel.blogspot.ca
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