Carnival Cruise Lines to Make a Splash in FITCuba 2016

Carnival Corporation, one of the world’s biggest cruise companies, will kick off operations between Miami and Havana on May 1, thus becoming the first cruise line to sail off from the U.S. to the largest Caribbean island in over half a century.

After getting clearance from the Cuban government –it had also gotten the green light from the White House in July 2015- Carnival picked the 704-passenger MV Adonia run by the Fathom Line to start its Cuba cruises.

That’s why on May 4, during Cuba’s International Tourism Fair (FITCuba 2016) at the Morro-Cabaña Fairgrounds in Havana, Carnival Cruise Lines will be launched as a Cuban market product, said Janet Ayala, chief of Communications with the Cuban Tourism Ministry (MINTUR).

In each trip, the cruise will call in Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba. Onboard to-dos will include Cuban music, an introduction to Cuba’s history, culture and traditions, Spanish lessons and a whole lot more.

During last year’s edition of FITCuba, representatives from as many as 120 U.S.-based companies attended the tradeshow. According to Dalila Alba Gonzalez Garcia, deputy director of Marketing at MINTUR, American companies in attendance for this year’s fair will be assisted by Havanatur Celimar, an incoming travel agency founded in 1978 as soon as flights between Cuba and the U.S. resumed.

Carnival Corporation & plc is headquartered in Florida, U.S. and its portfolio includes ten different cruise lines that sail in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. They are Carnival Cruise Line, Fathom, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK).

All in all, these cruise lines run 99 vessels for a grand total of 216,000 passengers combined.