Photo credit: Passengers lining up at the entrance to the port terminal (Francisco Alvarado/Fox News Latino)
Shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, the 704-passenger Adonia luxury ship pushed off its moorings at PortMiami, signaling the beginning of the first cruise from America to Cuba in more 50 years. Passengers lining the ship’s top deck waved goodbye to the port employees, relatives, and the crews of television reporters gathered outside terminal J, where the Adonia had been parked. A soft warm breeze mingled with the sunny, clear Miami sky.
Earlier in the day, cruise enthusiasts from Miami to Mexico City eager to take part in the historic maiden voyage lined up at the entrance to the terminal. Among the travelers were Isela and Mauricio Calatuyad, a mother and son from Mexico, who booked the cruise last week shortly after Carnival Corp. officially green lit the seven day excursion to the communist country.
Dressed in a baseball cap, black photographer’s jacket, jogging pants, and a long sleeve t-shirt with a world map printed on it, Mauricio Calatuyad told Fox News Latino taking a cruise to Cuba has been a lifelong dream because his father’s parents were born on the island.
“I had already reserved our spots, but it took a little time to convince my mother to go with me,” Calatuyad. “I bought them almost at the last minute. Cuba is in our blood even though we are Mexican. And there’s a lot of history between both countries, as well as Miami and Cuba.”
More than 10 days ago, the cruise, which is sailing under Carnival’s new brand called Fathom, appeared to be headed for an indefinite delay due to a decades-old law in Cuba that banned Cuban Americans who were born on the island from entering or leaving the country aboard a vessel. A pair of Miami Cubans filed a class action lawsuit against Carnival and Fathom alleging the companies were violating their civil rights by going along with the Cuban policy. Cuban Americans also protested the ban and some politicians threatened to block the cruise from….
To read full story: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2016/05/01/historic-cruise-to-cuba-sets-sail-from-miami/
