Travel to Cuba now available...

It's exciting when a new destination opens up to explore and that is what is happening for Americans who want to travel to Cuba.  We received this update from the ARTA newsletter earlier this week...

"Carnival Corp.has been granted US licenses to operate direct US to Cuba cruises. Carnival aims to begin sailing from Port Miami to Cuba in May 2016 via fathom, its recently launched 'social impact' brand using the small ship Adonia. The US up until now, did not permit a cruise ship to go from the US to Cuba and return to the US. Carnival's fathom would operate cruises for the purpose of providing cultural, artistic, faith-based and humanitarian exchanges, in compliance with US rules that allow licensed travel companies to transport approved travelers to Cuba to engage in activities that support the Cuban people. Carnival is in active discussions with Cuban authorities to gain their approval. Carnival's approach is via a brand clearly established for people-to-people exchanges that complies with the types of travel newly sanctioned by the Obama administration. Carnival's fathom is to begin humanitarian-focused cruises between Miami and the Dominican Republic in April. Miami-Cuba cruises would start the following month, and week-long sailings from Miami would alternate between Cuba and the Dominican Republic over the long term. Carnival's plans underwent an extensive review by the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions, and by the Department of Commerce. The process has been under way for several months."