Cuba To Lift Cruise Ship Ban For Citizens, Clears Way For Carnival Voyage

Carnival Corp CCL said it would start its "historical voyage" to Cuba as planned on May 1 after Cuba lifted a ban on Cuban-born citizens entering and leaving the country by commercial vessels. Cuba's decision comes after President Obama's historic visit to the island in March.

In a press release, Carnival said it "worked closely with Cuba to allow its cruise ships to operate in a similar manner as current air charter operations to Cuba, starting with its historic inaugural voyage on May 1, 2016."

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Carnival, a leisure travel company, announced that since last week its new Fathom ship was accepting bookings to Cuba from all travelers, including individuals born in Cuba.

"Fathom's 704-passenger Adonia luxury cruise ship will begin sailing to Cuba every other week, marking the first time in over 50 years that a cruise ship has been able to sail from the U.S. to Cuba, as well as the first time in decades that Cuban-born individuals will be able to sail to and from Cuba," the company said in a statement.

The company said Fathom will visit Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba during each sailing, and prices for seven-day itineraries to Cuba start at $1,800 per person – excluding Cuban visas, taxes, fees and port expenses.

"We made history in March, and we are a part of making history again today," Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation, said in a statement.