Fathom's Adonia is scheduled to sail May 1 from PortMiami on its inaugural cruise to Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba.
Reuters cites Carnival spokesman Roger Frizzell as expressing the belief that the policy will change, based on ongoing discussions. Frizzell was not prepared to say more on Friday night when contacted by Seatrade Cruise News.
Cuba allows Cuban Americans to arrive by air, and hundreds of thousands do so each year, according to #CubaNow, a Miami-based group that favors ending the US embargo. But a longstanding policy is still in place that forbids their landing by any type of ship.
This has led to allegations of discrimination and, this week, a lawsuit, after Cuban Americans were turned away from booking Fathom. When the matter first came to light, Carnival said it had requested the Cuban government reconsider the policy.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs were told by a Fathom resesrvations agent that Carnival has been working on the issue for months.
