Picketers urge Carnival to drop 'discriminatory' Cuba cruises

The protesters alleged Carnival supports discrimination by offering the Fathom cruises. Adonia is set to become the first passenger ship to sail from the US to Cuba in more than 50 years with its May 1 inaugural voyage to Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba.

The Miami Herald and talk radio in South Florid have made the issue a cause célèbre. It is particularly sensitive in a community where a high percentage of Cuban Americans fled the island as refugees from the Castro regime.

Carnival Corp. officials repeatedly have stated they 'understand and empathize with the concerns being voiced' and they've asked the Cuban government to reconsider this regulation.

After the protest ceo Arnold Donald told the Herald that opening a dialogue with Cuba as the first US-based operator to sail there puts Carnival Corp. 'in a position to help enact change in a decades-old policy.'