Photo courtesy of Fathom
Carnival Corporation made history Sunday afternoon, when its cruise ship Adonia became the first cruise ship in decades to leave a U.S. port for Cuba., according to the Sun Sentinel.
Live salsa music played as passengers arrived Sunday morning, showing their excitement about traveling to the Communist-led island, the Sentinel said.
READ MORE:Cuba Relents In Carnival Corp. Negotiations, Allows Cuban-Born Americans to Cruise to Cuba
Roughly 700 people, 11 of whom are children, are aboard the historic voyage, cruise officials told the Sentinel.
The newspaper reported that as the ship departed Port Miami, Capt. David Box made an announcement over the PA system, saying: "We're going to sail directly from the United State to Havana, Cuba. How awesome is that?"
READ MORE: Carnival Officials: We Won't Sail to Cuba Until Cuban-Born Americans Can Join Us
At a press conference earlier Sunday, Carnival president and CEO Arnold Donald answered questions about the controversy over the cruise line's adherence to the ban on Cuban-born Americans traveling to and from the island by sea, the Sentinel reported.
Carnival later said it would allow Cuban-born Americans to travel aboard the ship and would postpone the trip if Cuba refused to reverse the ban, the Sentinel said. On April 22, the Cuban government scrapped its old rule, saying Cuban-born people could travel by sea to the island.
"All along, we were preparing and working towards what we have here today, that everyone can sail with us," Donald said at the press conference. "That was the plan all along; we working on it … and we were positive that it was going to happen."
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