Just in: For first time in nearly 40 years, a U.S. cruise ship has docked in Cuba https://t.co/0bT2fltneCpic.twitter.com/3Ja6tjQZ8b
— CNN (@CNN) May 2, 2016
An American cruise ship anchored in Havana Monday, making it the first time since 1978 that a U.S. cruise has docked in the country and marking a further thaw in relations between the two countries.
The ship, named the Adonia, has around 700 passengers, and was allowed to travel to Cuba after the country recently lifted a rule barring Cuban-born people from departing or arriving by sea. Until the ban was lifted, Carnival, the company behind the cruise, could not allow Cuban-born Americans as passengers. This forced the company to postpone the cruise until Sunday, when it set off from Miami.
The ship is on a seven-day journey, also stopping in the Cuban ports of Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba, before returning to the United States. Carnival is planning regularly scheduled trips to the country, which has slowly reestablished a formal relationship with the U.S. (President Barack Obama visited in March.)
Before Adonia, the last cruise to Cuba occurred aboard the MS Daphne in 1978, according to CBS. The ship regularly went from New Orleans to Havana, but later stopped after protests.
If you're interested in a leisurely voyage to Cuba, the Adonia is set to depart from Miami twice a month. Tickets start at around $2,600.