Carnival cruise lines announced Monday it would start allowing Cuban-Americans to sail to their native country days after being sued for discrimination. The company previously said it would adhere to a Cuban law, from the Cold War era, that allowed Cuban-Americans to only return by plane.
Francisco Marty, a Bay of Pigs veteran, filed a class-action lawsuit last Thursday against Carnival, saying the cruise line is discriminating against Americans born in Cuba. But Carnival called it “a Cuba decision,” according to CNN, and not one the company has control over. It added that it would work with the Cuban government to change the regulation.
But on Monday, the company said it will allow anyone to book a cruise, “regardless of their country of origin.”
“We want everyone to be able to go to Cuba with us,” CEO Arnold Donald said in a statement.
Carnival’s cruise to Cuba, which includes stops in Havana, Cienfuegos, and Santiago de Cuba, is the first in more than 50 years to depart the U.S. Carnival was the first cruise line approved by the Cuban government to sail to the island. Tickets start at $1,800.
As the United States and Cuba continue to normalize relations, flights and cruises to the communist-controlled island are gearing up to start. But there are still some challenges along the way.
