Cuba was great; Adonia was pretty good; Fathom was disappointing. If your goal is a real cultural immersion in Cuba, find a people-to-people on-land tour. If your goal is a quality cruise experience with an experienced cruise line, pick something other than Fathom. If you want to split your time between a whirlwind tour of Cuba and on-board personal growth activities, and you don't mind being the guinea pig this cruise line learns on, this would be perfect for you. If you already booked this cruise my advice is to go out on your own on your free night in Havana, do a lot of reading and movies on your own before you go and while on the trip. Bring a guidebook.

Ship: We thought the British-inspired decor, British-Indian cabin and dining crews and British menus were quite charming. The food was good and the ship appeared to run smoothly and efficiently. Bring your sea bands -- our motion-sensitive family members found the motion of a smaller ship to be more noticeable.

Shore excursions: The shore excursions were pretty good. The local guides were very good -- well-educated, experienced tour guides who discussed not just local landmarks but also daily life in communist Cuba. These guides were our only real "people-to-people" interaction, and were pretty much the only sources of information about economics or politics of Cuba on the whole trip. Read more