My husband and I choose this cruise because of Cuba and because the embarkation city was Miami. We were on the Adonia ship with Fathom which was the last cruise before retirement with this cruise line. Fathom's People to People emphasis on Cuban culture made perfect sense. The impact of this cruise was life-changing. We learned so much about the country from ship staff and from the authentic perspective of Cuban tour guides. The pre-information port sessions were most enlightening which prepared us very well before port arrival. Fathom is to be commended for truly making Cuba the focal point for most on- board activities. This made this cruise unique and the best one we have taken!! The Tomasito Cruz, 3 times grammy award winning band was fabulously superior to most cruise ship bands. Simply, the best ever!! The dance instructors on the ship engaged all dance lovers: the young and the young- at- heart and showed up on dance nights to dance with guests. This was wonderful. No one was left out. The music was electrifying. I respect Fathom for choosing a Cuban band for the Cuban experience. EXCELLENT choice!!! The ship was small enough to meet several people. We made connections with many guests and with two wonderful couples in particular through dinner and excursions. We have already been in touch with them since we returned home. The activities on board were so inviting that we had trouble deciding what to choose. They were ALL exceptional: health, Spanish, dance and history lessons. These helped to make this cruise experience unique. One thing that surprised us was there were no waiters on the ship who could speak Spanish. We found this odd and a little disappointing given that this was a Cuban cruise. The MAJOR complaint that we have was the food. The quality was poor. We expected fresh bread, variety and quality cooking. The smart casual dining atmosphere was great in the formal dining room, although I must say that the dining staff is clearly are NOT trained in dining etiquette. This was conspicuously obvious. One other thing is that normally there there is an embarkation photographer who is keen to photograph all passengers. I had to ask the photographer if he would take a picture of us. The picture quality turned out to be poor. There were few professional photographer opportunities. Another first-time disappointment! The embarkation process was very smooth, however the disembarkation process was not well organized.

Our cabin was C60 and perfectly situated at mid-ship. However, this was the first cruise that we have taken where we had to ask the cabin steward to clean the balcony and to bring toiletries we needed. I cleaned the banister myself and wiped it several times and noted black soot from a crane that was shedding dirt. The balcony needs refurbishing. Rust stains were an eye sore.

Overall, we really did enjoy the cruise. Cuba is a journey back in time with a fascinating history. We would love to return. This cruise will definitely be one to remember forever!