Carnival Corporation has announced the launch of a new kind of cruise line – “fathom” impact travel will combine cruising with volunteerism on weekly cruises from Miami to Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic. The seven-day cruises are scheduled to begin Miami departures in April of 2016.
Cruisers will have two days of on-ship intensive training in volunteer activities such as teaching English or building water filtration devices. Once the ship arrives at Amber Cove, passengers will spend up to three days working with local residents and volunteer organizations on education, environmental, or economic development projects.
The cruise ship that will carry fathom cruisers will be the Adonia, a 710 passenger ship currently sailing in the United Kingdom under Carnival’s P&O brand. On-board activities and amenities will be more toned-down than what you find on most cruise lines. No casino or theatrical productions. But these cruises won’t be all work. Cruises will have an opportunity to have some fun too, and they’ll get to enjoy a more immersive local experience than they might get on other cruises.
While you might think that doing volunteer work on a cruise might earn you a cheaper fare, that’s not really how it plays out. Prices for these cruises is higher than you might pay on a more conventional cruise to the same destination. Carnival has said that the base price for an Ocean View cabin will be $230 per person, per night.