South Florida-based Carnival Cruise Line has enlisted itself as an agent of the apartheid regime in Havana, accepting as a condition of voyages to Cuba the banning from its passenger lists of U.S. citizens and residents who were born on the island.
Some protests by Cuban Americans have already started, others are planned. Lawsuits packed with cogent and convincing arguments against such blatant discrimination, on orders from a tyrannical dictatorship, are sure to follow.
Just don't expect anything to change. In fact, what Carnival is doing is likely to be followed by other American companies kowtowing to the dictatorship so they don't miss out on the chance to join in on the coming exploitation of all things Cuba. Some of them, like Carnival, are likely to not let the rights of American citizens stand in the way.
The protests won't go anywhere because Carnival and other U.S. corporations are cutting deals with Castro with the acquiescence, if not outright support, of the Obama administration, which sees the opening to Cuba as a big piece of its historical legacy. Such mercantile cronyism is bad enough, but when one of the beneficiaries is the dictatorship in Havana, the evil is compounded.
I have never taken a cruise, which is an absolute reflection of my desire to never cram onto a ship with a couple thousand strangers and whatever bacteria, viruses, etc. they might be carrying. And if in a moment of temporary insanity, I do get aboard an ocean liner, the destination won't be Cuba, if only so not a dime of my hard-earned money doesn't further incubate the virus that is Castro-style repression.
Unfortunately, companies like Carnival lining up to do business in Cuba are acting like they are immune.
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Via Facebook, Maria Werlau of the Cuba Archive suggests one way to protest Carnival Cruise:
SUGGESTION ON HOW TO FIGHT BACK: U.S. citizens/residents born in Cuba should prepare to be part of a probable class action lawsuit against Carnival for discrimination. I did this today and suggest it: Go to https://www.fathom.org/cruise-to-cuba/ for dates for the cruises to Cuba, then call 1-855-932-1711 and try to book a cruise (they give you 3 days to hold a reservation before a deposit is required). Take note of the name of the rep and all details such as date, room type, and price. Once they confirm the space and you are ready to book, they will ask you if you were born in Cuba and reject your booking. Let them know (I suggest, politely) that you object to this offensive discriminatory practice and, then, email them through the site, specifically stating that your booking was rejected due to your place of birth, Cuba. Save the confirmation. Pass this to your friends and family, have them do the same. Let's all connect later to plan joint action.
