Skift Take
Fathom is a unique product in the cruise space with the backing of cruising's biggest player. It's also just one ship among hundreds in the global cruise industry. With time, and more marketing, it shouldn't be hard for them to find the 600 cruisers each week to fill the MV Adonia.
When Carnival Corp.'s new Fathom cruise line began sailing its initial slate of cruises to Cuba in early May, it caught a wave of positive media coverage as the first major cruise ship to return to Cuba.
Fathom's product in the Dominican Republic, however, is way more ambitious than its Cuba presence; it has engineered a series of social immersion activities on the island's north coast aimed at giving back to local community members.
Among travel agents and the greater cruise industry, though, there has been some skepticism about how Fathom not only fits into Carnival Corp.'s wide range of brands, but also whether such a cruiser looking to volunteer during his or her vacation even exists.
Fathom president Tara Russell, who has worked in a variety of roles at Fortune 500 companies and is also chairman of Create Common Good, a company that uses food production to help strengthen local communities, thinks that time will bear out that there is a strong market of leisure travelers who will be interested in a Fathom experience.
These cruisers may be younger and more willing to have an active vacation than the market of traditional cruisers, or simply looking to feel that their presence in a destination will have a positive impact on the local community.
While MSC Cruises homeported the MSC Opera in Havana in late 2015, and will operate the MSC Armonia out of Havana next year, Fathom represents the first opportunity for U.S. travelers to legally cruise to Cuba.
Skift sat down with Russell in Vancouver to discuss Fathom's official launch, the challenge of building a niche cruise brand around volunteerism, why the line recently reduced some cruise fares, and the work that went into building the unique land experiences the brand has delivered in the Dominican Republic.
Skift: While the first month of Fathom cruises has garnered some praise, many are saying the market for this kind of destination immersion cruise doesn't exist yet. How do you assess Fathom's success so far?
Russell: I think for us the challenge isn't the market. The challenge is getting to it quickly because it's very fragmented. I guaran