Hundreds of cruisers were onboard the MV Adonia for the inaugural voyage of Carnival Corporation’s Fathom holiday – a program where guests have a chance help people in need.

Fathom’s first voyage was a seven-night trip to the Dominican Republic which includes projects focused on economic development, education and the environment.

Guests are involved with English conversation classes, planting trees, water filtration production, recycling paper as well as concreting floors for community homes.

There are also tours for the guests like exploring ancient ruins as well as interacting with the marine life.

“Feedback from our guests during the voyage was extremely positive,” said Tara Russell, president of Fathom and global impact lead for Carnival Corporation.  “This first voyage provided more evidence there is a growing market of guests who want to make a positive, direct impact when traveling. Fathom gave our guests a unique way to leave an impression on a very personal level within the community, as well as have an extraordinarily rewarding experience.”

The program was launched in 2015 and is currently growing in popularity.

“We have already accomplished a lot in a short period of time – but there is still much to do,” said Ms Russell. “While we celebrated and introduced the unique Fathom experience to our guests last week, we are looking forward to taking our guests every other week to the Dominican to continue making a profound and lasting impact for people in the country.”

Fathom will soon be sailing to Cuba for seven nights. The cruise includes three half days of shore excursions including stops in Havana, Santiago de Cuba and Cienfuegos.