Restarting the cruises was an important element of a bid by President Barack Obama's administration's to increase tourism to Cuba after the Dec. 17, 2014, decision to restore diplomatic relations and move toward normalization. Bookings will start at $1,800 per person and feature an array of cultural and educational activities, including Spanish lessons, Carnival's website says. The Cuban government says the shift in policy removes prohibitions enacted when Cuban exiles were launching attacks by sea after the first Cuban revolution. On Sunday, Arnold Donald, Carnival's president and CEO, said the company worked and prepared to make the cruises a reality despite the challenges. The Fathom brand said on its website that the trip was authorized under current people-to-people travel guidelines of the U.S.