Fathom Impact Cruises. What is Fathom? What is Impact Travel? Travel that dares to make a difference in people’s lives. Yes, it’s a cruise, however, the spin is completely different in an interesting form.
Fathom Impact Cruises is about making a difference in its passenger’s lives and the lives of the people in both the Dominican Republic and Cuba. It’s about transformative experiences, through these connections. A cultural exchange, that results in both guests and locals connecting, not just in a physical presence, but spiritually as well. Since this is only Day 1 of 7 on our cruise to the Dominican Republic, I will share ship photos and my first impressions.
The week’s activities onboard consisted of Impact Classes, such as creating Your Own Story, Curiosity Shop, Cohort meetings, and more. We were told the idea was to not only help transform the lives of others through the Impact activities, but to transform ourselves by getting out of our comfort zones and perhaps exposing our vulnerabilities. As I said, not your usual cruise experience.
The Fathom Adonia holds 700 passengers. The tone is elegant, with wrought iron railings, muted color palette, lovely, classic art work and an upscale ambiance. Sister ships of the Adonia, are with Oceania and Azamara. The ship is lovely. There is a medical facility on Deck 4, as well as reception and the Explorers (shore excursion) desks. Deck 5 is the buzz of the ship, with the shops and storytelling booth (more later) Raffles bar, Curzon Lounge, Pacific Restaurant (main restaurant) Andersons, a lovely, warm wood walls, lounge area (my favorite area).
Deck 9 is the Lido deck, with a pool, hot tubs, Lido café, pool bar, card room, spa and gym. The spa has an up-charge area called the Embody Terrace, private seating area with small pool, that requires a charge of $28 per day or $138 for the week. In my opinion, this is something that needs a 2nd look. You are basically paying to use the sun deck. Definitely not worth the price. There is no solarium area, tiled lounges, hydrotherapy pools, rain showers, etc. The locker rooms have a complimentary steam room. Unfortunately, the steam was broken the entire trip. Considering this ship just came from dry dock, this was disappointing. The fitness room had machines for both cardio and weight training. Small but sufficient. TVs on the cardio machines.
Ocean Grill is the specialty dining experience and requires reservation and a $25 per person upcharge. We dined here our 2nd night and it was quite nice. I had the lobster, which was a bit overcooked. Mark had the steak and shrimp (2 entrees) which were cooked very nicely.
Complimentary restaurants include the main dining room, which is open seating from 6pm-9:30pm and the Conservatory, which is the buffet.
The Glass House is a wine bar that services strictly organic or biodynamic wines, by the glass or bottle. Flights are offered. The 18 different wine selections are all available by the glass. The wines were interesting and flavorful. Our flights were accompanied by olives, warm nuts, and a fried pasty of some type. Wait staff was engaging and friendly. This is a lovely place to unwind.
We started off with a Fathom launch party, led by Fathom CEO, Tara Russell, and Carnival CEO, Arnold Donald. Again, not your average sail away party.
We engaged in immersive experiences, such as fishing in the pool for “message in bottle”.
Mine was “embrace the journey” so appropriate. Mark’s was “get out of your comfort zone and speak like a Brit for 5 minutes, or if you’re a Brit, speak like an American”. Perfect for my introverted partner! A great way to meet people. We had a zip-mail, message from above. Write a message, attach it to a bell, and send it on It’s way to the Lido deck for someone to read. Window wisdom: write your message on the glass windows, such a variety…who is your hero? Travel slogans, wishes for others. Quite lovely really. Passports which included our photos on magnets, attached to a wall with a world map. Place your photo where you are from.
These ideas and activities invite engagement, loosen guests up and prepare us for what’s ahead. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring.
