Fathom Closing Thoughts

Overall, I think the Impact concept is interesting and in this day and age of “voluntourism”, it could be a very good experience, with some tweaking.

The downside was a lack of activities onboard.  If you weren’t into the Social Impact activities, or an avid reader (which I am), there was little to do.   This is where, in my opinion, Fathom and Carnival Corp. need to focus enhancements.  The volunteer and self-development objective is great but it is still a cruise vacation for most passengers and Carnival with over 100 ships, should deliver more of an onboard entertainment experience. 

There is no casino onboard ship, which may be an issue for some.  The shops are very limited (only 2 shops).  It’s great they sell fair trade items in the Sundries store, and there is also American made products in the jewelry store.  That’s about it though. 

Unfortunately, in the evening, if you wanted to go into the city, it’s a minimum of $60 per taxi. Amber Cove (port) was shut down and not offering any activities.  A passenger in our co-op group mentioned that she found activities at the Impact Center at Amber Cove, on the last evening, which no one knew about.  Disappointing.    Evenings offered “giant board games”, an occasional movie, a local band (brought onboard), and a Wine and Paint. We all needed something to do (my first and only time I’ve painted anything besides a wall).  It was a difficult image to paint, but we had a lot of fun trying. 

Fathom was an interesting experience and I would recommend it to groups and organizations that are looking for “mission travel” with a chance to enjoy your vacation as well. 

Passengers must be ages 8 and over.  Our inaugural sailing had some children (mostly part of the Fathom family), but again, no counselors or child-oriented activities.  

Fathom Day 6

Although there were Impact Activities and traditional excursions offered by Fathom on our last half-day in port we opted to go to the famed cable car ride to the top of Isabel del Torres Mountain. We secured a taxi from the port, at the standard $60 roundtrip rate, which includes having the taxi take you virtually anywhere you want to in Puerto Plato. The taxis are all new mini-vans and the driver spoke good English. The $60 rate and van would accommodate up to 6 passengers making it a good value for groups of 4-6; pricey for 1-2 passengers. The trip to the cable car is approximately 15 minutes and upon arrival we were immediately greeted by our “self-assigned” tour guide who escorted us through the cable car entrance, the ticket counter ($10 per rider roundtrip), past the arrival musicians (a $1-2 gratuity) and then up the mountain. We expected and got beautiful panoramic views of the city upon arrival at the top, but were pleasantly surprised by the extent of beautiful gardens and the lagoons. Our guide did an excellent job providing detail and posing us for memorable photos. We tipped him $20 for his hour of time which seemed to leave him disappointed. All-in-all an interesting and fun excursion.

Our arrival back on ship was well in advance of our 12:30 onboard time. The sail-away party ran from 12:30-2:30pm with live music on deck and complimentary drinks much of the time. Afternoon activities were again enrichment and relaxation based. We attended the evening Wine & Paint activity from 8-10pm which was lots of fun and well run by the Fathom activity team. The event was limited to 20 participants and sold out 3 times during the sailing. The ship was experimenting with pricing options, having charged $25 the first time which included wine and then having no fee the second time while charging for drinks. Not sure what pricing was utilized on the Saturday night event.

Fathom Day 5

Thursday April 21^st

Today we visited the Recycled Paper and Crafts Entrepreneurship cooperative which is run by a group of local women. It was an interesting and meaning-full venture. The cooperative recycles paper and creates local crafts for sale. The women were joyful and excited and greeted us with enthusiasm. Although they spoke little to no English they taught us the various stages to their processes and we performed each function. They sang, danced and laughed and we all gained respect and appreciation for their efforts and their lives. The visit lasted about 4 hours and was very worthwhile. The business is located in a very poor area, once again reminding everyone how much volunteer effort and support is needed in this area.

Most of the passengers engaged in morning Impact Activities in the community and then returned to the ship early afternoon for lunch and some relaxation on the ship or at the port pool facilities. The ship offered some afternoon Personal Enrichment sessions such as “Story Circle” created by Stanford Storytelling Lab, “Raising the Next Generation of Change-makers”, from Ashoka’s Parenting Change-makers group and “Curiosity Advantage” created by Curiosity Atlas; these were generally interesting and informative sessions. There were also fitness, relaxation and meditation classes offered most days. The ship offered little in the way of general entertainment although there was occasionally live music on deck or in one of the few bars; seldom more than one choice at a time, unlike traditional cruise entertainment.

Fathom Day 4

Wednesday April 20^th (Impact Activity)  - Reforestation Project

First, let me start by saying that this activity is NOT for those that are not physically active.  Likewise, if you don’t’ like to get filthy dirty, you may want to try another activity.  I found it very rewarding.  We drove approximately 40 minutes to an area that is now protected land, but also has local villagers surrounding the area.  The activity involved planting over 350 mangrove saplings to protect the local environment from the destruction of storms and hurricanes.  Our area was a dichotomy.  We had this beautiful land, with a sparking (but polluted) lagoon.  Gorgeous area, filled with trash.  The poorest of the poor live here and dirt floors and lack of plumbing or filtered water is the norm.  I felt like we should be picking up trash and feeding families in lieu of planting the trees. 

I cannot say enough about the Dominican people.  They are kind, friendly and enjoyed working in partnership with us.  

Fathom Day 3

Tuesday April 19^th  - Puerto Plata

Puerto Plata is a beautiful part of the DR.  It is quite different from the arid, tourist area of Punta Cana.  Puerto Plata was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, but it was officially named San Felipe de Puerto Plata by his brother, Bartholemew, in 1496.  Puerto Plata is most known for its beaches, Playa Dorado, but the city center has a 16 century fort, beautiful cathedral and delicious restaurants. 

It was a full day of learning about the culture of the Dominicans.  For instance, the indigenous (Indian or Tainos) people of this country were totally wiped out by the Spaniards, Christopher Columbus and Haiti.  The current population is a mixture of Spanish, African, and mixed blood.  A tripartite, which makes up today’s Dominican.

We enjoyed visiting the local neighborhoods, which ran from beautiful homes to the poorest of the poor.  We went to local food markets, churches, forts, homes of the stars and (mayor, senators) and a nice little restaurant, the Village Café for lunch.

A stop at the Amber Museum was quite interesting, especially learning that the museum logo was used for the current Jurassic Park logo.

Our driver/guide, Ariel, was fun and interesting.  He is proud of his country and his achievements.  Ariel gave us a 4 hour tour of Puerto Plata.  Please note that taxis are $60 round trip from Amber Cove, whether you are away 15 minutes or 5 hours.

   

IMPACT Partnership with IDDI and Entrena

I learned that our Impact activities were organized by existing companies that work in the DR.   Our guides for these impact events were young, highly educated people.  They have a passion for making their world a better place.  Their enthusiasm and enjoyable personalities made our events even more special. 

IDDI’s mission.

§  Contribute to the transformation of the human being, his family and the community in which we live.

§  Creating the conditions for the human being, both as an individual and collective, can have a reasonable opportunity to lead productive and creative lives in accordance with their needs, interests and potential.

§  Promote rapprochement and dialogue between the various sectors of our society.

§  Address both the causes of a problem and its symptoms.

Entrena is the other partnership with Fathom and was utilized for community English and Student English classes.

Entrena mission:

The Bridge Between Cultures.
For over 25 years, our mission has been to serve as a bridge between different cultures, uncover talents in an evolving society, and make the world a better place. Regardless of the specific activity - language learning, project management, overseas education, training youth leaders, baseball, community service, and a host of others - we adhere to the values of responsibility, diversity, excellence, respect, innovation, empathy, and service.