The Carnival Cruise ship Adonia arrived Thursday at its second port of call in Cuba, the city of Cienfuegos. This is the first commercial cruise to visit Cuba in more than 30 years.

CCTV’s Nitza Soledad Perez was onboard and filed this progress report.

The cruise ship docked with the first light of a rainy morning in Cienfuegos, Cuba. Its U.S. passengers were eager to continue writing history. After all, they are the first ones to take such a voyage in decades.

An Afro-Cuban music group was playing as these eager explorers filed off the ship.

The second port of call, Cienfuegos, is a quiet southern coast city of about 200,000 people. With only three hours to enjoy it, passengers boarded buses for a short tour.

The first stop was the statue of Benny More, one of Cuba’s most famous singers. And that was most appropriate, as a short time later local choirs put on a concert at the city’s main theater. One of the songs, a number made popular by none other than Benny More.
Passengers also had a chance to wander a bit on their own and get a feel for the city.
Cienfuegos, one of the main seaports of Cuba, is a center for sugar trade. Other important industries are oil and cement production, but locals are pushing for more tourism, welcoming the timely visit of U.S. cruise travelers.

“The Cuban people have been waiting so long for this. They buy, you know, that way I can help my family and I can also help myself,” Antonio Garcia, a resident of Cienfuegos said.

The affection appears to be mutual. U.S. tourists from the cruise were charmed.

From Cienfuegos, the U.S. cruise ship heads to its third and final port of call, Santiago de Cuba. Another opportunity for the people of Cuba and the U.S. to come together and catch up – after their governments’ long estrangement.