"Bush's priority should first of all be to not keep Cuban families apart, because we suffer a lot," she said.

"Our average passenger used to be an elderly Cuban visiting family in Miami," she said.

The young Cuban families with babies in tow were not his style.

But admitting the Cuban families would raise a serious issue of fairness.

"It will bring peace to the Cuban family, which needs peace," she said.

Like so many extended Cuban families, hers is tightknit.

Accommodations varied from a few high-end hotels built for tourists to home stays with Cuban families.

It tells the story of a Cuban family trying to hold itself together in spite of political differences.

"This operation was conceived to avoid the destruction of the Cuban family and ended up creating so much suffering."

A backdrop with a painting of a Cuban family in the 1930's is echoed by dancers dressed as children.