By the Caribbean Journal staff

Carnival Cruise Line is looking to expand its cruise offerings from its Gulf Coast cruising hub in Galveston, Texas, according to the company.

Carnival will be launching new four and five-day cruises to Mexico year-round from Galveston beginning in May 2019.

Carnival Dream will become the newest and largest Carnival ship to operate a short cruise program.

The shorter cruises, part of an industry-wide trend, will depart Thursdays and visit Cozumel on four-day trips and depart Mondays and Saturdays visiting Cozumel and either Progreso or Costa Maya on five-day cruises.

“Galveston is one of our fastest-growing and most popular homeports and we’re delighted to expand capacity on our short cruise program with Carnival Dream,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Not only is Carnival Dream our largest ship to operate short cruises it also offers guests some truly spectacular onboard features and facilities following her extensive multi-million-dollar makeover.”

The 3,646-passenger Carnival Dream will launch its year-round schedule from Galveston beginning May 23,2019.

That will represent a 22 percent increase in capacity on that program.

Carnival Dream recently underwent what the company called an “extensive” makeover that added a host of new food and beverage options, including a new eatery from Guy Fieri.

Carnival Dream, along with Carnival Freedom and Carnival Vista, will carry 650,000 passengers each year from Galveston, the most of any cruise line.

The post Carnival Expanding Cruise Options from Galveston appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

One of the British Virgin Islands’ most beloved boutique hotels is reopening its doors in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

The Sugar Mill Hotel has announced it will be reopening on Dec. 1 with a limited number of rooms available.

The property is also reopening its famous restaurant on Nov. 21 for dinner.

On Nov. 23, the Sugar Mill will be hosting a Grand Thanksgiving Dinner at the restaurant, with some of the proceeds going towards helping rebuild Tortola’s Carrot Bay community.

“We hope to see you all very soon in the sun at The Sugar Mill Hotel,” the property said in a statement.

The post Tortola’s Sugar Mill Hotel Reopening Dec. 1. appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

The United Kingdom’s Prince Charles is visiting the Caribbean this weekend.

Prince Charles is making his first official visits to Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands and Dominica, in the wake of last month’s storms.

Charles began his visit in Antigua on Friday, followed by a visit Saturday to the British Virgin Islands and a trip to Dominica on Sunday.

Part of Prince Charles’ visit includes meetings with survivors, along with organizations and charities which have helped in the relief efforts, including the British Red Cross, according to a statement from Clarence House.

Prince Charles was set to visit Antigua to “hear more about the community helped to support those evacuated from Barbuda in many ways, including donating clothes and food,” Clarence House said.

Prince Charles’ visit this weekend comes after one of his sons, Prince Harry, visited the Caribbean last year in a trip that included a stop in Antigua and a number of other islands.

Prince Charles is being joined by International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt, who was appointed to that role last week.

Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, remains the head of state for both Antigua and Barbuda and the British Virgin Islands.

While Dominica is a member of the Commonwealth, its president is its head of state, a decision made at the country’s independence in 1978.

The post Prince Charles’ Caribbean Visit appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Before Grand Case was Grand Case. Before Cabarete was Cabarete.

There was something. An energy, a draw, a feeling that one day a small beach town would become something else entirely.

That’s the feeling you get when you walk down the streets of Le Diamant, the wonderful, still largely undiscovered village in the south of Martinique that just might be the Caribbean’s next great beach town.

It starts, of course, with the beach, a stunning stretch of sand lushly lined with palm trees, all in plain view of Martinique’s wonder, Le Rocher du Diamant, the “Diamond Rock” that juts out from the sea, an imposing monument to the beauty of nature.

And then there’s the food — more and more restaurants are opening up here, from the truly terrific La Voile Blanche to the quirky La Table de Mumu to the eclectic Hakuna Matata. There are great pizza spots (like the cheekily named Pizzbook), a gelateria, a bustling fish market.

There are a host of world-class villas (like Blue Moon, a place we’ll cover more deeply in an upcoming issue) and even a soon-to-open hotel, the reinvigorated Diamant Les Bains.

The Blue Moon villa.

But then there’s that feeling. You see it on the faces of the travelers here, of the eminently warm locals, that something is happening.

And then it’s clear. This is the next great beach town.

Which is why you need to visit right now.

See more in the latest CJ Video at the top of the page.

The post VIDEO: Le Diamant, Martinique: The Next Great Caribbean Beach Town appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Guy Britton

The colors, the light and the view rule the day here.

From the watery vistas at the restaurant to the shimmering sunsets, there is a rainbow of hues here that changes as the day moves by you.

Grenada’s True Blue Bay is far more than a hotel.

It feels like a boutique hotel, but it’s something else — a complete resort, with a marina, a waterfront emporium and of course the Dodgy Dock, the bar and eatery that’s a veritable Town Square for Grenada, a meeting place for locals and travelers alike. (It’s also home to the best Thursday night in Grenada).

This is a portal to the real Grenada.

True Blue has a life of its own, with each room unique, each cottage with its own character, whether you’re poolside, cliffside or up on the hill.

Time stands still here, and life comes to you. (Just ask the Buddha in the yoga studio).

Here, True Blue isn’t just the color of the waves, or the sky or the walls. It’s a state of being.

See more in the latest CJ video at the top of the page.

For more information, visit True Blue Bay.

The post VIDEO: Experiencing Grenada’s True Blue Bay appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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