By the Caribbean Journal staff

Holland America Line’s highly-anticipated Nieuw Statendam cruise ship is making progress toward its planned debut in December.

The new ship has successfully completed two sets of sea trials off the coast of Italy, with plans to begin sailing the Caribbean this winter.

“The sea trials are a highly anticipated milestone for any newbuild because it takes us one step closer to delivery, and we’re thrilled that Nieuw Statendam gave a strong performance out in open water,” said Orlando Ashford, Holland America Line’s president. “There’s a lot of buzz surrounding Nieuw Statendam and the innovations we’re introducing on board. The ship is going to have an exciting debut in early December.”

The 2,666-guest, 99,500-ton ship will be the company’s second Pinnacle-class ship, similar to the existing Ms Koningsdam ship.

It will include public spaces and style by renowned designer Adam Tihany and architect Bjørn Storbraaten.

— CJ

The post Holland America’s New Ship Moving Closer to Debut appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Fresh off its new planned service from New York to the Caribbean, Delta Air Lines is planning another wave of new routes from the Northeast.

Delta is adding five new seasonal routes to the Caribbean out of Boston this winter, including new weekly flights to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic; Nassau, The Bahamas; Turks and Caicos; Aruba; and Montego Bay, Jamaica.

All of the new flights will begin service on Dec. 22, 2018.

Turks and Caicos.

“It’s thrilling to offer more connections between Boston and the Caribbean, a favorite destination of U.S. customers because of its beaches, culture and biodiversity,” said Agustin Durand, General Manager – Central America and Caribbean at Delta Air Lines. “Whether you prefer to tan in legendary beaches like Punta Cana, Eagle Beach, Taylor Bay and Junkanoo Beach, go river rafting in Martha Brae, or visit local museums and historic centers, we are thrilled to be able to connect our customers in Boston with these iconic Caribbean destinations.”

The Barcelo Bavaro Grand in Punta Cana.

The new flights come as Delta recently announced new flights from New York to four Caribbean destinations.

“We are committed to offering our Boston customers thoughtful service at every touch point, including excellent airport customer service, industry-leading operational reliability and two Delta Sky Clubs at Logan International,” said Charlie Schewe, Director – New England Sales at Delta. “We look forward to an outstanding schedule this winter for our Boston customers offering over 100 peak-day round-trip flights to more than 35 destinations.”

The Baha Mar in Nassau.

All of the new Boston-Caribbean flights will operate weekly on Saturdays, according to the carrier.

The carrier will be using several different aircraft for the routes; a Boeing 737-800 to Punta Cana, an Embraer 175 to Nassau; Airbus A319 to Turks and Caicos; a Boeing 737-900 to Aruba and an Airbus A320 to Montego Bay.

Half Moon, Jamaica.

All of the flights will include the option of Delta’s new Comfort+ seats, along with the company’s Delta Studio on-demand entertainment and optional high-speed Wi-Fi.

— CJ

The post Delta Planning Big Caribbean Expansion from Boston appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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… on Puerto Rican voters.
What is less clear is if and how Puerto Ricans … to the Puerto Rican community and to be present in Puerto Rico,” Garces … fostering civic engagement in the Puerto Rican diaspora, holds voter education lectures …

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By Caribbean News Now contributor BASSETERRE, St Kitts — On Friday, Malaysian police filed criminal charges against fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, who is wanted in connection with a multibillion-dollar money laundering scandal at the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, 1MDB. Low, popularly known as Jho Low, is understood to be an economic citizen of St […]

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By Caribbean News Now contributor GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands — Former premier and current speaker of the Legislative Assembly in the Cayman Islands, McKeeva Bush, has denied that his consulting firm is working with or consulting for China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC). The parent company of CHEC, China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC), was barred […]

The post Cayman Islands speaker denies working with blacklisted Chinese company appeared first on Caribbean News Now.

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