By the Caribbean Journal staff

Royal Caribbean is set for a $110 million transformation project on its Explorer of the Seas cruise ship, the company said this week.

The newly-revamped ship, which will debut in 2020, will add a new waterslide, a “resort-style” poolscape and a new poolside bar, among other amenities.

That will also include a new Johnny Rockets Express; a standalone Starbucks coffee shop; a sports bar called Playmakers and the cruise line’s new Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen.

After a summer season in Europe, Explorer of the Seas will head to the Caribbean.

Royal will be operating five and nine-night Eastern and Southern Caribbean cruises out of PortMiami, including a number of stops at the company’s new private destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay, which opened earlier this year in The Bahamas.

The ship is the fourth in Royal Caribbean’s Voyager Class to be revamped, part of a wider $1 billion fleet enhancement project.

That project will ultimately cover 10 ships over the course of four years.

For more, visit Royal Caribbean.

— CJ

The post Royal Caribbean’s New Cruises on Explorer of the Seas appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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… off Puerto Rico coast
ISABELA, Puerto Rico — A 6.0-magnitude earthquake shook Puerto Rico Monday … miles north-northwest of Isabela, Puerto Rico, around 11:23 p.m …

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Puerto Rico is seeing a surge in travel demand, according to numbers provided to Caribbean Journal by Expedia Group.

Demand from both within the United States and abroad is up considerably, the travel giant said.

That included a 63 percent year-over-year increase in demand for U.S. travelers for Puerto Rico, along with a 60 percent increase in demand for Puerto Rico fro international travelers, as compared to the first half of 2018.

The average booking window for Puerto Rico trips was 34 days, while the average length of stay was two days — reinforcing Puerto Rico’s strong positioning one of the Caribbean’s top weekend getaway destination.

Expedia said the hip Condado neighborhood of Puerto Rico’s capital, San Juan, was the top in-demand market, followed by Isla Verde, Old San Juan, Ponce and the luxury beach destination of Dorado.

Expedia released the numbers on the heels of Puerto Rico’s Annual Conference on Tourism.

“Expedia Group’s platform will continue to offer different tools and solutions to help travel partners to drive incremental revenue and acquire new customers. At the same time, we will continue to work hand in hand with all the stakeholders within the local travel industry, to attract more travelers to this wonderful Caribbean destination”, said Miriam Hernandez, Director of Market Management for Expedia Group in the Caribbean.

The data compares favorably with reports of strong air traffic increases at San Juan’s Luis Munoz Marin International Airport.

Puerto Rico Tourism Company officials could not be reached for comment.

— CJ

The post Puerto Rico Is Seeing a Surge in Travel Demand appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Low-cost carrier Sun Country Airlines is continuing its fast-paced Caribbean expansion, Caribbean Journal has learned.

Sun Country has announced plans to launch a new nonstop route from Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport to Nassau in The Bahamas.

The Baha Mar destination resort in Nassau.

The new route is set to launch Dec. 21, according to Sun Country’s Web site. The flights have already launched reservations, according to the air carrier’s Web site.

The new Nassau service will operate once weekly on Saturdays, adding to what is becoming a new hub for Caribbean travel in the midwest: Minneapolis.

The Graycliff hotel in downtown Nassau.

Indeed, last year, Sun Country launched the first-ever flights from Minneapolis to the island of St Kitts.

That came after Sun Country launched the first-ever service from Minneapolis to Belize at the end of 2018.

Atlantis Paradise Island in The Bahamas.

It’s part of a broader growth push for the airline, which this spring ramped up its Caribbean network with new flights from Dallas to both Montego Bay, Jamaica and St Kitts.

Sun Country’s December Nassau launch will be another boost for The Bahamas, which has seen a quick return of travelers to the wider destination in recent weeks, thanks to a major reminder that the vast majority of the destination is “open for business.”

Another carrier, Delta Air Lines, will be also be launching new flights to Nassau the same week, with a planned Dec. 21 launch of new daily service from Boston to The Bahamas. 

— CJ

The post Sun Country Launching New Nonstop Flights to The Bahamas appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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… after devastating hurricane
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Weekly power failures. Hundreds of … of the biggest concerns for Puerto Ricans since reconstruction has not even … , transmission and distribution engineer for Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority.
The …

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