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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Princess Cruises is planning a major expansion of what the company calls the “best Wi-Fi at sea.”

The cruise line will be expanding its MedallionNet service to six new ships in 2020, including Grand Princess, Diamond Princess, Majestic Princess, Star Princess, Enchanted Princess and Sapphire Princess.

The company has already installed MedallionNet on eight cruise ships in its fleet, after announcing the initial expansion of the program at the beginning of this year. 

“We continue our commitment to offer the best Internet at sea with the expansion of MedallionNet across the fleet,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises. “Reliable connectivity allows each guest to choose how they want to use the Internet – that could mean staying connected continuously to message friends and family, share their amazing vacation experience, or jumping on and off for personal or professional needs and then promptly returning to vacation mode.”

The MedallionNet program includes the “MedallionClass” vacations on a number of its ships, featuring the provision of a wearable device that gives travelers personalized service, interactive entertainment and easier check-ins, among other amenities.

— CJ

The post Princess Cruises Planning Big Wi-Fi Expansion appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Alexander Britell

St Maarten tourism is booming.

The Dutch Caribbean hotspot is seeing a massive rebound in tourism arrivals, according to newly-released data for the first half of 2019.

St Maarten reported 171,543 stayover visitors in the first six months of 2019, compared to the same period in 2018.

That represented a whopping 131 percent increase year over year, a strong statement of rebirth for the destination in the wake of the storms of the fall of 2017.

Sunning on Simpson Bay Beach

Those numbers included strong hotel occupancy in the first half, with an average of 81.9 percent in the first quarter, and 71.4 percent in the second quarter, according to data from the St Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association.

“These numbers highlight how much we have improved since Hurricane Irma and show the resilience of our people,” said St. Maarten Tourism Minister Stuart Johnson. “As St. Maarten continues to redevelop sustainably, we are excited that the visitor numbers remain on the increase. We welcome our new and returning visitors as we continue to promote the diversity of our tourism product and the hospitality of our people.”

The visitor numbers included 92,285 from the all-important U.S. market, along with another 15,683 from Canada.

St Maarten’s tourism renaissance has included a wave of relaunched services, with airlines like Delta, American Airlines, JetBlue, United and Spirit all having returned with regular service.

The relaunched, renowned Karakter beach bar in Simpson Bay.

Air Canada, Air Transat and Sunwing have also resumed service to the destination.

Right now, St Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport is working in a temporary facility, but the airport expects to be fully operational by the first quarter of 2020, according to a statement.

For now, more than 65 percent of all the hotels and timeshares in St Maarten have reopened, with villas and homesharing options seeing an expanded presence.

The hotel stats include a pair of particularly important re-openings: the Sonesta Ocean Point and Sonesta Maho Beach resorts.

And nearly all of St Maarten’s on-island attractions have reopened, from ATV tours to kayaking and scuba diving and beach bars.

“We are delighted to see these numbers,” said St Maarten Director of Tourism May-Ling Chun. “Everyone in the industry has been working tirelessly to ensure that our tourism sector recovers strong and to let visitors know that we’re open for business. We’re very pleased to see that our loyal visitors are now returning to the island in greater numbers.”

For more, visit St Maarten.

— CJ

The post St Maarten Is a Resurgent Caribbean Hotspot appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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… fourth annual Puerto Rican Festival of New Haven. Organized by Puerto Ricans United, … celebration of Puerto Rican pride and community.
Members of the Puerto Rican community … represent our native traditions in Puerto Rico and Internationally.” On the New …

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Saint Lucia is known for its beauty, for its romance, for its spectacular hotels.

But it’s also one of the top diving destinations in the Caribbean.

And the island is set to host the third annual edition of its popular DiveFest Saint Lucia next month, one of the region’s top gatherings for lovers of the undersea world.

This year’s DiveFest Saint Lucia, held in partnership with the Saint Lucia Divers Association, will run from Sept. 8-15.

“DiveFest Saint Lucia seeks to highlight Saint Lucia’s beautiful underwater fauna and the overall Saint Lucian dive experience,” organizers said in a statement.

This year’s festival will include a dive treasure hunt, a “lionfish derby,” an underwater cleanup activity, a photo seminar and competition, themed dinners, island tours and street parties.

There will even be a mock underwater wedding.

— CJ

The post A Big Diving Festival in Saint Lucia appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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