Norwegian Cruise Line has announced the new features on its under-construction Norwegian Bliss ship, with one major party piece: a two-level racetrack.

The ship, which will be sailing to the Caribbean with voyages to the Mexican Riviera beginning in June 2018, will have the largest competitive race track at sea at nearly 1,000 feet.

The track’s electric cars will drive up to 30 miles an hour, with a “turbo boost” available on every lap. Even better? The electric cars run silently, with race car sounds piped in through speakers in the car’s headrest.

The track joins other unique amenities like an open-air laser tag course, along with an aqua park and a sundeck with two pools and six infinity hot tubs, among other features.

A rendering of the new laser tag course.

“Norwegian Bliss will no doubt be our most incredible ship to date,” said Norwegian President and CEO Andy Stuart. “We have elevated Norwegian Bliss’s onboard experience to new heights, bringing the best features from across our fleet plus exciting new first-at-sea activities like the largest race track and new dining concepts to create the ultimate cruising experience.”

Among the new food and beverage options will be the A-List Bar, named for Stuart, and The Cellars, a Michael Mondavi Family Wine Bar with a list of 35 wines.

— Caribbean Journal staff

The post Norwegian Bliss Will Have a Two-Level Race Track appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Alexander Britell

The Dominican Republic’s capital city of Santo Domingo has become an increasingly hip travel destination — and it’s about to get an even bigger boost.

The five-star yoo hotel brand is opening its first-ever Caribbean property with the yoo Santo Domingo luxury condominium-hotel tower in the heart of the capital’s commercial district.

yoo [sic], which was founded in 1999 by entrepreneur John Hitchcox and designer Philippe Starck, has worked on 87 projects in 27 countries.

Starck, the world-renowned designer, most recently forayed into the Caribbean with the soon-to-debut Katsuya restaurant at Nassau’s Baha Mar.

There are yoo-branded hotels in destinations including Hong Kong, and Rio de Janeiro, with other planned openings in Port Alegre, Bali, Phuket and the United Kingdom.

The yoo Santo Domingo will be the capital’s first five-star condo-hotel, with 121 units, all of which will feature interior design by yoo’s head of design, Mark Davison, with manufacture by design firm ITALKRAFT.

It will also boast several global restaurant brands and a private landscaped rooftop, among other amenities.

Antonio Segundo Imbert, co-founder of Simples Arquitectura will be the lead architect responsible for the 14-story tower’s design, with construction powerhouse Grupo Zagalo building the project.

The project, which is slated to launch in late 2019, will be located steps away from Santo Domingo’s Blue Mall, home to shops like Cartier and Bvlgari, also home to the superb JW Marriott Santo Domingo.

And it’s the latest new project launch for the capital, which is also home to the planned 40-story Hard Rock hotel and casino.

That’s the new — but it’s the old that remains the draw for most travelers to Santo Domingo, with the Colonial Zone a wonderfully restored and preserved quarter that is the oldest city in the new world.

The two sides of Santo Domingo, the old and the new, should combine for a rather exciting place to visit in the coming years.

The post A Striking New Luxury Hotel Tower Is Coming to Santo Domingo appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The U.S. Virgin Islands is now an approved destination to host National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I teams.

In addition to hosting basketball, volleyball and swimming events, the territory can facilitate the participation of soccer, lacrosse and other NCAA-sponsored sports during the summer months.

Governor Kenneth E. Mapp said the new designation represented a huge boost for sports tourism opportunities in the territory.

“With all 24 NCAA Division I sports teams now able to travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands for summer tours, we look forward to being part of the growth of the Paradise Jam [basketball] competitions and to the possibility of hosting other NCAA sporting events,” Mapp said. ”This is an amazing opportunity to expand our sports tourism portfolio and our facilities.”

The USVI and Basketball Travelers have partnered to bring five men’s college basketball teams to the Territory as early as this August now that the USVI has been approved as an international or foreign tour destination for Division I colleges across the United States.

Hawkinson, whose Basketball Travelers organizes both domestic and international basketball competitions for college and high school teams, noted that there are 340 Division I universities in the United States, each with approximately 25 sports with 50 potential teams (men and women combined) that can now visit the islands.

“We’re very excited to build on the success we’ve had for the last 18 years with Paradise Jam and to bring additional teams here,” he said. “We’re looking forward to this new initiative and continuing our great partnership with the U.S. Virgin Islands and its people.”

The hope is to model destinations like The Bahamas, which has become the region’s premier sports tourism destination with events like the Battle 4 Atlantis NCAA basketball tournament and the annual Bahamas Bowl college football event.

— Dana Niland, CJ Contributor

The post Sports Tourism Gets a Boost in the U.S. Virgin Islands appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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It begins, as it should, with a perfect stretch of sugar-white sand, with navy umbrellas and turquoise waves.

This is the other side of Nassau, a kinder, gentler edge of the island of New Providence called Sandyport.

It’s a true town, built around a series of canals just off the coast, with the sort of colorful Bahamian architecture you expect and a community feel just past the bustle of Cable Beach.

The location is the star here — it’s a short jaunt from the airport, from downtown, and there’s even a convenient guest shuttle that takes you on a five-minute drive to the impressive new Baha Mar and all of its entertainment venues.

It’s one of the island’s best bets for families, thanks to spacious, well-designed guest rooms, a large pool complex, several beaches and the comfort of a condominium with the service (and friendliness) of a large resort.

There are 72 rooms in all, a mix of one, two- and three-bedroom layouts, most of which have either ensuite kitchens or kitchnettes, with property amenities like tennis and basketball courts, shuffle board and easy access to the surrounding shops and restaurants of the Sandyport Marina Village (yes, it’s a great destination for boaters, too).

Of course, the night is best punctuated with a meal (or a Kalik) at Chef Jacques Carlino’s excellent Sandyport Blue Sail Restaurant, home to one of the best views in Nassau — the one with the umbrellas and the waves.

This is a place to experience the other side of Nassau, the real Nassau — not just a place to stay in Nassau but a place to live — to go out for groceries, to picnic on an empty beach.

This is the real Nassau, the authentic Bahamas. And that makes it one of the island’s best kept secrets.

For more information, visit the Sandyport Beach Resort.

The post VIDEO: Checking in to Nassau’s Sandyport Beach Resort appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The latest Caribbean Photo comes from Caribbean Journal reader Bob Crowe, who sent in this lovely shot of an old sugar mill photographed during a visit to Antigua.

Have you taken a great photo in the Caribbean?

Send it to news@caribjournal.com with CPOTW in the subject line, including your first and last name and the location of the photo.

It could be the next one!

— CJ

The post Caribbean Photo of the Week: An Old Sugar Mill in Antigua appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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