By Camille Rodriguez
CJ Contributor

Joya is a show by Cirque du Soleil about a little girl whose name is Joya and her grandfather.

The grandfather was a scientist and he protects a book about the world. She touched an asteroid that belonged to her grandfather and the lights started flickering. It was weird because when the grandfather touched the asteroid it didn’t flicker.

It triggered a performance of a couple on roller skates who performed acrobatic feats.

Then the show really began with aerialists, tumblers, pirates, dancers, trapeze and more.

I loved when the character “Aquatik” did acrobatics while balancing on canes.

And my favorite part was the pilots, also known as “Botanik,” who did funny things when they crash-landed out of their parachutes. They did acrobatic tricks with one flipping the other with his legs.

The theater that Joya was performed in looked like a magical forest that was buried under ground. It felt like it was glowing.

Before the show was a dinner. It was incredible because they put steam in a plant to decorate the plate.

We also ate ice cream before the entrée but I didn’t like it.

The entrée was really yummy and it brought a “tree” that was bread with leaves that were really good.

The dessert came in a book! I thought we were going to read and study all about the show but I opened the book and there were four kinds of dessert in it. A chocolate one and a tiny key lime pie were my favorites.

I recommend it to other kids because it is fun and entertaining. And if you are a VIP you’ll get special seats and before the show you are watching an amazing magician making drinks. (Editor’s note: Non-alcoholic beverages are prepared for the kids.)

Joya is performred at the Cirque du Soleil Theater at Vidanta Riviera Maya.

Camille Rodriguez, 9, is a special contributor for Caribbean Journal. 

The post Why Kids Will Love Joya, Cirque du Soleil’s Riviera Maya Show appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Luxury boutique cruise line Seabourn has released its new itineraries for 2018 in the Caribbean.

The carrier’s Seabourn Odyssey will operate Caribbean cruises in the fall 2018 season, with a total of 18 seven-day Caribbean cruises between Bridgetown, Barbados and Philipsburg, Sint Maarten.

Each of the cruises will offer both a “Caviar in the Surf” beach barbecue at Carambola in St. Kitts or the island of Mayreau in the Grenadines.

The trips will also include a “Marina Day” at either Jost Van Dyke or Terre de Haut, Guadeloupe.

All of Seabourn’s suites are oceanfront, with dining venues including The Grill by Thomas Keller, open bars throughout the ship and a focus on small, harder-to-reach ports.

“Each year we meticulously craft itineraries with carefully selected experiences to show guests the world as only Seabourn can,” said Richard Meadows, president of Seabourn. “These itineraries will be truly exciting for our guests as they visit fascinating destinations around the world from the comforts of the finest ultra-luxury experience at sea.”

Seabourn cruises include just about everything you can think of, making it among the top all inclusive cruises.

— CJ

The post Seabourn’s New Cruises in the Caribbean appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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There’s a reason everybody comes here, locals and travelers and guests alike.

It’s because there’s just a draw about Hemingway’s, the beachfront eatery at The Sands at Grace Bay resort in Providenciales.

The service is warm, the food is excellent and the location is as good as any on Grace Bay Beach.

But the real standout? The conch fritters, perfectly battered, golden brown, the right median between soft and crunchy, terrific, fritters that just might be the best in Providenciales. They are alone a reason to come here.

And that’s saying a lot on an island known worldwide for its conch.

But even if you come for the rum punch or the beach deck or the always-bustling bar, it’s exactly what you’re looking for: the epitome of what a beach restaurant should be.

— CJ

The post A Great Beach Restaurant in Turks and Caicos appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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BY ALEXANDER BRITELL

Before the planes land, the cars have to stop, and so do the chickens.

That’s what happens when your runway is also the Island’s main road.

There aren’t Islands left like Little Cayman, the frontier outpost of the Cayman Islands with less than 200 people. Maybe there never were any to begin with.

There’s a single main road here, the one that begins with the airport and stretches along to Point of Sand.

Lots of Islands claim to be the Old Caribbean, the ones that escaped time and mass tourism and retain their old charm.

Little Cayman is different. It didn’t need to escape.

And that’s what makes it just so perfect.

Even electricity didn’t take its wires here until about two decades ago, but there’s another kind of energy here, happy go lucky and full of quirks, the kind that puts the liquor store in the same room as the car rental office.

Everyone here knows they’ve found someplace special, a place with just a few hotels, empty sand and some of the world’s greatest diving.

The Little Cayman Beach Resort.

There’s the Little Cayman Beach Resort, the lovely dive resort and then the colorful, delightful Southern Cross Club, or you can rent a little bungalow or villa and make a go of it.

The afternoons are simple: a beer or a bottle of Havana Club on the beach, a grill or a suntan.

Little Cayman is about what isn’t here, the crowds and the construction and the sound.

Come here for a day or two or seven.

Just watch out for the chickens on the landing.

How to Get Here: There are approximately 166 flights every week into the Cayman Islands, including 42 every week between Miami and Grand Cayman.

Little Cayman is accessed via four-times-daily flights from Grand Cayman. The Cayman Airways flight takes about 35 minutes, although some flights stop first to drop off passengers in Cayman Brac.

— Alexander Britell

The post Why You Need to Visit Little Cayman appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Guy Britton

This week saw the U.S. Virgin Islands’ 24th annual destination symposium in St. Thomas, and the takeaway was clear: the USVI has big tourism plans, buoyed by strong growth.

The United States Virgin Islands Department of Tourism unveiled its new marketing plans for the coming year, with “Real Nice” as the theme for the campaign.

It follows this year’s successful campaign that focused on the 100th anniversary centennial commemoration of Transfer Day in 1917, which included the now-ongoing promotion that gives travelers large spending credits if they book trips to the territory.

Travel Industry officials including hotel and tour operators, airlines and attractions were in attendance, all on hand to get a sneak peek at next year’s creative images and videos.

St. John, USVI.

USVI Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty led the marketing and public relations presentation, with a workshop-style discussion between the audience, Alani Henneman Todman, director of communications, Canika John, Director of Marketing and Luana Wheatley, director of film.

St. Thomas.

In addition to unveiling plans for “real nice” the team discussed strategies and plans currently in place and coming for the near future.

That included a report on tourism performance for the first quarter, which showed a 5 percent increase year-over-year both in occupancy and ADR.

The Ritz Carlton, St. Thomas.

The commissioner went on to review a 13 percent gain in tourism arrivals in the month of April year over year.

She also discussed new airlift for the summer season including United Airlines increasing their flights from 4 to 7 weekly and American Airlines’ putting larger aircraft into service into the USVI.

They also discussed in detail what could be one of the destination’s biggest growth sectors: culinary tourism.

That includes 2 food tour operations in St. Thomas, the DineVI program, which features special events and many discounts running this fall, along with the farmers market, food and farm tours in St Croix.

A dish at Balter in St. Croix.

The latter has been perhaps the Caribbean’s fastest-growing cuilnary destination, with St. Croix becoming a hub for talented young chefs and gastronomic adventurers, most notably with last year’s debut of the Balter restauant led by Chef Digby Stridiron.

The verdict? A very optimistic outlook for the near future, thanks for what is a unique level of cooperation between the public and private sector tourism associations in the USVI.

The post The US Virgin Islands Has Big Tourism Plans appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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