By the Caribbean Journal staff

Disney Cruise Line has reached a new 20-year agreement with Port Canaveral, part of a plan to expand operations and add new ships.

The new deal will keep annual calls at 150 until 2023, when Disney will increase operations to 180 calls, with 216 calls on track in 2024 going forward.

“For decades we have worked with Disney Cruise Line building a partnership based on our mutual commitment to excellence. We are tremendously proud of our joint success and looking ahead at growing an even more exciting future with Disney Cruise Line and Port Canaveral as the homeport for its newest class of vessels,” said Canaveral Port Authority Port Director and CEO Capt. John Murray.  

Disney will retain its exclusive operation at Cruise Terminal 8, with plans to add new ships in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Two of them will be homeporting at Port Canaveral for at least their first five years of operation.

“Port Canaveral was the inaugural homeport for our first ship and has served as a gateway for magical cruise vacations ever since,” said Jeff Vahle, president of Disney Cruise Line. “We value our longstanding relationship with Port Canaveral and look forward to expanding our presence there as we introduce new ships and new family cruise experiences.” 

Disney’s two biggest cruise ships, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, are currently homeported at Port Canaveral.

— CJ

The post Disney Has Big Plans at Port Canaveral appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Alexander Britell and Guy Britton

It’s been open just three weeks but you can already feel it.

Even in the late afternoon on a Tuesday, you know a hotspot when you see it.

It’s sleek, it’s instantly hip and it’s, well, Roxxy Beach.

There’s a special VIP room on the second level.

The product of a Las Vegas-based development team, this newest beach bar in St Maarten is already one of the coolest in the Caribbean, a crisply designed beach bar-meets-beach lounge where you can spend all day and then spend all night, too.

This is a new kind of beach bar for St Maarten, a sophisticated, chic destination bar that’s on its way to becoming the island’s most happening lounge, with influences from everywhere from Ibiza to St Barth.

There are two bars, in fact. One is the main outlet, with a second-floor VIP room with a view of the ocean, joined by dining tables and the main cocktail counter.

And then there’s a classic Caribbean beach shack, a low-key wooden rum bar set right on the sand.

And yes, it’s a lounge, meaning you can get a chair and put down roots for the afternoon on a brilliant patch of white sand on Simpson Bay.

And then there’s Chef Davide Castro’s standout food, a mix of everything from uramaki sushi rolls )with inspired recipes like “sake mousse” and “crunchy berries” to salads, small bites and brick oven pizza.

There’s a charming little beach shack to the side.

The cocktail program is broad, from the Shi Shi, a mix of Frangelico, prosecco, lime juice and mint to the “bamboo colada,” a mix of rum, coconut, lime juice and passion fruit.

That’s along with a robust rum list that includes some very good rhum agricoles.

Every Sunday is a regular event, when DJs descend on the sand and this corner of Simpson Bay turns into a full-fledged beach party.

Here in St Maarten 2.0, there’s a new energy, a new dynamism, as the island looks forward and imagines what’s possible.

And places like this are right at the heart of it.

For more, visit Roxxy Beach.

— CJ

The post The Caribbean’s Coolest New Beach Bar Is In St Maarten appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Another Royal Caribbean cruise ship is getting a makeover.

This time it’s Oasis of the Seas, which is set to undergo a $165 million “amplification” project, the company said this week.

The 63-day modernization project will add a reimagined pool deck, a new kids aquapark, a new water slide and new dining concepts like the company’s new Portside BBQ.

Upon completion, Oasis will head to New York in May 2020 as what will be the largest cruise ship to sail from the New York area.

“When Oasis of the Seas debuted as the world’s largest and most groundbreaking cruise ship a decade ago, the typical cruise vacation as the world knew it was forever changed. Today, our Oasis Class ships continue to lead the industry and attract vacationers new to cruising,” said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “Now with the opportunity to disrupt the industry once again, we’ve gone all-in with our biggest and boldest amplification yet. Oasis will turn heads when she arrives to Miami this November and the Northeast in May 2020.”

Royal is also adding El Loco Fresh, a Mexican takeaway spot; Playmakers Sports Bar; and Sugar Beach, an ice cream-and-candy shop.

The company is also adding its Music Hall live music venue to the ship, which will include a slate of live cover bands and a dance floor.

— CJ

The post Royal Caribbean Plans $165M Revamp for Oasis of the Seas appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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