By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Carnival Sunrise has officially returned to the Caribbean following a $200 million renovation.

The ship is sailing a range of four- to 14-day Caribbean voyages throughout the season, with the first four coming out of Norfolk’s Decker Half Moone Cruise Center.

“The introduction of Carnival Sunrise brings an incredibly enhanced ship to our guests with all of the popular features from across our fleet,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.  “We couldn’t be more proud to introduce Carnival Sunrise in Norfolk.” 

The renovation added a variety of food, beverage and entertainment innovations, as well as stateroom upgrades.

New casual food and beverage options include Guy’s Burger Joint and Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse, in collaboration with Food Network star and longtime partner Guy Fieri; BlueIguana Cantina & Tequila Bar; RedFrog Rum Bar; as well as upgrades to the Lido Marketplace; an expanded ice cream station; the Java Blue coffee bar and 24-hour Pizzeria del Capitano.

New specialty dining options include The Chef’s Table fine dining experience, the cocktail pharmacy-themed Alchemy Bar, as well as Italian, sushi and seafood options.

That’s along with a new waterpark with slides and a kiddie splash zone, a Serenity adults-only retreat and a SportSquare recreation area with ropes course and mini golf.

Theater and live entertainment additions include The Punchliner Comedy Club in the new Limelight Lounge, Playlist Productions shows in the Liquid Lounge, deck parties, onboard programming and a sing-along piano bar.

Two Captain’s Suites have undergone redesigns, and all staterooms have been updated, according to the company.

— CJ

The post Carnival Sunshine Returns to the Caribbean After $200M Makeover appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Hurricane season is almost upon us, and one Jamaica hotel is continuing its special storm protection for travelers.

The Holiday Inn Resort Montego Bay has reinstated its annual Hurricane Guarantee for 2019.

Valid for resort stays enjoyed throughout the entire 2019 Atlantic hurricane season (May 1 to November 30, 2019), the program provides consumer purchase protection against possible travel disruption due to hurricanes.

“Memories of past very active hurricane seasons remain fresh, not only on the minds of those of us living in the Caribbean, but also among those who love traveling to the region,” said Nicola Madden-Greig, Group Director of Marketing and Sales at the property. “Our annual Hurricane Guarantee puts the minds of our guests at ease, ensuring that they can enjoy the best of Jamaica throughout the summer and well into the fall with confidence.”

The guarantee provides both pre- and mid-vacation safeguards.

Guests holding confirmed reservations with nonrefundable deposits who are unable to travel due to the closure of Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport caused by a Category One or higher hurricane can rebook their reservations for a future resort stay without penalty. 

A one-category room upgrade will also be provided based on space availability.

Should a Category One or higher hurricane interrupt resort operations for more than 24 hours, guests already on property will receive a certificate valid for a free future stay. 

— CJ

The post This Jamaica Hotel Has a Hurricane Guarantee appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Jamaica is in the midst of an airlift boom, and the trend will continue this summer.

Jamaica is set to welcome a host of new nonstop flights this summer.

Indeed, the island destination has secured over 1.4 million seats this season, an increase of 108,872 or 8.4 percent over last summer.

“We are looking to build on the strong start to 2019, having welcomed over 1.3 million visitors through the end of March, which generated just under $950 million in revenue for Jamaica’s tourism sector,” said Donovan White, Jamaica’s Director of Tourism. “The groundwork has been laid in the first quarter and with the increased seat capacity this summer, we anticipate continued growth and increased earnings for the destination.”

Half Moon in Jamaica.

Jamaica’s primary source market, the United States., has seen the biggest growth having secured over 100,000 additional seats for the period between May and August 2019.

The Northeast region of the U.S. has seen the most significant increase, accounting for more than half of the seats secured.

From New York-JFK, JetBlue Airways has added more capacity and increased frequency to Kingston and Montego Bay, and Delta has added daily service to Kingston.

The Spanish Court hotel in Kingston.

From Newark, United Airlines has increased frequency to Montego Bay from Baltimore, and Southwest has increased frequency to Montego Bay.

The Southeast region has received over 20,000 additional seats for the summer to Montego Bay.

American Airlines has increased flights from Charlotte, Delta has increased its capacity from Atlanta and JetBlue will be adding a second daily flight from Orlando during August.

Spirit Airlines has introduced new services to Montego Bay and Kingston.

The new S Hotel in Montego Bay.

From New Orleans, Vacation Express will reintroduce its charter service to Montego Bay starting May 25 and will operate through to June 22.

In the Midwest region, Southwest begins new weekly service on Saturdays from St. Louis to Montego Bay starting June 9.

The West will see United Airlines adding extra flights Tuesdays and Thursdays from Houston (IAH) to Montego Bay.

Additionally, Sun Country Airlines will begin new service from Dallas (DFW) to Montego Bay starting May 24.

This service will operate through to August 19, 2019.

The Jamaica Inn.

“It is encouraging to see that growth is not only from the established markets. As we open new gateways, we are attracting visitors from new markets,” said Donovan White, Jamaica’s Director of Tourism.

The U.K./Europe market has grown its overall seat capacity from the region by 9,257 seats or 5.5 percent compared to last year, primarily due to the addition of new service from Manchester, larger equipment from British Airways out of Gatwick and TUI out of Manchester.

TUI has also doubled their seat capacity from Belgium and Holland with longer rotations as well.

— CJ

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By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

There’s a new superyacht coming to the Caribbean.

Rossinavi and Camper & Nicholsons have debuted their collaboration with a new concept in superyachts, and the result is the spectacular new “Infinity.”

Camper & Nicholsons will market and exclusively distribute for the territory of the Americas and Asia the Rossinavi-built Infinity series as well as provide expert guidance to owners, the company said this week.

“With Infinity we wanted to overcome the challenges of allowing wide common areas for entertaining within a possibly limiting sporty design. The sporting spirit of the project nevertheless maintains Rossinavi’s high standards in terms of comfort and sea attitude,” said Federico Rossi, COO of Rossinavi.

The idea behind Infinity was to create a boat concept that starts from a simple sharp line that connects two windows; one looking out into the horizon and the other one pointing towards the stern, through the owner’s entertaining area.

Infinity features Rossinavi’s typical “sporty” lines for a high performance boat. 

A fast displacement hull with shallow draft and wide outdoor areas on the upper deck are the signature of this design, with exteriors and full custom interiors designed by Italian architect Fulvio De Simoni.

“We have analyzed which could be a style mark for the future. Infinity defines a new sportive and elegant design with very strong character that links together boats between 42 and 69 meters,” De Simoni said. “We realized that there was a gap in the market for this particular boat concept and decided to develop Infinity. This design range will include four boats; four different experiences out in the sea.”

The fast displacement hull allows to reach over 20 knots of speed preserving at the same time very limited consumption at low speeds, as in a displacement boat. 

Infinity’s high stability also in rough seas allows to have the owner cabin in the upper deck of the boat. 

Internal noise levels within Infinity are low and far exceed the values of similar classic displacement boats. 

The superyacht is also versatile, with hulls adept for transoceanic navigation as well as shallow waters thanks to its draft between 2 and 2.5 meters.

“This collaboration further expands Camper & Nicholsons’ focus on our New Build division,” said Paolo Casani, Chief Executive Officer, Camper & Nicholsons, International. “With over 200 years of heritage and nautical know-how, we are the subject matter experts to help clients build the boat of their dreams. A yacht often takes years to build and features thousands of components, so the purchase of such an asset requires the best advice and that is what we bring to the table.”

The post This Is Camper & Nicholsons’ Newest Superyacht appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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