Daily Archives: November 10, 2023

The first-ever Dominican Winter League Series kicks off tonight with the two winningest teams in LIDOM history, Los Tigres del Licey and Las guilas Cibaeas.

The game will feature many current and former major leaguers and a few former New York Mets, including one member of the 2015 National League Champion squad.

Las guilas Cibaeas released their official roster for the Titans of the Caribbean series on Wednesday, headlined (at least for Mets fans) by 2014 NL Gold Glove winner Juan Lagares. A Met for parts of eight seasons, Lagares played 366 career games at Citi Field and is now back for three more.

Most remembered for his outstanding glove in center field, Lagares was among the best fielders the Mets have ever had. His 2013 and 2014 seasons are two of the top three in Mets history regarding defensive WAR, only trailing Rey Ordezs 1999, and Lagares is the only player to have three of the top 20. Hes also one of only three outfielders in MLB history to have multiple seasons of at least three dWAR, joining Kevin Kiermaier and Andruw Jones.

Lagares joined Jay Horwitz on Amazin Conversations with Jay Horwitz to discuss his career and the upcoming series and said he cant wait for that day.

Jonathan Villar, who had a productive season in Queens in 2021, is another former Met on the roster. In 142 games, Villar hit .249/.322/.416 with 18 home runs as he wound up the teams primary third baseman. Daniel Palka, who has played in Triple-A for the Mets each of the past two seasons, is also there. Palka played 154 games for the White Sox between 2018 and 2019 and hit 29 home runs.

Former Met Melky Cabrera is on the coaching staff, and current Mets roving infield instructor Luis Rivera is also.

Other notable players on Las guilas Cibaeas roster for this series are Christopher Morel, Starlin Castro, Elehuris Montero, and Dinelson Lamet.

Los Tigres del Licey have not released their official roster for the series as of Thursday night. However, some notable former major leaguers have played for them this season, including former Mets Hansel Robles and Adonis Medina. They also have Nabil Crismatt, a former Mets minor leaguer with several solid years for the Padres pitching staff.

Robles pitched in over 400 games in his MLB career, 187 of which were for the Mets. He had a good first two seasons, putting up a 3.55 ERA in over 130 innings between 2015 and 2016, but struggled to find the same success after that before he was ultimately claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Angels in 2018. Medina appeared in 19 games for the Mets in 2022 and famously picked up his first career save against the Dodgers by retiring Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith in the bottom of the 10th.

Ronny Mauricio, the leagues MVP last season for Los Tigres del Licey, is expected to join the team on Nov. 18, after this series.

Other notable Los Tigres del Licey players include longtime MLB veteran Emilio Bonifcio, Francisco Mejia, Danny Santana, and Arodys Vizcano.

Los Tigres del Licey are currently 10-8 and in second place in LIDOM, and they are the leagues defending champions. Las guilas Cibaeas are 5-13 and in last place, and most recently won the league in the 2020/21 season.

Fridays game will start at 6 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays games will begin at 1 p.m. All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Sports Dreams Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on benefiting youth baseball and similar activities in the Dominican Republic and the United States.

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Former Mets Coming to Citi Field for Titans of the Caribbean Series - metsmerizedonline.com

MIAMI, Nov. 7, 2023 Royal Caribbean International is pulling back the curtain and revealing the entertainment taking center stage on the highly anticipated Icon of the Seas. In January 2024, the first-of-its-kind vacation is set to debut a bold, new lineup of full-scale shows across the cruise lines four signature stages air, ice, water and theater and more live music and comedy than ever before. From the first rendition of The Wizard of Oz at sea and a live showband extravaganza to the debut cast of robots, skateboarders and more, the playbill of entertainment on Icon is made for every type of family and vacationer.

Developed in-house by Royal Caribbean, the largest producer of live entertainment in the world, the variety of productions and performances will come to life across Icon day and night. More than 75 world-class performers will be under the spotlight at the all-new AquaDome and its next-level AquaTheater, the Royal Theater and the Absolute Zero ice arena, which showcase state-of-the-art technology like 3D flying systems and robot arms that act as diving boards for high divers (and more). When it comes to entertainment beyond the stage, 50 live musicians and comedians will set the tone throughout Icon and in more venues, including the new Lous Jazz n Blues and Dueling Pianos, and all-time favorites with a twist such as Schooner Bar and the Point & Feather English pub.

At the heart of so many of the memories made on Royal Caribbean vacations is a combination of live entertainment thats unmatched in the vacation industry, and were taking it to the next level on Icon of the Seas, said Nick Weir, senior vice president, entertainment, Royal Caribbean International. "If youre a fan of full-scale productions on Broadway and the West End or live music and comedy in hot spots like Las Vegas, Icon has it all for every mood and style in one vacation alongside never-before-seen twists only found on Royal Caribbean.

Highlights of the entertainment vacationers have in store on Icon include:

Deck-Defying Feats in the AquaDome

Encore-Worthy Acts in the Royal Theater

Cool-as-Ice Twists and Turns in Absolute Zero

Beyond the Stage

Vacationers can go behind the scenes on how all the entertainment is coming to life in the newest episode of Royal Caribbeans monthly video series, Making an Icon: Creating Show-Stopping Entertainment.

From setting the stage to setting records, thefirst-of-its-kind combination of the best of every vacation from the resort getaway to the beach escape and the theme park adventure is where everyone can make memories together and on their own terms. Highlights of the game-changing experiences in store includesixrecord-breaking waterslides,seven pools one for every day of the week a stay-all-dayneighborhood designed for young families, entertainment across air, ice, water and stage;40-plus waystodine and drink; and more across eight neighborhoods that are destinations in and of themselves.

In between the thrills and ways to chill on Icon's 7-night vacations, adventurers can explore the islands of the eastern and western Caribbean and The Bahamas, including Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis; Roatan, Honduras; Cozumel, Mexico; and Royal Caribbeans award-winning private destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay and its new adults-only Hideaway Beach (opening January 2024). More details aboutIconare available atwww.RoyalCaribbean.com/Icon.

About Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean International, owned by Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL), has been delivering innovation at sea for more than 50 years. Each successive class of ships is an architectural marvel that features the latest technology and guest experiences for todays adventurous traveler. The cruise line continues to revolutionize vacations with itineraries to 240 destinations in 61 countries on six continents, including Royal Caribbeans private island destination in The Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay, the first in the Perfect Day Island Collection. Royal Caribbean has also been voted Best Cruise Line Overall for 20 consecutive years in the Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards.

Media can stay up to date by following @RoyalCaribPR on X and visiting RoyalCaribbeanPressCenter.com. For additional information or to make reservations, vacationers can call their travel advisor; visit RoyalCaribbean.com; or call (800) ROYAL-CARIBBEAN.

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LIONS, MERMAIDS AND PIRATES, OH MY! ROYAL CARIBBEAN'S ICON OF THE SEAS TO DEBUT SHOW ... - Royal Caribbean Press Center

If youre planning a European cruise with Royal Caribbean in the next two years, you will have fewer ships and itineraries to choose from when compared to previous seasons.

Royal Caribbean recently announced European itineraries for the summer of 2025 - and its apparent the cruise line is continuing to reduce its presence in the region. By the summer of 2025, only six ships will be sailing in Europe for the cruise line.

For comparison, Royal Caribbean had nine ships sailing in Europe for the summer of 2023. This is a 33% reduction in the number of cruise ships from Royal Caribbeans fleet that will be deploying for the European season.

Based on double occupancy, the passenger capacity in 2025 for European itineraries will be reduced by about 23% from the 2023 European season. Deploying larger ships to the region has salvaged some of the lost capacity due to the reduction in ships for Royal Caribbean.

For the summer of 2024, the European region will only receive seven ships from Royal Caribbeans fleet - one of which includes the Ultimate World Cruise on Serenade of the Seas.

Despite unexpected, increased demand for European cruises in the last quarter, Royal Caribbean is continuing to focus on increased capacity to its private island: Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Over the years, Royal Caribbean has been slowly reduced the number of ships sailing in the European region. This downward trend is all but confirmed by the 2025 European deployment schedule.

For the 2024 and 2025 European seasons, Royal Caribbean has opted to increase the size of ships sailing around the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. In prior years, the cruise line would sail mostly Vision and Radiance-Class ships in the region, which are among the smallest in the fleet.

The largest ship will be Allure of the Seas, which is an Oasis-Class ship that will be returning to Europe for the first time since 2015. Sailing from the UK once again will be Independence of the Seas, which is a Freedom-Class ship that will replace Anthem of the Seas.

Other large ships sailing in the region include Odyssey of the Seas, followed by Voyager of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas. Brilliance of the Seas will be the smallest ship sailing Europe next summer, which has a capacity of 2,140 passengers.

Compared to other cruise lines, Royal Caribbeans European presence is much smaller. For example, competitor Norwegian Cruise Line will be sending eight vessels to Europe in 2024 and 2025. The cruise lines two newest ships - Norwegian Viva and Norwegian Prima - will both be sailing in Europe during this time.

For Royal Caribbeans European season, Odyssey of the Seas - which first debuted in 2021 - will be the newest ship sailing in the region. Allure of the Seas is the second newest ship from 2009 followed by Independence of the Seas, which was built in 2008. Royal Caribbeans other ships scheduled to sail in Europe are all 20+ years old.

Although Royal Caribbean is planning to send bigger ships in the coming summers, this comes with its own set of challenges. Most important, larger ships cannot access certain ports due to size restriction.

Sailing larger ships around Europe means Royal Caribbeans itineraries are less varied. You can still find port-intensive sailings, but options are more limited. Youll only be able to cruise from five departure ports in Europe starting in 2025: Southampton (London), Ravenna (Venice), Civitavecchia (Rome), Piraeus (Athens) and Barcelona.

Notably missing from the European summer schedule in 2025 include the British Isles, Arctic Circle, Baltic cities and Iceland. Royal Caribbean has always offered these European itineraries in the summer, but these sailings in particular are missing from the 2025 schedule.

If you are looking for more diverse itineraries such as these, you will likely need to check out another cruise line, including sister brand Celebrity Cruises. Even with a smaller fleet, Celebrity Cruises is planning to send six cruise ships to Europe for 2024 (2025 sailings have yet to be released). You can find longer sailings to more interesting, unique destinations throughout Europe.

One of the most surprising shifts in Royal Caribbeans planned deployment schedule is the shift towards shorter European sailings. Interestingly enough, there are quite a few short sailings between 2 and 5 nights.

Although Royal Caribbean has amped its weekend sailing options to the Caribbean, this is one of the first times weve seen the cruise line offer shorter itineraries in Europe. For example, you can book a 5-night cruise to Germany and Belgium on Independence of the Seas. In addition, Explorer of the Seas and Allure of the Seas each offer a few 5-night cruises to Italy, France and Spain.

Looking at the 2025 summer schedule, Royal Caribbeans website only shows two 12-night sailings. There is one 12-night cruise on Odyssey of the Seas to Greece and Turkey while Independence of the Seas is only sailing one 12-night cruise to the Canary Islands. The deployment schedule for the summer of 2025 shows a few 9-night and 10-night itineraries throughout Europe, but the vast majority are 7-nights.

This is a diversion from Royal Caribbeans typical European summer schedule, as the cruise line has always offered multiple itineraries for 12-night to 14-night cruises.

In a recent 2023 Q3 earnings call, CEO Jason Liberty specifically called out the unexpected, strong demand for Europe in 2023.

While the Caribbean remains a standout performer this year, we were particularly pleased with the strength and quality of cruising demand for European itineraries. This acceleration of demand for Europe contributed to the better-than-expected yield performance for the quarter, stated Liberty.

In fact, the accelerated demand for Europe resulted in better-than-expected yield performance for the quarter and is expected to increase revenue for these itineraries. However, according to Royal Caribbean, Europe only accounts for just 17% of the cruise lines capacity compared to the Caribbeans share of 55%.

Royal Caribbean is clearly pivoting from other markets to focus on increasing capacity to its private island: Perfect Day at CocoCay. With the new adults-only Hideaway Beach planned for the end of the year, the cruise line is aiming to increase the number of guests to the private destination.

Obviously, we've planned to open Hideaway Beach at the end of this year in time for Icon and Utopia - thats going to increase our ability to add more gas to Perfect Day by about 3,000 people. So that allows us then to continue to increase our capacity into Perfect Day, said President Michael Bayley during the earnings call.

With a more limited selection for European itineraries in the coming summers, some cruisers expressed frustration with Royal Caribbean.

To start, many followers mentioned the disappointment with Royal Caribbeans planned itineraries from Southhampton. Very poor from Royal for Northern EuropeanIndy has such poor itineraries and nothing for Iceland/Arctic circle? Its as though were an afterthought. Not impressed, said Mark Middleton on Facebook.

I dont see Scotland or Ireland. We booked a Scotland/Ireland with NCL. We are pretty loyal to Royal Caribbean but wanted and needed more time to pay it off. Plus with some research it looked like RC was going to be more with nothing included," said Jennifer McCrory.

Follower Lynsey Bolton felt similarly, commenting, Gutted as no 14 night Med/Canaries cruises for Summer 2025 from Southampton. Will have to try an alternative cruise line but desperately wanted to cruise with RC again!

In addition, the cruise line has opted to swap the newer Anthem of the Seas with Independence of the Seas - something that many view as a downgrade.

User DS shared, Real shame that Royal treat the UK clientele so poorly and have put Independence back in Southampton. All other cruise lines bringing new ships while Royal brings a 15-year old tired ship urgently in need of cabin refurbishment. Many UK residents will almost certainly now go elsewhere.

Other followers were disappointed in Royal Caribbeans decision to sail older ships to Europe. Come on Royal Caribbean!! These sailings are second rate for Southampton and Europe .... we deserve better and newer ships too! said Alison Guest. Follower Sean Chan agreed, posting, Love how Royal dumps old ships for Europe itinerary.

Excerpt from:

It's not your imagination - Royal Caribbean is sending fewer ships to Europe - Royal Caribbean Blog

Royal Caribbean's first ever cruise around the world begins in December 2023, and it will be a cruise ship filled with passengers who are ready to globe trot in a new way.

While the concept of a world cruise is nothing new to the cruise industry, this is Royal Caribbean's first foray into this type of cruise.

The Ultimate World Cruise will take 274 nights on Serenade of the Seas that willvisit more than 150 destinations in 65 countries and 11 great wonders of the world.

Serenade of the Seas will sail roundtrip from Miami on Dec. 10, 2023 and through Sept. 10, 2024.

When Royal Caribbean first announced it would offer this cruise, many cruisers jumped at the chance to try it.

I wanted to know why a cruise around the world and a sailing that long was appealing, and what compelled them to book.

Leah and Steve are bloggers that booked the entire transit, and they shared why they booked and how they're planning a cruise of this length.

A while back when I was in my 20s, I heard about a month long cruise that went to all of the religious centers of the world. Not much compared to the Ultimate World Cruise, but I really wanted to do it. At the time, it was beyond my financial resources.

Since then, it has been in the back of my mind to do a really long, epic adventure like that. So when I first saw the Ultimate World Cruise, I knew I was in. I would find some way to pay for it, because it was that important to me.

My husband Steve thought it would be a great trip, but wasnt sure that we could afford it. You see, he started saving for retirement late in life and has been trying to make up for lost time over the past decade. I pestered him by sending him a meme Im sure you have all seen it. The older couple in a Gondola in Venice, both sprawled out in the boat and sleeping.

The thousand words that this picture explains are all the reasons you shouldnt wait until you are too old, and too tired to enjoy traveling and seeing the world. He laughed, but still thought retirement accounts would be a better use of our funds.

At the beginning of 2022, we were working in different locations. Steve was in Nebraska, and I was in Guam.

Communication between us on this was mostly texts and video chats. He came to visit me in May, and we had plans for him to join me in Guam permanently in a few months. Which he did in August. And less than 24 hours later, he had a heart attack. That minor event changed every plan we had.

Over the next couple of months we just concentrated on getting him the treatment he needed, and getting our heads wrapped around how are lives were going to change.

It took about three months for the dust to settle, and then that meme came up in my feed again. I showed it to him again, and this time he was more receptive to the idea.

We did some research online. Called Royal Caribbean and they had a separate line set up for the Ultimate World Cruise, which was a good sign. But the folks answering the phone didnt sound like they really knew the answers to the questions we were asking.

So we researched travel agents, and started working with one from MEI Travel. With her help, we got a better idea of pricing, were able to establish the date for final payment in order to get a 10% discount and spent some more time talking it over. We contacted our travel agent and made arrangements to make the necessary deposits.

Read more:Why first-time cruisers should use a Royal Caribbean travel agent

Then we started working on transfers for the final payments. Neither of us had a single credit card that would accommodate the entire remaining balance, so we had to get creative. And once the decision was made, we havent regretted it a bit. The hard part has been the waiting.

From our earlier research, we knew that to get all of the benefit of doing the full length cruise, we would need to have Platinum status with Crown and Anchor 180 days before the Ultimate Cruise began. Royal Caribbean was including seven excursions to new Wonders of the World as complimentary for everyone with this status.

Neither one of us had sailed with Royal Caribbean before, so we booked Junior Suites for three, five-day cruises out of Galveston in April 2023. The same itinerary for all three sailings.

We paid attention and learned a lot about cruising. We also had a blast, met some great people, and just enjoyed a relaxing vacation. Steve was already retired. His heart attack made it impossible for him to continue doing the kind of work we had done over the past decade or so. I was still working part-time from home, so I had to wait until my project was mostly finished before I could call myself officially retired.

That was in September, and since then, we are planning, waiting, making plans, changing plans, and getting ready to be gone for most of a year.

Now that we have a few weeks to go, and I can taste the excitement.

Since our embarkation day is now right around the corner, pretty much everything we do revolves around getting ready for the Ultimate World Cruise embarkation day. We are treating it like a deployment or overseas job.

We have to make sure we are healthy enough to be without major medical for 9 months. This means passing basic physical requirements. Eye exams with two pairs of glasses each, in case one breaks. Teeth exams and cleanings. The works.

Weve already talked to our insurance provider about getting a vacation 90 day supply of our medications, so we will be working on that next week.

We are arranging shipping of some of our bags with Luggage Forward(This is an affiliate link which costs you nothing extra to use, but we make a small commission).

When people ask how you pack for a vacation like this, there are two options as I see it.

I am over-packing.

Read more: Ultimate cruise packing list

We are also getting our home set up with a house-sitter. Forwarding our mail. Checking the online requirements for voting. Getting all of our travel documents together, including our vaccination records.

I am pretty pale even on good days, so I have been attempting to get a base tan before we leave. And my dermatologist has provided some additional items to help. There is nothing worse than starting a vacation with a horrible sunburn when you have all sorts of intense activity excursions planned.

We dont have any expectations for things to be much different than any other cruise. Other than the length and that some of our fellow passengers will come and go throughout the trip. There is already some level of disappointment due to current events and how those have changed our original itinerary, but it is perfectly understandable given the circumstances.

Steve and I have often lived in cramped quarters, and already spend a lot of time together, so no concerns there!

Since this is a first-of-its-kind sailing for Royal Caribbean, I dont think anyone really knows what to expect, but we are making some assumptions.

Given the cost and length of the Ultimate World Cruise, we think we will be among the youngest of the crowd. Im 52, and Steve is 59. A bit younger than the standard retired age.

There probably wont be a lot of families with young kids.

We are guessing the number of people doing the full 274 days will be less than half. There will definitely be a lot of interesting people to meet.

Steve and I will probably have the lowest Crown and Anchor society status when we first board.

One thing we are hoping for is a less busy gym than on our previous sailings. Steve and I both work out at least 6 days per week and on our last three cruises the gym was so crowded it was difficult to get a decent workout in. If we are correct about the general demographics of the Ultimate World Cruise, I think we will have a good shot at it. But I will have to keep you posted once we set sail!

More here:

I'm going on Royal Caribbean's first world cruise for 274 nights: Why I booked and what I'm expecting - Royal Caribbean Blog

Resort spas have become almost as common as fitness centers on amenity lists, but while its simple enough to carve out some space for a few treatment rooms, there are some spas that offer a true experience to go along with your massage, facial, or other treatments. Here are our picks for the Caribbean spas that truly define the term destination spa.

Here are the best spa resorts in the Caribbean right now.

Casa de Campo, La Romana, Dominican Republic

Newly reimagined, The Spa at the Casa de Campo resort in the Dominican Republic combines a destination spa and health and wellness center; the 18,000-square-foot enclave includes a hydrothermal circuit with a sauna, steam bath, vitality pool, cold water pool, thermal loungers, Kneipp Walk, and an outdoor pool. The Spa Cafe keeps the good vibes going with healthy breakfast and lunch menus and all-day drink service for a selection of 10 smoothies and other refreshers.

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The 15 Best Spa Resorts in the Caribbean - Caribbean Journal

An ad hoc Advisory Committee has been established in the British Virgin Islands to review the minimum wage.

The Ministry of Financial Services, Labour and Trade says the minimum wage in the Virgin Islands was last increased on October 1, 2016, from $4.00 per hour to $6.00 per hour. However, a 2022 review of Social Assistance in the BVI by the Social Policy Research Institute (SPRI Global) found that this was well below what is now needed.

The researchers cautioned, however, that the speed by which the minimum wage can be adjusted must take into account economic constraints.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Financial Services, Labour and Trade, Lorna Smith has determined that the best way forward is to establish an Advisory Committee to undertake a review of what the most appropriate level of the minimum wage should be.

She said: The Government is conscious of the many economic challenges the people of the BVI face. We must all put our shoulder to the wheel, government, employers and employees to ensure that individuals on low incomes do not bear a greater share of the burden than they should. The review will be comprehensive, transparent, and involve the expertise of a diverse range of stakeholders to ensure inclusive participation and perspective. Importantly it will also report by the end of March 2024.

The Minister will appoint the Minimum Wage Advisory Committee in accordance with Part III of the Virgin Islands Labour Code, 2010. The Advisory Committee will comprise experts and representatives from a diverse range of sectors, including key economic sectors, employers, employees, Sister Island representatives, youth and development partners.

The committee will have access to technical support from economists, statisticians, financial analysts, and other government officials. This expertise will help the committee understand and analyse complex data, develop and evaluate policy options, and make informed recommendations.

It will complete its review and submit its final report to the Minister for Financial Services, Labour and Trade within four (4) months of its inaugural meeting which is planned to take place on November 21.

The Minister said: The review of the Minimum Wage is only one part of a wider assessment by the Government of how we can address the cost of living challenge across the BVI. We know our people need to be better supported and I expect to make further announcements on this in the near future.

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British Virgin Islands to review its minimum wage | Loop Caribbean News - Loop News Caribbean

The wait is over for cruise watchers eager to learn about the entertainment offerings onboard Royal Caribbeans new-build, Icon of the Seas.

The cruise line has unveiled a stunning array of productions, musical shows, ice performances, and other events the ship will offer in multiple venues when she debuts in January 2024.

Royal Caribbeans Icon of the Seas, soon to become the worlds largest cruise ship at 250,800-gross tons, took the wraps off of a series of entertainment spectaculars that includes the first sea-going production of the classic The Wizard of Oz, a swash-buckling pirate show, dive shows, and a vibrant, choreographed skating performance in the ships ice arena, among other options.

At the heart of so many of the memories made on Royal Caribbean vacations is a combination of live entertainment thats unmatched in the vacation industry, and were taking it to the next level onIcon of the Seas, said Nick Weir, senior vice president of entertainment at Royal Caribbean International.

If youre a fan of full-scale productions on Broadway and the West End or live music and comedy in hot spots like Las Vegas,Iconhas it all for every mood and style in one vacation alongside never-before-seen twists only found on Royal Caribbean, added Weir.

In all, 75-plus performers will entertain across the ships venues, along with some 50 musicians.

Cruise guests aboard Icon of the Seas can look forward to seeing their favorite characters from The Wizard of Oz in a high-flying stage show with a 16-piece orchestra performing an original musical score. The show, to be staged in the ships Royal Theater, is described as the classic story with a modern twist.

Also, in the Royal Theater, music lovers can enjoy SHOWBAND! Live. Music. Now, an immersive production featuring 16 musicians. Additional live music shows will be performed in Lous Jazz n BluesandDueling Pianos, theSchooner Barand thePoint & Feather English pub.

Worth Reading: New Royal Caribbean Video on Icon of the Seas Beverages

For youngsters, entertainers will presentOnce Upon a Time: The Kings Royal Ball,a presentation of fairytale favorites with some new twists. In the production Pirates vs. Mermaids,cruisers will find more fairytale characters living in a mythical world.

Inside the ships Aqua Dome, the AquaTheater will be the venue for Aqua Action!,a thrill show featuring high divers, synchronized swimmers, aerialists, and others in a high-energy production that includes robots.

Read Also: Star of the Seas Revealed as Second Giant Icon-Class Cruise Ship

Ice-skating rinks are not new to Royal Caribbean ships, but the ice arena onboard Icon of the Seas has been reimagined to produce the showStarburst: Elemental Beauty.The building blocks of life are the theme of the show, performed by Olympic-level ice skaters against the backdrop of lighting displays and music.

Icon of the Seas, with capacity for 7,600 guests, is in the final stages of construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. The ship recently completed her second set of sea trials and is on scheduled to launch in early 2024.

The shipwill debut in Miami on January 27, 2024 and sail an inaugural 7-night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day itinerary, visiting St. Kitts, St. Thomas, andPerfect Day at CocoCay, the cruise lines private destination in the Bahamas.

Based at PortMiami, Icon of the Seas, which also sports the largest waterpark at sea, will offer alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises, all with stops at CocoCay.

Western Caribbean itineraries include calls at Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico, with some itineraries also featuring a visit to Roatan, Honduras. Some Eastern Caribbean itineraries will substitute St. Maarten for St. Kitts.

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Royal Caribbean Unveils Full-Scale Shows for Icon of the Seas - Cruise Hive

Our region pulsates with youthful potential yet grapples with a formidable challenge - youth unemployment and unskilled labor. As young leaders who triumphed at the World Bank Group Youth Summit in May 2023, we embark on a mission to unlock sustainable solutions that promote inclusive development and growth.

Our winning proposal aimed to address the complex web of youth unemployment and informal employment across Latin America and the Caribbean through a prism of education, empowerment, and collaboration.

The 2022 Labour Overview for Latin America and the Caribbean revealed a troubling reality. With an average youth unemployment rate of 16 percent, the Latin America and Caribbean region grapples with the insidious specter of wasted potential. This challenge is compounded by the harsh reality of informal employment, where around 60 percent of young individuals find themselves ensnared. Such staggering statistics underscore the structural barriers entrenched within the region's labor markets.

In our quest, we identified five pressing challenges in the region's landscape and propose the following:

We propose expanding access to education and training. Investing in infrastructure, scholarships, and lifelong learning initiatives ensures that education becomes a transformative tool, lifting barriers to social and economic mobility.

We propose promoting gender equality in employment. Initiatives such as High School Mentorship Programs and Networking Platforms address gender disparity at the root, enabling young women to navigate education and career paths with confidence.

We propose strengthening institutional coordination and partnerships. Collaborative partnerships between government, nonprofits, and the private sector create a resilient ecosystem that fosters innovation, amplifies resources, and propels sustainable solutions.

We propose strengthening youth skill development. By aligning education with industry needs, fostering vocational training, and introducing apprenticeships, we empower the youth with practical skills and real-world experience, aligning them with market demands.

We propose enhancing skill recognition and certification. Standardizing skill recognition through innovative methods empowers informal workers with formal certifications, unlocking doors to sustainable employment and financial stability.

Within the tapestry of empowerment, we acknowledge the hurdles that are formidable gatekeepers to sustainable development. As young leaders from the Latin America and Caribbean region, we understand that implementing our visionary plan to address youth unemployment and unskilled labor is challenging.

Our proposals are a testament to our commitment. As we embark on this transformative voyage, data-driven impact assessment, powered by indicators such as the Gini Coefficient and Gender Inequality Index, will guide our progress. We embrace a comprehensive approach that not only quantifies change but fosters an ecosystem of growth and empowerment.

Navigating challenges and forging new frontiers

In a landscape where access to resources is uneven and institutional barriers persist, the road ahead may prove arduous. However, we urge international organizations like the World Bank to collaborate in unique ways. By fostering cross-sector partnerships prioritizing localized solutions, leveraging innovative funding mechanisms, and championing policies that bolster youth inclusion, we can surmount these challenges and illuminate a path toward a prosperous and equitable future for our region. Through these nuanced approaches, we can transcend obstacles and embark on a journey of unprecedented impact.

Our roadmap to address youth unemployment and unskilled labor in Latin America and the Caribbean embodies our shared aspirations. It underscores the vital role of education, inclusivity, and collaboration in shaping a sustainable future. As we stand on the cusp of change, let us propel this momentum forward, a symphony of voices harmonizing to pave the way for a brighter, more equitable tomorrow.

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Opportunities for Latin American and Caribbean youth facing the ... - World Bank

Celebrity Cruises has a new ship headed for the Caribbean this winter.

Celebrity has officially taken delivery of the new celebrity Ascent, the fourth ship in the companys Edge Series.

The newly-built ship will be heading to Fort Lauderdale in December to begin a season of Caribbean cruising, with the inaugural voyage a seven-day vacation stopping in St Maarten, St Thomas and the Dominican Republic.

Ascent, the sister ship to Celebrity Beyond, which debuted last year, includes everything from the popular Retreat resort-within-a-resort area to a multi-level Sunset Bar to an expanded Rooftop Garden.

The ship will include Daniel Bouluds popular Le Voyage dining experience, along a new-look casino floor, a new outdoor dining terrace at Blu and a new nightlife experience on the resort deck.

Celebrity Ascentis yet another example of innovation driving our mission to provide the best vacations responsibly. The ship continues Celebritys ambition to redefine premium travel and take it to new heights, said Royal Caribbean Group President and CEOJason Liberty. I want to thank and congratulate the Chantiers de lAtlantique team, our Newbuild and Celebrity Cruises teams and their partners for the vision, craftsmanship and passion that went into bringing this spectacular shipto life.

After the ships inaugural voyage, Ascent will sail across the Eastern and Western Caribbean until April.

That will include either a seven-night Bahamas, Mexico and Grand Cayman voyage or a seven-night San Juan, Tortola and St Kitts itinerary.

Ascent will hold a seven-night Holiday Cruise departing on Dec. 24, stopping in The Bahamas, Mexico and Grand Cayman, along with a New Years cruise departing on Dec. 31.

Celebrity Ascentfeatures all the innovative and award-winningEdge Seriessignature experiences that launched a new era in cruise ship design, plus a few new enhancements, and I cant wait to welcome our guests aboard, said Celebrity Cruises PresidentLaura Hodges Bethge. It is a true honor to welcome this ship to our fleet and I am so grateful to everyone involved with all that goes into launching a new ship.

Originally posted here:

Celebrity Cruises Has a New Ship Heading for the Caribbean - Caribbean Journal

Deep in the forests of Haiti lives the blue-eyed La Hotte glanded frog (Eleutherodactylus glandulifer), which once went 20 years without being observed by scientists. It belongs to a diverse genus from the Caribbean that also includes the much more common coqu frog (Eleutherodactylus coqu), a cultural icon in Puerto Rico. Now, a new fossil study shows that frogs from the genus Eleutherodactylus are geologically the oldest Caribbean vertebrates to be found in Florida. They also arrived in North America much earlier than previously thought.

Although scientists knew some North American frogs had origins in the Caribbean, they lacked fossil evidence showing when and how this movement had occurred. But Mara Vallejo-Pareja, a graduate student at the University of Florida, used understudied fossil collections to connect the dots.

Florida Museum Photo by Kristen Grace

There was a gap in knowledge, but the answer was under our noses the whole time, said Vallejo-Pareja, first author of the paper. We already had the fossils, which were collected from the 1970s through the 1990s. We just hadnt worked on them.

Scientists have an incomplete record of the evolutionary history of frogs. Data analyses show that frog families underwent rapid diversification after the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction that famously killed off the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Frogs continued to diversify for the next several million years. They first show up in Floridas fossil record during the Oligocene Epoch, which lasted from around 34 to 23 million years ago. However, records from these eras are patchy.

This is because frogs are understudied in comparison with other vertebrate groups, with frog paleontology being an especially small field.

This posed a challenge when researchers at the Florida Museum uncovered an abundance of frog fossils at paleontological sites in Florida dating back to the Oligocene, including the Brooksville 2 and Live Oak SB-1A locations. Since frogs werent a research priority when many of the fossils were collected from the 1970s through the 1990s, they were put in storage, where they sat, unstudied, until Vallejo-Parejas project.

Vallejo-Pareja compared fossils found at the sites in Florida with existing collections containing specimens from both extinct and living frogs, including the Florida Museums samples of the La Hotte glanded frog. She found that most of the collected fossils belong to the genus Eleutherodactylus, commonly referred to as rain frogs or robber frogs.

Florida Museum Photo by Kristen Grace

Rain frogs have a history of moving around. They originated in the Caribbean from an ancestor that dispersed from South America as early as 47 million years ago during the Eocene Epoch. Once on the islands, the ancestral population rapidly diversified into several species through a process called adaptive radiation. The finches that Charles Darwin documented in the Galapagos Islands, where one migrant species quickly evolved into at least 13 different species as it filled new feeding niches, are a classic example of this.

Today, rain frogs are found in the Caribbean and parts of Central and North America. The oldest known fossil from the genus belongs to the coqu frog, which has been in Caribbean forests for at least 29 million years. In the 1970s and 80s, it was unintentionally imported to Florida and Hawaii on nursery plants and is now considered an invasive species in both states.

Photo by chziemke, CC-BY-NC 4.0

DNA analysis led scientists to believe that Caribbean frogs in the genus Eleutherodactylus first arrived in Central America during the middle Miocene Epoch, 16 to 11 million years ago, before dispersing to North America. The fossils from this study, however, show rain frogs were in Florida during the late Oligocene, several million years before their recorded dispersal into Central America.

Rain frogs are evidently good at getting around, but its not clear how they made it to Florida. Overwater dispersal on flotsam or other buoyant debris seems the likeliest scenario, but most of the Florida peninsula was still underwater when the frogs are estimated to have arrived. The increased distance between land would have made their journey even longer and more perilous than it would be today.

It is possible there were different dispersal events, but Vallejo-Pareja says that hypothesis would need to be tested by finding more fossils in Central America. Because frogs are small and highly mobile, however, it is easy to underestimate the presence of frogs in an area and hard to track their dispersal.

These fossils are millimeters big, Vallejo-Pareja said. The smallest fossil frog was estimated to measure only 16 millimeters from snout to rear end, smaller than a U.S. penny. So getting to work with them, without breaking or losing them, was a breathtaking moment. And I mean that literally, because if Im sitting at the microscope with my fossil and I sneeze or breathe too hard, its gone.

It is easy to underestimate the presence of frogs in an area because their fossils are so small.

Many of the fossils used in this study were initially collected from the 1970s through the 1990s. They sat unstudied for decades because frogs werent a research priority at collection time.

While rain frogs are widespread throughout North and Central America now, these findings suggest Florida was a first home, where they had interesting company. Other extinct animals from Live Oak SB-1A and Brooksville 2, the sites where rain frog fossils were found in abundance, included bear-dogs, bone-crushing dogs, a weasel-like carnivore, squirrels, beavers and rabbits.

Eleutherodactylus is by far the earliest known account of a Caribbean vertebrate spreading to Florida. Fossil evidence indicates there were rodents and salamanders that made the reverse trip, moving from North America to the Caribbean during the Oligocene and Miocene, but evidence for movement from the islands to Florida is scarce. Caribbean toads, snakes and lizards crossed over during the following epoch, the Miocene, but these records are inconclusive and require further study.

Vallejo-Pareja hopes the methodology and data created by her paper will help bolster frog paleontology research and expressed admiration for the good work that has already been done. We just need more of it, she said. She created digital 3D models of the fossil bones used in the study, generating more information for people interested in the field. Paleontologists might find a frog bone and not realize what it is, she said. Now, they have an additional reference point.

Florida Museum Photo by Kristen Grace

In the future, Vallejo-Pareja wants to use some of the methods she developed in this study to understand how frogs adapt to environmental changes. Although frogs have managed to survive a number of major extinction events, they are very responsive to changes in variables like temperature and precipitation.

What happened to the frogs during a glacial maximum? she asked. Were they smaller or bigger? Did they decrease or increase in diversity? Did they survive? It would be very nice to take a look into the past and see how frogs responded.

The work was funded in part by the National Science Foundation (DBI-1701714), the Southwest Florida Fossil Society and COLCIENCIAS (Colombia).

The Florida Museums Edward Stanley, Jonathan Bloch and David C Blackburn also co-authored the study.

Source: Mara Vallejo-Pareja, maria.vallejo@ufl.edu

Writer: Jiayu Liang, jiayu.liang@floridamuseum.ufl.edu, 352-294-0452

The rest is here:

Frogs were Florida's first-known vertebrates from the Caribbean - University of Florida