Category Archives: Caribbean

Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: July 23, 2017 Royal Caribbean Blog (blog) The 207th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we discuss what you need to know about taking a last minute Royal Caribbean cruise. In this episode, Matt shares strategies for booking a last minute cruise, as well as areas ... BofA/Merrill Lynch Starts Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at NeutralStreetInsider.com Cornerstone Financial Partners LLC Sells 839 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL)Week Herald Reviewing Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) & Carnival Corporation (CUK)StockNewsTimes Highland Mirror -First News 24 -BZ Weekly -SEC.gov all 75 news articles »

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Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: July 23, 2017 - Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

Get paid to visit the Caribbean. (Photo: Instagram @visitusvi)

(KUTV) Get out your wallet and grab your calendar, you're going to want to check out this travel deal.

If you're looking for a reason to use your vacation days (let's be honest, you deserve a break), the U.S. Virgin Islands are paying people to visit.

St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix are offering visitors who stay on any of the islands three consecutive nights a $300 travel bonus.

The catch? They don't just write you a check. The $300 come in the form of a travel voucher for "Historical/Cultural Tours and Activities."

The bonus is honoring the centennial celebration of Denmark selling the Caribbean islands to the United States, an event known as "Transfer Day."

To take part in the deal you have to book before October 31, and travel sometime in 2017. But a trip to paradise seems worth it, right?

By the way, you don't need a passport to visit.

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Get paid to visit the Caribbean - KUTV 2News

By Desmond Brown

KINGSTON | NEW YORK (ACP-IDN) If they are to meet commitments agreed under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its sustainable development goals (SDGs), the countries of the Caribbean must focus on closing the structural gaps they still have particularly with regard to gender equality and financial and fiscal sustainability (due to their high debt level) and mitigating the effects of climate change, .

Alicia Brcena, Executive Secretary for the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), spoke in this regard during the 'African-Caribbean Cross-Regional Exchange' at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) which ended July 19 at United Nations headquarters in New York.

The current development model is unsustainable in that it has led to a decrease in trade and growth, greater inequality, excessive financialisation, and has fallen into the greatest market failure of all: climate change, she said.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have thus come about as an aspirational response with a view to the long term [and] in order to meet the SDGs, ECLAC proposes a great environmental push, a change in productive structures via industrialisation, innovation and the incorporation of greater knowledge.

The New York event, which focused on dialogue around proposals related to debt, climate change and gender equality in Africa and the Caribbean, was organised by the Regions Refocus initiative of the Dag Hammarskjold Foundation (with headquarters in Sweden), the German Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) foundation and the Jamaica Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

Participants in the dialogue included Ambassador Courtenay Rattray, Representative for the Jamaica Permanent Mission to the United Nation; Ambassador Pennelope Beckles of Trinidad and Tobago; Ambassador Keith Hamilton Lewellyn Marshall of Barbados and other Caribbean and African ambassadors to the United Nations, Anita Nayar of Regions Refocus, and Caecilie Schildberg of FES, among others.

In her remarks, the ECLAC Executive Secretary said that in order to implement the 2030 Agenda, develop their national institutional frameworks to follow it and mainstream the SDGs into their plans and policies, it is essential that the countries of the Caribbean know the challenges they face in the current global context in terms of trade flows and accords, access to financing and mobilisation of resources, and technology.

We must equalise to grow and grow to equalise, fostering investment and gender equality, said Brcena.

On this last point, she stated that the main issue is assuring womens autonomy in its three dimensions: economic, physical and political.

In the Caribbean, women tend to be over-represented in the lowest sectors of the labour market especially in the service sector and under-represented in areas that require higher qualifications, she explained.

Furthermore, the unemployment rate is higher among women, who also suffer lower levels of social protection and have lower salaries compared with men (in similar positions).

Much more needs to be done to completely capitalise on womens potential, requiring methods that encompass their access to education and quality training, to economic resources and financial services, and to new forms of financing, Brcena said. We must move from a culture of privilege to a culture of equality.

With regard to climate change, the ECLAC official asserted that the small island states of the Caribbean are more susceptible than other continental areas to the severe consequences related to increasing sea levels and natural disasters. She pointed out that in the past 40 years, it is estimated that such disasters have cost nearly five percent of the sub-regions GDP.

Moreover, macroeconomic conditions have led many countries of the Caribbean to considerably increase their debt levels in the 2012-2016 period, with some cases surpassing 100 percent of their GDP.

For this reason, ECLAC has launched a debt-relief proposal for the English-speaking Caribbean through the creation of a prevention fund for mitigating the consequences of climate change in their economies, Brcena said.

She stressed that any debt-relief situation that avoids contractions in social spending and allows for responsible fiscal adjustments will be beneficial toward reducing the persistent inequalities in the sub-region, especially in terms of gender, noting that this is exacerbated by the graduation problem of many Caribbean countries, which are of middle income and thus limited in their access to preferential financial and trade measures.

According to Brcena, proposals such as the one by ECLAC to establish a prevention fund to stimulate 'green' investments and shore up competition and productivity in the Caribbean will deliver much needed diversification as a means for reducing economic vulnerability, and will spur economic growth by putting the Caribbean on a sustainable path to achieving the SDGs.

At the HLPF, Caribbean countries ratified their commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and reaffirmed the importance of multilateral agreements such as the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development, the Paris Agreement on climate change and the New Urban Agenda for achieving sustainable urban development.

The fact that between 2016 and 2017, fourteen countries of the region are presenting their voluntary national reviews (VNRs) within the context of the 20130 Agenda, reflects our regions commitment to this global follow-up and monitoring mechanism and, above all, our commitment to ensuring no one gets left behind, said Francisco Guzmn, Chief of Staff of the President of Mexico and Executive Secretary of the National Council for Sustainable Agenda.

We recognise that governments hold the greatest responsibility when it comes to implementing the 2030 Agenda, and at the same time we stress the potential of the private sector to shift patterns of consumption and production toward more sustainable models, Guzmn added.

In accordance with the inclusive focus of the 2030 Agenda, upcoming meetings of the Forum will include participation by members of civic organisations, academia and the private sector, he said.

Guzmn emphasised that for the countries of the region, gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are crucial in order to fulfil all the SDGs, as well as official development assistance, climate financing and South-South cooperation. [IDN-InDepthNews 23 July 2017]

Photo: Alicia Brcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, who believes that the region must equalise to grow and grow to equalise, fostering investment and gender equality. Credit: ECLAC Public Information Unit

Note: This report is part of a joint project of the Secretariat of theACP Group of Statesand IDN, flagship agency of theInternational Press Syndicate.

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Caribbean Must Equalise to Grow and Grow to Equalise, says ECLAC - IDN InDepthNews | Analysis That Matters

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Tropical Storm Don has formed in the Atlantic Ocean, the National Hurricane Center reported Monday evening.

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Tropical Storm Don may be weakening, but Twitter users still had plenty of time to chime in with a few jokes on the storm's name. USA TODAY

Tropical Storm Don is forecast to move west into the Caribbean Sea over the next few days.(Photo: National Hurricane Center)

Tropical Storm Don has formed in the Caribbean Sea, the National Hurricane Center reported Monday evening.

Tropical storm watches and warnings have been posted for several Caribbean islands, including Barbados and Grenada.Heavy rain and flash flooding are possible on some of the islands.

As of 4 p.m. ET Monday, Don had sustained winds of 40 mph. It was located about 595 miles east of Trinidad and was moving to the west at 17 mph.

The storm is not forecast to develop into a hurricane and should dissipate after entering the Caribbean.

Strong wind shear over the Caribbean will limit any further development, AccuWeather Meteorologist Steve Travis said.

Don is the fourth named storm to form in the Atlantic Basin so far in 2017.

A second system over the Atlantic, located a few hundred miles farther to the east, also has a chance at development this week, AccuWeather said.

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Tropical Storm Don forms in Atlantic, takes aim on Caribbean islands - USA TODAY

Norma G's food truck is the only in the city rolling out Caribbean cuisine and Trinidadian comfort foods, and for that, it has quickly established itself as a favorite.

But owner Lester Gouvia says there's a lot more he can do with his native cuisine when he opens a casual fine dining restaurant in the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood.

"A lot of the dishes I want to offer are hard to do in the food truck, or do in a takeout container," he says. "This is really about being able to provide food in more of a comfortable setting. A lot of dishes I do that don't translate well on the food truck, we'll do here."

Construction is underway and Gouvia says he's targeting a fall opening at 14700 E. Jefferson Ave., but he stresses that there's no firm date in place.

When Norma G's does open, expect traditional Caribbean and Trinidadian dishes - Gouvia was born in Trinidad - like coo coo with stew fish, callaloo, or codfishballs. The latter is made with dried codfish that's sauted with herbs, vegetables, other seasoning, and mashed potatoes. It's blended together into a ball, fried, and served with a garlic or chipotle mayo.

Gouvia says Norma's menu will be vegan friendly, and notes that the flavors of Trinidad are influenced by a range of cuisines from the island's colonizers like the French, Spanish, Dutch, and English. Even Chinese populations made their way through the Caribbean and left their prints on some of the recipes.

Though Gouvia says most Detroiters aren't familiar with plates like coo coo or codfish, he suspects that they'll warm up to the flavors.

"There are

all these flavors and influences from all over the world ... Codfish is a Spanish thing. It's not a dish that's strange to the world, but it's a dish that's strange to people here. But

my son eats it, so if he does, believe me other people will like it," Gouvia jokes.

"I'm not knocking that, but when I think about Caribbean - it's about the food, atmosphere meeting other people, and I want to make the restaurant comfortable. Colorful and casual, but not tacky," he says. "There will be nice

furnishing going in and colors will be key. Hopefully I can deliver an atmosphere where people want to hang out."

A job in the financial industry led Gouvia to metro Detroit. He only intended to stay a few years, but never left. Jefferson-Chalmers appealed to him more than downtown, Midtown, or other neighborhoods because he feels that Norma's will have a greater impact there.

"I didn't see myself having a big impact Midtown or downtown, and financially it doesn't make sense because the price points are too high," he says.

"I'm in business, I've got to generate revenue, and pay people well, but I ... want to help generate traffic and be a part of the change, and I think this is still one of neighborhoods that has potential for that."

Gouvia worked with SWOT City to pull together funding for the roughly $450,000 project from a variety of sources, including a $60,000 Motor City Match Grant. He's leasing the building from the Jefferson Inc. Stay tuned for more details.

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Norma G's Caribbean restaurant starts construction in Jefferson Chalmers - Detroit Metro Times

Sandals Resorts International is looking to Wall Street to help finance as many as a dozen new Caribbean hotels as the luxury resort manager ditches its conservative strategy ofbuilding just one project per year and keeping debt right down.

CEO Adam Stewart, who runs Sandals with his father, Gordon Butch Stewart, said the closely-held company is not for sale and has no immediate plans to go public, contrary to rumors. Instead, its looking beyond the regional Caribbean banks it has traditionally used, to fund the biggest expansion in its history.

Were open to taking on more debt to build more than on hotel at a time. We want to build three or four hotels a year, Stewart said in a telephone interview. We are trying to look for bigger capital to grow. We know exactly what to do and how to do it. But up until now weve been restricted by the balance sheet of regional banks.

The company, which owns and operates 23 resorts across seven Caribbean islands, is in talks with Deutsche Bank and others to raise money as it weighs the new projects, including four hotels it plans to build next year, Stewart said. While he declined to say how much he is seeking to borrow, the company next year is spending about $375 million to build a 580-room Barbados hotel and around $500 million to construct a resort on the island of Tobago in the southern Caribbean.

Were not looking at $200 million any more, he said.

With its expansion, Sandals is aiming to capitalize on a Caribbean tourism boom. A record 29.3 million tourists visited the islands last year, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization. And 41,000 new rooms are under construction or being planned in the region, said STR, which tracks the industry, up more than 40 percent from a year earlier.

The increase was led by several major projects, such as a 2,000-room casino hotel in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and a 934-room beach resort in Varadero, Cuba, STR said.

Tourism is the biggest source of foreign currency earnings for many countries in the region. Stewart said growth in the Caribbean tourism has attracted interest from private equity and some of the hotel industrys biggest names.

While the company does not disclose revenues, Stewart said the company is very sound, with a ratio of debt to earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization of less than one.

The Marriotts, the Hiltons, the Hyatts, institutional capital and private equity, theyre all looking to get a piece of the action in the Caribbean, he said. Its at an inflection point. I expect to see a massive boom in the 2-star or 3-star level of hotels.

Sandals, the biggest private employer in Jamaica, targets the luxury vacation market. The average daily rate across its portfolio of 6,000 rooms is around $550, according to Stewart. Its opening over-the-water suites in Jamaica and St. Lucia, which come with a dedicated butler and around-the-clock service, for as much as $3,000 a night.

Were easily among the most expensive and were proud of it, Stewart said.

With assistance from Oscar Medina

2017 Bloomberg L.P. This article was written by Ezra Fieser from Bloomberg and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [emailprotected].

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Photo Credit: The Pink Gin Beach at Sandals LaSource Grenada, St. George's, Grenada. Sandals Resorts is hoping to expand throughout the Caribbean. Sandals Resorts International

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Sandals Is Looking to Wall Street to Expand in the Caribbean - Skift

Johnny Depp returns to the big screen as the iconic, swashbuckling anti-hero Jack Sparrow in the all-new "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales." The rip-roaring adventure finds down-on-his-luck Captain Jack feeling the winds of ill-fortune blowing strongly his way when deadly ghost sailors, led by the terrifying Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), escape from the Devil's Triangle bent on killing every pirate at sea-notably Jack. Jack's only hope of survival lies in the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to find it he must forge an uneasy alliance with Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), a brilliant and beautiful astronomer, and Henry (Brenton Thwaites), a headstrong young sailor in the Royal Navy. At the helm of the Dying Gull, his pitifully small and shabby ship, Captain Jack seeks not only to reverse his recent spate of ill fortune, but to save his very life from the most formidable and malicious foe he has ever faced.

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Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017 ...

COCO CAY, BAHAMASIn the latest clash between rivals that have long vied for control of highly prized cruise routes, a barrage of cannon fire from Royal Caribbeans M.S. Allure of the Seas sank a Carnival Cruise Line ship that crossed into disputed waters off the coast of the Bahamas, sources said Thursday.

The Allure, an Oasis-class recreational vessel with a standing crew of around 2,300, opened fire on Carnivals M.S. Magic after it allegedly ignored repeated warnings not to approach Coco Cay, a private island owned by Royal Caribbean. After sustaining several direct hits, the enemy ships hull reportedly ruptured, immediately flooding its bingo hall and spa with seawater, collapsing several theme restaurants, and ultimately killing all 3,675 guests on board.

By approaching within three nautical miles of Coco Cay, the M.S. Magic was in direct violation of the terms of the 2011 Caribbean Nights cease-fire agreement, said Captain David Beeman of the Allure, stating that the attack was necessary to safeguard the recreational interests of the customers he is sworn to serve. Per standard procedure, our limbo emcee first alerted the Magic that it had entered our territorial waters by issuing a verbal warning and blasting conga music over our PA system. When the ship refused to change course, we proceeded to launch a broadside from our starboard cannons, delivering a direct hit to their most crucial facilities, including the engine room, water slide, and Red Frog rum bar.

We suffered just one casualty ourselves, losing a tango instructor to friendly fire, he added.

Pulling up alongside the smaller enemy vessel, the 1,187-foot Allure reportedly extended its powerful battery of guns from the portholes of a lower-deck theater currently staging Mamma Mia! Witnesses said Magic patrons standing in line for the 24-hour seafood buffet had little time to take cover before the Allure opened fire, scattering body parts and shrimp scampi all over the ships pool deck and mini-golf course.

When the first shells hit, you could see blasted sections of the hull, bloody scraps of cargo shorts, and flaming flip-flops raining down into the ocean all around, said Allure passenger Nicole Rice, adding that a few Magic guests tried to run for safety behind overturned massage tables, but were set upon by a Royal Caribbean boarding party that had crossed over with the assistance of their ships zip-line and ropes-course operators. Once the second round of fire took out the piano bar and Guy Fieris Burger Joint, it was pretty much all over. The Magic had just dropped anchor for the Dune Buggy Heritage Adventure Tour, so it really had no chance of escape.

Maritime historians are calling the attack upon the Magic the deadliest encounter between rival ocean liners since the so-called Cruise Wars of the 1990s, when the wrecks of sunken pleasure vessels littered the waters from Fort Lauderdale to St. Kitts. During that era, the upstart Disney Cruise Line came to rule the waves, and marauders dressed as Pinocchio, Goofy, Tinker Bell, and other company-owned mascots were known to slit the throats of their competitors guests and plunder everything from bar supplies to blackjack tables to karaoke equipment.

Despite official explanations, Thursdays attack is actually believed to be in retaliation for a 2013 incident in which a Royal Caribbean vessel on a nine-day Best of the Bahamas cruise was captured off the coast of Paradise Island. According to deck logs, its entire passenger list was impressed into service as caterers aboard Carnivals Breeze flagship.

Ill never forget the sight of the Magics crew and guests desperately trying to bail out the Club O2 teen zone as the ship started to tilt, causing all the deck furniture, the ice cream sundae station, and those seniors on their church group trip to go sliding off into the sea, Allure passenger Jason Heidt said. Then I guess they lost power, because suddenly all the party lights shut off and everyone in the Punchliner comedy club went silent as the ship capsized.

Everyone except Joe Rogan, Heidt continued. He kept on telling jokes until he was completely underwater.

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Shelling From Royal Caribbean's MS 'Allure' Sinks Carnival Cruise Vessel That Crossed Into Disputed Waters - The Onion (satire)

Travel Agent recently caught up with David Hu, president of Classic Vacations, to find out the hottest trends and news in the Caribbean.

Here's what we learned.

While all the focus on new, hot Caribbean Islands has mostly been given to Cuba, Hu tells us that interest hasnt necessarily equated into dollars.

For many new emerging islands, we see a disconnect between interest and actual demand, Hu tells Travel Agent. Take Cuba for example, we see a lot of people researching the destination, but actual volume has not materialized.That can be said for many of the other possible islands."

In fact, Hu says Cuba may be getting most of the attention, but it's the core Caribbean Islands that are getting the business for Classic.

Were actually seeing more inquiries about the core islands that we sell in the Caribbean, such as Anguilla, Aruba, etc, says Hu. As the Zika scare tapers, we hopefully will start seeing some of that volume materialize.

Hu says the Zika scare that kept many romance-focused clients from visiting couples resorts in the Caribbean has since subsided, and the lack of media coverage has a little something to do with it.

The Zika impact tended to be greater for properties catering to the honeymoon and romance market, more-so than being destination specific, says Hu. A few islands with a larger share of the high-end romance market paced behind the Caribbean overall.

But after the Rio Olympics concluded, Hu says the media coverage dropped off. And now with all of the political headlines floating around, Zika is barely even mentioned.

However, since the end of the Rio Olympics, Zika has been fairly quiet on the media front, and the continuing onslaught of political headlines has helped Zika fade into the background, says Hu. We see this reflected in our 2017 booking trends, with solid year-over-yeargrowth in our primary honeymoon markets like St.Lucia, and Anguilla.

As far as the islands that performed the best for Classic in 2016, Hu says the company saw some impressive growth Jamaica, St. Barths, Bermuda and Barbados.

And so far this year?

This year we are seeing Anguilla, Aruba, Barbados, the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico and St.Lucia really take off, says Hu.

Classic Vacations, like most operator who specialize in the Caribbean, has been exploring the idea of selling the once forbidden destination. But since President Trumps announcement on May 30 declaring he would reverse many of former President Barack Obamas policies toward Cuba, many operators are now taking an even longer wait-and-see approach.

Cuba has been the hot destination for some time now, and we are sure [the recent]announcement will come as a huge disappointment to the many Americans that were excited to finally experience the beautiful island-nation, says Hu. We have been monitoring Cuba closely for a while, taking a careful and conservative approach to ensure that we can guarantee the same excellence in service levels in Cuba that we provide to all destinations in our global portfolio. While Trumps reversal on Cuba will undoubtedly dampen our Caribbean expansions plans, we will continue to focus our efforts to support our partners in existing Caribbean destinations until we hear anything different on the political front.

When it comes to luxury getaways, Hu says Turks and Caicos tops the list and recommends COMO Parrot Cay and Amanyara for couples while the Grace Bay Club and the newly-opened TheShore Club Turks and Caicos are both excellent options for families looking to be pampered.

Turks and Caicos, with its combination of world-class beaches and excellent five star properties, is one of our strongest destinations, says Hu. With direct flights from a wide range of U.S. gateways, and luxury properties that cater to practically any type of traveler, its truly a wonderfully multi-faceted island.

The Caribbean has no shortage of hot niche markets from girls and guys getaways to romance to action and adventure, but the one that is all the rage currently is wellness, says Hue.

Wellness has been a trending theme in the luxury segment, and properties built around wellness, such as The BodyHoliday have thrived this year, he says. We have seen more and more properties move in that direction, like Blue Waters Antigua, with their Living Retreats program designed to refresh the mind and body, incorporating specialized testing, along with meals, and activities to realign and rebalance guests physically and mentally.

Visit http://www.classicvacations.comand keep visitingwww.travelagentcentral.comfor all your latest travel news. Be sure to followTravel AgentsJoe PikeonTwitter@TravelPikeandInstagram@pike5260.

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The Hottest Caribbean Trends, According to Classic Vacations' President - Travel Agent

Some familiar spaces are coming into focus on board what will become the worlds largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas.

New construction photos show progress on the 230,000-ton, 1,188-foot-long ship being built at the STX France shipyard in St. Nazaire, France.

Those photos show the signature Boardwalk area at the aft of the ship as well the Royal Promenade on Deck 5 in the ships interior.

Particularly recognizable is the development of the AquaTheater, which is home to the lines productions that combine music, high diving and acrobatics.

Also shown are the two 40-foot-tall rock climbing walls as well as the stateroom balconies that rise up from Deck 6 of where the open-air Boardwalk neighborhood will be.

Whats not show yet is the ships version of the Ultimate Abyss dry slide, the 10-deck twin twisting slide that debuted on sister ship Harmony of the Seas. While the line has promised it will be on this ship as well, it also has promised it will have a new twist, but details on what that twist will be have yet to be revealed. Also not in place are any of the signature features that make up the Boardwalk, such as the carousel.

On the ships interior, the shells that will become restaurants, bars and shops of the Royal Promenade are continuing to get attention.

On Harmony of the Seas, the Royal Promenade is where you find the ships signature centerpiece sculpture, the twisting giant metallic human head. Its also where the line parks the vintage cars that can be found on Voyager, Freedom and Oasis-class ships.

As far as venues go, Harmonys Royal Promenade is home to the Bionic Bar, which is promised for Symphony as well. Its also a stop for the Rising Tide bar, which moves up and down multiple decks. Also on Harmony in the Royal Promenade are Sorrento's, Bolero's, the English pub Boot and Bonnet, On Air karaoke club, guest services, shore excursions and more.

Symphony of the Seas' gross registered tons will be more than Harmony of the Seas, which comes in at 226,963 tons, but they will be the same length. Harmony of the Seas currently holds the title for world's largest cruise ship, slightly larger than the original ships, 2009's Oasis of the Seas and 2010's Allure of the Seas.

Symphony will feature 28 more staterooms than Harmony of the Seas with a Royal Suite class, neighborhood balconies overlooking Central Park, virtual balconies on inside staterooms, and the highest number of ocean-view cabins at sea.

Other notable previously announced features include the Perfect Storm water park, FlowRider surf simulator, ice skating rink, Vitality at Sea spa, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's Italian dining venue, Mexican offering Sabor, Japanese cuisine at Izumi, the Chops Grill steakhouse, Vintages wine bar and Solarium bistro. More than 20 dining options are promised, but details on any new venues have not been released yet. Also not revealed yet is one other adventure offering with no details other than "A new scale of daring. Adventure hits a high note with a whole new challenge.

The ship is set to debut April 21, 2018 with an inaugural sailing from Barcelona as it spends its first season of cruising in the Mediterranean. It then repositions to PortMiami on a 12-night transatlantic voyage that departs Oct. 28 and begins Caribbean sailings on Nov. 9.

More details can be found on http://www.royalcaribbean.com/symphony-of-the-seas or by calling 1-800-769-2522.

rtribou@orlandosentinel.com, 407-420-5134

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Familiar spaces take shape on Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas - Orlando Sentinel