Category Archives: Caribbean

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association is making a big push this June in Miami.

The organization has announced that it will be holding two of its major annual events in Miami, both the Taste of the Caribbean culinary festival and competition and the Caribbean Hotel Industry Exchange Forum.

The latter is typically held in the fall and has been rescheduled to coincide with Taste.

CHIEF brings together the right information, the right people at the right time and by producing this event in Miami we expect many more Caribbean stakeholders to benefit from the educational sessions and invaluable peer-to-peer exchange, said Bill Clegg, Chairperson of CHTAs Membership Committee who also serves as CHIEFs Program Chair.

Taste of the Caribbean is the regions leading culinary competition, bringing together teams from across the region for what is both an industry and consumer event.

This years Taste will also offer educational sessions for food and beverage professionals that promise to enhance individual skills, the CHTA said.

Caribbean Journal Staff

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CHTA to Hold CHIEF, Taste of the Caribbean in June - Caribbean Journal

A 75-year-old woman experiencing diabetic shock was airlifted by the U.S. Coast Guard Saturday morning from a cruise ship located approximately 100 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

The Coast Guard said its 5th District Command Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, was notified at about 9:55 a.m. that a passenger in distress was on board the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Anthem of the Seas.

"An HC-130 Hercules aircraft crew and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, launched to assist," the Coast Guard said in a statement. "Upon arrival, the Jayhawk helicopter crew hoisted the woman to the helicopter and transported her to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, arriving at about 1:50 p.m."

The unidentified woman's rescue was captured in the following video, which was released by the Coast Guard.

Coast Guard Lt. Courtney Wolf, the command duty officer for the case, said, "Cases like this highlight the importance of cooperation between the Coast Guard, cruise ship personnel and local hospital staff. Today's hoist went seamlessly due to the coordination between all involved parties, and as a result we were able to transport this individual quickly and safely."

Diabetic shock -- or diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) -- is a diabetes complication that can lead to unconsciousness, during which the individual has dangerously high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) or dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).

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Woman suffering diabetic shock airlifted by Coast Guard from Royal Caribbean cruise ship - ABC News

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Pirates of the Caribbean 5's Super Bowl trailer gave us a look at an amazing ghost ship in the film, captained by Jacks new rival, the undead Captain Salazar. Now, Lego has revealed its turning the Salazars ghost ship into a humongous new modelone that can open itself up just like the one in the movie, which is totally freaky for a ship.

Revealed at New York Toy Fair this morning, the 2,200 piece Silent Mary set might just be one of the most bizarre ships Lego has ever made, either in their own traditional Pirate-themed lines or for Pirates of the Caribbean. The whole ship doesnt actually have a baseits hull is all decayed and lined like a skeletal rib cage, and floats in the air (through movie magic in the film, the Lego version has its own stands to support it, of course). Yahoo got some more pictures of the ship with its biggest action feature, however: the front half of the whole thing can tilt itself up like it does in the trailer.

It looks totally weird, and yet kind of awesome in Lego form. The detailing to get the grungy, decaying look of the whole thing is really well done.

When fully built, the Silent Mary is a beast of a vessel, even without the ability to contort itself in ways no other ship cancoming in at 26 inches from bow to stern, and 18 inches tall from bottom to the top of its tallest decrepit mast. Aside from the ship itself, the set comes with a small rowboat for the heroes to desperately sail away from the Mary in, and eight minifigures: Jack Sparrow, Henry, and Carina, and then villains Lieutenant Lesaro, Captain Salazar, Officer Magda, Officer Santos, and the Silent Mary Masthead itself. That last one feels like a bit of a cheat addition if you ask me, but overall, the ship itself is a really intriguing looking kit, even if its not a traditional pirate ship.

The Silent Mary will set you back $200 when it releases April 1.

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Lego's New Pirates of the Caribbean Ship Can Open Itself Up Like a Skeleton's Ribcage - Gizmodo

Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

Royal Caribbean cancels all cruise stops in Turkey in 2017 Royal Caribbean Blog (blog) In a statement to travel agents, Royal Caribbean said that due to the current unpredictability of Turkey, and taking guests' and crew members' safety and wellbeing into account, Royal Caribbean has decided to replace our calls in Ephesus (Kusadasi ...

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Royal Caribbean cancels all cruise stops in Turkey in 2017 - Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

NEW YORK, United States (CMC) A Caribbean/American legislator has sought to dispel rumours about immigration sweeps at, among other places, a popular Caribbean department store and major hospital in Brooklyn.

New York City Council Member Jumaane Williams, the son of Grenadian immigrants, who represents the predominantly Caribbean 45th Council District in Brooklyn, said that he and his staffers have been following up on the many rumours, as we can.

Many of the rumours about immigration sweeps at Bobbys Department Store and the expansive Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, among other places, are being circulated primarily on social media.

We have spoken to owners of the commuter van lines, as well as the management at Bobbys Department Store, and have confirmed that at this time there have not been general indiscriminate stops made by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents over the past few days, said Williams, who is also deputy leader of the New York City Council.

There have, however, been incidents of people posing as immigration officials in efforts to scam people for money, he said, noting in addition, we remain in touch with the mayors office.

The best thing an understandably concerned community can do is be armed with accurate information. To that end, we ask everyone to make an effort to substantiate information before spreading as rumours. Unfortunately, the immigrant community has reason to be worried and should stay vigilant.

Williams has been among the Caribbean communitys most vocal critics of the Trumps administration immigration policies.

On January 25, Trump signed an executive order vastly expanding who is considered a priority for deportation, the New York Times said.

This has prompted further outrage from Caribbean/American legislators, who have called for a very strong stance against the new presidents immigration policies.

My office recommends: First, if you hear info about ICE activity, please continue to forward them to us, Williams said.

Second, if you should see activity you suspect are ICE actions, please send any concrete information that can safely and without interference be obtained.

You should also call your local precinct as they may be ICE impersonators looking to scam unsuspecting people, he added, stating that the New York Police Department [NYPD] is not currently working with immigration officials; and, as policy, does not randomly ask people about their immigration status.

Williams, however, said concerns about immigration checkpoints and raids, whether rumours or not, are evidence of the mass hysteria that has taken hold of communities across the country, because of Trump.

This administration, from day one, has done everything in its power to marginalize people, create a culture of fear, and divide Americans, he said.

The Presidents erratic behaviour only makes it more difficult for our communities, as evidenced by his recent announcement about the possibility of deploying 100,000 National Guard troops for immigration round ups, Williams added.

I stand with my New York City colleagues in government in standing against Trump on actions against our immigrant brothers and sisters.

On Friday, the White House denied reports of a plan to deploy as many as 100,000 National Guard troops as part of a nationwide deportation force that would help to augment federal agents and local authorities newly deputized to enforce Trumps immigration policies.

On Friday, ICE officials disclosed that criminal immigrants from Guyana and Jamaica were among 41 people arrested in the New York metropolitan area this month.

ICE said the offenses included 12 people with convictions for sex-related crimes, including three cases of rape and six involving offenses against children; nine with convictions for driving under the influence; three with robbery convictions; and two with convictions for distribution or sale of cocaine.

All of the convictions listed qualified as deportable offenses under the previous Obama administration.

On Friday, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders expressed concern that Trumps immigration policies could result in a reduction of travel to the Caribbean.

We must obviously be concerned with the recent issue related to immigration, and the impact it will have on our citizens and on tourism, Grenadas Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell, told reporters at the conclusion of the two-day CARICOM summit in Guyana.

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Caribbean/American legislator dispels rumours about immigration sweep - Jamaica Observer

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Tropical air from the Caribbean will set temperatures soaring over the next few days across Cornwall to around double the average temperature for February.

It's after an incredibly mild half term that's seen us reaching for the sunhats, grabbing the barbecues and heading for the beach in Cornwall.

Temperatures could peak at 16C nationally and up to 14C in Cornwall on Monday thanks to a jet stream moving up from the tropics which has dominated the past week and brought us mild, if a little cloudy, weather.

Read more: Nurdles pollution at record levels in Cornwall as 100,000 tiny plastic pellets found on one beach alone

Emma Salter, Met Office metereologist, said: "Nationally speaking, things are rather on the mild side with the temperatures peaking on Monday around 16 degrees. That's come from the tropics.

Read more: Culdrose Air Day cancelled because there are not enough Royal Navy staff around

"It might brighten up later today. The next few days will stay on the cloudy side so although it will be rather warm there will be dsome outbreaks of light rain. A lot of hill fog and sea fog around in the mornings.

"As for those temperatures in Cornwall, we can probably expect to see today 11 or 12C today and tomorrow and on Monday we're looking at 13C possibly 14 degrees in the south west. Monday is the peak mildest day but it will remain mild into Tuesday and Wednesday.

"Normally it would be 7 or 8C so it is a really mild for the time of year. It's originated over the caribeean Bahamas. The jet stream is quite far north at the moment. It's kept the UK on the warm side of the jet."

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Caribbean air will send February temperatures soaring in Cornwall ... - Cornwall Live

M

ORENO VALLEY, Calif. Its easy to dismiss the for-profit medical schools that dot many a Caribbean island as scams, set up to woo unqualified students who rack up huge debts, drop out in staggering numbers, and if they make it to graduation end up with an all but worthless degree. Thats been the rap against them for years.

But the schools are determined to change that image. Many are quietly churning out doctors who are eager to work in poor, rural, and underserved communities. Their graduates embrace primary care and family practice, in part because theyre often shut out of training slots for more lucrative specialties.

And they just might help solve an urgent physician shortage in California and beyond.

The deans of two of the Caribbeans medical schools Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica and American University of the Caribbean in St. Maarten are on an aggressive campaign to improve their image. Theyve published a series of editorials and letterswith titles like Why malign overseas medical students? and hired public relations giant Edelman to make the case that their humble, hard-working, and compassionate students may be precisely the kinds of physicians America needs most.

Our students have persevered. They havent had all the opportunities in life and they still want to help people, said Dr. Heidi Chumley, dean of American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine. Absolutely we want to get our story out.

That story is unfolding on the ground in places like Moreno Valley, a city ofabout 200,000 in Californias Inland Empire, a former agricultural region just east of Los Angeles that grew explosively in the 80s but has since fallen on harder times.

Here, the Riverside University Health System Medical Centerrises from a stretch of largely undeveloped land once slated for luxury housing developments. The health system acts as the countys public safety net for an ethnically diverse, mostly low-income population including patients like retired carpenter Jos Luis Garcia.

On a recent clinic visit, Garcia, 69, came in to follow up on a urinary tract infection and his high blood sugar. He saw Dr. Moazzum Bajwa, 30, a second-year resident and graduate of Ross.

In a crisp white coat and bow tie, Bajwa entered the examining room and pulled up a low stool. Sitting eye to eye with Garcia, he spoke in a steady stream of fluent Spanish. The visit lasted nearly an hour.

In an attempt to keep his patient off insulin, Bajwa had asked Garcia to improve his diet and track blood sugar levels after meals. Nmeros fantsticos!, Bajwa exclaimed, looking at the folded sheet of carefully written numbers Garcia had brought to show him.

This is a very great doctor. Normally, I dont feel important.

Jos Luis Garcia, patient

Bajwa, a former middle school science teacher, then spent 10minutes drawing a careful diagram complete with neurons, intestinal walls, and red blood cells, orclulas rojas to explain to a rapt Garcia exactly why certain foods raised his blood sugar. He then examined Garcia noting he had a harmless but interesting muscle wall abnormality and checked his medical records. Was there a colonoscopy report on file? Retinal photos?

As the visit was ending, Bajwa asked Garcia about stress. Garcia said his wife had recently had surgery for glioblastoma multiforme, one of the most malignant of brain tumors. Wow, Bajwa said quietly as he quickly scanned the medical summary Garcia handed him. Wow. He sat down again on his low stool.

Lo siento mucho, seor, Bajwa said, clearly moved.

Then he gave Garcia a hug.

This is a very great doctor, Garcia said later, through a translator. Normally, I dont feel important.

Bajwa, an American citizen raised inMichigan and North Carolina, is the grandson of Pakistani Nobel physics laureate Abdus Salam and holds two advanced degrees, one in neuroanatomy and one in public health. But he couldnt get into an American medical school. So he attended Ross University in Dominica.

It was the only school that gave me an opportunity, he said.

There are some 70 medical schools throughout the Caribbean, most of them established in recent decades and run by for-profit businesses thatcater to Americans.

These so-called second chance schools accept students with poorer grades and lower MCAT scores, or sometimes no MCAT score at all. Compared to Americanmedical schools, their tuition and dropout rates are higher and their class sizes large: Ross enrolls more than 900 students per year.

Graduates can practice medicine in the United States after passing their Americanmedical licensing exams and completing a residency. But the schools have come under fire for generating a stream of students who dont end up as physicians, but do end up with crushing medical school debt because they flunk out or dont win residency spots after graduating.

Heartbreaking stories abound: One graduate of St. Georges University School of Medicine took a poor-paying job drawing blood to help pay off $400,000 in medical school loans. Another graduate of AUC entered nursing school after failing to get a residency.

Are Caribbean medical schools promising something they cannot fulfill? asked Dr. Glenn Tung, an associate dean at Brown Universitys Warren Alpert Medical School who has studied the schools. What Im concerned about is the cost to the students who dont make it and the cost to the American taxpayer when loans arent repaid.

Illinois Senator Richard Durbin, also concerned, has repeatedly introducedbipartisan legislation to strip the schools of Title IV federal funding for student loans. Three Caribbean medical schools Ross, AUC and St. Georges took in $450 million federal funding via student loans in 2012, Durbin said.

These for-profit Caribbean medical schools need to be accountable to their students and to U.S. taxpayers, he said in a statement.

Dean Chumley and Dr. Joseph Flaherty, the dean of Ross, take strong exception to such criticism.

They allow that many for-profit medical schools which have proliferated in the past few decadesbecause they are proven money makers arent doing a good job training and developing students. But they argue that AUC and Ross, two of the oldest Caribbean schools both owned by for-profit educational juggernaut DeVry Inc. are creating successful doctors.

They say they are also giving a shot to students with humble backgrounds, often minorities, who cant get near American medical schools that focus so heavily on test scores and grades.

Obviously brains help, but judgement, empathy, intuition, thats all part of it, Flaherty said. Our students are gung-ho. They want to practice medicine. Thats their dream.

Just 54 percent of American medical graduates who trained overseas are matched with a residency program for further training in their first year of eligibility. Thats an abysmal record, compared to the 94 percent of graduates of US schools who get residencies. But Ross and AUC say they have a match rates higher than 86 percent. And they say a vast majority of students pass their step 1 licensing exams on the first try.

Obviously brains help, but judgement, empathy, intuition, thats all part of it Our students are gung-ho.

Dr. Joseph Flaherty, dean of a Caribbean medical school

(Critics say the schools manipulate the statistics by dismissing weak students shortly before they are allowed to take the exams. Chumley said the schools do weed out poor students early on to prevent their accumulating debt, but in no way encourage poor students to stay for five semesters and then prevent them from taking the exam. I think thats ethically wrong, she said.)

The schools are also controversial because of their practice of buying their way into hospitals to train students. In 2012, Ross inked a contract beating out rival St. Georges University School of Medicine of Grenada to pay $35 million over a decadeto the cash strapped Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield in exchange for the lions share of the hospitals roughly 100 rotation spots for third-year medical students.

Some critics fear such deals will squeeze American-trained students out of rotations; disputes have flared in New York, where St. George paid $100 million for rotation spots, and in Texas, where lawmakers attempted to entirely ban Caribbean students from training in the state.

But Flaherty, Rosss dean, says the such deals are a win-win. A struggling hospital gets funds. His school, which has no teaching hospital, gets a place to train students. And he gets to show skeptical doctors how good his students really are.

The doctors get to know our students and say, These guys are good, he said. Our students get there early. They stay late and do extra work. They value any opportunity.

And they seize those opportunities where they can find them.

While their numbers are up, its still harder for international medical grads known as IMGs to get residency positions. Theyveheard all the jokes about studying anatomy on the beach with Mai Tais in hand. But when it comes to residency positions, they are deadly serious. For there is no practicing medicine without one.

You have to apply very widely. Theres always a stigma that IMGs dont get as good an education. said Rina Seerke-Teper, 31, a second-year resident who has wanted to be a doctor since she was six, graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and worked in stem cell research before attending AUC.

Many Caribbean graduates dont even apply to residency programs that are filled only with American trained students. Instead, they look for IMG friendly programs like the family practice residency here, run in a busy clinic housed within the county hospital. The program is highly competitive receiving about 800 applications for 12 positions each year and of the three dozen current residents, 29 studied in a medical school outside the US.

Competition for the coveted slots is likely to grow even more as California, which just got one newmedical schools and is slated to soon add another, starts spitting out more locally trained grads.

More doctors are desperately needed: California will need an estimated 8,000 additional primary care doctors by 2030. The United States as a whole is projected to need some 30,000 additional primary care physicians in coming decades.

Dr. Michelle Quiogue works in one of the areas hit hardest by the shortage rural Kern County. A graduate of a prestigious medical school at Brown University Quiogue says shes worked alongside many foreign-trained doctors and would never know what college they graduated from.

Inher mind, the problem is not a lack of medical students but a lack of residency programs to train them. The governor has proposedcutting $100 million for primary care residency training, and her organization, the California Academy of Family Physicians, is scrambling to get it replaced.

Medical school hasnt changed much in a century. Here are 5 ways to fix that

Those who do win residency spots say it seems to matter less and less where they went to school as they climb up the medical training ladder. And it seems to matter not at all in clinics where patients are grateful for any medical care they receive.

I have never heard a patient ask where a physician is trained, said Carly Barruga, a third year medical student at nearby Loma Linda University who said she is getting excellent training in her rotation here from Caribbean-trained doctors like Dr. Tavinder Singh.

Singh, 30, is chief resident here and also a graduate of Ross. While he traces his interest in medicine to the open heart surgery his grandmother had when he was a boy, Singh didnt apply to American medical schools because his MCATs werent as strong as they should have been. He didnt want to wait a year to retake them.

I had the goal in mind I was going to be a doctor, said Singh, a California native. Nothing was going to stop me. Hes loved his residency, especially the chance to work in needy communities where medical zebras unlikely and rare diagnoses can be common. You see chronic disease that have never been treated, he said. You see rare diseases like Zika.

While Singh was once the one begging for a chance, the tables have turned. In a state hungry for family practice physicians, hes now fielding numerous job offers.

Bajwas future is bright as well.

For now, though, hes just happy to be practicing medicine, thrilled to be delivering babies and focusing on preventative care. He loves helping patients like Wendy Ocampo, a 19-year-old with limb girdle muscular dystrophy. During an appointment this month, Ocampo came in to see Bajwa with respiratory symptoms.

New medical schools aim to fix Americas broken health care system

It was supposed to be a quick visit, but he ended up spending a half hour with her once he discovered bureaucratic hurdles had left her waiting seven months for the wheelchair she needs for her job and college. (Bajwa credits his clinic staff and nurses for working through lunch and juggling his schedule so he can offer longer visits.) Ocampo also hasnt been able to get the physical therapy she needs for her ankle.

It burns me up that these things are falling through the cracks, said Bajwa, after taking a few minutes to compliment Ocampos impressive new shoes and ask if she was growing out her hair.

Though sick, Ocampo beamed. Honestly, hes great, she said. He calls me to check on me. I have, like, 30 doctors and none of them have ever done that.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the population for Moreno Valley and the status of a proposed funding cut for residency training.

Usha Lee McFarling can be reached at usha.mcfarling@gmail.com Follow Usha Lee on Twitter @ushamcfarling

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Why the United States is no longer turning up its nose at Caribbean medical schools - STAT

After snow and freezing temperatures, the UK will feel more like the Caribbean next week. Photograph: Greg Johnston/Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images

A blast of Caribbean hot air could push UK temperatures above those of Menorca, Mallorca and Sardinia next week, and continue the unseasonable warmth of the past few days, as parts of the UK prepare for highs of 17C (63F) on Monday.

The warm cloud is making its way over the Atlantic Ocean from Florida and parts of the Caribbean, and is expected to reach the UK over the weekend, the Met Office said.

Aberdeen, Wattisham in Suffolk and London are all likely locations for the highest temperatures, with the east of the country broadly enjoying the best of the warmth.

The UK could be among the hottest locations in Europe, after bouts of snow and freezing temperatures earlier this month.

Despite British temperatures being above the average 4C to 7C for this time of year, the higher temperatures are not likely to break official records.

The Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said: In terms of temperatures, it is going to be about 16C to 17C, and more broadly, it will be mild across the east and north-east of the country.

Although obviously above average, its not necessarily unusual. In February 2012, about 50 stations recorded temperatures of 15C and over and were not expecting that many to record the same next week.

Claydon said the warm spell is expected to last into the middle of next week, before turning cooler into next weekend.

It should be continuing through next week, but not necessarily through to the temperatures seen on Monday, he said.

MeteoGroup said temperatures may reach highs of only 15C, although this is likely to be enough to push the UK above parts of southern Europe, including the Balearic Islands and Sardinia.

The MeteoGroup forecaster Tom Whittaker said: Generally speaking, its going to be close, but we may see temperatures of 15C, which could be higher than places such as Palma in Mallorca, and parts of southern France.

Its likely to be warmest in the east, south-east and eastern parts of Scotland, to the east of the Highlands.

The hottest February on record was in 1998, when temperatures reached 19.7C.

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Blast of Caribbean heat destined for UK - The Guardian

Walt Disney World on Thursday unveiled expansion plans for its Coronado Springs and Caribbean Beach hotels.

Coronado Springs Resort will get a new 15-story tower with500 rooms, featuring suites and concierge level services.

The new tower overlooking Lago Dorado, the resorts centerpiece lake, will allow guests to experiencerooftop dining with viewsof fireworks from Disney theme parks.

The hotel will also refurbish its rooms.

Disney said on its blog it also plans to transform Coronado Springs landscape. There will be floating gardens and an island oasis that connects the resort through a series of bridges.

Also there will be additions to the Caribbean Beach Resort, including new waterfront dining and retail shopping areas at the Centertown marketplace. Disney said in a blog post this centralized location will offer the resorts guests more convenient access to services, amenities and dining.

The Southwestern-themed Coronado Springs opened 20 years ago, aiming to capture the convention market.

Caribbean Beach Resort has been around since the late 1980s.

Both are Disney moderate resorts. Both hotels currently average about $209 a night.

spedicini@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5240; Twitter @SandraPedicini

spedicini@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5240; Twitter @SandraPedicini

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Disney World announces expansion at Coronado Springs, Caribbean Beach resorts - Orlando Sentinel

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After a few sips of the house special, you may start feeling those shiggidy vibes. Its best enjoyed with live soca music, a blend of soul and calypso, or while watching Mr. Xs fire-eating show. This local beach hangout is also a great spot to catch a green flash sunset, a brief but beautiful atmospheric phenomenon that makes the sinking sun appear bright green as it dips below the horizon. With a Shiggidy Jig in hand, the green flash will be even brighter.

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Sample the Green Bonaire, a neon green liquid made from the Kadushi cactus while relaxing under the factorys ancient Calbas trees. Or take a quick factory tour to learn how a cactus can lead to 80 proof alcohol, which involves a process of cutting the cactuss skin, drying the inner membrane in the sun for two days, and then combining the strips with yeast and sorghum (Bonaires only local grains). The original cocktail recipe made with this unique ingredient blends together Cadushy of Bonaire Liqueur, vodka and triple sec. Try it and then you can boast to friends and family about that time you drank a cactus. As for the taste? Somewhere between sweet and herbal, a neat taste of Cadushy is a flavor profile so unique that youll just have to try it yourself!

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Hailed as a juice box for adults, Papa Jac is sold commercially around the island in pouches. But next time youre in San Juan, walk past the vibrant colonial townhouses along the cobblestone streets toward Don Pablo to drink the cozy cocktail bars Papa Jac in its original Big Gulp-style cup.

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A Caribbean trip would be remiss without a taste of the rare, crimson liquor found only in Aruba, the island of twisty fofoti trees and pristine white beaches. Agave plant sap is used for the sweet liqour known as Coecoei, which is hard to find off the island. Experience what makes this 100-proof liquor so good in Arubas signature cocktail,the Ariba, which is a synthesis of Coecoei, rum, vodka and fruit juices. Its served in a tall glass mug to showcase the rainbow effect of the juices red, orange and yellow hues, which mingle to revitalize parched palettes. After one swig, dont be surprised if you find yourself buying bubble wrap to protect those bottles of Coecoei packed in your suitcase.

Theres no better way to celebrate the clear waters and hot sands of St. Maarten than with a Guavaberry Kir. The cocktail combines champagne and the locally made Guavaberry liqueur, which together form a fitting homage to the islands Euro-Caribbean roots. Guavaberry liqueur is made from oak aged rum, cane sugar and wild guavaberries grown on the island. The plump, grape-like Guavaberry not related to guava fruit grows on trees, ripening into orange and black varieties. Drop by the Guavaberry Emporium in the heart of Philipsburg to taste a piece of the islands heritage.

Black pineapples populate the island of Antigua and are used to garnish the popular cocktail found all over the islands cosmopolitan epicenter. The unusual fruit, which is actually green instead of black when ripened, are renowned for their distinct sweetness. But the most important ingredient in the Antigua Smile is Cavalier rum, which the Antigua Distillery Limited has been creating on the island since 1947. The clear rum is distilled from fermented molasses and aged a minimum of two years in American bourbon barrels to create the silky, mellow flavor that balances the crme de banana and pineapple juice in the islands native cocktail. No wonder its called an Antigua Smile!

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At Landhuis Chobolobo, a 19th-century mansion, you can learn about this favorite island alcohol and taste the different cocktail variations created by the in-house mixologists that cant be found anywhere else. But dont miss the chance to ask the bartender for an authentic Blue Lagoon, so that you can consider yourself a true connoisseur while relishing Curaaos cool sea breeze.

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Those who make the pilgrimage to Mount Gay Rum Visitors Centre, just north of Bridgetown Harbor, can enjoy the creations of the distillerys master blenders at its Bottomless Rum Punch Station. You cant go wrong with a Mount Gay Rum Punch, which blends the signature rum with grenadine, lime juice, simple syrup, angostura bitters and fresh grated nutmeg for a satisfying old-timey favorite. Bottoms up!

Explore a new culture and experience the thrill of making lifelong memories with friends and family when you set sail with Royal Caribbeanvoted Best Cruise Line for 14 years and counting by Travel Weekly readers. Mix up your next vacation and visit Royal Caribbean to plan your extraordinary adventure.

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The 8 Most Memorable Island Cocktails To Try On Your Next Caribbean Adventure - Huffington Post