Category Archives: Caribbean

Royal Caribbean (RCL) - Get Royal Caribbean Group Report returned to servicefrom the United Stateson July 2, 2021,with Freedom of the Seas sailing out of Miami. It was a celebratory trip, but with under 1,000 people on board and social distancing in place indoors as well as a mix of masked and unmasked venues, it was also clearly not normal.

Over the next nine months, protocol changes happened a lot. Mask rules loosened for vaccinated passengers, then they tightened again when omicron hit. Passengers had to prove they were vaccinated to board and show a negative test taken no more than two days before their cruise. Passenger counts rose slowly, but the presence of masks onboard (which were required) reminded passengers that while cruising was back, it wasn't fully.

During that period (March 4, 2022) Royal Caribbean debuted its latest biggest cruise ship in the world, Wonder of the Seas. It was a muted celebration to introduce something so special during such an odd period. But now, just a few months later, Wonder has its last U.S. sailing before heading overseas for a few months, and while some signs of the pandemic persist, Royal Caribbean has returned to near-normal operations.

Image Source: Daniel Kline/TheStreet

Since Royal Caribbean dropped its mandatory mask policy and has raised ship capacity to near-full, cruising has felt decidedly more like it did before the pandemic. You still have to wear a mask while checking in (the terminal falls under federal rules regarding transportation) and crew members and unvaccinated kids over 2 must wear masks, but aside from that, once you board there are few signs of the pandemic.

The final Wonder of the Seas sailing of the season from the U.S. left April 15 from Fort Lauderdale with something approaching a full load of passengers. The ship, however, has so many different areas that it rarely feels crowded.

An Oasis-class ship, Wonder of the Seas has both Central Park and the Boardwalk, two open-air areas that bustle with action during the busier parts of the day while offering tranquility later at night. Playmakers on the Boardwalk had a small crowd Saturday morning for some early Premier League soccer action (come on you Spurs!) while Central Park offered a classical guitarist playing in the evening hours.

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This tree-filled area hosts a number of specialty restaurants and while those eateries were bustling, the overall area was quiet at night. The wine bar adjacent to Giovanni's Italian restaurant, which offers a sampling of the eateries menu, held only a few passengers while the nearby Trellis Bar sat near-empty much of the night.

Image source: Daniel Kline/TheStreet

Wonder of the Seas has pretty much everything Royal Caribbean offers on any of its ships as well as a few new things. The Boardwalk and Central Park outdoor areas, while not new, remain remarkable. They do force Royal Caribbean to split the main pool deck in half, which makes the area seem a little bit less connected than its pool decks on Quantum-class ships.

The adults-only Solarium, which has a roof, never has much of a crowd and it offers multiple pool areas, hot tubs (which work decidedly better than the ones on older ships), a large bar and the Solarium Bistro, a sort of alternative buffet serving mildly healthier fare than what you get in Windjammer.

Near the Solarium, Royal Caribbean has added a bar cantilevered over the ocean. It's a crowded spot with open-air and stunning views. Broadly, the pool areas have enough bars to serve the crowds without passengers ever having to wait more than a minute or two.

The same can be said for the dining choices -- both free and paid. Free options like Boardwalk Doghouse, El Loco Fresh, the Solarium Bistro, and Park Cafe (in addition to the main dining room, Windjammer buffet, Sorrento's Pizza, and Cafe Promenade) make free dining varied and plentiful.

Wonder also has a near-endless array of entertainment with multiple music venues, a dedicated karaoke space, a piano bar, an Aquatheater, the main theater, and even a dedicated comedy club.

On a five-day cruise, you simply can't see it all (Wonder of the Seas generally sails 7-day itineraries), but if you accept that, the ship takes the Royal Caribbean experiencer to the next level. Add in the lack of masks, full crowd, and general relaxation of protocols, and it truly feels like sailing in the pre-pandemic world.

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What It's Like on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas (April 2022) - TheStreet

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOSOn Friday evening, Rwandan Paul Kagame arrived in Barbados, his latest stop in a whirlwind Caribbean tour. The meeting between Kagame and Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley highlights changing dynamics in both Africa and the Caribbean.

Americans and Europeans may primarily see Barbados as a vacation resort, but its diplomatic importance is far greater. Last September, 55-years to the day after winning independence from the United Kingdom, Barbados formally removed Queen Elizabeth II, inaugurated Sandra Mason as titular president and became a republic. No longer must locals register property deeds and transactions or argue court cases thousands of miles away. Barbados may be ahead of other former British colonies in the Caribbean, but it will not be the last. Anger about Britains colonial legacyand Londons deaf ear to itis growing across the region. Last month, for example, protests in Belize forced the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to cancel the first stop of a regional tour. In Barbados, locals admire Kagame for his unwillingness to sweep history under the rug. He has not allowed France to shirk accountability for its role in anti-Tutsi genocide, finally winning the French Presidents acknowledgement.

Kagames official purpose for visiting Jamaica and Barbados might be to prepare for hosting in Kigali the 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, but the symbolism of his trip goes further. What Caribbean nations sense but many in the United States and Europe do not understand is Kagames true legacy: While progressive groups criticize Kagame for various transgressions as often imagined as real, and as American, European politicians seek to act as both judge and jury, many in both Africa and the Caribbean recognize Kagame as a true anti-colonial figure.

Kagame, of course, is different than other anti-colonialists. He does not utilize the rhetoric of anti-colonialism to distract from accountability nor does he use anti-colonialism as a synonym for socialism or leftism, as the late Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe did. Rather, he seeks for Rwanda to engage as a partner rather than supplicant. By promoting free markets and reversing decades of dysfunctional corruption, he has transformed Africas densest country into an increasingly prosperous, educated society. Admiration for Rwandas economic success in the Caribbean and Africa juxtaposes increasingly with the irrationality of attitudes toward Rwanda among Wester progressives who claim to support independence and empowerment in theory, but then work to oppose it in practice.

Human rights advocacy has turned into an industry worth hundreds of millions of dollars with leaders who too often dictate like colonial governors and whose researchers live posh expatriate lives. Frustration is rife in the developing world as often these Western groups conflate advocacy with political agendas. Kagame empoweredsuccessfullya grassroots, community-based Gacaca justice system that brought accountability for tens of thousands of gnocidaires and enabled reconciliation at a time when the UN-sponsored tribunal convicted just 85 individuals at a cost of $1.3 billion. Had Kagame listened to Western activists, not only would many gnocidaires never face justice, but the continuing open wound would also likely have undercut reconciliation and the stability Rwanda enjoys today.

Other countries also appreciate Rwandas increasing power. Its military contributes almost as many UN peacekeepers to conflict zones as India, a country whose population is almost 100 times as high. Rwanda has also supplanted France as the stabilizing power in the Central African Republic, and has been the most successful force in Cabo Delgado, where Mozambique faces and Islamic State insurgency. Caribbean nations face real threatsconsider Venezuelas aggression against neighboring Guyana or criminal gangs in Haitibut have difficulty gaining meaningful attention or support from countries like the United States, Great Britain, or France who often posture as if they will protect regional stability, but do little. Successive U.S. administrations may make counterterrorism a priority, but Africans and Caribbean residents see the hypocrisy of both Democrats and Republicans who exculpate terrorists whose victims are black.

Unfortunately, within the halls of the State Department, diplomacy remains ossified and lazy. Both Democratic and Republican administrations treat Africa as a backwater and the Caribbean as an afterthought. The mood is changing, however. Barbados increasingly seeks to renew its links to Africa, while China exploits the neglect elsewhere. The Rwanda-Barbados summit is a positive thing, but it should also be a warning: For the United States, neither neglect nor condescension are strategies upon which to build relationships. What Barbados sees in Rwanda is the type of strength and respect that its ties to the United States increasingly lack.

Now a 1945 Contributing Editor, Dr. Michael Rubin is a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Dr. Rubin is the author, co-author, and co-editor of several books exploring diplomacy, Iranian history, Arab culture, Kurdish studies, and Shiite politics, including Seven Pillars: What Really Causes Instability in the Middle East? (AEI Press, 2019); Kurdistan Rising (AEI Press, 2016); Dancing with the Devil: The Perils of Engaging Rogue Regimes (Encounter Books, 2014); and Eternal Iran: Continuity and Chaos (Palgrave, 2005).

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US Neglect in Africa and the Caribbean has a Price - 19FortyFive

April 28-May 1: SunFest, waterfront art and music festival, 100 S. Clematis St., West Palm Beach, sunfest.com

April 30-May 1: Fort Lauderdale Air Show, featuring the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, Fort Lauderdale Beach, fortlauderdaleairshow.com

May 4-8: Key West Songwriters Festival, various events and venues, keywestsongwritersfestival.com

May 6-7: Boca Bacchanal Wine and Food Festival, presented by Boca Raton Historical Society, bocabacchanal.com

The Jupiter Lighthouse (Scott Fisher / Sun Sentinel)

May 6: Outstanding Natural Area Day at Jupiter Lighthouse, includes 2-for-1 entry, 500 Captain Armours Way, Jupiter, 561-747-8380, jupiterlighthouse.org

May 14: Stock Island Art Stroll, Stock Island Arts District, Florida Keys, ilovestockisland.org

May 20: Viernes Culturales Arts and Culture Festival in Little Havana, featuring food vendors and live entertainment, 801 SW 15th Ave., Miami, 305-643-5500, viernesculturales.org

May 21: Ocean Brews & Blues Beer Fest, 149 SE 21st Ave., Deerfield Beach, deerfield-beach.com/1601/Ocean-Brews-Blues

May 21: Downtown Hollywood ArtWalk, featuring live entertainment and an artisan market, Hollywood Boulevard and Harrison Street, floridashollywood.org/ArtWalk

May 27-30: Home Design & Remodeling Show, Palm Beach County Convention Center, 650 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach, homeshows.net

May 28-29: Miami Beach Air & Sea Show, featuring watersports, display village, kids fun zone, live music by 3 Doors Down, pyro-parachute demonstrations from the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team and fireworks, usasalute.com

May 28-Sept. 5: Flotsam Fauna exhibit, featuring wildlife art made with flip flops and other debris picked up on South Florida shores. The sculptures are provided by Free Our Seas, a South Florida environmental organization. Flamingo Gardens, 3750 S. Flamingo Road, Davie, 954-473-2955, flamingogardens.org

A hot air balloon goes up for a tethered flight at the 2020 Up Up and Away Florida Hot Air Balloon Festival. The festival returns to the Lakeland Linder International Airport in May. (Patrick Connolly / Orlando Sentinel)

May 6-8: Hot Air Balloon festival, with entertainment, balloon and helicopter rides, Lakeland Linder International Airport, upupandawayflorida.com

May 14-15: Vero Beach Seafood Festival, Riverside Park, 3258 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach, verobeachseafoodfestival.com

May 21-22: Vero Beach Arts & Crafts Festival, 3280 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach, paragonfestivals.com/festival/vero-beach-arts-crafts-festival

May 21: Festival Latino, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala, ocalamarion.com/events/latino-festival-downtown-ocala

May 26-29: Jacksonville Jazz Festival, featuring United States Air Force Airmen of Note and others, jacksonvillejazzfest.com

May 7: Great Dock Canoe Race, featuring fun water events, 845 12th Ave. S. Naples, 239-825-1228

May 12: Evening on Fifth, featuring live entertainment on the sidewalks of the Fifth Avenue South shopping and dining district, 649 Fifth Ave. South, Naples, 239-692-8436, fifthavenuesouth.com

May 22: Naples Philharmonic and Naples Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples, artisnaples.org

May 27: Limn Dance Company with Naples Philharmonic, Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples, artisnaples.org

May 5-8: Southern Shakespeare Festival, Tallahassee, southernshakespearefestival.org/free-festival/#

May 14-22: Soul of The Southside Arts and Humanities Festival, Lake Anita, Tallahassee, sosfesttlh.com

MooMba Beach on Aruba will host many of the shows at Soul Beach music festival on Aruba, May 25-30. (Mark Gauert)

April 30-6: Antigua Sailing Week, sailingweek.com

May 13-18: Grenada Chocolate Fest, grenadachocolatefest.com

May 25-30: Soul Beach music festival in Aruba, featuring Mary J. Blige and others, soulbeach.net

May 27-29: Festival de la Pia Paradisaca, including live entertainment, vendors with pineapples and other foods, Lajas, Puerto Rico, discoverpuertorico.com/article/annual-festivals-puerto-rico

May 28: Puerto Rico Rum Festival, Taste of Rum, includes rum and rum seminars, Old San Juan, tasteofrums.com

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Travel calendar: May events and festivals throughout Florida and the Caribbean - South Florida Sun Sentinel

Vanessa Bryant and her daughters flew off to the Caribbean to enjoy a special Easter celebration.

On Monday, April 18, the proud mama shared a series of photos on Instagram from a vacation to Anguilla over the weekend with her daughters Natalia, 19, Bianka, 5, and Capri, 2.

Instead of your usual Easter celebration, the family chose to celebrate Easter Sunday while enjoying the beach in the Caribbean.

But, even though they were in a tropical location, the girls still fully celebrated the holiday. Bianka and Capri were pictured decorating Easter eggs and receiving a special visit from the Easter bunny himself. In one ridiculously adorable picture from their trip, Vanessa and Bianka give each other a peck, which Bryant captioned, Easter kisses

Anyone who follows the Bryant family already knows they like to celebrate, so it should come as no surprise that they started their Easter celebrations early with a trip to Disney California Adventure Park last week.

Another outing for Natalia came last weekend, when the teenager was in attendance at the wedding of Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz. Natalia was seen wearing a plunging teal Roberto Cavalli gown paired with a silver clutch purse and matching heels. She finished the mature look with a braided ponytail.

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Vanessa Bryant takes daughters to the Caribbean for an Easter vacation - HOLA! USA

On March 29, Shillin informed pretrial services he was invited to a stay in Antigua as part of a conference hosted by his employer, Best Version Media. He explained he didnt plan to go but was being pressured to by his employer because it wanted him to be a presenter at the conference.

On March 30, his attorney asked the officer of the court and assistant U.S. attorney assigned to the case if they would support his request to travel for his work conference. He was told that neither party would support his travel request, according to court documents.

On April 1, Shillin emailed the officer of the court and his defense counsel that his employer was fine with not pressuring him to travel anymore as long as his girlfriend, Ashley Romatoski, could attend events instead of him. Shillin notified them that Romatoski would be making the trip to Antigua and asked whether there would be an issue with her using their joint checking account while abroad.

On April 9, the officer of the court received notification that Shillin had been stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Cyril E. King International Airport in St. Thomas while he was attempting to travel home, according to court documents. He and his girlfriend allegedly traveled to St. Thomas on April 4 and stayed five nights at the Emerald Beach Resort.

Shillin had a ticket to board a Sun Country flight bound for San Juan, Puerto Rico, then Minneapolis. The officer of the court advised that Shillin should be allowed to continue his travel home and Shillin was directed to notify the officer upon his return home and report to the U.S. Pretrial Services Office on the morning of April 11, according to the court documents.

Shillin was a registered representative and broker with Raymond James from 2014to 2018 and served in the same roles at Alliance Global Partners from 2018to 2020, according to his report on the Financial Industry Regulatory Authoritys BrokerCheck website.

On Nov. 18, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin entered apartial judgmentagainst Shillin in acivil actionthat was filed by the SEC on Sept. 23, charging him with defrauding at least 100 clients.

According to the SECs complaint, Shillin, while acting as an advisor, fabricated documents and made misrepresentations to clients, many of whom were older adults.

Shillin was the subject of 37 client disputes, according tohis BrokerCheck report. All were filed after he was terminated by Raymond James on May 21, 2018, and resigned from AGP on Oct. 2, 2020, while under investigation for alleged securities violations. In the disputes, many of which are still pending, Shillin was accused of making a diverse array of misrepresentations to clients.

In December, Shillin was barred from the industry by FINRA after he refused to produce information or documents or give on-the-record testimony as requested by FINRA staff.

The SEC issued anorderin January permanently barring Shillin from the financial services industry.

(Image: Shutterstock)

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Barred Brokers Probation Revoked After Unauthorized Caribbean Trip - ThinkAdvisor

Sea urchins are dying across the Caribbean at a pace scientists say could rival a mass die-off that last occurred in 1983, alarming many who warn the trend could further decimate already frail coral reefs in the region.

Dive shops first began reporting the deaths in February, perplexing scientists and worrying government officials who are receiving a growing number of reports about dying sea urchins from islands including Antigua, St. Lucia, Dominica, Jamaica, St. Vincent, Saba and the U.S. Virgin Islands as well as Cozumel in Mexico.

"It's very concerning, particularly because it's happening so quickly," said Patricia Kramer, a marine biologist and program director of the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment, a scientific collaboration to improve reef conditions in the region.

At first, the mortality event was linked only to black sea urchins Diadema antillarum which are recognizable by their extremely long, skinny spines. But two other species have since been affected, including the rock boring sea urchin and the West Indian sea egg.

The deaths worry Kramer and other scientists including Dana Wusinich-Mendez, Atlantic-Caribbean team lead for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's coral reef conservation program: "Losing our sea urchins would be really devastating."

The deaths are of concern because sea urchins are herbivores known for being efficient grazers that remove macro algae from coral reefs and clear space for baby sea corals to attach themselves, the two scientists said.

"They're kind of the unsung heroes of the reefs because they do so many good things," Kramer said.

While macro algae are an important source of food and shelter for some fish, too many of them can degrade coral reefs that are under stress by warmer-than-average ocean temperatures and a disease known as stony coral tissue loss.

Overfishing across the Caribbean already had led to a greater abundance of macro algae, which was kept in check by sea urchins that are now dying, said Shamal Connell, an officer with St. Vincent and the Grenadines' Fisheries Service who oversees research.

"It's very urgent that we find a solution," he said.

The Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment recently helped create a network to investigate the deaths, analyze tissue samples and find solutions. It includes the Florida-based Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute and nearly two dozen groups in the Caribbean and U.S.

Kramer noted that very few black sea urchin populations recovered from the 1983 event that began in the Atlantic Ocean near the Panama Canal and spread northward and then eastward over the next 13 months.

During that time, only the black sea urchin was affected, with 90% or more of the population dying, though at a much slower rate than the current event, she said.

"Just when we're getting to the point where they're recovering, they're dying," Kramer said.

The U.S. Virgin Island of St. Thomas was the first to report the newest round of deaths in February, although it's unclear whether that's where the event started.

In mid-March, the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba reported similar deaths, noting that 50% of the sea urchin population in its harbor was dead a week later. Officials in Saba said they have around 200 sea urchins in a nursery and are gathering information about the new mortality event, adding that they are treating some with antibiotics that might cure them or prevent them from getting sick.

Meanwhile, Monique Calderon, a fisheries biologist with the government of St. Lucia, said scientists on the eastern Caribbean island are considering launching their own survey to get more details about where the sea urchins are dying and why.

"When the last die-off occurred in the 1980s, the sampling done wasn't robust enough to determine what the issue was exactly, what might have caused it," Calderon said, adding that she hopes to find an explanation with improved technology.

She said dive shops in St. Lucia and other Caribbean islands have reported ocean floors littered with sea urchin spines or sea urchins floating in the water when they are normally anchored to a reef via hydraulic structures known as tube feet. Divers also have found dying sea urchins with droopy spines or with their white skeletons poking through their bodies.

The loss of sea urchins comes amid coral bleaching events resulting from high ocean temperatures and the presence of a disease known as stony coral tissue loss that has affected more than 30 coral species in nearly two dozen countries and territories in the Caribbean, according to the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment program.

Coral reefs also provide protection from rising seas and storm surges generated by hurricanes that have grown more powerful with global warming, and they are a key attraction for a region that relies heavily on tourism.

"We worry that a real crisis is developing in the Caribbean," the Diadema Response Network stated in a recent report on the loss of sea urchins.

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Mysterious die-off of sea urchins in the Caribbean is "very concerning," scientists say - CBS News

Royal Caribbean has trademarked a lot of interesting names over the last couple of years, and perhaps these could be a hint at future projects they have planned.

In the cruise industry, Royal Caribbean has secured a spot for itself as a market innovator. They have consistently used technology and lessons learned from previous innovations to create new onboard experiences that capture the attention of the cruising public.

It began with adding a rock climbing wall to cruise ships, but has since graduated to AquaTheaters, North Star, Bionic Bar, Ultimate Abyss, and much more.

Royal Caribbean is on theverge of launching a brand new class of cruise ship with Icon of the Seas, and there's still another Oasis Class ship to go. While we wont know what Royal Caribbean has up their sleeve until they announce something, perhaps trademark filings will give us a clue of what to expect.

I went through the last two years of trademark applications to see which names stand out as sounding like they could be really cool.

It's important to note that just because Royal Caribbean trademarks a name, doesn't mean it will be used for anything. Moreover, I know nothing more than anyone else outside of Royal Caribbean, so these names could all end up being something completely different or not relevant at all.

So in the interest of purely day dreaming, here's my picks for names Royal Caribbean trademarked that just sound enticing.

Earlier this year, Royal Caribbean trademarked "cruiseverse" and while I don't think this will be a ship-based experience, it sounds very different.

Usually trademark applications are quite vague, but this one had more details about what the cruise line intends to do with it.

It's meant for "virtual cruise ship services" and is described as featuring, "operating a virtual cruise ship ship vessel featuring virtual cafes, restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, and virtual excursions."

Whether or not this is meant for an online world, or something totally different, you have to admit this is more than just a new water slide.

In early 2021, Royal Caribbean trademarked "AquaDome" under the generic category of "Cruise ship services Restaurant and bar services"

Breaking apart the name, we have "aqua" and "dome", which seems to infer something involving water and a rounded structure.

Royal Caribbean likes to use the word "aqua" in the name of a few of its existing onboard features:

Royal Caribbean trademarked the name of what sound like brand new water slides in December 2021.

The new trademarks included:

Pressure Drop seems the most exciting of the bunch, and it could point to new water slides for its cruise ships or on its private islands.

When I read the trademark for "Playaway Park", I immediately thought of Splashaway Bay since the names sound similar.

Splashaway Bay is an aqua park for kids on many cruise ships. Playaway Park sounds like it could be the name of a dry playground for kids.

Could "Absolute Zero" be the name of a new ice bar?

Ice bars are a fad on land and on some other cruise lines, where the bar is cooled to such a low temperature the bar is made of ice and guests usually have to wear jackets to enter.

Norwegian Cruise Line has an ice bar on the Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Escape.

Perhaps Royal Caribbean is considering its own version of a chilly drink venue.

In the grand scheme of trademarked names, I think this is my favorite sounding name.

Given that it's a play on words from Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, I have to think it's some kind of tall activity.

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6 Royal Caribbean trademarks that sound like they could be really cool things - Royal Caribbean Blog

Celebrity cruises are nothing new, and neither is Celebrity Cruises.

If youre confused, thats completely understandable. Well clear it up.

A celebrity cruise is any cruise ship that is oriented around a well-known figure or musical artist. Its a chance for their fans to gather as community, mingle, meet new friends, maybe meet one of their favorite personalities or comedians, and maybe watch some musical performances.

Basketball legend Shaquile ONeal is Carnival's (CCL) - Get Carnival Corporation Reportfirst Chief Fun Officer, and hes been onboard several cruises where hes coached several onboard basketball games, in which passengers won a free cruise.

Oprah Winfrey, the Queen of All Media, has been the celebrity godmother to Holland America since 2017, and shes been onboard O, The Oprah Magazine-inspired sailings that features cooking and medication.

Classic rock groups such as Kiss and younger artists like Paramore have also had their own cruise ships, as have, wildly, the bookish indie rockers Belle and Sebastian. And superstar DJs such as Armand Van Helden and Zedd have dropped the bass on the Holy Ship cruise.

These sort of excursions can help the cruise industry draw in a different crowd, especially ones that are younger and might be included to think of cruising as something their parents do.

Then, there is Celebrity Cruises, which is a Miami-based cruise line owned by Royal Caribbean (RCL) - Get Royal Caribbean Group Report. It focus on modern, trend-conscious expeditions, rather than on the more family-oriented trips that their parent company is known for. Theyre usually a bit more expensive than the industry average, as the company bills itself as a premium experience, with Michelin-starred restaurants and luxury suites.

Now, Celebrity Cruises dont necessarily tend to feature an actual celebrity, which is admittedly confusing.

But now, is has announced a partnership with a very well-known celebrity, and their somewhat controversial lifestyle brand.

Celebrity Cruises has announced that it will partner with actress Gwyneth Paltrow and their somewhat controversial lifestyle brand goop.

The actresss lifestyle brand first partnered with the cruise line January 2020, curating fitness kits, on-demand wellness classes on stateroom TVs and a custom smoothie, and Paltrow became the Celebrity's Well-being Advisor in April 2021.

Obviously, COVID-19 got in the way of any plans the parties may have had. But now, some of goops most high-profile wellness-experts will set sail for a series of four Caribbean outings for whats being called goop at Sea, starting with a voyage from Barcelona to the French Rivera onboard the Celebrity Beyondthis fall.

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The ships will feature workshops from goops army of wellness experts and personal trainers, and Paltrow will be interviewing wellness experts onstage and take questions on the inaugural outing.

There will also be tastings, product trials, on-demand fitness classes, massages, and Goop curated gifts and surprises.

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Vanity Fair/TS

In addition to the Celebrity Beyond maiden voyage, there are four other ships taking part in the goop at sea program.

The wellness movement has helped people center themselves and get healthier, but there are always people who are going to roll their eyes at that sort of thing.

In particular, goop has been criticized for recommending wildly expensive products that make the brand come off as elitist, such as a $4,700 juicer or a $12,000 vase.

The company has also been lambasted for selling products that some experts have deemed unsafe. Notoriously, several years ago the company offered "Jade Egg" meant to increase sexual health for women. Doctors recommended using the products, and the company had to settle for $145,000 when those claims were proved untrue.

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Royal Caribbean Has an Interesting New Celebrity Partner - TheStreet

After a two-year operational pause, the Voyager of the Seas is officially resuming service today. The 1999-built vessel is welcoming guests back in Spain for a repositioning cruise to Northern Europe.

The nine-night itinerary departs from Barcelona and features stops in five additional destinations including Copenhagen, Denmark, where the cruise is set to end on Apr. 15.

Before arriving at the final port, the Voyager is also visiting Cartagena, Gibraltar, Lisbon and Amsterdam.

Following the repositioning voyage, the vessel is set to offer a summer season in Northern Europe, with itineraries to the Baltic Sea and Scandinavia.

The seven- to 11-night cruises feature visits to several countries in the region, such as Sweden, Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Poland and Norway.

Continuing its return program, the 3,100-guest vessel is crossing the Atlantic in September, for a series of seven-night cruises that sail from Boston to a variety of ports in Canada and New England.

The ship then repositions to the Caribbean in November, offering Southern and Eastern Caribbean cruises from Puerto Rico during the 2022-2023 season.

The operations mark the return of the Voyager to Europe and North America after nearly ten years sailing in Asia and the Pacific.

For the past decade, the ship had been offering cruises in the Far East, in addition to seasonal programs in Southeast Asia and Australia.

The Voyager of the Seas originally entered service in 1999 as the first in a series of five vessels known as the Voyager Class.

Once the biggest cruise ship of the world, it introduced several innovations including an ice-skating rink, a rock-climbing wall and the 100-meter-long Royal Promenade a shopping, dining and entertainment boulevard.

Extensively refurbished over the years, the 140,000-ton vessel was subjected to a $97-million refit in 2019.

As part of the Royal Amplified program, a fleet modernization effort built on research and guest feedback, the ship received new features, redesigned spaces and new cabins.

Additions included 72 new inside and balcony staterooms, a Suite Lounge, the Perfect Storm duo of racer waterslides, the Planet Z laser tag and more.

Continuing its restart program, Royal Caribbean will add the four ships to the active lineup in April. In addition to the Voyager, the Spectrum of the Seas, the Serenade of the Seas and the Radiance of the Seas

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Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas Resumes Service in Europe - Cruise Industry News

It has taken a few years, delayed by the pandemic, but formal Maxi yacht racing is coming to the Caribbean, considerably increasing the competitive opportunities sailors have to race their sleek monohull behemoths that can reach 100 feet long.

Les Voiles de St. Barth Richard Mille, which begins on Sunday, will join the inaugural I.M.A. Caribbean Maxi Challenge, a four-stop event created to increase the participation of Maxis in those regattas and draw more Maxis to the Caribbean sailing circuit.

Maxi sailors are really excited because this increases the standards and quality, and the number of regattas they can sail, said Benot de Froidmont, president of the International Maxi Association. Now we will have proper starts and courses.

And more opportunities to sail their boats, which are expensive to maintain and cost as much as $10 million owners want to get as much out of their boats as possible. The biggest sin is to let these boats just sit, said Ken Keefe, a former Americas Cup sailor who manages and sails on Vesper, a Maxi 72.

After a two-year pause for many regattas around the world because of the pandemic, sailors are excited about the new series, Keefe said. But many are also practicing a degree of restraint because of Covid and the war in Ukraine.

Everyone is still a little shellshocked coming out of Covid, he said. We are all counting our blessings, but are more reserved this year we wont be dancing on tables. But the overall feeling is: Lets get back to sailing, lets get the band back together.

Modeled after the races in the Mediterranean Maxi circuits, the Caribbean challenge invites Maxis over 60 feet long to compete February through May at the Caribbean 600 in Antigua, the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, Les Voiles de St. Barth, and at Antigua Sailing Week.

To qualify for the series, sailors must compete in a minimum of two of the events, though this may eventually be increased to three once the circuit is better established, said James Boyd, an I.M.A. spokesman. Teams that compete in more than two events get to discard their worst result.

Technically, the addition of the Caribbean Maxi Challenge adds to I.M.A.-sanctioned Maxi events, but not all Maxi sailors were planning on sailing all four of the Caribbean events. Many will sail in just two or three and win on cumulative performance points, de Froidmont said.

Keefe, who manages logistics for Vesper, which includes transporting the boat around the world, said it would be possible to do all four of the Caribbean regattas and still take part in the Mediterranean sailing seasons.

It can work out to move these boats around and boat in nice places and do it in a safe manner, Keefe said. The trick is to get the boat out of the Caribbean as soon as the series ends to avoid the hurricane season.

The first stop of the series was the Caribbean 600 in Antigua. Comanche, a 100-foot Verdier design, won the regatta, followed by the VO65 Sailing Poland and the VO70 I Love Poland.

Conditions were challenging. One sailor told the I.M.A website that the race was one of the hardest in the world.

It is like a heavyweight boxing match the lefts and the rights just keep coming at you and you wait for that knockout punch, said Richard Clarke, a tactician for Warrior Won. No lead is safe until the very end.

The Russian-owned Comanche, a recent trans-Atlantic ocean race winner and a dominating presence in regattas, withdrew from the Caribbean Maxi Challenge after World Sailing, the sports governing body, banned Russian participation because of the war in Ukraine. Skorpios, a ClubSwan 125 Maxi yacht, also withdrew under similar circumstances.

Theres an awareness of whats going on in Ukraine, Keefe said. The Russians have touched our sport in a strange way.

The second stop, the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, held in early March, was four days of racing. Sailing Poland took first, Janssen de Jong-DutchSail second and I Love Poland third.

The third stop is the Les Voiles de St. Barth, and the fourth and final is Antigua Sailing Week, which starts April 30.

The winners of Maxi racing receive only a trophy and bragging rights. It remains an ancient sport, de Froidmont said. There is no prize money, just very passionate people who enjoy the challenge.

The number of Maxis competing has increased over the past several years, he said, and should continue to rise.

Boyd, the I.M.A. spokesman, said it might take a few years to build a deep fleet for the Caribbean Maxi Challenge.

This is the first year, he said, so we imagine it will take a few years for this to gain traction fully. Nonetheless, we are pleased with the Maxi turnout.

The Maxi participation in Les Voiles de St. Barth is also looking strong with I.M.A. members participating from both sides of the Atlantic, Boyd added. Twelve Maxis are scheduled to race.

Currently leading the series is the VO70 I Love Poland ahead of the Farr 100 Leopard 3.

But neither is competing in St. Barth, so it could be that we will see some new teams move into the lead after St Barth and Antigua, Boyd said.

We have some incredible competition this year, said Keefe, who has won the Voiles de St. Barth four times. I cant wait.

Excerpt from:

The (Really) Big Boats Have Arrived - The New York Times