Category Archives: Caribbean

The Anthem of the Seas docks in Bayonne in February of 2020. Photo by Daniel Israel

The Anthem of the Seas docks in Bayonne in February of 2020. Photo by Daniel Israel

Bayonne has modified its agreement with Royal Caribbean International regarding the cruise lines vaccination policy.

Currently, the Oasis of the Seas and the Anthem of the Seas are the two Royal Caribbean ships that regularly sail out of the Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne. However, only the Anthem of the Seas was included in the original agreement.

At its November meeting, the City Council approved a resolution updating the memorandum of agreement between the city, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Royal Caribbean, to include another ship in the agreement and to lower the vaccination age requirement for all passengers.

Law Director Jay Coffey told the Bayonne Community News that the resolution will require that both of the ships operating out of the city be included in the agreement. Additionally, the resolution lowers the vaccination requirement in the agreement to cover all passengers age 12 and up.

[Royal Caribbean] was changing their protocols, Coffey said. They used to require anyone age 18 and over to be vaccinated. They changed their protocols to over the age of 12, in order to travel, you have to be vaccinated.

Controlling health regulations

Coffey said the initial agreement was signed to allow Bayonne to assist Royal Caribbean in implementing COVID-19 health protocols. According to the resolution, the agreement aims to ensure the cruise lines port and cruise operations are compliant with virus mitigation guidelines.

Theres an agreement between Royal Caribbean and the city that when they dock, they become subject to our health officers ability to control the situation, Coffey said. If theres a situation that requires the health officer to interpose herself, then this is the agreement that says: This is what we are requiring.

In a generalized example, Coffey said that if there was an unvaccinated passenger attempting to board, the city would assist Royal Caribbean in preventing that passenger from boarding the ship. Health Officer Michele OReilly would intervene on behalf of the city in the interest of the public health.

Everybody over the age of 12 is to be vaccinated, Coffey said. So she would have the authority to say that person cant board the ship. All it is, is Royal Caribbean acknowledging our control over health regulations that we can help them implement. Its really just two simple changes: adding the new ship to the coverage, its going to dock out of here; and then changing their rules from over the age of 18 to over the age of 12.

The road back to normalcy

The lowering of the vaccination age requirement coincides with the emergency use authorization of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Pfizer vaccine for those age 5 to 11 at the end of October of this year. While the amended Royal Caribbean vaccine requirement does not yet extend to this age group, the agreement can and will likely be amended again to do so in the future, according to the resolution.

The council voted unanimously to approve the resolution amending the agreement, which was first signed in May of this year. However, Royal Caribbean only recently began sailing out of Bayonne again thisSeptember.

It appears the city is staying on top of the cruise line when it comes to virus prevention, not forgetting the false alarm that scared the city when the Anthem of the Seas docked in Bayonne in February of 2020, carrying what would have been the first cases of COVID-19 in New Jersey if the sick passengers tested positive. In the end, they all tested negative and crisis was averted temporarily for a month until March, when the pandemic exploded.

Now, things continue to return to some sense of normalcy as the vaccine and booster shots are widely available to the public. The amended vaccine policy is just another step in that direction as more age groups become eligible for the jab, that is, if the Omicron variant doesnt set everything back.

For updates on this and other stories, check http://www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at disrael@hudsonreporter.com.

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Bayonne updates agreement with Royal Caribbean regarding vaccination policy - The Hudson Reporter

News Americas, KINGSTON, Jamaica, Monday, November 29, 2021. Prime Minister of Bahamas, Philip Davis, will join CEOs, entrepreneurs, investors, policy makers and tech community leaders next week for the first annual, Future of Caribbean Money, (FOCMNY).

The event is being presented by SiliconCaribe and is set for December 8 and 9th, 2021.

Were happy to have just over 30 Caribbean and global speakers, who are peoplerepresenting businesses and organisations already re-imagining and reshaping how Caribbean people, make, manage and invest their money using technologieslike blockchain, cryptocurrency, NFTs eCommerce, digital payments, said Ingrid Riley, founder of SiliconCaribe, the digital media and events company that organised the event.

Over 10 panels, fireside chats and masterclasses, entrepreneurs, executives, creatives and the digitally curious will learn about current financial technology and digital trends, hear success stories and get actionable data and insights.

While the event is 98% virtual, there will also be an in person aspect to the conferencefor 50 vaxxed people in Nassau, Bahamas at headquarters of a women-led Crypto Startup called Crypto Isle.

It is time we amplify the knowledge and broaden the discussion around blockchain and crypto as an engine for Caribbean economic development. said Dr Jillian Bethel, co-founder of Crypto Isle. This is why were excited to also have the Bahamian Minister of Economic Development, Michael B. Halkitis joining us for this event.

Organizers say the event is timely, as the world and the Caribbean continues to experience unprecedented digital acceleration which has presented an abundance of disruptions and opportunities, and as 2022 approaches.

This is great way to get prepared of who and whats coming next. We are helping people to understand the current digital trends growing in the Caribbean & World and to be able to spot and act on fresh business and career opportunities, Riley added.

Over 250 attendees, from 15 Caribbean countries in addition to the US and Uk have already registered to attend the virtual event which uses the Hopin Platform. The event which has over 40 Caribbean and global companies represented is sponsored by brands such as Microsoft, First Atlantic Commerce andSimplified Lending.

SiliconCaribe has been in the Caribbean Tech and Startup ecosystem for over 10 years and has produced over 300 events for startups, company executives,investors, digital creatives and early technology. More information about registration and tickets can be had about this Future of Caribbean Money (FOCMNY) Event online atwww.focmny.com

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The Future Of Caribbean Money Is In The Spotlight - Caribbean and Latin America Daily News - News Americas

Indian Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said his country was prepared to send COVID-19 vaccines to Latin American and Caribbean countries. He said India is ready to supply Covishield (Oxford Astrazenecas vaccine made in India) and Covaxin (manufactured by an Indian Pharmaceutical Company).

India was the first nation to come to Caribbean countries with COVID-19 vaccines. Many countries in the region started their vaccination efforts with the help of Indias Vaccine Maitri initiative, which has given vaccines to low-income countries worldwide.

Many Caribbean countries such as St Kitts and Nevis, Guyana, St Lucia, Grenada and Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda benefited from Indias vaccine initiative.

Explaining Indias strategy to combat Covid-19, the Minister of Health spoke about the six vaccines accepted in the country.

As per to a declaration from the Indian Ministry of Health around 1.2 billion doses were given in the worlds second-most populous country, the data showed that 82 per cent of Indians took at least one dose of vaccination, and 44 percent of Indians were fully vaccinated.

India was capable of combating Covid-19 under an entire government approach, where provincial and local administration put a foundation for the aims of the Government of India, Mandaviya stated.

India is inspired by the theory of Vasudaiva Kutumbakam, which motivated us to supply Covid-19 vaccines, hydroxychloroquine and other pharmaceutical demands to all our friends. Moreover, India is ready to provide Covishield and Covaxin to all current countries, Mandaviya told the media.

Mutual recognition of vaccines raises the travel condition for tourism and business, thus increasing the financial recovery that the entire so desperately requires, the minister stated.

With its expertise in information technology, India immediately introduced the CoWIN platform for its vaccination program. He said India had shared the technology with partners and would help all countries build their vaccines.

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indias health care is seeing a revolutionary change that its friends can take benefit from, the Indian health minister said.

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India wishes to send more vaccines to Caribbean and Latin America: Indian Health Minister - WIC News

Sandals Emerald Bay in the Bahamas. Sandals Emerald Bay

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While northern golfers grumble their way through ever-thickening leaf piles as autumn tightens its grip on their local courses, many islands are just swinging toward high season.

Of course, island golf can apply to courses and resorts from the Maldives to Hawaii to Scotland and Japan. Still, to tee off with more focus, well hone in on the western Atlantic ranging from the southern Caribbean north to Bermuda.

In keeping with the traditions of friendly locals living on island time, such golf experiences offer beautiful courses played at a relaxed pace. No one is going to rush out on a course in Jamaica to tell you to tuck in your shirt. Youd be hard-pressed to find a Bahamian ready to yell at you for slow play. You head to island golf to enjoy the game, the sun, and the vibe.

Five Forts Golf ClubBermuda

The newest arrival among the stars of Bermuda golf, Five Forts Golf Club is attached to the brand new St. Regis Bermuda Resort. While the paint dries on the immaculate new hotel, full service spa, and BLT Steak NY restaurant, the 18-hole track right outside the front door offers countless ocean views and a glimpse of Fort St. Catherine, the nearest of the five titular fortifications left behind by the forces of the British Empire.

Featuring a friendly, resort-golf design by the legendary Robert Trent Jones Jr., Five Forts is strictly an executive layout (no par fives) and offers players of any age or skill level a good shot at an enjoyable round. This season is primetime to get out and visit Five Forts before it lands on the global radar and becomes significantly more popular as a Bermuda luxury golf destination.

The Sandals Golf & Country Club in Ocho RiosJamaica

Featuring a more defiant challenge with narrow fairways and elevation changes some 700 feet above sea level, the Sandals Golf & Country Club invites players back for repeated rounds to master its 6,404 yard, par 71 design. Originally laid out by P.K. Saunders, the Ocho Rios space never wastes a view atop a cliffside green. The club also offers a practice range, putting green, chipping area, pro shop, restaurant, and snack shack at the turn.

Provo Golf ClubTurks and Caicos

For golfers, theres good news and bad news on Turks and Caicos. Sadly, there is only one golf course at a destination known more for its warm waters and white sand beaches. The good news is the Karl Litton-designed Provo Golf Club, is an excellent, full-length 18 holes that interacts beautifully with the local topography and islands. Be sure to stop off in the clubhouse restaurant after the 18th to chat with the mellow locals and to try the conch chowder.

Turtle Hill Golf ClubBermuda

A charming, 18-hole par three course, Turtle Hill is a pleasant journey through the realm of target golf. Get from tee to green cleanly, and youll score well. Hook, slice, or shank your way around the course, and itll be a scramble. Previously connected to the now-closed Fairmont Southampton, this Ted Robinson design remains in operation while new owners renovate the defunct hotel. Players should come prepared for all sorts of weather as Bermudian squalls mix with bright sunshine to change conditions hole to hole.

The Links at Royal IsabelaPuerto Rico:

Surviving changes in management and hurricanes that ravaged Puerto Ricos infrastructure, the Links at Royal Isabela is the prime attraction at a resort offering luxury villas within a wildlife-rich rainforest. Designed by the Pasarell brothers and Pete Dye-disciple David Pfaff, the Royal Isabela course brings elements of links golf with rolling hills and elevation changes to its seaside setting. Sure, you can head off to the resorts extensive tennis centerbut the golf course is a star.

The Mid Ocean ClubBermuda

A semi-private, full-length championship course, this Charles Blair Macdonald design opened in Tuckers Town, Bermuda, in 1921. Its historically known as a venue for major international eventssuch as a key post-World War II meeting of Dwight Eisenhower and Winston Churchill. Still golfers know the Mid Ocean Club for twice hosting the PGA Grand Slam of Golf tournament.

The course itself offers generous seaside views, challenging elevation changes, and enough blind shots to test a good golfers instincts. Its 18 holes encourage multiple visits.

Teeth of the DogDominican Republic

Known as one of designer Pete Dyes great masterpieces alongside Whistling Straits and TPC Sawgrass, Teeth of the Dog at the Casa de Campo Resort is a perennial fixture on Worlds Best course lists. Naturally, it bares its canines on any discussion of island golf.

Teeth of the Dog takes its name from the jagged shoreline studding the courses front nine. Before the turn, youll find Seven Heavenseven holes running along the wind-swept Atlantic that demand the player stop, take a photo and enjoy a deep breath of sea air.

Sandals Emerald BayThe Bahama

Designed by Sandals Golf Ambassador Greg Norman, Emerald Bay is another sun-soaked run taking full advantage of its seaside location on Exumas in the Bahamas. The back nine works its way around the appropriately colored resort adjacent bay. Though playing to a championship length and designed by a hall of famer, theres a casual Caribbean vibe permeating the course, and its staff never allows any uptight country club atmosphere to settle into the island air.

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The Top Island Courses in the Caribbean and Bermuda - Barron's

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC The Barbados-based Caribbean Climate Outlook Forum (CariCOF) says the potential for floods and cascading hazards should be moderate to high in the Caribbean from December to February next year.

In its latest publication, CariCOF said with La Nia conditions should be moderate to high in the Caribbean and Belize until December, and high in the coastal Guianas until early February.

La Nia is a weather pattern that occurs in the Pacific Ocean.

In this pattern, strong winds blow warm water at the ocean's surface from South America to Indonesia.

As the warm water moves west, cold water from the deep rises to the surface near the coast of South America.

CariCOF said that long-term drought is evolving in southern Belize and short-term drought in southeast Belize, Cayman Islands, Cuba, western Jamaica and northwest Puerto Rico.

Frequent, short dry spells are expected from Hispaniola westward, potentially affecting unprotected crops. On a bright note, seasonably cool temperatures and a low chance of particularly dry conditions will lead to the relatively slow depletion of water resources and the rate of increase in the fire potential.

CariCOF said that rainfall totals from December to February are likely to be at best as low as usual in the Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola and the US Caribbean territories, but at least as high as usual in the ABC islands, namely, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaao, Belize, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago

CariCOF said that moderate shorter-term drought has developed in Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados Belize, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Puerto Rico, and St. Barth's, while short term drought is evolving in Cayman Islands, Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico and may developat the end of February next year or continue in Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Jamaica, Martinique and Puerto Rico.

Long-term drought is evolving in southeast Belize and in Dominica and might possibly develop or continue in the Bahamas, Belize, Cuba, Martinique, Sint Maarten / St-Martin, St Vincent, and the United States Virgin islands until May next year.

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.

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La Nia conditions affecting weather pattern in Caribbean - Jamaica Gleaner

Life Between Islands is an exhibition of protests and pleasures, celebrations and insurrections. Several years in the making, and as important as it is timely as well as long overdue it is also an exhibition of arrivals, departures and returns. Filled with variety and complexity, the well- and lesser-known, the overlooked or rarely shown in this country, it takes us from pre-war London and the carved figures of Ronald Moody, to digital animation and an examination of successive regimes of punitive and restrictive immigration law from the 1800s to the present governments hostile environment policies, in a work by the Otolith Group.

An extensive catalogue fleshes out this milestone exhibition of around 50 artists. We visit the home of fictional political activist Joyce, in Michael McMillans simulacra of a 1970s West Indian front room. On the TV, Horace Ovs 1976 film Pressure plays. The first UK feature by a black director, it is a gritty appraisal of lives of the Windrush generation, and the difficulties faced by their British-born children.

Ovs photographs of the rise of the black power movement, as well as Neil Kenlocks images of riot shields and racist graffiti, and Vron Wares photographs for the anti-fascist Searchlight magazine, documenting the Black Peoples Day of Action in 1981, following the New Cross arson attack, which left 13 young people dead, are sobering reminders of a period of casual racism, bleak prospects of resistance and defiance and pleasures taken against the odds.

In a painting by Denzil Forrester, Winston Rose is dragged and half-carried through the street by uniformed police, hurried to his death in custody in 1981. Rose was a family friend. In Tam Josephs painting of the night following the death of Cynthia Jarrett during a police raid on her flat in 1985, we see figures at the lighted windows, and protesters silhouetted against a fire beneath the buildings. Josephs The Sky at Night is as much reportage as history painting, an event seen and grasped, as redolent as any documentary film or photography.

Another young man is beaten on a bed by his father, for speaking Creole rather than English, during a wonderfully evoked 1960s London house party, in a vertiginous scene from Isaac Juliens three-screen 2002 Paradise Omeros. With its scenes of the heavilypoliced Notting Hill carnivals of 1976 and 84, of riot and surveillance, with its voiceover and heavily mixed sound-system dub, Juliens earlier Territories, made in 1984 while he was still a student, is still haunting and filled with memorable images, more than 35 years since I first saw it.

Protest and resilience, anger and pleasure come together throughout the exhibition. The paintings by Aubrey Williams are filled with broken things, dismembered vertebrae and burned-out nature. Here, even the abstractions are deceptive the maps of Guyana and South America barely surface in Frank Bowlings paintings, and an entirely black, impassive painting by Donald Locke turns out to be an abstracted view of regular gridded fields in Guyana, part of the plantation structure imposed by Dutch and then British colonial rule. This is a geometry of oppression.

Tremors and violences are present throughout, although the exhibition is not without humour. In Lookalook, queer Barbadian artist Ada M Patterson stalks the streets of Bridgetown, dressed as a kind of mythological creature draped in black, their head-dress decorated with shells, inviting stares and comments, insults and laughter. This public masquerade is a taunt, in a deeply conservative society where colonial-era, anti-LGBTQ+ laws are still in place. In another work, they pose as a sea urchin, or possibly an echidna. It looks painful either way.

Blue Curry plays on the stereotypes of the Caribbean as a dumbed-down site for leisure and consumption. Currys row of airline seats soiled with spews of beach sand and shells, the fanciful headrests adorned with braided synthetic hair, is a giddy transport to a fantasy destination. Zak Ovs carnivalesque faces and figures, constructed from beached rope, mops and antique masks, play on the transgressive figures of Junkanoo carnival, as do Hew Lockes decorated busts one has the head of King Edward VII festooned in masonic regalia, almost to the point of smothering the monarch entirely in his decorations. Chris Ofilis taunting blue men, and his Napoleonic-era horsemen who morph into uniformed cops populate a threatening, saturated blue world. Both Ofili and Peter Doig have lived in Trinidad for well over a decade, and theres a beautiful section of the show highlighting Doigs creative dialogue with Derek Walcott, whose poems also inspired Juliens Paradise Omeros, and appears in the film.

Dialogues with the Caribbean are increasingly two-way. Throughout the exhibitions run, Ofilis 2003 Union Black flag, with the union colours replaced by the Pan-African red, black and green, will hang over Tate Britain. In part, it is a reminder of what has been called the Caribbeanisation of British culture and society, a society that grew out of an empire whose riches were derived from slavery to the Caribbean, which curator Alex Farquharson calls the economic and military centre of Britains first age of empire. Salutary, sobering, rich and rewarding, what a great and necessary show this is.

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Life Between Islands review: displaying the power and passion of Caribbean-British art - The Guardian

Are you someone who is loyal to Royal? If so, then you are likely already a member of the cruise lines Crown & Anchor Society.

While it sounds like some secret club at a private college, Crown & Anchor is Royal Caribbeans loyalty rewards program. Anyone can be a member and earn points for taking cruises. The more points you earn, the higher your status on the ship, which leads to more benefits and rewards.

Put simply, if you like to sail with Royal Caribbean, then the program can grant you all sorts of freebies like special gifts, discounts, and even free cruises.

Still, there is much more to know about the ins and outs of the program, including questions that many people have about how it works.

For more details on the Crown & Anchor Society and answers to frequently-asked questions, we have you covered below

Crown & Anchor is the name of Royal Caribbeans loyalty program for its cruise guests. With each cruise taken, passengers earn points with the program. The more points earned, the higher the status level within Crown & Anchor.

Earn high enough status and you can receive a number of freebies, rewards, and benefits. The perks can include everything from special discounts and rates on cruises to invites to member-only functions to free drinks, free cruises, and more.

Frankly, there is no reason not to sign up for Crown & Anchor. There is no cost to enroll, and you have the ability to earn a number of perks without doing anything extra. After all, if youre going to be taking a cruise anyway, then you may as well be rewarded for doing so.

If you want to sign up, you actually dont even have to do anything. New U.S. guests are automatically enrolled after their first cruise with Royal Caribbean. If you have sailed before on Royal Caribbean but arent a member, then you can call the company at 1-800-526-9723 (outside the U.S./Canada: 541-285-9723).

As well, you can visit the Loyalty Ambassador on your cruise to sign up. Just ask Guest Services for the location once onboard.

Its extremely simple to earn points toward status. All you have to do is take cruises. Members are awarded one point for every night sailed. So if you sail a seven-night cruise, then you earn seven points. A three-night trip is worth three points.

There is one tweak to know you earn double points if you sail in suite accommodations. So book a suite on a week-long cruise and youll earn 14 points instead of just seven.

In addition, we have seen promotions from Royal Caribbean from time to time that award double points for any sailing as an incentive to book.

No. There is no mention of points expiring or losing status due to not sailing the cruise line for an extended period. In fact, we personally have points going back nearly a decade from past cruises.

Obviously it can take years to build up enough points to earn the higher status levels. Having points that expire would make this incredibly difficult to do. Thankfully, its not something members have to worry about.

In total, there are six levels within Crown & Anchor. Each level comes with more benefits. All members start out at Gold level, with the highest rank being the Pinnacle Club.

No matter what level you reach, there are some benefits awarded to your status. Obviously, the higher your level, the more perks and rewards that you will see.

For instance, members who are Diamond level and above now receive drink vouchers for daily drinks at bars around the ship. Pinnacle Club members receive certificates for free cruises. And Platinum level and above receive robes to use on the ship.

Below is a list of benefits by status level. Keep in mind that benefits may change from time to time.

Note: As of August 24, 2021 Royal Caribbean also offers free drinks for Diamond members and above:

Were excited to now offer our Diamond, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle Club members beverage vouchers for drinks up to $13. Each day of the cruise, Diamond members receive four vouchers, Diamond Plus members receive five vouchers, and Pinnacle Club members receive six vouchers. These can be used at any bar, at any time, in the Diamond Lounge during Happy Hour or in our private destinations. Consider it happy hour all day long!

Yes. One of the perks listed is Crown & Anchor Exclusive Rates for cruises. This applies to all members from Gold through Pinnacle Club. This does not mean youll get a discount off of every cruise. The terms and conditions says it applies only to specific ship and sail dates.

In addition, Platinum level and above can see discounts on balcony and suite cabins as a benefit of being a member.

So say you have 25 points in the Crown & Anchor Society and are booked on a seven-day sailing. At the end of the trip, youll have 32 points, putting you in the Platinum category. How does that work regarding your benefits and status? Do you get them mid-trip?

Royal Caribbean is clear that next tier benefits will be applied on the following sailing after points status has been earned.

In other words, you only get the benefits of being in a higher status tier on your next sailing.

Have several cruises booked and hope that it bumps up your status level? Thats not the case. With the Crown & Anchor Society, points are earned after the sailing is completed.

Cruise Points are awarded to the guest whose name is entered into the reservation at the time of booking and completes the sailing.

So if you have enough trips booked to be in a higher status but have yet to actually sail the days, then you wont earn points for the trips just yet.

Have you sailed with Royal Caribbean in the past, yet dont have the points showing in your Crown & Anchor membership? In that case, its a good idea to contact the cruise line.

Royal Caribbeans website said that requests to add missing cruise points may be submitted up to 12 months after the debarkation date of your sailing.

Even if you have a past trip thats beyond one year ago, it certainly doesnt hurt to contact the cruise line and ask about receiving credit.

Have a question about the program? You can contact Royal Caribbeans loyalty program via the following channels:

Royal Caribbean is a sister line to other cruise lines owned by its parent company, namely Celebrity Cruises.

One nice perk is that your status can extend to the other cruise lines. So your status earned on Royal Caribbean also applies to Celebrity. And the status earned on Celebrity can move over to Royal. Youll want to call the cruise line for details on how to attain your status.

Note that points earned on Celebrity wont translate over to Royal Caribbean. So if you have 50 points on Royal Caribbean and sail for a week on a Celebrity cruise, you wont then have 57 points on Royal Caribbean after the trip.

You can read more about the Crown & Anchor Society here.

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Full Guide to Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society (Benefits, How it Works, and More) - Cruzely.com

Specialty dining is a popular option for cruise passengers who want to indulge in different cuisines, and Royal Caribbean offers a one-meal sampler package where you can try the best of many different restaurants.

Known as the Taste of Royal, it gives guests the chance to have various dishes from different Royal Caribbean specialty restaurants, even if those restaurants are not on the ship they are sailing aboard.

Whether the appeal is for someone to get a sampling of what specialty restaurants are all about, or to pick and choose an "all star selection" of the top rated foods, Taste of Royal sounds like an intriguing option.

I decided to sample Taste of Royal myself while sailing aboard Odyssey of the Seas. The meal was held in Wonderland.

Royal Caribbean has quite a few specialty restaurants across its fleet of ships, and each is known for certain dishes. Over the years, each restaurant develops a reputation for a must-try dish or two. So it looks like Royal Caribbean wanted to offer guests one meal that hits all of those high notes.

Taste of Royal is a fixed-price meal that consists of four courses. Unlike a specialty restaurant where your meal begins when you arrive, Taste of Royal is more like the main dining room, where everyone that books the lunch shows up at the same time, and each course is served at the same time for everyone. Not to worry, you are not seated with others.

When I sampled Taste of Royal on Odyssey of the Seas, it cost $34.99 per person.

There is also an optional add-on where you can tie in a wine flight for $19.99 per person. There is a 25% discount on the wine flight if you have a drink package.

Taste of Royal is not included in any dining packages.

The menu is fixed, which means if a course or two are not something you would order, there is not much leeway in terms of changing things. They can modify dishes if you are allergic or prefer not to a certain part of it, but you are limited to the printed menu.

Speaking of the menu, it draws on a few different restaurants, including Hooked, Wonderland, Chops Grille, and 150 Central Park.

When I dined there, the menu consisted of:

Saint Peter's SpritzerSt-Germain Elderflower Liqueur. Aperol, fresh lemon juice, topped with prosecco

Citrus Seas Tuna TartareFresh spicy tuna, wasabi tobiko, yuzu mayonnaise, phyllo Parmesan crackers

Mascarpone Cheese Risotto with Crab MeatCarnaroli rice, crab meat, lemon, mascarpone, peas, aged Parmesan

Filet Mignon and Spicy Jumbo ShrimpGrilled asparagus, mashed potatoes, red pepper flakes, creamy garlic butter

Fried CheesecakeNutella, whipped cream, caramelized popcorn

I think the appeal of Taste of Royal is two fold: getting to sample the best dishes from across different specialty restaurants if you are either brand new to specialty dining, or an aficionado that really enjoys the courses on the menu.

Royal Caribbean picked the most popular courses from across its restaurants, and delivers on the promise of a special meal that gives you the "best of" these selections.

If there is a course or two that you do not care for, the appeal of Taste of Royal could be diminished since it's a fixed menu offering. Picky eaters will almost certainly look elsewhere for lunch.

In terms of value, it is cheaper than most specialty restaurants to dine at, and you get to sample various dishes rather than just a single cuisine. For someone who will not buy a dining package, but wants to get some of the best options, this could be quite compelling.

I enjoyed my meal, and appreciated it for what it was: a quick lunch where I got to enjoy food from some of the top specialty restaurants on any Royal Caribbean ship. If the menu looks good to you, you're in store for a satisfying lunch.

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I tried the Taste of Royal lunch experience - Royal Caribbean Blog

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Royal Caribbean recently introduced the worlds longest cruise journey for adventurers seeking to hit all seven continents and explore a multitude of cultures.

The international cruise line has announced that the Ultimate World Cruise will journey through 150 destinations in 65 countries. Passengers will also get to explore 11 great wonders of the world, including Indias Taj Mahal and Perus Macha Pichu.

Passengers will sail round-trip from Miami, Fla., on the luxury world cruise, the Serenade of the Seas, on Dec. 10, 2023, through Sept. 10, 2024. The worldwide ship includes a rock-climbing wall, mini-golf course, arcade, theater, spa, pool and 13 decks to fit nearly 2,500 passengers and 800 crew members.

Pricing for the Ultimate World Cruise starts at $61,000 per person, according to Royal Caribbean. An ocean-view stateroom costs at least $65,000, and the junior suite prices climb up to $112,000. Guests who pay their fare in full by Jan. 6, 2023, will get a 10% discount according to the website.

Now, more than ever, people have resolved to travel the world and make up for lost time. Royal Caribbean is making that a reality with the ultimate vacation that welcomes those seeking adventure and exploration to taste, dance and dream with us around the world, said Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International.

Guests ready to go on the world tour can book the full Ultimate World Cruise, or choose from any of the four individual expeditions that will offer a wide range of destinations.

-- Round the Horn Americas and Antarctica Expedition: Dec. 10, 2023 to Feb. 11, 2024. Three continents, 36 destinations, four wonders.

-- Wonders of Asia and the Pacific Expedition: Feb. 11 to May 9, 2024. Three continents, 40 destinations, three wonders.

-- Middle East Treasures and Marvels of the Med Expedition: May 9 to July 10, 2024. Three continents, 44 destinations, four wonders.

-- Capitals of Culture: July 10 to Sept. 10, 2024. Three continents, 40 destinations.

Bookings for the Ultimate World Cruise can be made by phone on Royal Caribbeans dedicated line for the Ultimate World Cruise at 800-423-2100.

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274 nights on a cruise ship: Royal Caribbean offering trip around the world starting at $61K - silive.com

PERU: EARTHQUAKE

KEY FIGURES2.8K PEOPLE AFFECTED BY 7.5-MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE IN NORTHERN PERU

On 28 November, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck the Amazonas region in northern Peru. Per the National Civil Defence Institute (INDECI), the 131 km- deep quake affected some 2,800 people across 35 provinces. Areas in Ecuador and Colombia also reported shaking. There are no reports of deaths, nor significant numbers of injuries.Government officials expect the impact to remain relatively low given the sparse population density of the affected areas.

Preliminary official reports found that the earthquake destroyed or rendered 127 houses uninhabitable, damaging 535 others, leaving 600 people without their homes. Officials indicate that the impact is well within the Government's ability to respond. INDECI is currently on the ground delivering humanitarian goods and working with regional emergency operations centres.

CENTRAL AMERICA: MIGRATION

KEY FIGURES6.4M FOOD-INSECURE PEOPLE IN CENTRAL AMERICA IN OCTOBER 2021, UP FROM 2.2M IN 201943% OF THOSE SURVEYED IN THE NORTH OF CENTRAL AMERICA HAVE PLANS TO MIGRATE, UP FROM 8% IN 2019

NORTH OF CENTRAL AMERICA

Per WFP, the number of food-insecure people in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras has tripled from 2.2 million in 2019 to 6.4 million in October 2021 due to rising poverty and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricanes Eta and Iota in November 2020. This growth in needs is driving 43 per cent of those surveyed to consider migrating, a staggering five-fold growth from 8 per cent in 2019.

The report adds that people suffering from food insecurity are three times as likely to develop plans to migrate compared to those with regular food access. These deteriorating conditions, which also include increasingly intense recurrent climate shocks and chronic violence, have driven an annual average of 378,000 people to attempt to migrate to the United States, the final destination for 89 per cent of migrants, since 2016.

Of those still in Central America seeking to migrate, only 3 per cent have made concrete plans, with many citing family separations and the high cost of migration as significant deterrents.

PANAMA

According to Mdecins Sans Frontires (MSF) personnel operating in the Darin province along Panamas eastern border with Colombia, the 18 cases of sexual assault they have responded to in the past week is a sign that protection risks are increasing again for migrants making the trek into Panama through the dangerous Darin gap after a lull in cases in September and October.

MSF is urging Panamanian authorities to again scale up the presence of border enforcement agents to wardoff criminal groups often responsible for these attacks. Since beginning operations in Darin in April 2021, MSF has responded to 288 cases of sexual violence, a number they believe to be roughly a quarter of the real number of cases due to underreporting stemming from migrants' reluctance over their status in the country and to avoid preventing further delays to their journey.

More:

Latin America & The Caribbean Weekly Situation Update (22-28 November 2021) As of 29 November 2021 - Peru - ReliefWeb