Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) recently hosted participants of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) Summer Youth Programme to tour the Allure of the Seas while the ship was docked in Nassau.

The excursion, the second in a series to be organized by Royal Caribbean and Reuben Rahming, Member of Parliament for Pinewood, sought to showcase areas of the 18-deck ship most appealing to the young visitors ranging in age from 4-16, all participants in the Southeastern division of the police-sponsored programme.

The first tour was held onboard the Oasis of the Seas a few weeks earlier for senior citizens of the Pinewood area.

“Many times we get in a rut as a nation by looking just for traditional opportunities and ignoring the rest,” said Rahming, explaining the impetus for today’s tour.

“There is a deliberate attempt by us in Pinewood to show our people the benefits that we have not just on land but air and sea.

We want our people to understand that apart from building a hotel on land that each one of these ships are, in of themselves, hospitality machines.

Participants of the Southeastern Division of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) Summer Youth Programme were welcomed aboard Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the Seas for a tour while the ship was docked in Nassau. Pictured l-r: Sgt. Deandrea Barr, coordinator for the Southeastern Division RBPF Summer Youth Programme, Hon. Reuben Rahming, Member of Parliament for Pinewood; 3rd from right, Paul Smith, Hotel Director, Allure of the Seas.

We want them to be able to acquaint themselves with the vision of it so that they know there are opportunities there.”

Royal Caribbean recently re-affirmed its commitment to careers with the world’s largest global cruise line for Bahamians, onboard its ships throughout the world, at its private island destinations including CocoCay in the Berry Islands and at its administration and operations headquarters in Miami.

The cruise line has committed to the employment of at least 200 Bahamians a year for the next five years and has partnered with the National Training Agency to develop a training program to provide those who aspire to a career in hospitality with the opportunity to participate in innovative training and development.

The group gathered in Boleros, one of the ship’s swanky lounges, for a brief welcome by Allure of the Seas’ Hotel Director Paul Smith.

With the tour underway the group was led to Flowrider, a simulated wave pool where many of the children stood in awe as a guest balanced on a surfboard.

They tried their swing at the mini golf course a few feet away. The tour of the youth-friendly features continued with visits to the Adventure Ocean, the largest space at sea dedicated to activities for the youth and surrounding areas.

The open-air garden, aptly named Central Park, provided a suitable location for a brief break with children and adults stopping for selfies.

Further navigation around the $1.2 billion, 5,400-guest, and 1,187-foot ship brought the tour to the Boardwalk Carousel where kids, accustomed to smart devices and fast-track video games, took delight in taking a ride on the artistic traditional hand-carved carousel. After working up an appetite, the tour ended with a buffet lunch at Windjammer Marketplace.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to expose the children, some of whom are from the inner city of New Providence, to an environment they may not otherwise have access to and giving them an appreciation for the cruise lifestyle,” said Sgt. Deandrea Barr, coordinator for the Southeastern Division of the RBPF Summer Youth Summer Programme.

ABOUT ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES LTD.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) is a global cruise vacation company that controls and operates four global brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises and Silversea Cruises. We are also a 50% joint venture owner of the German brand TUI Cruises, a 49% shareholder in the Spanish brand Pullmantur and a 36% shareholder in the Chinese brand SkySea Cruises. Together, these brands operate a combined total of 60 ships with an additional fourteen on order as of August 31, 2018. They operate diverse itineraries around the world that call on all seven continents. Additional information can be found on www.royalcaribbean.com, www.celebritycruises.com, www.azamaraclubcruises.com, www.silversea.com, www.tuicruises.com, www.pullmantur.es, or www.rclinvestor.com.

...KIRK CONTINUES TO WEAKEN OVER THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA...
As of 5:00 PM AST Fri Sep 28
the center of Kirk was located near 14.7, -64.7
with movement WNW at 14 mph.
The minimum central pressure was 1007 mb
with maximum sustained winds of about 40 mph.

Dear Editor

To think God gave us this place of untold beauty....and for the love of money we were prepared to spit in his face, there is no greater shame. I believe as the inhabitants of one of the earth's most pristine and beautiful countries we Bahamians have a grave responsibility to protect what we have been entrusted with and sustainably harness this natural wealth.

When your country is this special the practice of environmental conscience is basic civics.

Don't insult us by pretending this is about jobs.... this is about payoffs. Furthermore, this is about cowardice in the face of the cruise industry, a predatory and exploitative form of tourism that has done harm across the Caribbean region.

This is about an astonishing LACK of creativity and innovation. The political establishment of this country has become a spiritual and intellectual cesspool of unfathomable ignorance and greed. Time to get it together.

There are literally dozens of other more economically, socially and environmentally better models...Eleuthera deserves more. Period. #DoBetterMinnis #BeBetterBahamas #SaveLighthousePoint #SayNoToDisney

Signed

Walter Simmons
Resident

The Government of The Bahamas will be relentless in its efforts to restore the island of Grand Bahama to the levels of economic prosperity that will allow Grand Bahamians to “earn a living that will more than adequately support them and their families,” Minister of Tourism and Aviation, the Hon. Dionisio D’Aguilar said in the House of Assembly Thursday.

“As a government, we are singularly committed to the expansion of our economy to ensure an equitable livelihood for all Bahamians. This commitment embraces the people of Grand Bahama,” Mr. D’Aguilar said. “The sustainable growth of the national economy of The Bahamas depends on the economic recovery of Grand Bahama.”

Minister D’Aguilar said the purchase of the Grand Lucayan and its eventual redevelopment could be the catalyst to Grand Bahama’s rebirth -- a chance to improve the mood and confidence level on island, and the opportunity to provide a new destination, unique from other islands “and really allow for a proper re-branding of Grand Bahama.”

(The Tourism and Aviation Minister said the Government is positioning Grand Bahama as a multi-destination vacation paradise catering to all tastes.)

“Grand Bahama’s awe-inspiring natural assets – outback forests, mangroves, extensive cave systems, miles of secluded beaches and surrounding seas teeming with trophy fish and an underwater wonderland, will easily allow us to entrench the island as an eco-tourism paradise and haven for fishing, diving and birding,” he said.

“On the drawing board are plans to make Grand Bahama a mecca for world-class sporting events from road races, cycling, kayaking, sailing, golf, tennis and sports retreats.”

Minister D’Aguilar said the government’s negotiation of the return of the Grand Celebration Cruise Ship and the introduction of a second ship, the Grand Classica – bringing daily Ferry Service to Freeport from South Florida -- have been part of the government’s efforts to bring more stopover passengers to Grand Bahama.

“We have seen significant improvement in the total number of passengers coming to Freeport, and we have now focused all of our incentives in getting more of those passengers to get off the ship and spend a couple of nights in Freeport with the full knowledge that, with daily service, they can stay as long as they want and return whenever they are ready,” Mr. D’Aguilar said.

Grand Bahama experienced a 7 per cent increase in Cruise/Ferry passengers during the first six months of 2018, which Minister D’Aguilar said was due primarily to the introduction of new and now daily ferry services from South Florida.

Mr. D’Aguilar said the increase, which amounted to an additional 26,000 passengers compared to the first six months of 2017, was also a result of the introduction of new incentives “which now pay ferry operators based upon the number of passengers they bring and rewards them even more if those passengers choose to stop over and spend the night in Freeport.”

The Tourism and Aviation Minister said officials have already begun to address questions surrounding appropriate levels of airlift into Grand Bahama.

He said American Airlines has “already committed” to a second day flight from Miami to Freeport in the winter of 2018/2019. Other airline partners have indicated their willingness to work with The Bahamas in bringing additional air seats to the destination once hotel rooms are open and demand picks up.

“The flow of visitors to Grand Bahama is further augmented by nonstop, scheduled/charter flights from Milan, Italy,” Minister D’Aguilar said.

Bahamasair, Minister D’Aguilar said, will also play a vital role in “bringing more airlift to Grand Lucayan.” The Minister said he has requested officials at Bahamasair to work together with the Grand Lucayan to immediately create attractive packages to the property.

“Recovery for Grand Bahama is a matter of course because the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with major industry stakeholders, has laid out a sound plan of economic expansion for the island,” Mr. D’Aguilar said.

“To the people of Grand Bahama, we, the Government of The Bahamas, pledge our resolve to be relentless in our efforts to restore your island to levels of economic prosperity that will allow you to earn a living that will more than adequately sustain you and your families.”

By Matt Maura