Two cruise passengers drown hours apart at newly opened Caribbean resort as cops probe deaths
The tragic incidents happened at Carnival's private Bahamas resort on Friday.
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Officials told the New York Post that the "water emergency incidents" involved guests travelling on two different ships.
The drownings happened at Celebration Key on Grand Bahama Island.
"Carnival lifeguards and medical teams working at the resort responded to both incidents, one occurring in the lagoon and the other at the beach," a spokesperson said.
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The Independent
44 minutes ago
- The Independent
The telltale signs a tourist is American, according to Europeans
It's not just the accent. As European travel experts reveal, American tourists give themselves away with a number of traits while in the UK and Europe. For starters, they have a certain dress sense and a distinctive volume when speaking. They also navigate cities in a way that can leave locals disgruntled, fail to get to grips with the tipping culture, and sit down to eat at the wrong hour. But it's not all negative. American visitors to Europe have several endearing ways leading them to be welcomed with open arms by some. Heard before being seen Locals in Europe are likely to hear Americans before setting eyes on them. Travel expert Jiayi Wang, from London, a professional photographer and Founder of The Diary Of A Nomad blog site, told The Independent: "[Americans'] conversations carry across a tram or café, full of enthusiasm. Locals tend to keep public chatter lower, so that livelier pitch draws attention straightaway." Fellow Londoner Lucinda Faucheux, Co-Founder of Travel Support Circle, agreed, noting: "Americans tend to speak much louder than locals, even when they're just having a casual conversation. "In a quiet English pub or a small village café, a group of Americans chatting can unintentionally dominate the space. It's not meant rudely, but the contrast is obvious." Chatting up a storm Europeans notice that Americans aren't just louder, but generally more talkative. Swede Albin Eriksson Lippe, CEO of travel-tech company Holiwise, told The Independent: "It is not uncommon to find an American tourist joining a conversation with strangers after overhearing something they've said, or offering effusive praise of the place they're in." Nico Trinkhaus, an award-winning travel photographer from Germany known for his vivid images of European cities and landscapes, added: "In my experience as a European travel photographer, Americans are some of the most open and approachable travelers I meet. "It's not unusual for them to strike up small talk in places where most Europeans stay silent — like waiting for an elevator or watching a sunset. "If someone approaches me while I take photos and they speak English instead of the local language, they are almost always American. And they tend to be wonderfully direct when asking for recommendations, whether it's the best restaurant in town or the best angle for a photo." College logos and sports jerseys are de rigeur Americans, Europeans notice, prioritize comfort over fashion while traveling. And they don't seem to care about big logos. Jiayi said: "Comfort comes first. So you notice bright sneakers, cargo shorts, and T-shirts stamped with college logos or sports teams. "In cities where most people lean toward neutral tones and fitted cuts, that splash of branding makes the wearer stand out the minute they step into a piazza." A back-to-front look The way Americans carry their backpacks will look back-to-front to many Europeans. LP Maurice, the CEO of Busbud and someone who's spent 20 years traveling around Europe, said: "Many Americans favor a soft-sided backpack the size of an airline carry-on, worn on the front in crowded metro cars for security. A refillable 700ml drink tumbler often dangles from a carabiner. "Local commuters carry smaller daypacks or string bags and pick up water only when they need it." Tech forward Americans, note European travel experts, are often glued to their Apple Watches. LP Maurice said: "If you notice an Apple Watch pinging every few minutes because mobile data is still roaming, you are very likely listening to an American checking sports scores back home." Walk this way Sarah Topalian Davies, director of communications & media at and a Brit living in America, recently returned from vacation in Rome. She had a few things to say about how Americans get around. She told The Independent: "American tourists seem to have no sense of other people, spatially. They aren't rude, but they just don't understand that while they are on a five-day whistle-stop tour of Europe, many other folks around them might live here and are trying to go to work. "The slow walking and dawdling are deeply annoying to everyone. They also stroll two or three across on a busy street and seem oblivious to everyone else, including yelling policemen. "This gets worse when they are in gangs of fellow tourists on official 'sight-seeing tours' — they just forget all reason and block streets and roads to desperately stay in their 'group'. I get that they are probably a bit nervous, but it causes log jams and it's always American groups that do it, desperately following the flag their tourist guide is manically waving." The price is right Americans value knowing the worth of tourist treasures. Davies said: "Americans ask the fiscal value of everything rather a lot. For example, I was in the Vatican and a young American man trying to impress his girlfriend, I think by looking engaged, kept asking, 'What is that worth?' That is such an American trait. "We are in the Vatican; it was painted by Michelangelo. You can't buy it. So, who cares?" Tourist trapped Americans don't often stray beyond the main thoroughfares to find neighborhood eats. 'They seem nervous to eat where the locals eat, so they mainly seem to stick to the places near all the big tourist traps where all the other Americans are eating. And then get ripped off, which is a shame,' Davies added. Food for thought Dinnertime for Americans is when chefs in Europe are just beginning prep work. Jiayi said: "Americans like to sit down for dinner around 6pm, while European kitchens are still prepping for the night. They are quick to ask for tap water packed with ice, request menu tweaks like 'no cheese', and look puzzled when refills cost extra. Staff learn to spot the pattern after a single order." Plastic fantastic Plastic is the go-to method of payment for Americans. Jiayi said: "They reach instinctively for a credit card no matter how small the charge. If the café is cash only, the surprise on their faces says more than any accent could.' Tips, tips and more tips Waiting staff in Europe can look forward to huge tips for doing nothing extra. Sarah said: "If you are a waiter and you get a huge tip for no extra discernible level of elevated service, it was 99 percent an American who tipped you — as they are unbelievably generous with tips. Twenty percent is not unusual and they expect to do it. Plus, American tourists will love everything you give them and are very unlikely to complain." Back to your roots Americans love to talk about their heritage. Sarah said: "If you hear someone claiming to be originally from that very location you are visiting — it is 100 percent an American. Everyone is Irish American, Italian American, German American. Nobody is just plain old, American, American.' Fast and furious The vacation passes by in a blur for Americans. Jiayi said: "Their sightseeing style completes the picture. Cameras with large lenses, GoPros, and selfie sticks hang from straps as they hurry from one landmark to the next. 'The plan is to see as much as possible and record every minute, so the pace feels more like a race than a ramble. 'Locals strolling past with nothing but a phone notice the difference immediately."
The Independent
11 hours ago
- The Independent
Mexico's Maya Train derails in the Yucatan Peninsula. No report of injuries
A tourist-focused Maya Train running along Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula derailed Tuesday as it was slowly pulling into a station, the train line said in a statement. There were no injuries. The train was running from the Caribbean resort of Cancun to the Yucatan capital Merida when it left the tracks at the station in Izamal. Passengers were transported the rest of the way by bus. The accident was under investigation but the train was operating normally between other stations, the statement said. Photos and videos circulated online showed one car off the tracks, leaning but not overturned. The Maya Train was an enormous legacy project of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. It began running in late 2023, but produced paltry ridership. López Obrador had forced the project through before environmental impact or feasibility studies were completed. Environmentalists documented severe impacts to the delicate cave systems under the train line that provide much of the peninsula's drinking water. López Obrador had said tourists would use it to depart from Cancun and explore the whole 950-mile (1,500-kilometer) route to visit the Mayan archaeological sites that dot the peninsula. Much of the ridership thus far has been on short stretches between the city of Merida and Cancun.
Telegraph
19 hours ago
- Telegraph
I boarded the world's newest – and biggest – cruise ship. This is what it was like
While Star of the Seas is still moored on the banks of Florida's Cape Canaveral, it's difficult to fully understand what being the world's biggest cruise ship – together with its sister Icon of the Seas – actually means. The terminal building to which the ship is attached masks much of the vessel as guests approach it, and understanding where the bow begins and the stern ends after boarding is akin to estimating London's boundaries by standing in Bloomsbury. Yet during the inaugural sailing of this planet of a vessel – a three-night journey gliding over a preternaturally calm Caribbean, including a stopover at the cruise company's private Bahamian island CocoCay – an unexpected moment of realisation occurred. It was the kind that stops other thoughts in their tracks and lands like an epiphany. 'So that's how big this thing is,' I heard myself saying out loud. It happened on the 17th of the behemoth 's 20 decks. All except the very lowest and highest levels are accessible via elevators that express their human traffic to their chosen deck, and then on to every conceivable attraction and distraction: the seven swimming pools; a water park with six lurid waterslides that snake crazily through the air; the 40-plus restaurants; the eight 'neighbourhoods' including the family-oriented Surfside (deck seven) with its watery playgrounds and the urbane Central Park (deck eight), where you'll find a leafy promenade and 'speciality' sushi and steak houses. 'Speciality' translates to the dining venues that aren't included in the fare, and cost extra. Those who stick with the complimentary options however, won't go hungry. Windjammer (deck 15) provides a boggling selection of breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Described by Royal Caribbean's bullish, British president Michael Bayley as 'the biggest buffet in the world', it spans not only the width of the ship, but a huge variety of cuisines. Hovering over the display is the spectre of waste and greed – not so much the cruise line's but the consumers should they succumb to the implied invitation to eat all they can and more. Elsewhere the main multi-deck dining room has the feel of a 19th-century eating hall with bustling waiters, a maître d', a chandelier and a pleasing soupçon of formality. Alternatively, the made-to-order burgers at Thrill Island's Basecamp (deck 16) are singularly satisfying. But it's best to eat one only after consuming this level's other attractions: the nearby climbing wall known as Adrenaline Peak, or Crown's Edge – a pulse-pounding challenge that involves traversing a walkway that is the closest you will get to walking the plank, and which climaxes by being swept through the air and over the sea while harnessed to an overhead rail. Only here, with nothing underfoot but the Caribbean far below, is it theoretically possible to glimpse an uninterrupted view of the ship's 364 metres – a distance that is longer, by some way, than the Royal Navy aircraft carrier, The Prince of Wales. By late afternoon on the day that the Star had welcomed on board its first full compliment of almost six thousand guests, a conga was already pulsating to the rhythms of a professionally happy Calypso band. So too were bronzed torsos in the Swim & Tonic pool, said to be the largest swim-up bar at sea. Never mind that Star had not yet departed Port Canaveral, the busiest cruise ship hub in the world. The waterway, itself not much wider than the length of the ship in places, also serves Elon Musk's nearby SpaceX operation. I first became aware of this when a charred reusable rocket was towed erect past the window of my stateroom while I was unpacking. Described as an Infinite Ocean Balcony room, the floor-to-ceiling window is the width of the room. The cheapest stateroom is the windowless (and poky) cabin. Then there is the Ultimate Family Townhouse which looks as if it was designed by a 12-year-old architect. Funhouse would be more accurate. A bright red tunnel slide links the two stairs resemble a keyboard and sound notes as you ascend or descend. I'd pay not to stay there… The Royal Loft Suite, which sleeps six and is described as the most luxurious in the line's fleet of 30 ships, is dominated by a white grand piano in the reception room from which a sweeping staircase rises to the two bedrooms and as many bathrooms. The décor is clean, relentlessly modern and might be described as glassy rather than classy. Regardless of the accommodation category, the ship goes all out to encourage guests out of their staterooms. The rink at Absolute Zero hosts an impressive acrobatic ice show, the purpose built Aqua Theatre is a technical marvel in which the aerial and synchronised swimming show Torque is performed, while the main theatre hosts the hit West End and Broadway musical Back to The Future. The standard of the performances and the productions (especially the musical) are undeniably high. But typically for cruise companies, the artistic programming is relentlessly crowd-pleasing stuff. Would it hurt to have a small-scale genuinely challenging theatre on board? Our arrival at CocoCay is announced with an adapted cover version of Bill Withers' classic Lovely Day – only with the title lyric adapted to Perfect Day, the moniker attached to the excursion. A Caribbean band with shimmering dancers welcomes the stream of guests walking down the pier. As we approached the island, the words Perfect Day and CocoCay greet us like Hollywood signage. Royal Caribbean spent $250 million (£185 million) turning the isle into the idyllic 'thrill and chill' excursion during which kids can do one while the parents do the other. Access to the island's exclusive Coco Beach Club costs extra but, apart from some of the shack shops selling pricey but not disastrously so merch (a Bahamas hoody is priced at $60), few are going to feel short changed by the fresh water lagoon. Or the white sandy beaches that shelve gently into the azure Caribbean Sea, and the adventurous Daredevil's Peak – the biggest water-slide in North America. Ten-year-old Jacob dared me to follow him down the water park's near vertical blue flume. 'It goes straight down,' he promised as we approached the entrance. He was right. Such is the speed of the descent that water forced itself up my nose and possibly out of my eyes as the tube levelled out. After this, the largest wave pool in the region was a breeze. Was the day perfect? Perhaps not if cultural and environmental authenticity is your thing. But it would be churlish to deny its obvious pleasures. When Star's sibling, Icon, embarked on its maiden voyage out of Miami last year, the event was marked by a galactic firework display. No such celebration for the younger sister which, despite a few tweaks, is almost identical to Icon. As Star departed Royal Caribbean's 25-acre private island escorted by wheeling pelicans, I was overcome by a sense of awe – for the size of the ship, yes, but also for the responsibility that goes with being in charge of £1.7 billion dollars worth of vessel and the safety of thousands of people and their families. 'We have a lot of human life and a lot of responsibility,' agrees Captain Rob Hempstead when I meet him on the bridge. In his crisp white uniform, the American, who hails from a generation of seafarers, greets me with a reassuringly firm handshake. 'My great grandpa was an admiral in the navy and commander of the Pacific Fleet around the turn of the century,' he says as we survey the seemingly infinite expanse of sky and sea blue. Captain Rob's father was also a skipper, so it was inevitable that he too would command a ship. 'I wouldn't want to do anything else,' he says emphatically. Back in my stateroom I enjoy perhaps the least mentioned and most basic reason to go on a cruise. I peer down out of my open window and am mesmerised by the endless patterns caused by Star's wake as, despite her size, she moves serenely over the water. Essentials John Nathan was a guest of Royal Caribbean ( which offers a seven-night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day cruise from £1,809pp for a Balcony Ocean View Stateroom, departing May 10, 2026. Includes meals and entertainment. Excludes flights.
