After some concern about construction delays and other logistics the new cruise ship port received its first cruise ship, Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager of the Seas, on Thursday, February 17. As the ship docked early Thursday morning there was great elation among the hundred residents, including school children, who gathered to watch the historic arrival of the cruise liner.

Situated between the popular cruise ports of Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, Historic Falmouth is the first-ever thematic cruise port and is also a convenient gateway for guests to embark on more than 60 exhilarating land experiences along the north coast of Jamaica. Additionally, restoration throughout the town of Falmouth offer guests a wide selection of cultural and historic experiences.

The construction of the Falmouth Cruise Shipping Pier is a joint effort of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and the Port Authority of Jamaica. Work on the multi-billion facility began roughly three years ago. The project was planned to be fully completed before Thursday, but work stoppages, and environmental concerns delayed the start-up date for cruise ship arrivals.

Jamaica is anticipating the opening of its third international airport next month, The Ian Fleming International Airport, located just five miles from Ocho Rios. Formerly known as the Boscobel Airstrip, the facility has undergone refurbishment and has been expanded to facilitate the arrival of private international aircraft as large as the Dash-8.

“Jamaica continues to add new tourism infrastructure and facilities to make visiting the destination more convenient and pleasurable,” said Jamaica’s Director of Tourism John Lynch. “Opening a third international airport allows travelers arriving by private aircraft to enjoy a facility with less air traffic and closer proximity to popular resort areas on the eastern part of the island, such as Ocho Rios and Port Antonio.”

The Ian Fleming International Airport will allow for easy, efficient and timely processing of small aircraft and passengers. Features of the facility include a passenger lounge, pilot briefing room, customs and immigration clearance, and other specialized services for private flights.

Today's world is smaller than ever – far more connected than anyone could have imagined it would be when we were kids. That is why one of the best things you can do to prepare your kids for the future is to raise them as citizens of the world.

You don't have to travel the globe to give your children a broad perspective of other cultures and world affairs. There are so many things that you can do right at home to encourage their curiosity about, and understanding of, the world.

The first step is to be curious about the world yourself; your kids will pick up on it. Here are some other ways that you can start to bring various cultures into the lives of your children.

New look, new ambience, same hospitality

If you drive south on State Road 7, just below Sunrise Blvd. and look to your right, there is a property that might catch your eye. Bold colors and an imposing presence, beckon you to look and you might even think it is new… but it’s not. It’s the result of a massive makeover – both structurally and aesthetically – to the Plantation Inn Hotel.

The hotel, which opened in the 1970s as a Holiday Inn and became the property of a famous tennis player Bobby Riggs (and renamed the Bobby Riggs Plantation Inn) sits at 375 N. State Road 7, Plantation and is today the newly renovated Plantation Inn hotel.

Acquired by Davis Pulikken in 1998, the property was in desperate need of repairs and a facelift. “It was a run down property,” Pulikken told the National Weekly, adding that once the property was acquired, improvements began and continued each year.