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Tags: Crime / Cruises / Cruise Travel / Antigua Travel / Guatemala Travel / → All Tags

Carnival Cruises Drops Antigua Thanks To Drunken Brawlers

Are you anxious for winter to hit so that you can embark on a Carnival Cruise to Antigua, get drunk, and get your brawl on? Too bad, since six Brooklynites already went and spoiled your fun by doing exactly that and getting arrested. Not only were they arrested for getting into a fight with a cabbie and then assaulting the plain-clothes cops who tried to break it up, but their legal issues have turned Carnival off of the island for the time being.

Carnival's ships that sail the Caribbean—the group in question was onboard the Carnival Victory—will no longer stop at Antigua for the reason that they have "a desire to incorporate a new port of call." Right, we're sure that's the only reason, and that the detainment and guilty pleas of their brawling passengers had nothing to do with it. Carnival can try to keep up appearances, but the fact is that they are embarrassed; no cruise line wants to be pegged as the one that sails with shiploads of rowdy Brooklynites looking for a fight. Possible punishments for those under arrest include 2 years in jail or a $4,000 fine each.

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Tags: Mountains / Hiking / Caribbean Travel / Rebranding / → All Tags

Wise Move: Antigua Renames Highest Peak "Mount Obama"

The island of Antigua is getting into the whole rebranding thing by renaming its highest mountain after Barack Obama. As the AP points out, the unfortunately-named Boggy Peak will officially become Mount Obama Monument and National Park on August 4, 2009, a move that officials hope will bring more tourists to the Caribbean island. In addition to the name change, the mountain will get a new network of hiking trails, a museum, and educational facilities.

At 395 meters (1,319 feet), Mount Obama isn't about to supplant Everest as a destination for elite climbers, but for the rest of us, it's a perfect mid-sized mountain with sweeping views of the ocean that can be tackled in a couple of hours. It's also a good reminder that while Caribbean islands are most commonly known for their coastal areas, it's worth the effort to tear yourself away from the beach and check out the interior regions, which often contain rain forests, waterfalls, and under-appreciated mountains like this one. Smart move, Antigua.

[Photo: politicsdaily.com]

Related Stories:
· PM Spencer Sends Message to Barack Obama - Moves to Rename Boggy Peak to Mount Obama [Antigua & Barbuda]
· Antigua's Mount Obama to be National Park [AP via Yahoo! News]
· Mountain Coverage [Jaunted]