This news is worth five million smiles: "Carnival Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Carnival Corporation, is donating $5 million to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami to create the Carnival Center for Excellence. The donation — timed to celebrate National Mentoring Month — marks the largest gift ever received by the organization’s Miami chapter. "The Carnival Center for Excellence building at 550 Le Jeune Road in Miami will serve as the headquarters for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami and will provide facilities to support ongoing mentoring and educational activities for Big Brothers Big Sisters’ participants, often referred to as 'Littles.' "Carnival Foundation’s signature initiative, the Carnival Scholarship and Mentoring Program, pairs a Carnival employee with a South Florida high school student matched by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami. Currently, 95 Carnival management team members mentor 95 Miami-Dade County high school students through the in-the-workplace program sponsored by Carnival in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami. "The program also awards four-year college scholarships to 15 participating students every year. For the past 12 years, Carnival Foundation has purchased STARS scholarships representing a collective value of more than $2.1 million. Since 2010, 75 scholarships have been awarded, and in 2014 several students from the first group of recipients graduated college."
Lots of press reports this week about the new Superfast cruise service set to debut between Miami and Bimini in the Bahamas. The cruise ship, being called the world's fastest, will make the 50-mile trip twice a day at speeds of 30 knots, with tickets starting at $49. Here's more in this report from Local 10 in Miami:
MIAMI -- In the southern end of Miami, just off South Miami Avenue, you can see two massive stone pillars, almost hidden in the plants, that mark the entrance to Vizcaya, the one-time estate of industrial magnate James Deering. Now a tourist attraction, it's a magnificent testament to a bygone area of grand design and Gatsby-like splendor. As described in Wikipedia, Vizcaya "is the former villa and estate of businessman James Deering, of the Deering McCormick-International Harvester fortune, on Biscayne Bay in the present day Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida. The early 20th century Vizcaya estate also includes: extensive Italian Renaissance gardens; native woodland landscape; and a historic village outbuildings compound." If you are in the area, it's well worth a visit. The Venice-style dock area, the grotto swimming pool, the magnificent gardens, the over-the-top ornate rooms ... you will feel as if you had entered another era. And you have. Here are a few photos from our recent visit. -- Gerry and Pam
This news from Carnival: "Carnival Ecstasy, currently sailing from Port Canaveral, Fla., will reposition to Miami to assume Carnival Imagination’s current three- and four-day Bahamas/western Caribbean itinerary. A sister ship to Carnival Imagination, the Carnival Ecstasy features a number of balcony staterooms, which is a ‘first’ for a Carnival ship operating short cruises from Miami. Carnival Ecstasy’s first voyage from Miami will depart January 10, 2014. Three-day cruises departing Fridays visit Nassau and four-day cruises departing Mondays visit Key West and Cozumel." -- Gerry
