In June, the CIC division
embarked on its 2017 Study Abroad “Cruise Culture – Eastern Caribbean” aboard
Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas. Hospitality department chair,
Nathan Rex, and Culinary instructor, Chef Joe Branton, accompanied 12 students
as they visited St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, and Haiti. During the cruise, CIC
students were directly exposed to cruise operations, including lodging operations,
food service operations, entertainment/gaming/recreational services, and event
planning. Some of the onboard experiences included back of the house tours,
executive guest speakers, dining, and entertainment. While in St. Maarten, the
students took an island bus tour, where they learned about history and culture
of the smallest island in the world to be shared by two nations, France and the
Netherlands.
In Puerto Rico, the group was provided an in-depth culinary tour
through the city of Old San Juan, where they tasted and participated in making
some authentic dishes and learned more about the history, culture, and cuisine
of the island. The final stop of the trip was in Labadee, Haiti, which is a private
beach leased by Royal Caribbean. In Labadee, students were given the
opportunity to decide on their activity for the day. Some of the activities
experienced were a cultural Haitian village tour, reef snorkeling, and, of
course, shopping!
As a result of an amazing week
in the Caribbean, the experiences, skills, relationships, and memories that the
students realized from this study abroad will be directly applicable to
enriching their future careers in the hospitality and culinary industries. Now,
who’s ready to cruise in the 2018 Study Abroad?
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| On the ship |
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| Haiti |
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| St. Maarten and St. Martin |
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| Puerto Rico |
