Jetsettersblog

Porter Airlines is bolstering its schedule on three existing routes with increased frequency between Montreal and Halifax, Moncton and Ottawa, and Toronto and Ottawa.

All additional service begins April 13. The Montreal-Halifax route will operate year-round with up to two daily nonstop roundtrip flights, increased from four weekly flights.

This service also makes possible one daily roundtrip flight between St. John’s and Montreal, connecting in Halifax.

Daily service from Moncton to Ottawa, continuing to Porter’s downtown base at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport offers increased travel options. Porter is offering one daily roundtrip flight, plus two roundtrips on Sunday, up from four weekly flights.

The summer schedule on this route, beginning June 27, includes a seasonal increase with up to two daily roundtrip flights.

Service between Ottawa and Toronto is also increasing to as many as 21 daily roundtrip flights, up from a previous peak of 19.

This is the highest number of daily flights on the route for Porter since it began in 2006.

For more information, visit www.flyporter.com

Lindblad Expeditions has launched Expedition Photography, a service that features a Lindblad-National Geographic Certified Photo Instructor on every departure.

The initiative capitalizes on the symbiotic link between Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic.

Guests can also rely on the assistance of a trained instructor (also a naturalist), who has completed a training program developed by Lindblad and National Geographic.

The Expedition Photography program will also roll out pre- and post-voyage amenities through a micro-site that is in development.

Guests will have password access to a private section containing enhanced documents, packing lists, a webinar, instructional videos, geography-specific photography tips, FAQs and photo instructor bios. Once aboard, guests may partake in breakout sessions with hands-on-teaching, photography talks and photo instruction on walks and Zodiac cruises.

Post voyage, the site will let guests share their photographs, compete for photo honors, create books as lasting keepsakes and more.

For more information, call 800-EXPEDITION or visit www.expeditions.com

Two Princess Cruises chefs have taken first place in two culinary categories at the Sixth Annual Bacardi Bartender & Chef Cruise Competition.

Pacific Princess Executive Chef Antonio Cortese received top honors in the “Heart Healthy” category for his red snapper mojito, while Coral Princess Sous Chef Abelardo Alvarez won the “Vegetarian” category with his deep-fried sushi with Bacardi wasabi emulsion and spicy kimchi.

The recipes were selected from more than 1,600 entries submitted for the competition.

Using criteria such as presentation, taste, creativity, appeal and ease of preparation, a judging panel of culinary experts winnowed down the field and chose the best recipe in each of five categories.

Passengers aboard Pacific Princess during its just-launched world cruise can sample Cortese’s red snapper mojito when it is served as a heart-healthy appetizer.

Alvarez’s winning entry will also be served on a regular basis on Coral Princess.

Following its introduction on high-speed Acela Express trains between Boston and Washington, D.C., and last month’s addition of AmtrakConnect on Amtrak Cascades trains in the Pacific Northwest, Amtrak has set the stage for further expansion of its on-board free Wi-Fi service in 2011. Amtrak plans to install AmtrakConnect on Northeast Corridor services and on more West Coast trains by the end of this year.

With the recent selection of Nomad Digital as its preferred technology provider for nation-wide deployment, the Amtrak labor forces at the Ivy City Maintenance Facility in Washington, D.C., and the Penn Coach Yard in Philadelphia soon will begin installing Wi-Fi equipment in more than 450 Amfleet railcars.

In addition, Amtrak has now completed construction of a dedicated wireless network that significantly improves connectivity and delivers a true high-speed signal to trains while traveling through the New York tunnels and when stopped at the New York Penn Station platforms.

Amtrak already provides amenities that give passengers a more relaxed travel experience than its competitors can offer, such as wider seats, ample legroom, at-seat power outlets on most services, and the ability to move about the train.

By adding free Wi-Fi as a permanent service Amtrak is using leading-edge technology to handle the next-generation needs of its passengers.

Future enhancements to the on-board Wi-Fi service offering include en-route entertainment options and real-time train position information so that passengers can track their journey’s progress.

In addition, as cellular providers upgrade their backhaul technology and infrastructure, Amtrak plans to upgrade that part of its system that relies on 3G to one that also utilizes emerging 4G technologies such as LTE and WiMAX, greatly increasing the available bandwidth and improving the network’s performance for passengers.

A complete list of Amtrak trains and stations with Wi-Fi service is available on www.amtrak.com.  For more information, call 800-USA-RAIL or visit www.amtrak.com

This year, Far and Away Adventures is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

In its 30th anniversary year, the company will recreate menus and a style of travel executed in 1915 in Yellowstone National Park. Back then supplies were transported by mules and horses, as were guests.

Today a jet boat from Bay Bridge in Yellowstone National Park speeds supplies and a maximum of only eight friends and family to a dock where sea kayaks carry on to a wilderness camp on a remote arm of Yellowstone Lake, the largest freshwater alpine lake in North America.

In 1915, travelers in the Mather Mountain Party made a historic trip focused on preserving wild lands as National Parks.

They included a mix of Interior Department staff, literati, politicos, businessmen and a cook who prepared gourmet fare served on linen table cloths in what is now Sequoia National Park.

In 2011, the company is replicating their journey in a program called “Wild Yellowstone without the crowds.”

The trip explores what is now Yellowstone National Park.

The travelers are drawn from sophisticated walks of life.

A cook prepares and serves gourmet fare .

The three-day/two-night program maintains a 3:1 guest to guide ratio.

The camp provides opportunities for lake kayaking, guided backcountry hikes, wildlife observation and fly-fishing. Rates are $840 for adults, $760 for children.

Three-day/two-night programs are offered weekly from mid-July to early September.

The program includes breakfast, gourmet picnics with local microbrews and wines for lunch. Formally served appetizers in the evening and a four-course, linen-draped, candlelight dinner proceed before a naturalist discourses with music around the campfire.

Portable outhouses with lights, solar-generated hot water for showers and tents with elevated beds, flannel linens, carpets and nightstands.

Far and Away Adventures offers luxurious wilderness camping both on Yellowstone Lake and whitewater rafting on Idaho’s Middle Fork of the Salmon and the Wild and Scenic Bruneau, they do so in a sustainable and organic manner with, among others, a leave-no-trace ethic and gourmet meals that are 95 percent organic from locally sourced foods. Guests come together daily, with morning yoga and a trained massage therapist on call on every trip.

For more information, call 800-232-8588 or visit www.far-away.com

Sonoma County has announced its second annual Restaurant Week, which takes place until FEB 27.

The seven-day celebration features Sonoma County’s locally sourced food and wine.

Three-course dinner menus are available at three great options — $19, $29 and $39 per person, depending on the restaurant. Included are an appetizer, entrée and dessert. Tips, beverages and tax are not included.

No tickets or passes required; those interested must call the restaurants directly for reservations.

For more information, visit www.sonomacountyrestaurantweek.org  For general destination information, visit www.sonomacounty.com

JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, in Phoenix, Ariz., has completed a $16 million renovation of its rooms, suites and corridors to transform its 950 guest rooms to private sanctuaries.

Connecting interior space with the outdoors, the new guest rooms at JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa feature textured desert sand carpeting and wall coverings; contemporary lighting treatments; refinished armoires, sofas, chairs and furnishings; floor-to-ceiling sheer drapes; and artwork depicting warm desert landscapes, indigenous flora and fauna.

The centerpiece of the Phoenix family resort’s guestrooms are new leather-padded headboards featuring adjustable night lamps for private reading, and elegant chenille-like bed scarves link together the room’s new colors and textures.

The Marriott-branded Revive Bed features new bedspreads, pillow-top mattresses, 300-thread-count cotton sheets, multiple pillows and duvets, while other thoughtful touches enhance the overall room experience. New mirrors and rugs have been added to the guest baths enhancing the residential feel, which also feature granite countertops and separate bathtubs and showers.

The resort’s roomy Presidential Suites have been completely refurbished and now feature hardwood floors, new cabinetry, wall covering, accent carpeting, all new furniture and flat screen entertainment.

The carefully integrated design and coloration extends to the Phoenix resort’s corridors with all new carpet, tile, wall coverings, paint, furniture and fixtures reflecting the elements of the Sonoran desert. Wireless Internet access has been added to all of the hotel’s 950 guest rooms with the renovation.

The JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa is set on 316 acres in the Sonoran desert featuring views of the McDowell Mountains.

Guestroom balconies overlook wildflower gardens, swimming pools, lakes, waterways and golf course or mountain views. Included in the guest suite offerings are four presidential suites, four hospitality suites, 35 luxury suites and 38 executive suites.

For more information, visit www.jwdesertridgeresort.com

Reno has announced the 2011 Artown arts and cultural festival, which takes place June 30 through July 31.

The festival features 400 events over 31 days. More than 60 percent of them area free. Among them are free performances in Wingfield Park, located along the Truckee River in downtown Reno. Past performers have included Richie Havens, Tiempo Libre, the Afro-Cuban All Stars, the Hudson Vagabond Puppets, The Funk Brothers and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. Additional events include workshops for children or adults, such as drawing and watercolor painting. A complete calendar will be available in May. For more information, visit www.renoisartown.com

For general destination information, call 800-367-7366 or visit www.visitrenotahoe.com

Best Western International has selected Interactions Corp. to provide advanced, conversational voice portal for members of its Best Western Rewards loyalty program. The voice portal, which leverages Interactions’ HumanTouch platform, will help Best Western Rewards members experience a seamless customer care process, enabling them to quickly obtain account information, redeem awards and get details about program benefits. Best Western is the first hospitality company to announce a relationship with Interactions for this advanced customer care solution.

Two Hyatt hotels in San Francisco are offering baseball packages for guests who want to go to a San Francisco Giants baseball game. The Hyatt Regency San Francisco’s 20 Paces to the Bases package includes a $20 food and beverage credit for the hotel’s Eclipse restaurant and a $25 gift card to the Dugout team store, located in neighboring Embarcadero Center.

The gift car also can be used at AT&T Field.

Nightly room rates start at $209 double.

For more information, call 800-233-1234 or visit www.sanfranciscoregency.hyatt.com

The Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf’s Home Run Explore package includes an appetizer at the hotel’s Knuckles at the Wharf restaurant and two all-day MUNI passes, which include access on the F-Line trolleys and cable cars. Nightly room rates start at $174 double. For more information, call 800-233-1234 or visit www.fishermanswharf.hyatt.com