Jetsettersblog

Silversea Cruises has launched a Passport to Luxury promotion with the addition of 30 new voyages offering onboard spending credits of up to $1,000 per suite ($500 per person).

Most voyages (more than 90) in 2011 now feature the promotion. These offers are available on new bookings made by June 30.

Onboard spending credit options include spa treatments, specialty restaurants, premium spirits and rare vintages from the Connoisseur’s List, Silver shore excursions, boutique purchases, Internet packages, laundry service, personal fitness training and direct-dial phone calls.

For a complete list of voyages offering the onboard spending credit, visit www.silversea.com/specialoffers

Delta Air Lines announced it has eliminated the SkyMiles mileage expiration, creating a new industry-leading benefit for all members.

This program change is effective for all accounts as of Jan. 1, 2011, and makes Delta the only major U.S. carrier without mileage expiration.

Previously, miles expired 24 months after a member’s last qualifying mileage activity, which required a member to earn or redeem miles within that period. For more information, visit www.delta.com/skymiles

Amtrak passengers have a new way to get information and share the experience of Amtrak train travel with the launch of the Amtrak YouTube channel.

The channel will feature videos with information on topics such as safety and security, the Trails & Rails program, and the Amtrak vision for high-speed rail. In addition, there will be video from Amtrak employees on Amtrak journeys, customer experiences and travel tips.

“The YouTube channel provides us another way to visually communicate and engage with our customers and reach new audiences,” said Darlene Abubakar, director of national advertising at Amtrak.

The Amtrak YouTube channel is the latest social media initiative by Amtrak. The Amtrak Facebook page was launched in 2008 and has more than 43,000 fans and the @Amtrak Twitter handle was added in 2010 and has more than 7,500 followers. In addition to current information, special contests and promotions are offered exclusively through these tools such as the recent Facebook contest, “A Perfect Day on Amtrak,” where passengers shared their Amtrak experience for a chance to win free train travel.

For more information, call 800-USA-RAIL or visit

www.amtrak.com

The royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton will be televised live on Princess ships’ Movies Under the Stars screens on April 29.

Passengers will be able to follow along with full coverage of the wedding through BBC World’s broadcast of the event.

Princess will host onboard viewing parties with British-style refreshments and royal-themed cocktails.

Passengers can also test their knowledge with royal wedding trivia competitions and participate in a William and Kate look-alike contest.

While the broadcasts are planned for all ships in the Princess fleet, they are subject to satellite availability.

In some time zones, the broadcast may be delayed for viewing at a convenient hour.

Sandos Caracol Eco Resort & Spa, in the Riviera Maya, Mexico, opened its newest eco-chic ocean front accommodations and facilities.

The property’s 128 newly renovated rooms maintain the resort’s ecological standard of reducing CO2 emissions by 70 percent.

New accommodations feature luxurious and modern, green and white décor, including furniture made from certified wood. The rooms come with natural amenities designed especially for eco-minded guests.

The new ocean-front accommodations include the following sustainable practices: air conditioning system with lower energy consumption, solar water heating systems to eliminate the use of gas, internal lighting systems based on energy-efficient LED, installation of furniture made from certified wood, new waste water recycling system, and in-room water coolers to reduce the use of plastic water bottles. In addition to the room upgrades, Sandos Caracol has also created a new BBQ Chill Out Café with a wedding gazebo located on the beach, as well as a Gaucho restaurant with seating for up to 250 people including a show cooking space.

There is also a new luxury beach club and bar that will feature live music to provide additional nighttime entertainment.

For more information, visit www.sandos.com

Blount Small Ship Adventures has announced that two Civil War authors will join its “Historic Rivers of America” itineraries in 2011.

The authors offer lectures, anecdotes and knowledge of the Civil War. The itinerary consists of three legs, with the authors traveling on select departures.

The authors are James I. Robertson Jr., who will be on the June 5 and June 29 departures, lecturing on social aspects of life during the Civil War, including views from the common soldier, the hardships of women, medical limitations, and the impact of the Civil War on modern life today.

Richard M. McMurry will join passengers on the April 29 and May 10 departures, lecturing on war on the rivers and the new framework for Civil War military history.

The cruise will visit many of the sites and attractions highlighted in the lectures, sailing from New Orleans to Chicago and navigating nine waterways including the Mississippi River.

Among the sites will be Shiloh Military Park, the site of a major, two-day Civil War battle; historic Lookout Mountain, where the “Battle Above the Clouds” was fought in 1863; and New Salem, a restored pioneer village where Abraham Lincoln spent time as a young adult.

For more information, call 800-556-7450 or visit www.blountsmallshipadventures.com

European Waterways is offering spring specials aboard its barges. The Anjodi is offering $3,000 off of the full-vessel charter price for six to eight passengers for cruises in March and April.

The Enchanté is offering $1,000 off per cabin, based on double occupancy, for its April 10 and April 17 departures, as well as $5,000 off a full-boat charter price for six to eight passengers for its April 24 departure.

The Rosa is offering $3,000 off of a whole-boat charter price for six to eight passengers for all April and May departures, as well as $1,000 off per cabin, based on double occupancy, for its May 15 and June 12 departures. Bookings for all of these specials must take place by Feb. 25.

For more information, call 877-879-8808, email sales@gobarging.com  or visit www.gobarging.com

Insight Vacations is for a romance occasion with three romantic itineraries ideal for creating a mood.

Easy Pace France is an 11-day program touring Paris, Avignon, Nimes, Provence and Monaco.

On this tour, travelers visit the Eiffel Tower, embark on a Seine River cruise, explore Provence and test their luck in the casinos of Monte Carlo. As part of Insight’s Easy Pace collection, this tour allows for lots of free time and several two and three night stays in each city visited. Land-only rates are from $2,825 per person.

Romantic Britain and Ireland is a 22-day program touring London, Oxford, Stratford, Lincoln, York, Leeds, Yorkshire Dales, Gretna, Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Highlands, Loch Ness, Loch Leven, Mull, Iona, Troon, Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Dingle, Killarney, Waterford, Bristol, Bath and Stonehenge.

The itinerary offers history, dramatic scenery, sacred sites, legend and tradition, which all come together to invoke a sense of romance. Land-only rates are from $4,599 per person.

Best of Britain includes 13 days touring London, Stratford, York, Edinburgh, Stirling, Trossachs, Glasgow, Gretna, Lake District, Ludlow, Cardiff, Bath, Glastonbury, Plymouth, and Stonehenge.

The tour unveils the story of Britain, starting with Coventry Cathedral, risen from wartime ashes, and ending with Stonehenge, the most famous and speculated upon monument from the ancient European world.

Insight is offering a special “Best of Britain” departure.

The April 17 departure concludes in London on April 28 to coincide with the royal wedding. Insight has arranged for a post-night option where guests can enjoy all of the fanfare and celebratory spirit in London that will be surrounding the wedding.

Land-only rates are from $2,475 per person.

For more than 30 years, Insight Vacations has been the leader in premium escorted tours and cruises to Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, Mexico, Canada and the United States.

For more information, call 800-582-8380 or visit www.insightvacations.com

GOGO Vacations unveiled myTime Vacations, which comprises exclusive agreements with Excellence Riviera Cancun, Excellence Punta Cana, Excellence Playa Mujeres, Royal Hideaway, Occidental Grand Aruba, ME Cancun, Paradisus Punta Cana, The Reserve at Paradisus Punta Cana, Olympus and Prieto Tours, enabling GOGO to offer guaranteed amenities and bonus offerings that are not available through any other wholesaler.

On a myTime vacation, from the moment GOGO clients arrive to the moment they depart, they will be treated to special touches, extra amenities and unique recognitions reserved exclusively for GOGO Vacations customers, all at no extra cost.

The myTime vacation is targeted to singles, couples and families, and it exclusive to GOGO Vacations clients beginning March 1.

Amenities vary by property and package. Some examples of myTime inclusions are restaurant pre-booking service (Occidental Grand Aruba); reserved Balinese bed (Paradisus Punta Cana); reserved sun bed (Royal Hideaway); guaranteed access to room or suite by 3 p.m. or a $50 resort credit applied to the room; myTime check-in and check-out area; daily welcome party for new arrivals with myTime representative; myTime resort desk staffed by a myTime representative; and late check-out to 2 p.m., subject to availability.

For more information on the myTime partners and their amenities, call 888-567-0600 or visit www.gogowwv.com  These tours must be booked by a travel agent.

Carlson Hotels announced the launch of its new hotel loyalty program, Club Carlson, which will officially start on March 31, 2011. The announcement came during the company’s annual global hotel business conference tak..

Members of Club Carlson, formerly known as goldpoints plus, will benefit from an enriched array of first-class redemption opportunities, including Carlson’s global resorts, as well as exciting new vacation options with CWT Vacations and Club Med.

Members have the ability to earn points for every eligible stay at more than 1,000 Carlson hotels worldwide — Radisson, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, Park Inn and Park Plaza.

“A key pillar of our Ambition 2015 growth strategy is to help our hotels grow their revenues,” said Hubert Joly, president and chief executive officer, Carlson.

“In 2010, we announced a plan to double the size of our loyalty program to 10 million members by 2013, and the membership grew by 24 percent to 6.3 million members during 2010. We have designed Club Carlson’s very attractive value proposition to help drive further growth and results.”

Members can redeem points across Carlson’s 1,071 hotels worldwide, including the company’s 42 resorts in the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia Pacific and the Mediterranean Sea.

The new CWT Vacation partnership offers U.S. members a choice of hundreds of independent hotels in top vacation destinations including Hawaii, Las Vegas, ski resort areas and cruises.

A new partnership with Club Med provides members in the U.S. and Canada with access to 80 upscale, all-inclusive resorts worldwide, including the newly renovated Sandpiper Bay in Port Saint Lucie, Fla.

Carlson has added 20 new retail and restaurant partners to provide low point redemption options, including Amazon.com, Best Buy, iTunes and T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants.

Customer privileges and benefits include the new Concierge elite tier, which provides members with complimentary room upgrades and continental breakfast, early check-in and late check-out, a 75 percent point bonus on stays, and starting by mid-year, access to a special Concierge Service line for theater and sports tickets, and reservations at top-rated restaurants anywhere in the world.

The program has no black-out dates. Free Internet is provided at Radisson hotels worldwide and all Carlson brands in North America. Rollover nights allow elite members to roll over extra nights to qualify toward their next year’s elite status. Club Carlson has been designed to be one of the most rewarding loyalty programs in travel and will enable members to enjoy a remarkably fast way to a free night stay. As an example, a member who stays five nights at the Radisson Hotel Los Angeles Westside can earn a free night at the Park Inn Prague.

To expand and optimize its reach to the mobile audience, Carlson is launching Club Carlson as a new iPhone and Android mobile application on March 31, 2011, which will feature express booking for all Carlson hotels, personalization options, GPS mapping and the ability to redeem points.

The app also links to “Explore Destinations,” a best-in-class feature, which stores more than 4.4 million points of interest from local restaurants to tourist attractions.

A new extension of the loyalty program is specifically designed with small-business owners in mind that allows both the individual traveler and business to earn points for stays. Business owners can use their points to reduce future travel expenses or offer them as employee rewards. While Club Carlson adds considerable value to consumers, the new program also greatly improves the economic value to the hotels on an overall cost/benefit basis. The Club Carlson launch will be promoted with a $10 million launch budget. For more information, visit www.carlson.com