Jetsettersblog

Holland America Line’s 2012 Early Advantage Savings program offers savings of up to 50 percent off brochure fares on select cruises and Alaska cruise-tours. The program also features free and reduced rates for third and fourth guests, as well as savings on 2012 Europe fares. For example, a family of four can cruise the Caribbean in 2012 from $1,100 plus tax with Early Advantage.

Among the Early Advantage Savings cruise fares are rates beginning at $699 for a seven-day Alaska sailing, $899 for a seven-day Mediterranean cruise, $1,399 for a 12-day South America sailing and $1,599 for a 14-day Australia/New Zealand voyage. Holland America Line is also offering savings of up to 45 percent off verandah staterooms on select cruises.

Longer sailings also are included in the program, with Early Advantage Savings fares starting at $3,899 for a 28-day Hawaii and Tahiti cruise, and $3,049 for an 18-day Grand Voyage segment from Fort Lauderdale to Buenos Aires, Argentina, or Piraeus, Greece, to Fort Lauderdale.

Holland America Line’s Alaska cruise-tours also are part of the program, with rates starting at $999 on select packages. The cruise-tours combine a three-, four- or seven-day Inside Passage cruise with overland tours.

Third and fourth guests sail free on select cruises on these itineraries:

Seven-day Bermuda cruises with Early Advantage fares beginning at $699; seven-day Caribbean sailings beginning at $599; seven- to 16-day holiday sailings from $799, seven-day Mexico cruises starting at $699; and 15-day Canada/New England from $1,599.

Longer warm destinations are also part of the program, with fares starting at $1,499 on 14-day Hawaii sailings and $1,699 for 14-day Panama Canal sailings.

Select cruises have the reduced rates for third and fourth guests, which can be used in addition to the Early Advantage Savings for the first two guests in the stateroom.

For example, seven- to 13-day Canada/New England sailings begin at $1,299, with third and fourth guest rates starting at $299. A

ll rates are per person, double occupancy, and are capacity controlled.

Paul Gauguin Cruises is featuring two holiday sailings from Tahiti departing Dec. 21 and Dec. 28. The Dec. 28 sailing is a six-night cruise and includes one night at the InterContinental Resort in Tahiti. Both departures offer children access to the Ambassadors of the Environment Youth Program, available for $289 per child. Explorer and environmentalist Jean-Michel Cousteau created this program.

The program provides participants age 9 to 17 with hands-on experience with marine and island ecosystems.

Young ambassadors will explore coral reefs, hike rainforest trails, and visit ancient Polynesian temples. Participants will learn how black pearls and vanilla are cultivated, how volcanic islands become coral atolls, and how to paddle an outrigger canoe. Parents are encouraged to join children on eco-excursions and other activities.

As with all Paul Gauguin cruises, guests aboard the December holiday sailings will receive 50 percent off standard cruise fares in addition to free airfare from Los Angeles.

The third person per stateroom cruises for free, but airfare is not included.

For more information, call 800-848-6172 or visit

www.pgcruises.com

Pleasant Holidays released its 2012/2013 Tahiti, Fiji and Cook Islands sales brochure featuring Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea, Huahine, Taha’a, Tuamoto Atolls and the Marquesas Islands in Tahiti; Vitu Levu, and the Mamanuca, Nothern and Outer Islands of Fiji; and Rarotanga and Aitutaki in the Cook Islands.

The 24-page brochure includes more than 70 resorts, six cruise options and 21 activities in the islands so travelers may experience the very best of these South Pacific Islands.

Pleasant Holidays’ Tahiti vacations include roundtrip air on Air Tahiti Nui with daily nonstop flights from Los Angeles, and world-class resorts and spas featuring expansive overwater bungalows with glass floor panels.

Tahiti cruises include the luxurious Paul Gauguin sailing year-round featuring all-ocean view staterooms, onboard entertainment, 24-hour room service, and all onboard meals and gratuities. Pleasant Holidays also provides instant air and hotel confirmations for Tahiti vacations.

Fiji vacation packages feature roundtrip air on Air Pacific from Los Angeles and 34 resorts, including 12 meal-inclusive resorts. Fiji cruise options include Blue Lagoon Cruises exploring Fiji’s Yasawa and Mamanuca Islands, Tui Tai Expeditions for active travelers and Captain Cook Cruises offering all-oceanview accommodations, onboard meals and select activities.

Pleasant Holidays’ Cook Islands packages include roundtrip air on Air New Zealand from Los Angeles and 11 beachfront resorts in a relaxed atmosphere on the two major islands, Rarotonga and Aitutaki.

For information, call 800-448-3333

Hebridean Island Cruises is offering savings of up to 25 percent on fall sailings of the Highlands and islands of Scotland onboard the 50-guest Hebridean Princess.

The cruises depart from Oban, Scotland. The Oct. 18 departure of the “Inner Hebridean Medley” voyage includes the isle of Kerrera, the village of Jura, Loch Sween, Crinan and the 20-acre Arduaine Gardens. Rates start at $4,416 per person in a Category F stateroom. Other seven-night itineraries depart Nov. 1, Nov. 8 and Nov. 15 with fares starting at $2,128 per person for a Category H stateroom.

Fares include meals, beverages and select wines, spirits and champagne, tours, guest speakers, port charges and gratuities. Activities included are use of the ship’s bicycles, fishing, bridge and speedboat rides. Black-tie gala dinners are a highlight. For more information, call 877-600-2648 or visit www.hebrideancruises.com

Solio Lodge is celebrating its first birthday with an offer inviting children under 12 to stay free between Sept. 1 and Oct. 31.

The Lodge offers privacy, luxury and exceptional game viewing in the valley of Mount Kenya. Solio Lodge is the only property on the Solio Game Reserve, which is internationally recognized as the most successful Rhinoceros breeding reserve in Kenya and home to a huge population of both black and white rhino. A range of activities is available, including horseback riding, mountain biking, trout fishing, and helicopter flights in addition to night and day game drives and bush walks.

Accommodations are in spacious and luxurious private cottages with sitting areas, plush beds and en-suite bathrooms. The thatched roofed cottages incorporate a full wall of glass paned windows overlooking the plains beyond and Mount Kenya in the distance.

Solio Lodge is a part of The Safari Collection, a portfolio of five Kenyan properties offering a variety of experiences and environments. Giraffe Manor has views of Ngong Hills of “Out of Africa.” Sasaab Lodge is located in the arid Samburu region. Sala’s Camp is in a secluded location in the southernmost part of the Masai Mara. Leleshwa Camp is an intimate tented camp offering night-time drives, bush walks and hikes as well as a unique photographic center on the Siana Community Conservation Area. This special birthday offer applies only to new bookings. One child under the age of twelve stays free per adult couple in a shared room.

This offer excludes flights and park and conservation fees. More information about Solio Lodge and The Safari Collection is available online at www.thesafaricollection.com

The Safari Collection is a group of properties and safari experiences in Kenya, East Africa. All properties are committed to sustainability and community involvement. For information, visit www.thesafaricollection.com

Goway Travel is offering the Waltzing Matilda, a 22-day guided exploration of Australia and New Zealand, the Best of New Zealand, a 10-day journey of both the North and South Islands of New Zealand and the 15-day Best of Australia, taking in all the highlights of this amazing country.

In New Zealand, clients will see Auckland, the harbor city; Rotorua’s geothermal activity and the nearby glow-worm caves; cruise on serene Milford Sound and the English-style city of Christchurch. Continuing across the Tasman clients will arrive at the tropical city of Cairns, the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and World Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest. After a few days of exploration the tour continues through Australia’s Red Center with the option to take the world-famous Ghan train to Adelaide. The trip is completed with visits two of Australia’s southern cities Melbourne and Adelaide.

Goway’s Holidays of a Lifetime are first-class escorted tours available in South America, Africa and Asia. Most trip components are included, as are tips. Every departure has a theme. Guaranteed departures are available on the Waltzing Matilda and prices start from $4,389. Full details of Goway’s Waltzing Matilda and additional Holidays of a Lifetime tours can be found in the company’s Downunder catalog and on www.Goway.com  For more information call 888-469-2944 or email info@goway.com

Key Tours is discounting its nine-day Wonders of Egypt Tour with a starting price of $1,899 air inclusive from New York. Other gateways are available on request. The package includes three nights in Cairo at a centrally located superior first class or deluxe hotel; four nights on a Nile cruise; daily Breakfast when in Cairo; all meals while onboard the cruise; arrival and departure transfers and sightseeing with entrance fees included.

The company also is offering $100 per person savings for reservation made prior to Sept. 30; complimentary guaranteed upper deck cabin on Nile cruise; complementary bottle of water and soft drink with lunches and dinners on the cruise; and complementary sound and light show on November and December departures. For information, visit www.keytours.com

Vail will host the 12th Annual Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival Jan. 5-7, 2012. For the first time, a lodging and lift ticket package will be available from the host location, the Vail Cascade Resort (www.vailcascade.com). Lift tickets are valid at all five Vail Resorts ski areas during the specified period surrounding the festival weekend. Only guests who book their lodging at the Vail Cascade will receive the offer, up to a 33 discount on last year’s multiday lift ticket rates.

Other Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines partnering properties offering lodging packages (without discounted lift tickets) include the Holiday Inn/Apex Vail (www.apexvail.com), Simba Run (www.simbarun.com), the Lionshead Inn (http://lionshead-inn.com) and The Roost Lodge (www.roost-vail-lodging.com). Among the individual events at next year’s festival will be the sensory workshop and the Vail Cascade People’s Choice competition. The cigar and beer pairing will be among the first of its kind at a festival-type event, and the flavors of the different tobaccos will be designed bring out the flavors in the beers. The People’s Choice competition between the participating festival beers will determine the Vail Cascade Big Beer of the Year, and the winner’s brew will be featured on the beverage menu for a year at the Vail Cascade’s Atwater on Gore Creek restaurant.

Festival tickets will be available Sept. 1. For more information and information on packages (except the Vail Cascade package), email bigbeersfestival@hotmail.com  or visit www.bigbeersfestival.com. To book the Vail Cascade package, call 800-420-2424 or visit www.vail.com

Globus is bringing travelers Small Group Discovery tours (20 people or less) to Africa for game watching, wine tasting, luxury tented camp stays, tribal visits and more, starting at less than $3,000. Globus’ Kenya & Tanzania: The Safari Experience and Great Parks of Africa offer game-watching opportunities for travelers. Other experiences offered on Globus’ five Africa vacations for 2012 include visiting a local Maasai village in Kenya, sipping mimosas at a bush breakfast in the Serengeti, visiting the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, checking out the chimps at a sanctuary in Kenya, walking along the Victoria Falls and visiting a colony of endangered African penguins in Cape Town.

Globus’ touring vacations of Africa range from 10 to 15 days and feature Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa. The company also offers independent travel packages to Africa via Monograms and Nile and Lake Nassar cruises in Egypt from Avalon Waterways. Those booking a 2012 Globus Africa vacation early can get $200 off per person. For more information, call 866-313-2855 or visit www.globusjourneys.com  Travel agents can request brochures by calling 800-221-0090 or by visiting www.globusfamilypartner.com

Uncharted Africa Safari co-founder and African guide Ralph Bousfield is teaming up with Kenyan air charter company Tropic Air to offer a helicopter safari to the most remote areas of Ethiopia. This journey allows guests to see and experience the previously inaccessible and untouched such as rock fields, lava flows, volcanoes, acid lakes and lost tribes.

The safari starts in the remote region of the Omo River Delta, an area where many tribal people lead traditional semi-nomadic lives. Ethiopia’s holiest city, Lalibela, built in the 12th century, attracts pilgrims from Ethiopia and beyond to worship in the “rock churches,” carved from solid rock more than eight centuries ago. The safari then moves on to the Simien Mountains’ jagged peaks, deep valleys and sharp precipices, home to the Walia Ibex and Bleeding Heart Baboon, and later, further extremes are experienced in the Danakil Depression, one of the hottest places on earth and home to acid volcanoes, saline lakes and a bizarre landscape unlike anything on the planet.

Bousfield will lead guests on this heli-safari. He both co-produced and presented a 16-part series for Discovery Channel. Filmed in Botswana, Namibia, Kenya and Tanzania, it was titled “Uncharted Africa.”

For more information, email reservations@unchartedafrica.com  or visit www.unchartedafrica.com