Jetsettersblog

American Cruise Lines is planning to offer an extensive entertainment program for its 2012 Mississippi River itineraries aboard the sternwheeler Queen of the Mississippi, currently being built in Salisbury, Md.

The entertainment will be reminiscent of America’s steamboating era.

One of the seven lounges on the vessel, the Paddlewheel Lounge will feature solo acts or live Dixieland music.

Passengers will be able to play the calliope or have a drink in the Calliope Lounge.

A Mark Twain impersonator will be onboard along with guest lecturers.

The ship will feature additional shows with costumes and entertainers, but specific details aren’t available yet.

The Queen of the Mississippi will have 75 staterooms with private balconies.

The sternwheeler will operate over the entire Mississippi River system, with the option of cruising at significantly higher speeds to make more itineraries possible with longer visits to the river towns.

A number of seven-, 10- and 14-day cruises are planned that take passengers as far north as St. Paul, Minn., on the Mississippi River and as far east as Pittsburgh, Pa., on the Ohio River.

For more information, call 800-814-6880 or visit www.americancruiselines.com

Azamara Club Cruises’ new 2012 Destination Guide details its 64 sailings next year to 181 ports in 57 countries. The guide outlines Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest itineraries, notes arrival and departure times, and denotes late-night and overnight stays. Color-coding allows for easy planning, with new features such as individual voyage maps, highlights for each voyage, as well as area average temperatures, and lead pricing next to the respective itinerary listing.

The 144-page glossy brochure features images by two student photographers — Jenna Lyn Pimentel of the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and Brandon Jones at Santa Clara University.

The 2012 destination guide may be viewed as an electronic brochure at www.AzamaraClubCruises.com, and printed brochures can be ordered.

Travel agents who sell Azamara will have a supply shipped to them automatically.

For additional copies, the brochure can be ordered at

www.CruisingPower.com.

Azamara also is offering travel agents the opportunity to win one of 12 prizes when booking two or more Azamara 2012 Asia Voyages.

The contest runs through Oct. 31, and applies for full-fare bookings made aboard Azamara Quest voyages from Jan. 4 through April 24, 2012.

For more information, call 877-999-9553 or visit www.cruisingpower.com

Windstar Cruises is offering two free hotel nights in San José, Costa Rica, in combination with the March 10 and March 17 cruises on the 148-guest Wind Star. The seven-day cruises sail roundtrip from Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica, and visits San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua; and Playas del Coco, Quepos, Bahia Drake, Curu, and Tortuga Island, Costa Rica.

Fares start at $2,399 per person, double occupancy. The promotional code is “HotSpcl.” The hotel in Costa Rica is selected by Windstar. The offer is valid on new bookings made through Oct. 15. For more information, call 800-258-7245 or visit www.WindstarCruises.com

IHG’s Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts is offering its “Get a Better Game” stay-and-earn promotion.

From now until Dec. 31, 2011, guests who register for the promotion and stay at Crowne Plaza Hotels in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Latin America can earn free Nike Golf gear.

In addition, the first registered guest who stays 50 nights during the promotional period will play the round of their life, with a spot in the Pro Am at the 2012 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial with Nike Golf pro Stewart Cink.

After two nights during the promotional period, registered guests will start earning Nike Golf equipment, from a sleeve of golf balls, all the way up to a full set of irons. Both men’s and women’s equipment will be available.

The earning structure is as follows: stay two nights, and get a sleeve of Nike 20XI golf balls; stay five nights, and get a dozen Nike 20XI golf balls; stay 10 nights, and get Nike V Rev Wedge; stay 15 nights, and get Nike Mach Speed FW; stay 20 nights, and get Nike Mach Speed Black Driver; and stay 30 or more nights, and get Nike Mach Speed Irons.

For more information, or to register for the Crowne Plaza “Get a Better Game” promotion, visit www.crowneplaza.com/getgame

Celebrity Cruises has named 2010 James Beard Foundation “Rising Star Chef” nominee and 2007 “Rising Star Chef of American Cuisine” John Suley as its director of culinary operations. Tapped by Jacques Van Staden, Celebrity’s vice president of culinary operations and himself a James Beard-nominated Master Chef, Suley previously worked as executive chef at Gotham Steak at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami.

Suley’s has also worked at the Ritz Carlton-South Beach, the Waldorf Astoria and St. Regis hotels. Suley is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America.

The Cayman Islands’ Cotton Tree resort is offering a “Thanksgiving Special” featuring a complimentary dinner prepared by the resort’s personal chef.

The package also includes beach cottage accommodations, continental breakfast, swimming pool and fitness center access and other amenities including one-way airport transfers.

The package is available with reservations for Nov. 23 to 26, 2012, and starts at $890 per night. For more information, visit www.caymancottontree.com

Crystal Cruises’ 2012 Film & Theater theme cruise in April will feature special guest Tippi Hedren, the actress who starred in Hitchcock classics “The Birds” and “Marnie.”

Other guests on the cruise will include stage actress Kate Burton, who plays Ellis Grey on the TV show “Grey’s Anatomy,” and members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles.

The 17-day theme cruise is set for Crystal Serenity’s April 21 voyage from Los Angeles to New York.

The 20-plus special events will include a Tippi-themed cocktail party with photo ops, a Vintage Room dinner hosted by Hedren and Edith Head impersonator Susan Claassen, celebrity Q&A sessions, behind-the-scenes presentations, hosted cinema screenings, theme trivia games, and special in-stateroom TV programming.

Additional speakers include Michael Ritchie, artistic director for L.A.’s Center Theatre Group; USC film historian Drew Casper; prolific TV producer Chuck Fries; and Greg Schreiner, owner of one of the world’s largest private Hollywood costume collections.

Crystal Serenity will sail through the Panama Canal via Cabo San Lucas; Caldera, Costa Rica; Cartagena, Colombia; Grand Cayman; Fort Lauderdale; and Charleston, S.C.

Fares, with $900 per person “Book Now Savings,” start at $5,645 per person, double occupancy, if reserved by Oct. 31. Fares also include complimentary air from 24 North American gateways or air credit, transfers to and from airports, and $500 per person onboard spending credit.

Saint Lucia is sponsoring a Health & Wellness Retreat from Nov. 17 to 20, 2011.

The event will feature leading experts in yoga, nutrition, and lifestyle coaching to offer a comprehensive wellbeing package.

Taking place in Soufriere, the four-day retreat is priced at $1,000 per person; participants who purchase tickets before Oct. 15 will receive a $200 discount.

Several area luxury accommodations are also offering special packages. Participating properties include Jalousie Plantation, Fond Doux Plantation Resort, Still Beach House, Hummingbird Beach Resort, Stonefield Estate Villa Resort & Spa, La Haut Plantation, Hotel Chocolat, Ladera Resort, Anse Chastanet Resort/Jade Mountain and Mago Estate Hotel.

For more information, call 800-456-3984, or visit www.saintlucianow.com

Sanctuary Retreats in the Galapagos Islands has launched a second catamaran, the 16-passenger Athala II, to operate seven-day cruises starting Oct. 15.

Built specifically for the Galapagos Islands in 2007, the Athala will undergo a refurbishment.

The boat will offer air-conditioned accommodations in eight cabins on two decks. All cabins include large picture windows, with the option of private balconies on the main deck. Sustainably sourced teak will be featured throughout the catamaran. In addition, a new Jacuzzi will be installed on the sun deck.

Like its sister boat, the Eclipse, each day, the Athala will anchor off-shore at two sites, allowing time to explore with naturalist guides.

There will be a dedicated cruise director as well as nine staffers.

The company is offering special rates for the rest of 2011, with fares starting at $3,850 per person.

For more information, visit www.sanctuaryretreats.com/cruises/galapagos/athala.cfm

American Safari Cruises, to kick off its first season in Alaska in 2012, is offering savings of $200 per person savings for guests who book a cruise on the 86-passenger Safari Endeavour by Nov. 30, 2011.

From June through August, the yacht-style ship sails weeklong “Discoverers’ Glacier Country” cruises roundtrip from Juneau, Alaska.

The inclusive cruise aboard the newly renovated ship spends two days exploring inside Glacier Bay National Park.

Guided hiking and kayaking trips with park rangers and on board expedition leaders afford guests a view of the park and its wildlife.

Other areas explored include Icy Strait, Chichagof Island, Baranof Island, Frederick Sound, Thomas Bay, Ford’s Terror and Endicott Arm. Rates start at $4,795 per person double.

The travel credit is also available on the two-week “The Famed Inside Passage” cruise from Seattle to Juneau on May 27, 2012 and Juneau to Seattle on Sept. 2, 2012.

Rates start at $6,095 per person double.

“The travel credit is intended to help guests with airfare,” said Tim Jacox, executive vice president of sales and marketing.

“It’s our gift to guests booking the Safari Endeavour which we’ve recently added to our fleet.”

The $200 per person credit is available on new bookings made from now through Nov. 30, 2011.

The travel savings is for guests sailing aboard the 86-guest Safari Endeavour in Alaska from May through September 2012.

The Safari Endeavour will be fresh from an extensive renovation project.

Five stateroom categories include three Master, 21 Commander, 12 Captain, three Admiral and four Commodore Suites.

The suites will be created by merging two former staterooms and adding new step-out balconies.

All staterooms have one or two outside view windows. Other amenities being added to the ship include two massage rooms, two hot tubs, sauna, exercise equipment, a wine bar and a library.

An all-American crew of 34 will give the ship a guest-crew ratio of 2.5 to 1.

For more information or reservations, call 888-862-8881, email sales@americansafaricruises.com  or visit www.americansafaricruises.com