Jetsettersblog

Royal Caribbean International will install iPad mobile digital devices in every stateroom onboard the newly revitalized Splendour of the Seas. The touch-screen tablet will let guests access the daily Cruise Compass of events and activities as well as personal daily itineraries, including shore excursions. They can also monitor their onboard account, order room service, view restaurant menus, access the Internet and watch movies.

The iPads will be available beginning in mid-February on Splendour of the Seas before being extended to all Vision-class ships when each undergoes revitalization in the following two years.

The iPads, which will feature English and Portuguese on Splendour of the Seas, can be used in staterooms but also through the pervasive Wi-Fi also being installed throughout the ship. When logging on for the first time, passengers will need to accept an agreement to pay for the unit in the event it goes missing or is damaged.

In addition to the iPads, Splendour of the Seas, which emerges from dry dock on Nov. 25, also will have new stateroom amenities such as flat-screen televisions, refreshed bathrooms and completely remodeled interiors, including luxurious new linens and furniture, as well as an additional 124 balconies. The ship also will be outfitted with the digital way-finding technology found on the line’s Oasis-class ships.

The Splendour also will debut new dining options including the Asian Izumi restaurant, the steakhouse Chops Grille, the Boardwalk Dog House, the Park Café deli-style restaurant and the Chef’s Table dining experience.

Royal Caribbean also will introduce a new à la carte menu in the Viking Crown Lounge that will offer bite-sized portions of their favorite classics.

Additional Royal Caribbean signature innovations debuting on the ship will be the Royal Babies and Tots Nursery, a Diamond lounge, a Concierge Lounge, a Britto Gallery featuring works from Brazilian pop-artist Romero Britto, the new R-Bar as well as a reinvented Centrum experience.

Upon completion of the refurbishments, Splendour of the Seas will sail a trans-Atlantic voyage on Nov. 25 from Lisbon, Portugal, to its seasonal homeport of Sao Paulo (Santos), Brazil.

Marriott International announced that the Finisterre Suites in Panama City, Panama, will be converted to a Marriott Executive Apartments extended-stay hotel in early 2012.

The 126-unit Marriott Executive Apartments Finisterre — Panama, will be operated by Marriott under a long-term management agreement with the owner, Grupo Hotelero Finisterre S.A.

Marriott Executive Apartments was selected by the owner as the preferred brand and operator after a competitive operator search process carried out by the tourism consultancy, C4T Tourism, Business & Planning. The hotel is located on the corner of Calle Colombia and Avenida 3a Sur in downtown Panama City, easily accessible to main arteries and the business district. The property offers 126 king, double, junior and master suites, all with a full kitchen and separate eating, sleeping and work areas. Each unit is furnished in contemporary style, with hardwood floors, Internet connectivity, flat-screen television, a washer-dryer, maid service, on-site storage and other services.

Hotel services at the Marriott Executive Apartments Finisterre — Panama will include 24-hour room service and a three-meal-a-day restaurant, as well as a grab-and-go marketplace for snacks and sundries.

Other facilities include two meeting rooms measuring a combined total of 394 square meters, a fitness room and swimming pool.

Marriott International is currently represented in Panama City by the 388-room Panama City Marriott, the 248-room Courtyard Panama Real Hotel and the recently opened 120-room Courtyard Panama Metro Mall. Marriott will open the 180-room Casamar Marriott Panama Resort on Panama’s Pacific coast in 2013. For more information, visit www.marriottexecutiveapartments.com

Condominium Connection is offering Aston Kaanapali Shores Beach Club Dollars throughout 2012. The five-night-minimum promotion features folio credits for guests dining in the resort’s Beach Club Restaurant.

The dining credit is $50 for studios and $100 for one- and two-bedroom units. The property is also offering every fifth night free in selected rate plans throughout 2012.

For more information, call 800-423-2976 or visit www.condoconnection.com

The Reefs Hotel in Bermuda is offering a week-long Cyber Monday sale featuring up to 25 percent off stays from mid-March through April 30, 2012, or 20 percent off on stays from May 1 through July 31, 2012. The bookings must be made between Cyber Monday, Nov. 28, through 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 2. Guests will also receive daily full-service breakfast, afternoon tea and nightly gourmet dinner and complimentary roundtrip airport transfers — a $100 value. With the discounts, daily rates, including breakfast, dinner and airport transfers, start at $307.50 for two guests in a Poolside Room or $1,049.25 for four guests in a two-bedroom Club Condo.

For more information, call 800-742-2008 or visit www.thereefs.com/cybermonday.

US Airways has announced the addition of SkyWest Airlines to the airline’s portfolio of partners operating as US Airways Express. Beginning Dec. 16, SkyWest Airlines will begin operation of six daily Express flights from US Airways’ hub in Phoenix. By spring 2012, SkyWest Airlines will operate approximately 49 flights to 19 destinations for US Airways Express.

SkyWest will serve US Airways’ Phoenix-based Express operation with 14 50-passenger Bombardier CRJ200 regional jet aircraft, replacing the CRJ200 and Dash8 Express service currently operated by Mesa Airlines as US Airways Express. US Airways offers more than 267 daily departures from its Phoenix hub to 74 destinations. Eighty-six of the daily departures are operated by US Airways Express with service provided by a combination of SkyWest and Mesa.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises is offering two-for-one fares, bonus savings and free air on 10- and 11-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises.

The 10 “Tropical Escapes” aboard the Seven Seas Navigator are offered from January through April. Two-for-one fares start at $4,999 per guest and include free round-trip air and bonus savings of up to $2,000 per suite on select sailings when booked by Dec. 30. Guests also get one free pre-cruise hotel night and complimentary shore excursions.

Among the eligible cruises is the 10-night “Caribbean Tapestry” departing Jan. 6 to San Juan, Tortola and St. Barts.

This departure includes $1,000 bonus savings per suite.

The 11-night “Tropical Hideaways” cruise departs Jan. 26 and March 8 and includes midnight departures from San Juan, St. Maarten and St. Barts. The cruise includes up to $1,500 additional bonus savings per suite.

The 11-night “Sun-Splashed Sea Breezes” cruise departs April 3 and combines the Caribbean with visits to Savannah, Charleston, Wilmington and an overnight in Bermuda. Bonus savings is available of up to $1,000 per suite.

For more information, call 800-285-1835 or visit www.RSSC.com

Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts extended the $250 airfare credit for guests who book a land-only or air-inclusive vacation to any Sandals Resorts or Beaches Resorts in the Caribbean. Guests who book a minimum six-night stay through Dec. 15, 2011, will receive a $250 airfare credit per room, valid for travel through Dec. 23, 2011, to any Sandals Resorts.

Guests who book a stay at any Beaches Resorts through Dec. 15, 2011, will also receive the $250 airfare credit through Dec. 21, 2011.

Also, guests who book a minimum six-night stay in 2012 from now through Dec. 15, 2011, will receive a $250 airfare credit per room.

The offer is valid for travel to any Sandals resort from Jan. 1, 2012, through Dec. 23, 2012.

Vacationers who book a Beaches Resorts stay through Dec. 15, 2011, receive the $250 airfare credit for travel from Jan. 1, 2012 through Dec. 21, 2012.

The offer is limited to one $250 airfare credit per booked room; minimum double occupancy is required.

For more information call 800-SANDALS or 800-BEACHES or visit

www.sandals.com

or www.beaches.com

Tamarind Beach Hotel & Yacht Club on Canouan Island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines is offering guests who arrive for stays between Dec. 21, 2011, and Dec. 21, 2012 complimentary roundtrip air transportation between Barbados and Canouan Island aboard Grenadine Airways. The offer, which represents a savings of $840, is valid for two guests staying a minimum of seven nights. Vacationers can book at any time during the remainder of 2011 or during 2012 to take advantage of the offer. Canouan Island is reached via a one-hour flight from Barbados. For more information, visit www.tamarindbeachhotel.com

The Bahamas Grand Lucayan resort is offering holiday rates starting at $189 per room, per night, plus festive amenities, holiday buffets and activities for a memorable holiday getaway at the 519-room beachfront resort. Upon arrival, visitors can enjoy eggnog and cookies in the lobby and later visit the Manor House Lobby to visit the island’s largest gingerbread house, standing at six feet tall and weighing over 1,000 pounds. On Dec. 22, the Grand Bahama Youth Choir will sing holiday songs. Guests can also enjoy holiday specialty buffets around the property. For more information, visit www.grandlucayan.com

The Fairmont Hamilton Princess and Fairmont Southampton hotels are offering “Bermuda Escape” sale packages with rates starting at $129 for travel through April 30, 2012, including the holiday season. Stays must be booked between Nov. 22 and 30, 2011, to qualify for the special rate, and a three-night minimum stay is required. Also, guests who book stays from May 1 to Aug. 31, 2012, are eligible for rates starting at $199 at The Fairmont Hamilton Princess and at $299 at The Fairmont Southampton. For more information, call 800-441-1414 or visit www.fairmont.com