Jetsettersblog

Setting sail from Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas the idyllic capital of the US Virgin Islands, you will find yourself in shopping heaven before embarking upon a 5 night journey around the Caribbean. Widely known as the duty free shopping capital of the world – Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas combines rich history with some of the world’s best shopping.

SeaDream I is an exclusive & intimate mega-yacht which hosts just 56 couples who are serviced by a team of 95 crew, providing a truly 5 star luxury experience.

Leading cruise holiday specialists ecruising Asia Pacific are providing you with this dream opportunity at a saving of up to 65%. Through ecruising you can enjoy 5 nights aboard luxury mega-yacht SeaDream I for only HK$19,249.00 usually HK$61,000.00

ecruising Asia Pacific is a fully registered and licensed travel agency who are specialists in cruise holidays. Recently launching their regional centre for Asia Pacific in Hong Kong, their team of dedicated customer service agents are providing Asia with a gateway to the world of cruising.

This exclusive package on SeaDream I includes all main meals, complimentary beverages, personal refreshment bar and entertainment. The mega-yacht also features an Award-winning Thai certified Spa (massage rooms, steam shower and sauna), Fitness center with state-of-the-art equipment, Outdoor whirlpool, pool and spa facilities.

Caribbean Itinerary

18 Jan - Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

19 Jan - Cruz Bay, St. John

20 Jan - Anguilla, British West Indies

21 Jan - Gustavia, St. Barthelemy

22 Jan - Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

23 Jan San Juan, Puerto Rico

Details
For sale until: 16 January 2009
Destinations: Caribbean
Ship: SeaDream I
Embarkation Port: Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
Duration: 5 Nights
Departure Dates: 18 Jan 2009

Other great cruise holidays available through ecruising Asia Pacific include:

China, Vietnam & Thailand HK$13,499.00
14 nights on board Costa Allegra from Hong Kong to Singapore. Departing 21 Feb 2009
For sale until: 21 February 2009
Destinations: Asia
Cruise Line: Costa
Ship: Costa Allegra
Embarkation Port: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 14 nights
Departure Dates: 21 February 2009

ecruising Asia Pacific can be contacted for information about cruise holiday products here and world-wide by simply visiting

 www.ecruising.travel/hk

or phoning (852) 3711 3238.

Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean & Mexico Resorts announced the Winter 2008 Partners in Paradise Award recipients: Richard Poitras, strategic planner and founder of Horizons.com, and Carrie Plato, Caribbean strategy and buying leader of the Mark Travel Corporation.

Poitras was recognized with the Meeting Planner Partner Award and Plato received the Travel Industry Partner Award. The highly esteemed Partners in Paradise Awards are presented to the most extraordinary meeting and travel industry partners, recognizing their overall contributions to Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean & Mexico Resorts.

“These two, dynamic professionals have been selected to receive Marriott’s top industry honor for displaying qualities that exemplify the ideal Marriott partner — organization, leadership, flexibility, creativity and enthusiasm,” said Steve Cook, area director of sales and marketing for Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean & Mexico Resorts.

Launched in 2006, the bi-annual Partners in Paradise Award program is a way of recognizing individuals whose contributions to Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean & Mexico Resorts properties go above and beyond the financial opportunities alone.

Twice a year, the sales team nominates one meeting planner and one travel industry partner to receive this prestigious award. Winners are not only featured on ParadiseByMarriott.com and in a newsletter that is distributed to travel and meeting trades, but they also receive a personal letter, an engraved plaque and a $500 American Express gift certificate.

Cayman Airways has begun non-stop service from Chicago to Grand Cayman. Cayman Airways’ twice weekly flights depart and arrive Wednesdays and Sundays. The Chicago gateway joins the already existing non-stop service with Cayman Airways from New York’s JFK Airport, Miami, and Tampa, along with the recently launched non-stop service from Washington, D.C., that began Dec. 13.

For more information, visit www.caymanairways.com  or www.caymanislands.ky

MLT Vacations added three popular island destinations in the Caribbean through the company’s NWA WorldVacations and Continental Airlines Vacations brands. The tour operator began offering Antigua, Turks & Caicos, and St. Lucia vacation packages Dec. 18.

NWA WorldVacations will offer all three island getaways while Continental Airlines Vacations will offer the islands of Antigua and Turks & Caicos. Vacations package components will include round-trip air, accommodations at a Sandals or Beaches Resort, and ground transportation.

Rental car options and more lodging selections will be announced in the spring of 2009, and optional car rental. More accommodation options are coming in spring 2009.

MLT Vacations, one of the largest providers of vacation packages in the United States, manages multiple package vacation brands, including NWA WorldVacations, Worry-Free Vacations, and Continental Airlines Vacations.

NWA WorldVacations offers vacation packages via scheduled air service on Northwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines and other airline partners, with convenient connections from many U.S. and Canadian cities, to destinations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia, including luxury vacation packages and destination weddings and honeymoons.

Worry-Free Vacations offers charter vacation packages from several U.S. cities to destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean. Continental Airlines Vacations offers vacation packages via scheduled air service on Continental Airlines with convenient connections from many U.S. and Canadian cities, to destinations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia.

For more information, visit www.worldagentdirect.com

Grand Cayman Marriott Offers Resort Credit For Chicago And D.C. Residents When Traveling On Cayman Airways This Winter

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands – December 3, 2008 – With Cayman Airways’ recent addition of non-stop flights to Grand Cayman from Chicago and Washington D.C., the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort is offering up to $200 in resort credits to visitors from these cities for travel this winter. The new routes are slated to begin operation in mid-December with round-trip fares starting at $368.

“This is the perfect opportunity for Chicago and Washington D.C. residents to enjoy a short ride down to paradise that cities like New York and Miami had for quite some time,” said Carolina Voullieme, director of sales and marketing of the Grand Cayman Marriott. “We wanted to provide an additional incentive for those travelers who will no longer need a connecting flight as they’ll now have more time to enjoy Grand Cayman and the Grand Cayman Marriott.”

Guests who fly non-stop from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport receive a $200 credit with a minimum four-night stay at the Grand Cayman Marriott and those who fly non-stop from Washington D.C.’s Dulles International Airport receive a $150 credit with a minimum three-night stay. With these new direct flight options and resort incentives, the Grand Cayman Marriott is making it easier to trade the Capitol City for Stingray City or the icy waters of Lake Michigan for the warm and pristine beaches of the Caribbean.

Cayman Airways will run twice weekly services from Washington D.C.’s Dulles International Airport beginning December 13, 2008 and from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport beginning December 17, 2008. To book flights, call (800) 4-CAYMAN or visit www.caymanairways.com. Receive resort credit at the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort by calling (800) 228-9290 or visiting www.marriottgrandcayman.com  and provide booking code D3Q.

The Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort provides an intimate and unspoiled beachfront experience. Centrally located just north of George Town on Seven Mile Beach, guests will revel in luxury, charm and superior service at the Grand Cayman Marriott. With lush tropical gardens, La Mer Spa featuring world renowned Yon-Ka therapy, meeting facilities, four restaurants, beachfront gourmet dining and island attractions nearby, the resort is an ideal destination for families, couples and corporate travelers.

For more information or to make a reservation, please call (800) 223-6388 or visit www.marriottgrandcayman.com

Certified Vacations Group entered into a partnership with CaribbeanWeddings.com, the largest site on the web dedicated to destination weddings in the Caribbean, to launch a new CaribbeanWeddings.com brand offering complete travel and destination wedding planning and booking services to the Caribbean.

The partnership provides CaribbeanWeddings.com professional travel industry expertise to back up its web marketing prowess. Roberta Backus Turner, chairwoman and founder of CaribbeanWeddings.com, said, “We worked with our visitors this way for many years, but our call volume and email requests became so enormous that we needed to find an experienced travel partner. Certified’s 28-year track record of excellence in developing packaged leisure travel, combined with our wedding expertise makes a perfect marriage. We interviewed some excellent firms and found the right relationship with Certified Vacations.”

CaribbeanWeddings.com, with more than 1.3 million page views a year, claims to be the leading Internet site dedicated exclusively to the Caribbean wedding and honeymoon market. The Internet company is ranked number one in over 5,000 first page rankings on the major search engines and continues to establish itself as a major Internet player in the Caribbean. Destination weddings are not only popular but they continue to increase each year according to most industry research, and wedding, honeymoon and romance packages sales remain solid year-round, despite a down economy.

According to the most recent “American Wedding Study” conducted by Condé Nast Bridal Media, an estimated 2.3 million Americans got married in 2006, with approximately 16 percent of couples enjoying a destination wedding. This represents an increase of 400 percent since 1996. Destination weddings and honeymoons generate an estimated $5.4 billion in annual revenue for the Caribbean.

To better serve brides and grooms-to-be, Certified Vacations has established a dedicated Caribbean Weddings call center staffed with destination wedding reservations specialists.

CaribbeanWeddings.com was launched in 1999 and is the largest site on the web dedicated exclusively to providing information about destination weddings in the Caribbean.

Before entering into its arrangement with Certified, CaribbeanWeddings.com provided information about weddings and honeymoons in the Caribbean to its visitors and sent leads from those visitors to participating hotels. Now, its visitors will be able to contact Certified directly to handle all or any part of their travel, wedding and honeymoon needs. For reservations on CaribbeanWeddings.com, call 877-312-LOVE (5683).

For more information on Certified Vacations, visit www.certifiedvacations.com

The Ritz-Carlton Hotels, Caribbean and Mexico are offering wedding couples a twist on the traditional first anniversary gift of paper — a certificate for a complimentary three-night stay. Couples can plan a second honeymoon at the hotel at which they were married or they can celebrate by exploring another Ritz-Carlton hotel in the region.

When booking a wedding on the Reconnect package, for a minimum of three nights and 25 rooms or more, couples will receive a complimentary three-night stay for their first anniversary, redeemable at any of five Caribbean and Mexico Hotels — The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun;

The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman; The Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort, Rose Hall, Jamaica; The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas; and The Ritz-Carlton, San Juan Hotel, Spa & Casino. Reconnect at The Ritz-Carlton Hotels, Caribbean & Mexico includes nightly accommodations, daily breakfast for two, and $110 to $200 daily resort credit for use at F & B outlets, spa and for recreation activities.
On-site wedding planners and wedding concierges will work with couples to create unforgettable experiences, such as the Wedding and Anniversary in Cancun, for instance, that allows couples to receive the blessing of a Mayan priest as they exchange vows on a Caribbean beach. For their first wedding anniversary, they can return to the same beach for a secluded, romantic cabana dinner at Casitas.

Reconnect Rates for Winter 2008/2009 include the Ritz-Carlton, Cancun, $539 with $130 credit; the Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort, Rose Hall, Jamaica, $465 with $120 credit; the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, $659 with $130 credit; the Ritz-Carlton, San Juan Hotel, Spa & Casino, $475 with $110 credit; and the Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, $745 with $200 credit. Prices are based on winter rates, valid Jan. 1 to April 30. Rates are valid per room/per night, based on double occupancy, exclusive of taxes, gratuities, resort fees, and other charges; do not apply to groups; and cannot be combined with any other offer.

Rates are based on availability. Advanced reservations are required.

For more information, call 800-241-3333 or visit www.ritzcarlton.com

The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) has unveiled its new website, which is which is designed to streamline pertinent information to the organization’s hotel and affiliate members, while allowing for new capabilities such as an online membership directory, access to CHTA publications, and the ability to register online for conferences and events.

Through the website, members can access their profile in the CHTA membership directory at any time to update company profiles and records as well as employee contact information. The site also features CHTA manuals, publications, committee minutes and presentations.

The new website will provide information on conferences and events, as well as the ability to register online. Registrations processed online will receive immediate confirmation.

A new feature CHTA expects to have in place shortly is the ability for members to renew their membership dues online. Online purchases such as membership dues and conference registration will require credit card payment through PayPal, a secured credit card transaction company.

For more information, email marketing@caribbeanhotelandtourism.com  or visit www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com

Set Course For Golf’s Most Enticing Fairways

Silversea’s 2009 Silver Links Golf Theme Cruises For golf explorers, it’s a dream come true! Silversea’s 2009 Silver Links program offers golfers the chance to combine their passion for the game with their love of adventure on 13 golf theme cruises featured aboard Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper.

The Silver Links voyages offer optional golfing excursions in multiple ports arranged and escorted by the ship’s golf professional. From the breathtaking Pacific scenery of the Cape Kidnappers Golf Club in Napier, to the narrow fairways and mountain terrain of the elegant Monte Carlo Golf Club, to the rolling hills and lush landscape of the St. Lucia Golf and Country Club, guests will have a chance to perfect their game at some of the world’s most challenging and revered championship courses in 30 countries and island destinations throughout the South Pacific, Mediterranean, Caribbean and Mexico.

“The popularity of golf is increasing every year, and more and more golfers are looking for an international golf experience,” said Steve Odell, Senior Vice President for Asia Pacific. “With our Silver Links program, avid golfers of all levels can combine a luxury vacation with the chance to enjoy guided golf excursions and priority tee times at some of the world’s most celebrated courses.”

The escorted, optional golfing excursions vary in price from course to course and include transfers to and from the select golf courses, pull or power-drive carts (where available), green and any applicable caddy fees. Should guests choose to leave their clubs at home, the finest Nike Golf clubs and golf essentials are available for rental or purchase. Golf clubs can be rented for as little as US$45 per day with multiple-day and equipment packages available.

 On each of these exciting voyages rich in golf destinations, guests will also have the opportunity to advance their game aboard ship with the help of a certified PGA-classed golf professional, who is available to organize personalized instruction, specialty group clinics, demonstrations and even putting contests. While some group activities are complimentary, there is a fee for private lessons.

Golfers have the option to further hone their skills aboard ship with sophisticated split-screen swing analysis utilizing the most advanced V1 digital coaching system, the same software selected by PGA.com as their preferred instructional technology. The cost for private swing analysis starts at just US$30.

Guests aboard Silver Links voyages will also enjoy spacious, ocean-view accommodations, most with private veranda, award-winning gourmet cuisine, personalized service, warm Italian hospitality, and Silversea’s unmatched selection of all-inclusive shipboard amenities, including complimentary beverages, wines and spirits served throughout the ship, 24-hour room service, stocked in-suite beverage cabinet and all gratuities.

Following is a sampling of the Silver Links voyages and golf courses for 2009:

– Silver Shadow departs January 4 on a 9-day Caribbean sailing (#3901) from Fort Lauderdale to Barbados calling in Tortola, Antigua, St. Lucia, Grenada and Bequia. Optional golf excursions visit Cedar Valley Golf Club (St. John’s); St. Lucia Golf and Country Club (Castries); and Sandy Lane Country Club (Bridgetown). Silver Sailing cruise fares start at US$3,537 per person.

— Silver Whisper departs January 4 on a 14-day South Pacific sailing (#4901) from Auckland to Sydney calling in Napier, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hobart, Burnie and Melbourne. Optional golf excursions visit Titirangi Golf Club (Auckland); Cape Kidnappers Golf Course (Napier); Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club (Wellington); Royal Hobart Golf Club; Royal Melbourne Golf Club and Sydney’s Camden Lakeside Country Club. Early Booking Incentive cruise fares start at US$9,005 per person.

– Silver Shadow departs February 18 on a 17-day Panama Canal crossing (#3906) from Antigua to Los Angeles calling in Cartagena, San Blas Island, Costa Rica, Puerto Quetzal, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada. Optional golf excursions visit La Iguana at Los Sueños (Puntarenas); Fairmont Pierre Marquis Golf Club (Acapulco); and Puerto Vallarta’s El Tigre Golf Club. Early Booking Incentive cruise fares start at US$7,906 per person.

– Silver Whisper departs May 19 on a 9-day Mediterranean sailing (#4912) from Athens to Barcelona calling in Santorini, Malta, Sicily, Sorrento, Rome, Monte Carlo and Porquerolles. Optional golf excursions visit Il Picciolo Golf Club (Catania); Le Querce Golf Club (Rome); and the Monte Carlo Golf Club. Advance Payment Bonus cruise fares start at US$6,236 per person.

– Silver Whisper departs August 15 on a 7-day Mediterranean sailing (#4924) from Monte Carlo to Barcelona calling in Sardinia, Antibes, Sète, Porto Mahon and Palma de Mallorca. Optional golf excursions visit Monte Carlo Golf Club; La Grande-Motte Golf Club (Sète); Son Parc Golf Club (Mahon); and Son Vida Golf Course (Palma de Mallorca). Silver Sailing cruise fares start at US$4,896 per person.

– Silver Shadow departs December 2 on a 9-day Caribbean voyage (#3931) from Fort Lauderdale to Barbados calling in Grand Turk, Samana, La Romana, St. Lucia and Grenada. Optional golf excursions visit Casa de Campo’s Teeth of the Dog (La Romana), St. Lucia Golf and Country Club and Bridgetown’s Sandy Lane Country Club. Silver Sailing cruise fares start at US$3,657 per person.

Norwegian Cruise Line has partnered with Sixthman, an affinity travel organization, to offer concert cruises with top acts in an interactive environment aboard the Norwegian Jewel and the Norwegian Dawn.

 The Norwegian Jewel will host Ships and Dip V Feb. 1 to 7, 2009, featuring the Barenaked Ladies, Great Big Sea, The New Odds, Boothby Graffoe and The Weakerthans. The concert cruise will be a five-day Western Caribbean itinerary sailing roundtrip from Miami to Cozumel, Mexico, and Great Stirrup Cay, NCL’s private island.

 For more information, visit www.shipsanddip.com

The Norwegian Dawn will host Cayamo: A Journey Through Song Feb. 28 to March 7, 2009, featuring the Indigo Girls, Lyle Lovett, Patty Griffin, John Hiatt, Shawn Colvin, Brandi Carlile, and a lineup of other performers. This seven-day Eastern Caribbean itinerary will sail roundtrip from Miami to Samana, Dominica Republic; St. Thomas and Tortola, British Virgin Islands; and Great Stirrup Cay.

For more information, visit www.cayamo.com.

For more information on NCL, call 866-531-9605 or visit www.ncl.com