Jetsettersblog

Compagnie du Ponant’s newest mega-yacht L’Austral is offering two cruises in the South Pacific in March.

The 16-day cruise from Papeete to Noumea, departing March 2, visits 10 ports between French Polynesia and New Caledonia, including Moorea and Fiji’s capital city of Suva.

The March 17 15-day cruise explores French and Australian places, including the Great Barrier Reef. Prices range from $6,075 to $16,070 per person, double, for the Papeete-Noumea itinerary and $5,670 to $14,998 for Noumea to Darwin.

The Papeete-Noumea cruise also visits Papeete, Raiatea, Bora Bora, Aitutaki and Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, the Vava’u island chain in Tonga and the Fiji islands of Fulaga and Suva.

The voyage concludes in Noumea, the capital city of the French territory. The Noumea-Darwin itinerary sails to the Isle of Pines, the Great Barrier Reef for three days, and Townsville, Cooktown, Cairns, Port Douglas and Thursday Island in Australia.

For more information, call 888-400-1082,

email USreservations@ponant.com

or visit www.en.ponant.com

IslandsEscapes … by Goway is offering three Pacific destinations — Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. Travelers can explore Fiji and Samoa for $2,779, or Fiji and Tonga for $2,694. Both packages include roundtrip airfare with Air Pacific from Los Angeles, meet and greet, all transfers, accommodation, select meals and more.

For more information, call 800-667-6601, or visit www.islandsescapes.com.

Goway has been offering travel to Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America and island destinations since 1970. It has offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia. For information, call 800-387-8850 or visit www.goway.com

IslandsEscapes … by Goway is offering three Pacific destinations — Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. In the heart of Polynesia lies the Samoan Archipelago. The islands of history, myth and legends, and home to Samoans for thousands of years are islands of extraordinary beauty; where turquoise lagoons lap onto unspoiled white sand beaches lined with coconut palms, where cascading waterfalls, rich green rainforests, and mist enshrouded mountain peaks are all contained within a sparkling necklace of reefs.

Tonga is an independent constitutional monarchy and the only South Pacific country never to have been colonized.

Spread over 7,700 square kilometers (3,000 square miles) of shimmering turquoise South Seas, these remarkably diverse islands reflect the natural beauty of ancient Polynesia.

Truly deserving of the romantic description of being the land “where time begins.”

Comprised of 330 islands across some 320,000 square kilometers of sea, Fiji’s people are friendly, smiling and always ready to entertain you.

Be amazed by traditional “fire walking,” still performed today. Fiji’s sun-drenched, palm-fringed island resorts are among the best in the world.

Packages start from $2,694. Travelers can explore Fiji and Samoa for $2,779 or Fiji and Tonga for $2,694. Both packages include roundtrip air fare with Air Pacific from Los Angeles, meet and greet, all transfers, accommodation, select meals and more. For more information on this and many other great escapes, refer to the IslandsEscapes’ “World’s Most Idyllic Islands” brochure, call 800-667-6601, or visit www.islandsescapes.com.

Goway has been offering travel to Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America and island destinations since 1970. It has offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia. For information, call 800-387-8850 or visit www.goway.com

Paul Gauguin Cruises has announced its 2012 sailing schedule in the South Pacific aboard the Paul Gauguin.

The schedule includes three new itineraries, as well as a number of guest speakers and events. Additionally, guests will receive 50 percent off of standard cruise fares and free airfare from Los Angeles.

Among the highlights is the new, 20-night South Pacific Discovery hotel and cruise itinerary to Australia, New Caledonia, Fiji, Tonga, Cook and the Society Islands, departing Jan. 23, 2012. The new Australs & Society Islands cruise departs Sept. 1, 2012, sailing to Rurutu, the “Island of Whales,” at the height of whale-watching season.

The Fiji, Tonga, Cook and Society Islandscruise departs Oct. 27 and Nov. 20, 2012. Michelin-starred Chef Jean-Pierre Vigato will join the June 23, 2012, sailing to Tahitiand the Society Islands.

The Parisian chef will prepare gourmet dishes and offer demonstrations of his culinary techniques. Jean-Michel Cousteau will join the Gauguin on the July 11, 2012, sailing to the Society Islandsand Tuamotus; the Nov. 20, 2012, sailing to Fiji, Tonga, Cook and the Society Islands; and the Dec. 1, 2012, sailing to the Marquesas, Tuamotus and Society Islands. Cousteau will offer a series of lectures with videos of his work in the world’s oceans, as well as accompany several dives from the ship.

For more information, call 800-848-6172 or visit www.pgcruises.com

The breathtaking art of the South Pacific is as close as Long Beach, at the new Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum (PieAM), which opened June 12 in Long Beach, near the Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA).

Like entering an island village, the museum features a traditionally peaked building and lush sculpture garden with native South Pacific plants.

A mural (by Long Beach native Art Mortimer) recreates a traditional Men’s House from the Island of Yap on the building’s exterior; while inside sculptures, textiles, paintings, wooden tools, jewelry and carvings from across the Pacific showcase the arts of the Marshall, Samoa, Guam, Fiji and Tongan islands.

Nationalities represented include Micronesian, Hawaiian, Ni-Vanuatu, Maori, Polynesian, Melanesian, Palauan, and the I-Kiribati.

Permanent and rotating exhibits as well as continually commissioned new works will be enhanced with traditional dance performances, interactive cultural demonstrations and learning programs.

PieAM was created by the late Dr. Robert Gumbiner, who died in January 2009, and includes his personal collection of Pacific Island ethnic art.

PieAM also is available for small-sized meetings and banquets.

www.pieam.org

LearnToSail.Net Celebrates National Safety Boating Week with Free Safety and Rules of the Road Downloads

In observation of National Safety Boating Week, LearnToSail.Net is running a free downloads campaign of The Rules of the Road and discounts on their educational CDs to raise safety awareness.

This week, to celebrate National Safety Boating Week, LearnToSail.Net is offering free safety downloads and 10% off all CD’s plus a Free Cruising Ebook and Free Sailing App with every order.

The Sailing App topic is “The Points of Sail” and is available for iPad, iPod, iTouch, iPhone and Blackberry. The apps also run on Mac or Windows PC. The Points of Sail App is one of 16 beginner Sailing Apps from Apps4Sailing.com, sister site of LearnToSail.Net.

In addition to the free App, free for download without purchase are The Rules of the Road, and articles on Wearing a Life Jacket and Anchoring.

Apps4Sailing.com is a website featuring beginner sailing applications for iPad, iPhone, and Blackberry, allowing new or rusty sailors access to affordable, individual sailing lessons anytime from anywhere. Taught by a US Coast Guard Licensed Captain and Instructor of American Sailing Association Classes, the lessons are arranged in the order a typical sailing course. Starting with Parts of a Boat, the lessons continue on to other topics such as Wind Theory, Balance, The Points of Sail, Leaving Docks and Moorings, Tacking, Person Overboard Techniques, Righting a Capsize, Knots, Anchoring and much more. These topics are taught using narration, animation and digital video. The user is free to select whatever class she or he wishes to take at anytime and from anywhere on Earth.

The Cd’s “Learn to Sail with Multimedia VOL I and II” and “Learn Coastal Navigation” at LearnToSail.Net are structured to follow the order of a typical sailing or boating course. The topics are taught using Narration, Animation and Digital Video.

There is a Nautical Dictionary, Sailing Terms Glossary and Quiz.

The user is free to move around the program as she or he pleases and at whatever pace they set.

Both programs are designed to run on all versions of Windows and are easy to install.

“It is very important that all boaters know the Rules of the Road and safety measures.”, states Linda Cullum, CEO of LearnToSail.Net. “I am hoping boaters will come to our website just for the free downloads on safety. There are alot of newbies out there every season and I surely hope they are up to date with rules and safety gear.”

Sailing instructional software is a useful tool and beneficial to those who want to learn or brush up on their skills.

Sailing maneuvers can be taught and practiced anytime of year and conveniently at home.

The user controls the pace and level of learning.

This allows more time to absorb new information.

When it is time for those hands on summer classes, the educated beginner, familiar with terms and technique, will have a greater return on investment.

Advanced lessons are also on the agenda for Apps4Sailing.com. The lessons were created using “Learn to Sail with Multimedia VOL I and II”. Adding 20 years of instruction experience, Captain Susan Smith enriches the learning environment by going into great detail with each lesson and adding valuable sailing tips. The Apps can be played on PC or Mac as well.

Currently, the lessons are downloaded onto the user’s computer in the requested device format and can be played on PC or Mac as well. Android and other formats are in production.

For more information, please visit http://LearnToSail.Net

The ‘First in Surfing News’ iPhone app has been released by Surfersvillage and is aimed at surfers, the surf-industry, and lifestyle enthusiasts.

The launch coincided with Apple’s iPad going on sale in the USA.

Available to download for free on the Apple App Store, the tool helps surfers, surf-Industry personnel, surf-media, and lifestyle entusiasts keep up to date with the latest news in surfing from around the world. The Surfersvillage iPhone App is the first and only app dedicated to Surfing News.

The Surfersvillage First in Surfing News iPhone app launch version features:

FREE download to users

Content includes:
- International Surfing News
- Surf-Industry News
- ASP Surfing News
- Regional Surfing News from;
- Africa
- Australia
- Brazil
- Europe
- Hawaii
- USA
http://itunes.apple.com/app/surfersvillage/id364266772?mt=8

First of its kind, iPhone app educating people about beach safety
Rips and currents are the number one hazard on beaches and are the cause of most rescues and many drownings a year.

So the creators of www.mysurfworld.com have just brought out the only iPhone application of its kind educating people around the world about beach safety.

This application provides information about rips, currents, stingers and even sharks.

With everything you need to know about rips and currents, there is now no excuse to get caught in a rip ever again whilst swimming at the beach.

Majority of the people that go to the beach have no idea of the purpose and function of rips and not to mention, why we must have them. Not to worry, all of your questions regarding Rips are answered in this one and only iPhone application.

What you will learn from this application about rips and currents :

- What a rip and a current
- How they are formed
- Why do they exist
- How to identify rips
- How to survive and stay in control
- Why are they dangerous
- Commonly located

The application also provides vital information regarding treatment of jellyfish and blue bottle stings.

Along with facts about sharks and their behaviors and what signs may indicate that a shark could be present and also what may attract sharks.

When majority of people go to the beach they are more than likely to take there mobile phone incase of emergency.

By having this application on your iPhone or iPod you will be able to have all of the information in the palm of your hand allowing you to identify the dangers which may be in front of you before entering the water.

At the moment the first release is only available in English but www.mysurfworld.com are working on localizing the application so it is available in French, Portuguese, Japanese, Italian and German.

The application is now available in the iTunes store.

www.mysurfworld.com

Qantas has launched new technology enabling domestic Mobile Check-in as part of its Next Generation Check-in initiative.

Qantas Chief Executive Officer, Mr Alan Joyce, said Mobile Check-in was a key offering of the broader Next Generation Check-in project announced last year which is set to streamline the domestic airport experience for Qantas customers.

“Enhancing the customer experience by increasing speed and ease through our airports is the key driver for the Qantas Next Generation Check-in project,” said Mr Joyce.

“Our research showed us our customers wanted more control over their travel experience. They want to be able to check-in before they even arrive at the airport and then move quickly through the airport to board their flight.

“Mobile Check-in now offers customers the ability to check-in remotely, while on the go, removing another airport process for our busy modern travellers.

“Qantas continues to introduce new services such as Mobile Check-in and domestic Advance Seat Section as part of our Next Generation Check-in roll out, for which a pilot will commence in Perth in July.

” We’ll be unveiling our full Next Generation Check-in service in Sydney later this year.”

Domestic Advance Seat Selection rewards top tier Frequent Flyers, (Platinum, Gold and Silver), with even more choice as these customers now have the ability to preselect their seat online prior to travel.

Mobile check-in provides customers with the ability to check-in for their flight via their personal mobile device, including iPhones, Blackberrys and other web-enabled mobile devices, between 24 hours and 45 minutes prior to departure.

A 2D bar code is sent to their phone which is then scanned by a reader at the gate, and a boarding receipt is printed for the customer with their name, frequent flyer details, flight number and seat allocation.

The Qantas Mobile application was initially launched in 2008. In addition to the introduction of domestic Mobile Check-In,

Qantas Mobile provides customers with the ability to access real time flight information direct to their mobile phone including arrival and departure times, access worldwide Qantas Club lounge locations, contact numbers for Qantas offices worldwide and the up to date timetables for Qantas, QantasLink, Jetstar and codeshare flights for up to 353 days.

Frequent Flyers can access Qantas Mobile with their Frequent Flyer number, last name and PIN to view all bookings recorded against their Frequent Flyer membership, as well as their points balance and date of last activity.

Non-Frequent Flyers can log in with their booking reference and last name to view their booking including passenger details, flight details, check-in information and baggage allowances.

Ports that have launched Mobile Check-in include Sydney Terminal 3, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Canberra, Gladstone, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Ayers Rock, Alice Springs, Darwin, Hobart, Launceston, Kalgoorlie, Broome, Karratha, Newman, Paraburdoo and Port Lincoln. There are also plans to roll out Mobile Check-in to Adelaide, Cairns, Sydney Terminal 2, Newcastle and Port Hedland in coming months.

The Qantas mobile phone application is accessed by typing qantas.com into a web-enabled mobile browser.

LOG IN AND TAKE OFF – NEW TECHNOLOGY GETS TRAVELLERS MOBILE

Brisbane, Australia: Virgin Blue has launched a revolutionary, innovative new process to check in and board on domestic flights via a traveller’s mobile called “Check-Mate”.

Gone are the days of booking the flight in advance at a desktop computer, getting to the airport, lining up to check-in and getting a printed boarding pass, with the new Check-Mate process eliminating all paper boarding passes in favour of electronic boarding passes on mobile devices including mobile phones, BlackBerry Smartphones and iPhones.

New technology will enable Virgin Blue travellers to make flight bookings, changes and cancellations across the entire Virgin Blue domestic network from their personal devices while on the run and at their convenience.

Phase one of the innovative project was launched this week via “mobile.virginblue.com.au” and a special BlackBerry Virgin Blue application. It offers mobile check-in, seat selection and boarding via 2D barcode scanning on personal handheld mobile devices for Virgin Blue passengers travelling on direct flights between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Virgin Blue Chief Executive, Brett Godfrey, said, “Being at the forefront of technological advancements is critical to the Virgin Blue strategy to providing our Guests, especially those who are time poor, with the latest innovations to make their travel experience streamlined and speedy.”

“We are excited to be the first airline in the country to be offering a full suite of mobile options, in particular the ability for people to actually make a flight booking, check themselves in on their way to the airport and then go straight to boarding with their 2D barcode.”

The barcode will feature all the key information including flight number, boarding time, seat number and arrival time at destination.

Brett Godfrey added, “Not only does it eliminate paper boarding passes in favour of the more environmentally friendly electronic boarding pass, it heralds the beginning of a new and dynamic era for travellers who rightly demand more sophisticated and advanced means of going about their business and leisure travel.”

Flyers can easily log on via their personal devices and access other Virgin Blue information including Lounge membership information, details on special travel requirements, Velocity information and more.

Further cementing Virgin Blue’s technology leadership in the airline industry, the carrier has launched the downloadable App for BlackBerry smartphone users.

For Velocity members, Virgin Blue is partnering with WorldMate to provide key business travel planning services such as, itinerary management, travel alerts, currency converter and weather forecasts.

The new application is a feature rich and fast travel tool and offers key business travel planning services such as itinerary management, travel alerts, currency converter and weather forecasts.

While other carriers have introduced some mobile functionality such as mobile boarding passes, Virgin Blue is the first to offer a suite of products. The application was developed as a joint project between Virgin Blue’s own Internet Technology team and Dublin based Mobile Travel Technologies.

Future phases will include a range of functions including Australasia wide airport 2D scanning of bar codes for boarding and enriched mobile functionality across the Virgin Blue Group.

About Virgin Blue Group:

The Australian-based Virgin Blue Airline’s Group includes Virgin Blue, second largest domestic carrier in Australia www.virginblue.com.au and short haul international airlines Pacific Blue www.flypacificblue.com and joint venture with the Samoan Government, Polynesian Blue. Together they operate a fleet comprising of 85 modern Boeing 737-NG’s, Boeing 777 and Embraer E-Jet aircraft flying to 30 Australian and 18 international destinations in the South Pacific and Southeast Asia.

It also includes V Australia www.vaustralia.com.au the three class boutique style airline offering the acclaimed service for which the Virgin Blue Group is renowned and a unique Australian style. The airline has two in-flight bars, mood lighting including twilight and sunset, bathrooms with piped music including a “ladies only” bathroom and other touches of Australiana from salt and pepper shakers to hidden wallpaper murals.