Travel Briefs

Royal Caribbean International has a new ship, Jewel of the Seas, the fourth and final ship in the line’s Radiance class.

The 2,112-passenger ship boasts a 2-story main dining room; a Thailand-themed, adults-only Solarium with a retractable glass roof; a basketball and volleyball court; a miniature golf course, and two self-leveling, gyroscopic pool tables.

She sails in Northern Europe until September, then Canada and New England until November, when she moves to the Caribbean...

CONTINUE READING »

Ritz Tours’ “Tokyo In A Week” program includes round-trip airfare on American Airlines from Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose or San Diego; round-trip airport/hotel transfers; five nights’ 5-star hotel (Akasaka Prince); daily breakfast; a half-day sightseeing tour of Tokyo, and the services of tour guides.

Through December 2004, the 7-day package is priced from $1,099 per person, double occupancy, plus taxes, depending on departure date and gateway city. The single supplement...

CONTINUE READING »

To celebrate the opening of the Radisson Plaza Resort Tahiti on June 1, 2004, the 5-star resort is offering a special package with rates from CFP27,350 (approx. $273.50) per person, double occupancy, until Dec. 31, 2004. The “Exotic East Package” includes two nights’ accommodation, a boat excursion and a half-day morning excursion (including visits to Taharaa, Venus Point and the Blow Hole).

Situated on four acres in the town of Arue, the 165-room resort is the only hotel with direct...

CONTINUE READING »

Through Nov. 30, 2004, those booking Mount Nevis Hotel’s “Match Made in Nevis” family package at $375 a night for four nights get four more nights for free. Families who stay and pay for five nights get an additional five nights for free.

That’s in a 2-bedroom superior suite, with kitchen, that accommodates a family of four. Babysitting services are available. The 28-room property in the Leeward Islands of the eastern West Indies recently completed a million-dollar renovation. Call...

CONTINUE READING »

For a limited time, Hyatt resort properties in Puerto Rico, Aruba and Grand Cayman are offering an all-inclusive food-and-beverage option.

Not including room rate, the option includes all hotel meals and house-brand drinks, as well as service gratuity, for $159 per adult per night and $89 per child per night (age three to 15). Refunds are not offered for unused package features.

Participating are Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort & Country Club (Puerto Rico), Aug. 15-Dec. 18, 2004...

CONTINUE READING »

Avis, through their “Stay in Touch” program in Europe, offers car renters the newest global cell phones free for the first seven days.

Avis renters call 800/698-5674, book their car, request their telephone and provide their credit card information seven days prior to departure. Renters pay all airtime charges, optional theft/damage insurance ($2 per day) and $30 for the overnight delivery and collection. After the first free week, renters pay $4.99 a day.

The man who coined the word “dinosaur,” Sir Richard Owen, campaigned for a “national museum of natural wonders.” Two hundred years after his birth, this founder of the Natural History Museum is being celebrated in London with a special display and self-guided trail (through Oct. 24, 2004).

On display will be specimens which have not been seen by the public for 50 years and some of Owen’s first descriptions of extinct animals, made from the evidence of fossils. Open daily. Admission...

CONTINUE READING »

For some of its Upper Class passengers traveling to and from London’s Heathrow airport, Virgin Atlantic in late summer 2004 plans to start offering Gibbs Aquada amphibious limo service.

Beating traffic by taking to the Thames, they will be met at their flights by a chauffeur who will drive them to their home, hotel or office. The Gibbs Aquada is able to travel at speeds of 100 mph on land and 30 mph on water. The Thames “shortcut” can cut 20 to 30 minutes off the journey.

Call...

CONTINUE READING »