Travel Briefs

In September, Silversea Cruises (Ft. Lauderdale, FL; 800/722-9955, www.silversea.com) purchased the 6,072-ton expedition ship World Discoverer from Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore. 

EasyCruise One, the ship that was the first to sail for the low-cost company easyCruise (www.easycruise.com), owned by Setlios Haji-Ioannou, is up for sale. A line spokesman stated they wanted to buy a larger ship similar to the 12,000-gross-ton easyCruise Life, which they will launch in Greece April 19, 2008. Further plans to build seven new ships have been put on hold.

EasyCruise is eliminating age restrictions on its ships, allowing children under 14, and is offering a family rate on its Greece sailings.

The Hilton Family of Hotels (800/446-6677, www.HiltonHHonors.com) announced on Feb. 1, 2008, “No Blackout Dates” for all members of its HHonors guest reward program. At more than 2,900 hotels worldwide, as long as a standard room is available, members will be able to confirm that room using their HHonors points.

No additional points are required to avoid blackout dates. Also, guests can earn both Points & Miles® for the same stay. Membership in HHonors is free.

Taipei has dropped its ban on Chinese tourists arriving by ship. Taiwan has banned direct sea, air and trade links with China since 1949.

On Feb. 18 and 19, 2008, when the Rhapsody of the Seas docked at Keelung Habour, nearly 700 Chinese nationals were allowed to visit the mainland for day tours — the largest group of Chinese tourists to visit at one time. Taiwan currently restricts the number of Chinese tourists to 1,000 at one time.

The Namdaemun, a 600-year-old gate that guarded the ancient walled city of Seoul, Korea, was reduced to its foundations on Feb. 10 in a 5-hour fire fought by 100 firemen. The structure allegedly was set ablaze by a 69-year-old man who felt he had not been sufficiently compensated by the government for property.

Completed in 1398, the 2-story Great South Gate, which in 1962 was designated South Korea’s number-one national treasure, was made of wood and stone with a pagoda-shaped roof. Officials have stated it will take $21 million and three years to rebuild the landmark.

Opening April 19, 2008, in Greater London at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew (Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, UK; phone 02 8332 5655, www.kew.org), the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art will be the first of its kind open to the public year-round.

Works from Sherwood’s collection of more than 200 contemporary artists, together with a selection from Kew’s 200,000 items of historical botanical art, will be on display.

The new Jewel River Cruise Line (401 East Las Olas Blvd., Ste. 2270, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33301; 866/342-7607, www.jewelrivercruises.com) will launch its first ship on May 15, 2008, offering 7- and 10-day cruises along the Seine between Paris and Rouen until Nov. 20. The 80-passenger, 45-suite Jewel Imperial Blue will have undergone a $3.5-million redesign. Prices start at $5,129 per person.

London’s British Museum (phone +44 [0] 20 7323 8000 or 8299, www.britishmuseum.org) is hosting the exhibition “Hadrian: Empire and Conflict,” July 24-Oct. 26, 2008, bringing together, for the first time, objects from 35 museums and recent excavations.

Open daily 10-5:30 (last entry 4:20) or on Thursdays and Fridays 10-8:30 (last entry 7:20). £12 (near $24) adult, £10 senior, or two adults with three children, £25. 

Butterfield & Robinson (Toronto, Ont.; 800/678-1147, www. butterfield.com) is offering a 9-day/8-night cruise of the Turquoise Coast aboard a 100-foot gulet. 

After a hotel night in Istanbul, sail to the Greek island of Kos followed by visits to Nisyros, Knidos, Datca and more, ending in Goçek, Turkey. See Roman and Greek tombs, settlements and ruins.

Prices run $10,495-$11,495 per person, double ($5,245 single suppl.), with departures May 16 and Oct. 17, 2008.

In Singapore, Changi Airport’s new Terminal 3 opened in January 2008. The 7-story building (three below ground and four above) has a roof with 900 skylights, and there is a 5-story-high vertical garden with four waterfalls. Along with an intra-airport train system connecting the three terminals, there are shopping and eating areas and a new hotel.