Celebrity Cruise 2020-21 Schedule, WestJetters Lend a Hand And More JimBits

With more than 280 ports in 77 countries, 169 overnight stays, and even more time to explore some of the most incredible destinations on earth, the upcoming 2020-21 season will be one of firsts for Celebrity Cruises. Not only is the brand introducing more new cities and overnight stays than ever before, as part of THE CELEBRITY REVOLUTION, travelers will also have the opportunity to experience the world on four more newly modernized ships, as Celebrity introduces redesigned accommodations, reimagined spaces, and state-of-the-art experiences across the brand's already award-winning fleet

CELEBRITY ECLIPSE AND SOLSTICE TO CALL AUSTRALIA HOME

Fresh out of dry-dock, the newly modernized Celebrity Eclipse will journey to a new homeport, Melbourne, Australia, where the redesigned ship will offer eight- to 14-night sailings through Australia and New Zealand. Her sister ship, Celebrity Solstice will call Sydney home; together, they will more than 40 destinations - the most ever in the region - offering opportunities to discover the lush landscapes and volcanic mountains of New Zealand, the rugged outback of Australia, the majesty of the Great Barrier Reef, as well as Tasmania and the islands of the South Pacific, including Fiji.

Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Eclipse will also sail four unique Hawaii itineraries offering travelers the opportunity to sail from island to island on 10- to 13-night cruises.

To make their Asia, India, and Dubai sailings even more in-depth, Celebrity is introducing more port visits longer than 10 hours and more overnights than ever before. Plus, sailing this captivating corner of the world will be more luxurious than ever, as both Celebrity Constellation and Celebrity Millennium will have been stunningly reimagined through THE CELEBRITY REVOLUTION.

After completing its stunning modernization, Celebrity Constellation will offer 15-night itineraries from Dubai and Singapore. Celebrity Millennium will once again explore all that Asia has to offer with in-depth,14-night sailings that stop in Hanoi, Osaka and other spots.

Following her modernization in early 2020, Celebrity Silhouette will sail to South America for the first time, bringing travelers to more South American destinations than ever before - 30 cities across nine countries. Among them is a new port of call: Salvador, Brazil.

To learn more about Celebrity's 2020-21 deployment or to book a sailing, visit www.celebritycruises.com/2020-2021-sailings.

Meanwhile, Celebrity Edge is making her way from a shipyard in France to her new home at Port Everglades in Hollywood, Fla and is slated to arrive Nov. 19.

Celebrity Edge's inaugural season will be spent sailing alternating seven-night eastern and western Caribbean cruise itineraries, with her Maiden Western Caribbean voyage departing on December 9, 2018, and her Maiden Eastern Caribbean voyage departing on December 16, 2018. Then, in spring of 2019, Celebrity Edge crosses the Atlantic again to offer guests stunning vistas of the Mediterranean with a range of seven- to 11-night sailings visiting iconic cities, including Barcelona and Rome.

Bookings for Celebrity Edge are now open at www.celebritycruises.com/edge or through a travel agent. Celebrity Edge will be joined by her sister ship, Celebrity Apex, in 2020, and two additional ships in the Edge Series will follow in 2021 and 2022.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts today released key findings from its second Luxury Insights Report. With a focus on Gateway to Home - Hotels as the Heart of their Communities, this latest volume in a series of ongoing research-led, data-driven reports on luxury travel trends, reveals that affluent travelers perceive hotels and resorts as established authorities and trusted travel guides.

The newly commissioned study found that hotels are perceived as pillars in their community, connecting guests, whether from abroad or locally, to the true character of the destination. Luxury travelers view the role of a hotel beyond curating authentic local experiences. It is the combination of destination expertise and recreating the comforts of home that creates this trusted relationship and positions the most desirable hotels in the world at the very heart of the travel experience.

"Fairmont properties share a special connection to their communities and part of our brand promise is to preserve these diverse and picturesque locations while enhancing their overall welfare," said Sharon Cohen, Vice President, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. "This guiding principle is inherent to our brand's culture and was the impetus for us undertaking this study to further inform and validate the important role a hotel, specifically a Fairmont property, plays within the local community and how guests, whether abroad or local, perceive them."

Fairmont's Luxury Insights Report is based on data uncovered from Fairmont's 2018 Global Luxury Traveler Insights Study, an online survey of 2,725 luxury travelers from France, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, China, and United Arab Emirates. Industry leaders across the globe - including consumer experience futurists, sustainability strategists, association leaders and travel company presidents - also shared their perspectives on the findings to round out the report and facilitate a discussion around innovation leadership and the integral role of experience in the travel sector.

Their insights and perspectives will also be explored further in a new Leaders on Luxury video series, which will feature a mix of Fairmont, AccorHotels and other industry experts commenting on the state of the luxury market.

Grammy Award-winning artist Pitbull performed at an exclusive reception hosted by Norwegian Cruise Line, the innovator in cruise travel, at the recent 2018 CruiseWorld conference held in Ft. Lauderdale.

The event was a testament to the company's commitment to providing exceptional experiences including world-class entertainment.

Armando Christian Perez, known globally as Pitbull, took to the stage giving a show-stopping performance to a packed room of attendees from across the travel and tourism industry. Known for his upbeat, Latin-influenced songs, Pitbull rocked the stage with his greatest hits, including "Don't Stop The Party," "Feel This Moment" and "Fireball". The high-energy event was true to Norwegian Cruise Line, showcasing the brand's dedication to breaking the boundaries of all that is associated with traditional cruising.

"We are always innovating, always working hard, to provide our guests with new, interesting and relevant offerings, whether that be first-rate entertainment, exhilarating onboard activities or extraordinary dining," said Andy Stuart, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. "By welcoming a global superstar such as Pitbull into the Norwegian Cruise Line family, not only are we are able to share his passion and talent with our guests and travel partners, but we're sending a powerful message. We're committed to big, bold experiences, and travelers can rest assured we'll provide them with nothing but the best."

Globally-renowned for his music, Pitbull has been an integral partner of Norwegian Cruise Line since 2015, when he became Godfather of Norwegian Escape, the first ship of the Breakaway Plus Class - the most successful class in the company's history. Since then, he's been an advocate of the brand's philosophy of providing guests with the freedom and flexibility to design their ideal cruise vacation. He has hosted several music festivals at sea, including The Pitbull After Dark Party aboard Norwegian Pearl and Jade, in partnership with Sixthman, the industry leader in music festival vacation experiences. Pitbull also made a surprise appearance at the christening festivities of Norwegian Bliss, the newest ship within the cruise line's fleet.

For nine days, 50 WestJetters immersed themselves within the local community of La Union in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic to take part in the eighth WestJet Live Different Builds. On this annual humanitarian trip, WestJetters were able to build new homes for five families living in extreme poverty.

Since WestJet's first humanitarian trip in April 2012, more than 400 WestJetters have volunteered their time to build 38 new homes for deserving families. WestJetters' extra fundraising efforts have also contributed to many significant community enhancement projects. This year, WestJetter participants raised over $17,000 of extra funds that, when topped up to $22,000 by WestJet, were used to create engineer-designed paved pathways throughout La Union, improving walkability, water dispersion and the overall health and safety of the community.

"WestJet's caring culture has always extended beyond our aircraft and we're incredibly proud of the WestJetters who volunteer their time and talents to make this important annual trip possible," said Richard Bartrem, WestJet Vice-President Marketing Communications. "By working together with Live Different and the La Union community, we are able to enrich the lives of deserving families in the WestJet world."

Viking has announced a new 11-day ocean cruise itinerary, Greek Odyssey, that will allow guests to explore the ancient empires of antiquity of the Aegean Sea during the quiet season. Sailing roundtrip from Athens starting in January 2021, the new itinerary features three new ports of call for Viking, including Volos, Thessaloníki and Nafpilo in Greece, as well as a stop in Ephesus, marking the company's return to Turkey.

"Our guests are curious explorers who want opportunities for learning while they travel in comfort," said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. "Our destination-focused ocean itineraries are built on the same successful principles as our river itineraries - we offer our guests more time in port, enriching cultural experiences, the best-designed ships at sea with no children, no casinos and no nickel-and-diming. With this new itinerary in Greece and Turkey offered during the quiet winter season, we look forward to helping our guests explore such a culturally rich region of the world in 'The Viking Way.'"

Sailing on Viking's award-winning 930-guest all-veranda Viking Sea®, guests will journey through several millennia of culture and history, from Athens, known as the "birthplace of democracy," to the island of Crete, home to the mysterious Minoan civilization.

Norwegian Cruise Line returned to New Orleans on Sunday Nov. 11, introducing Norwegian Breakaway to the Big Easy with five to 11-day cruises to the Caribbean.

At 1,068 feet and 145,655 gross register tons, the recently renovated Norwegian Breakaway is the largest cruise ship to homeport in the city of New Orleans, as well as the youngest in port this season. The namesake ship of the Breakaway class offers guests the freedom and flexibility to design their dream vacation at sea with no assigned dining and entertainment times, 25 dining options, 22 bars and lounges, a comprehensive water park featuring the fastest waterslide at sea, one of the largest ropes courses of any ship and an entertainment program that mirrors the vibrancy of the Big Easy.

"We are excited to introduce Norwegian Breakaway to New Orleans, providing our guests with another premium destination to cruise from when sailing to the Caribbean," said Andy Stuart, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. "New Orleans is well known for its lively music, culinary scene and entertainment, a perfect complement to the high-calibre experiences guests will discover on Norwegian Breakaway."

a limited time, Air Canada Vacations is pleased to offer its exclusive offer with Celebrity Cruises. Until Nov. 25, when cruise lovers book a Celebrity Cruise to Europe departing from Rome, Barcelona, London, Athens or Venice, the first and second guest in the stateroom will fly for free and pay only flight taxes. This offer is valid when you book an ocean-view stateroom or higher for select sailings between March 1 and Oct. 31, 2019 only.

If your heart beats for a vacation in Italy this summer, reserve your European cruise now. With non-stop flights from Toronto, your clients can take advantage of fabulous itineraries like a 7 night Eastern Mediterranean & Adriatic cruise package aboard Celebrity Infinity departing on Aug 17, 2019 from Rome to Venice inclusive of flights starting at $2199 per person double occupancy.

The promotion is based on Economy class service with a maximum flight savings of $299 per person from Toronto or Montreal. Guests are responsible for paying the flight taxes which are approximately $600 per person. The offer is only applicable to non-discounted fares, open jaw flights and new bookings with a minimum of 7-night stay. Conditions apply.