It hasn’t been finalized, but TC hears that Regent Seven Seas Cruises is very close to closing a newbuild contract with Italy's Fincantieri shipyard to use the same hull design that its sister line Oceania is using for its ships. Regent had always said this was a possibility, but it has also been talking to Aker Yard and Meyer Werft.
Frank Del Rio witnessed the first steel cut for Oceania's first newbuild two days after he welcomed a new granddaughter into the world. What's more, the "two little girls," as he called them, have very similar names: The ship will be called Marina and the baby was named Mariana, only one letter apart. Del Rio assured TC that one had nothing to do with the other.
Moments before Paris Hilton announces her run for president and describes her energy policy in FunnyOrDie.com's campaign video spoof, she pauses momentarily to check the August issue of Conde Nast Traveler to see where she should fly to get the best tan. ("Oh. Maui," she says. "Nuff said.") Perhaps after the cameras stopped rolling, she flipped to Page 122 for the magazine's annual list of the "world's top travel specialists," including three who know Maui quite well: Betty Cox of Travel Concepts, Robin Kanno of Landmark Travel and Susan Tanzman of Martin's Travel and Tours. TC would also call Paris' attention to Travel Weekly columnist Richard Turen, cited twice (cruises and culinary programs), and his wife, Angela (spas), both of Churchill & Turen. TC congratulates Richard, Angela and the other 126 who made the cut.
Maybe cheap airfares aren't a thing of the past after all. Iberworld Airlines, a Spanish-based charter airline, advertised an 8 euro ($12) fare between Madrid and Cancun recently. Surprisingly, the online fare still was available for booking two days later, and the booking window extended well into the fall travel season. TC talked to some folks in Cancun who'd bought and booked. Their travel date is coming up. The fare has since vanished into cyberspace.