Celebrity Cruises World Tour

World tours aren’t limited to rock stars. Celebrity Cruises today announced the kickoff of “Celebrity’s World Tour 2014-15,” the brand’s introduction of guest-inspired, destination-rich, modern luxury vacations to all seven continents of the world.

The collection of itineraries in Celebrity’s World Tour will be revealed in detail as each set opens for bookings over the next four weeks. Today, Celebrity offered a preview of the type of destination-rich vacations the brand will offer in each of the seven continents, with more ports of call, more overnight stays, and the modern luxury style, design, cuisine and entertainment the brand is known for delivering onboard:

Africa: Celebrity Silhouette’s 14-night Holy Land voyage will depart roundtrip from Rome (Civitavecchia), and will be highlighted by an overnight stay in Alexandria, Egypt; an overnight stay in Jerusalem (Ashdod), Israel; and visits to Haifa, Israel; Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey; Athens (Piraeus), Greece; Catania, Sicily, Italy, and Naples/Capri, Italy.

Exotic 14-night voyages on Celebrity Infinity depart from Buenos Aires, with visits to Ushuaia and Puerto Madryn, Argentina; Cape Horn, Chile; Schollart Channel and Dalhan Bay, Paradise Bay, Gerlache Strait, and Elephant Island, Antarctica; Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, and Montevideo, Uruguay.

Asia: Celebrity Millennium’s 14-night itineraries will depart from Singapore, beginning with an overnight stay in the city, followed by an overnight stay in Bangkok (Laemchabang), Thailand; Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam; Hue/Danang (Chan May), Vietnam; an overnight stay in Hanoi (Halong Bay), Vietnam, concluding in Hong Kong, China, with an overnight stay.

Australia: Celebrity Solstice will present 12-night Australia & New Zealand vacations beginning with an overnight stay in Sydney, followed by visits to Melbourne, Australia; Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, Dusky Sound, Dunedin, Akaroa, Wellington, Tauranga and Auckland, New Zealand.

Europe: Guests can immerse themselves in an 11-night Mediterranean vacation on the newest ship in the Celebrity fleet, Celebrity Reflection, departing roundtrip from Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy, with visits to Santorini, Mykonos and Athens (Piraeus), Greece, along with Naples/Capri, Italy, Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey, and an overnight stay in Istanbul, Turkey.

North America: Celebrity Solstice will bring Solstice Class style back to Alaska on 7-night sailings roundtrip from Seattle, Wash., with visits to Ketchikan, Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, Skagway, the stunning Inside Passage of Alaska, and Victoria, British Columbia.

South America: An overnight stay in Buenos Aires highlights the beginning of a 14-night voyage on Celebrity Infinity, followed by visits to Montevideo and Punta Del Este, Uruguay; Puerto Madryn and Ushuaia, Argentina; Cape Horn, Punta Arenas, and Puerto Montt, Chile, in addition to sailing through the Straits of Magellan and Chilean Fjords, ending in Valparaiso, Chile.

Celebrity’s World Tour 2014-15 also includes a collection of elite land-based adventures available nowhere else. Named “Celebrity Exclusives,” the collection will feature personalized experiences for individuals or small parties no larger than 15 guests. A sampling of Celebrity Exclusives include: A VIP hospitality package at the 2014 British Open Golf Tournament; an overnight journey to Moscow by high-speed train; roaming the hills of Rome in a Ferrari; enjoying the best of Mykonos on a private yacht; or catamaran sailing in the Finnish archipelago.

To further enhance guests’ destination experience, every Celebrity ship in 2014 will offer the services of a Destination Concierge, whose in-depth knowledge of the ports of call on every itinerary will allow the expert to guide Celebrity’s guests through every aspect of their adventures on land, including Celebrity Exclusives, or to create special excursions tailored precisely for individual guests’ preferences.

Celebrity will reveal full details of the breadth of itineraries and land-based adventures within Celebrity’s World Tour as each collection of itineraries opens for bookings this month.

With Celebrity’s World Tour, Celebrity’s valued Captain’s Club members receive “Priority Access” with the opportunity to be first to book the new sailings with exclusive offers. The first in the portfolio – Celebrity’s 2014 Bermuda, as well as Canada & New England – is now open to loyalty members.

Delta Air Lines is transforming the sleep experience in the air by offering Westin Heavenly^® In-Flight  bedding, designed and manufactured exclusively for Delta, in all of its BusinessElite cabins throughout the world.

The new Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding product will be available on all BusinessElite® International flights, as well as BusinessElite flights between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattleand between Atlanta and Honolulu, beginning in June 2013. BusinessElite customers will receive a Westin Heavenly sleeping pillow and a comforter with extra luxurious loft.  Passengers on flights over 12 hours also will receive a lumbar pillow.   

Delta is committed to providing our customers with the best possible sleep experience in the skies and we're excited to partner with another leader in the travel category, Westin Hotels and Resorts, who shares this goal," said Joanne Smith , Delta's senior vice president – In Flight Service. "In recent surveys, customers have told us that the most important part of the in-flight experience is sleep.  The new Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding product is just one of the new amenities Delta is introducing to ensure customers achieve a restful, rejuvenating in-flight experience."

We are delighted to bring the Westin Heavenly experience to thousands of Delta travelers around the world especially at a time when Westin is experiencing tremendous growth in key markets around the world," said Brian Povinelli , Global Brand Leader for Westin Hotels. "Getting a good night's sleep is the number one priority for our guests and we are renowned for providing travelers with the best bed and sleep experience in the business. Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding will ensure Delta's customers will be renewed and refreshed when they land.  Now consumers can experience the brand's Heavenly sleep experience in-flight, in our hotels and even in their homes." 

In addition to the new Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding, Delta is making investments in several other products and services to revamp the in-flight sleep experience. These include a white noise channel on Delta Radio, and new BusinessElite amenity kits featuring Tumi and Malin+Goetz products.

Delta is also enhancing the sleep experience by expanding full flat-bed seating.  Delta is introducing full flat-bed seats in the BusinessElite cabin of all transcontinental flights operating between New York and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattlebeginning in March 2013. All of Delta's Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft serving these transcontinental markets will offer the flatbed seats over the next 24 months.  Delta's decision to install full flat-bed seats on its transcontinental flights complements the airline's current investment in full flat-bed seats on its entire international widebody fleet of more than 140 aircraft.  By the end of 2013, 70 percent of all Delta aircraft will have flat beds and, in early 2014, Delta's entire widebody fleet is scheduled to be complete.

As a direct result of customer feedback, flight attendants are also modifying their in-flight service to better foster sleep.  BusinessElite flights now offer an "Express Meal" that features lighter fare and a one-step delivery process on all international flights departing after 9 p.m. and flights between JFK and London's Heathrow Airport. Delta will be designing a similar express meal menu for BusinessElite flights that are less than 10 hours long, as well as transcontinental flights.

To create a more restful cabin environment, flight attendants also are now proactively adjusting for appropriate lighting based on the time of day and streamlining cabin announcements to decrease noise disruptions. 

Delta is showcasing its renewed focus on sleep at TED2013 in Long Beach, California, Feb. 26-March 1.  The airline will host a talk from renowned Oxford neuroscientist and sleep expert Dr. Russell Foster addressing jet lag and how the eye tells time and demonstrate his research in action with the world's first Photon Shower – a small light chamber that conference attendees can enter for a short period of time to help reset their body clocks through a personalized, rejuvenating light treatment.

The Photon Shower, along with Delta's new amenity kits, charging stations and a juice bar, will live in Delta's "Power Up" lounge, a space designed to help revitalize and energize TED attendees. Conference goers can also relax and wind down in Delta's "Power Down" lounge, a second activation space featuring flat-bed seats with Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding, nap pods, and white noise calming music. Delta's Sleep Bar at the Westin Long Beach will also provide conference attendees premium items and hospitality focused around aiding sleep.

Known as the travel industry's innovative leader, Westin revolutionized the travel industry with the 1999 launch of the Heavenly® Bed, an icon that inspired countless imitators.  Due to incredible popular demand, Westin became the first hotel company to sell a signature retail line with the unveiling of the Heavenly® Bed in-room catalogue in 2000.