Glimplses of Royal Land – Journey Begins

I love the architecture of forts, places and temples. I always wanted to visit in my lifetime and see the gigantic forts and beautiful palaces. To do this in India, I could not have chosen a better place than Rajasthan. To fulfill this dream along with my other 2 friends, we booked hotels, vehicle for a total period of 13 days in December 2004.

Totally 7 (3 families) of us started on this journey from Bangalore. We reached Delhi by flight as late as 1:00 p.m. We would have reached Delhi by 9:00 a.m if not for the fog. When we landed in Delhi the pre-booked Qualis was waiting for us. We got into the vehicle and stared moving towards Shekawati region in Rajasthan. On the way we had lunch at the road side Dhaba and reached Mandwa by 8:00 p.m. We could not see any place on the way, as it was getting late and dark. We checked-in to the Mandwa Haweli, and after refreshing we had good dinner. This is our first taste of Rajasthani food, and it was really good. After dinner we strode through the village and it was full moon day. There was no electric power in the village at that point, but from what little we could see that night, we knew next day morning will be exciting.

The Haveli had the electricity and we had good sleep to finish our first day on the trip. Next we will explore the Shekawati region.

Distance: Delhi ---> Mandwa is 257 kms

P.S: December is the month when lot of tourists land in Rajasthan. So if you really want all the arrangements to be done properly this has to be done before October end.

MAXjet Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

On Christmas Eve, MAXjet—the all business class airline—filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and halted all flights. Here's the announcement directly from MAXjet president William Stockbridge.

Dear Friends of MAXjet:

It is with deep regret that I must inform you that MAXjet filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 24 December 2007. With today’s fuel prices and the resulting impact on the credit climate for airlines, we are forced to take this drastic measure. Our top priority is to assist our customers, particularly those who already have begun their travel with us, in securing alternative flight accommodations.

MAXjet has contracted with Eos Airlines for seats on Eos’ scheduled all-Premium service to accommodate passengers awaiting a return flight between New York and London. Passengers needing return travel between London, Los Angeles and Las Vegas will be contacted regarding their flight re-accommodations. Any customers who choose to make flight accommodations directly should seek a refund from their point of purchase (credit card or travel agency) for the unused leg of their journey.

We have also secured hotel rooms in London, New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles through early January 2008 which we will provide to affected passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted.

On behalf of the entire MAXjet family, we extend our apologies to you for the inconvenience. We are extremely saddened to discontinue a service that we so passionately believe in, and we thank our loyal flyers who helped build MAXjet since our start in 2005.


Sincerely,

William D. Stockbridge
President and CEO

For MAXjet customers who have started travel...
MAXjet is contacting customers with their new travel itineraries in priority order based on date of departure. Please contact MAXjet Customer Care at 1-866-837-9880 or intransit@maxjet.com

Any customers who choose to make flight accommodations directly should seek a refund from their point of purchase (credit card or travel agency) for the unused leg of their journey.


For MAXjet customers who have not yet begun their travel, but have booked tickets...
Seek a refund directly from your point of purchase (credit card or travel agency).

For further information, passengers who have not yet begun travel may contact 1-888-435-9629 or info@maxjet.com

2008 Alaskan Cruise Season—Luxury Style

Want to cruise Alaska in 2008? If you wish to do so aboard a luxury vessel, now is the time to snag a deal before the premium suites and discount deals are snatched up. Yes, it's only the beginning of winter and Alaska is the last place you may want to visit right now—you're probably counting down to your winter Caribbean cruise instead—but the allure of glaciers and whale watching is too much to ignore during the summer months. Even early fall can be a fantastic time to visit our northwest neighbors.

There are only two luxury lines heading to this area in 2008: Regent Seven Seas and Silversea. If you want to sail with a high-end line, don't delay in booking. Otherwise, you may need to look toward a premium line instead. Holland America, Celebrity, and Princess are much more entrenched in Alaska than the luxury cruise lines. Small ship vendors Cruise West and American Safari Cruises may also pique your interest.

Here's a look at what Regent and Silversea are offering for the 2008 Alaska cruise season.

Regent Seven Seas
Regent's 700-guest Seven Seas Mariner plies the Alaskan waters between mid May and early September 2008. The seven-day itinerary between Seward, Alaska and Vancouver, B.C. (or vice versa) hits the following ports and/or sights of interest:

• Hubbard Glacier
• Sitka, Alaska
• Tracy Arm
• Juneau, Alaska
• Skagway, Alaska
• Ketchikan, Alaska
  
  
  If you book certain dates, you'll receive free economy air or $500 off the rack rate. Dates include May 27; June 11, 18, and 25; July 2; August 13, 20, and 27; and September 3. Rates start at $3,895 per person.
  

Silversea
Silversea's Alaska season begins on May 31st this year and ends with its Vancouver to Los Angeles itinerary on September 5. Nine-, 10- and 12-day itineraries are offered aboard the more intimate 382-passenger Silver Shadow. Rates start at $4,956 per person.

9-Day Vancouver to Vancouver

• The Inside Passage
• Ketchikan, Alaska
• Juneau, Alaska
• Skagway, Alaska
• Sawyer Glacier
• Wrangell, Alaska

10-Day Vancouver to San Francisco (or vice versa)

• Sitka, Alaska
• Haines, Alaska
• Sawyer Glacier
• Juneau, Alaska
• Ketchikan, Alaska
• Prince Rupert, B.C.

12-Day Los Angeles to Vancouver (or vice versa)*

• San Francisco, CA
• Victoria, B.C.
• Ketchikan, Alaska
• Sitka, Alaska
• Sawyer Glacier
• Skagway, Alaska
• Wrangell, Alaska
• The Inside Passage

*There is also one 12-day roundtrip intinerary out of San Francisco.

When sailing Alaska, I personally prefer booking a balcony cabin. There's something magical about sitting on your private balcony—in a very warm bathrobe, of course—as you keep your eyes peeled for whales and exotic birds and other creatures you rarely see at home. The Silver Suite would be my pick aboard the Silversea Silver Shadow. On Regent's Mariner, the Master Suite can't be beat since you get a very spacious forward balcony—727 square feet—plus a smaller 71-square-foot side balcony. I also like the Horizon Suites at the aft for their very spacious balconies.

Visiting Alaska is an exhilarating experience! So, enjoy your planned winter getaway and then start thinking about your summertime holiday. Alaska may be just the refreshing change you'll need when the lazy dog days of July roll around. Happy cruising! —Andrea M. Rotondo

Photo of Regent Mariner in Alaska courtesy of Regent Seven Seas.

Crystal Partners with Eos for New Air Options

Eos Airlines is no stranger to travelers flying between New York's JFK and London's Stansted airport. The relative newcomer offers 48 comfortable "suites" on a 757 that's usually outfitted for 220 individuals. Your personal cabin is 21 square feet of personal space and when it's time for bed, you'll enjoy a 6' 6" lie-flat bed. The airline proudly touts that its service is more like a private corporate jet than a traditional consumer airline.

Eos offers a wealth of amenities to make your trip comfortable...from convenient airport lounges to gourmet inflight meals and quality onboard entertainment. They've certainly found several ways to take the stress out of a travel day!

Crystal Cruises announced today that it has partnered with Eos for new air upgrade options for its Western and Northern Europe itineraries in 2008. (Other upgrade options include Premium Economy service via British Airways and Scandinavian Airways.)

The Eos upgrade is $1,300 more each way than Crystal's round-trip coach air/sea fare. Round-trip air add-on fares for Premium Economy are just $700 to $1,200 more than Crystal's coach air/sea fares.

Photo courtesy of Eos Airlines.

India Travel

In India, when we have good amount of money to spend on vacation, we usually think about various travel destinations like UK, Switzerland, France, Italy, Singapore, Malaysia, etc., One item that is common in these destinations is none of them are in our country.

We very coolly forget the rich heritage and architecture that our own nation has in store for us. We all know only one tourist location in India that is Taj Mahal. Apart from this we also have rich heritage of forts, palaces, place of worship (temples, churches, mosques), wild life, waterfalls and museums.

In earlier days it was considered very difficult to travel across the country on your own. This is not true any more. One can arrange the accommodations, vehicle for travel on their own and visit any place that he wishes to see. I agree we all desire to see the outside world and one should not miss this. But also spend some time on enjoying rich heritage of our country and give at least equal importance if not more.

Happy traveling.

A Personal Note from Regent's Mark Conroy

Here's a bit more about information about the Apollo acquisition of Regent Seven Seas Cruises. The following is the text of an e-mail Regent president Mark S. Conroy sent to the cruise line's loyal fans.

E-mail from Regent to Its Past Passengers

We have some exciting news to share with you about our company. Regent Seven Seas Cruises is being purchased by Apollo Management LP, a New York-based investment group, from Minneapolis-based Carlson.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises will be placed under the ownership of Prestige Cruise Holdings, Inc. (PCH), a corporation controlled by Apollo which will manage certain cruise portfolio assets of Apollo. NCL Corporation will remain a separate holding outside of PCH.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises will remain a wholly independent brand under my guidance as president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and will continue to operate from its Fort Lauderdale, Florida headquarters, and reservations will continue to operate from Omaha, Nebraska. Oceania Cruises will remain in its Miami headquarters, headed by Bob Binder, president of Oceania Cruises. Both Bob and I will report directly to Frank Del Rio, chairman and CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings.

In addition to the strong brand recognition and award-winning products of both brands, there is something else we both share - our commitment to our travel partners. The success of Regent Seven Seas Cruises and our new sister brand has been driven by you and the agency community as a whole. Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises are both renowned for their relationship with the agency community and that is something that will only get stronger as we build new ships, chart new destinations and explore new opportunities with our travel partners.

For you, this change of ownership will not have any impact on your relationship with Regent Seven Seas Cruises or your clients' experience on our ships. So the key messages I wish to share with you are:

• Regent Seven Seas Cruises will continue to operate as a stand-alone brand
  
  
• We will continue to deliver the same great experiences that your clients have enjoyed and that have made us successful
  
  
• There are no plans to make changes to our existing offerings or published schedules
  
  
• Our core management team and key personnel on land and at sea will remain intact
  
  
• We will partner with Carlson to continue to grow the Regent brand at sea and on land

In addition to our plans to grow Regent at sea, Regent Hotels & Resorts will continue to operate and grow as part of Carlson Hotels Worldwide, the world's ninth largest hotel company. The Regent brand will continue to offer to our guests the very best in luxury service and travel experiences, including the finest personalized service and warm and friendly hospitality worldwide.

We are excited about the future of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and we will keep working with you to provide the very best luxury cruise experience for your clients. Thank you for your continued support of Regent.

Kindest personal regards,

Mark S. Conroy
President, Regent Seven Seas Cruises

It's Official: Apollo Acquires Regent

This has been brewing for weeks, but it's finally official: Apollo Management has acquired Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Here's the press release that was issued this morning:

Apollo Management L.P. Acquires Regent Seven Seas

Minneapolis-based Carlson and Apollo Management L.P. (Apollo) today announced that Apollo has agreed to acquire Carlson's Regent Seven Seas Cruises operations. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2008, subject to normal conditions for a transaction of this type, including regulatory approval. The cruise operations will continue as a key part of the global Regent brand.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises will be placed under the ownership of Prestige Cruise Holdings, Inc. (PCH), a corporation controlled by Apollo which will manage certain cruise portfolio assets of Apollo. NCL Corporation will remain a separate holding outside of PCH.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises will remain a wholly independent brand under the guidance of Mark Conroy, president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and will continue to operate from its Fort Lauderdale, Florida headquarters, and Oceania Cruises will remain in its Miami headquarters, headed by Bob Binder, president of Oceania Cruises. Both Binder and Conroy will report directly to Frank Del Rio, chairman and CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings.

The transaction is part of a unified strategy undertaken by Apollo and Carlson to expand their respective core cruise and hotel operations, and become the world's preeminent operators of luxury hotels, resorts and cruises. Carlson will retain ownership of the master Regent brand, along with the worldwide operations of Regent Hotels & Resorts.

"Through this proposed investment, Apollo has demonstrated its deep commitment to the Regent brand and the continuing growth of the Regent cruise line fleet," said Carlson Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Marilyn Carlson Nelson. "As owners of the Regent brand, we remain committed to expanding its scope and success both on land and at sea. We are confident the Regent cruise brand will continue to develop along with and lead the industry segment, which has expanded dramatically since 1992, when we launched our first ship. The potential for continued expansion of the luxury Regent hotel brand, and our entire hotel portfolio, is enormous."

Apollo's acquisition of Regent Seven Seas Cruises strengthens its position in the cruise industry with the addition of an award-winning luxury cruise brand to its cruise portfolio. Regent Seven Seas Cruises will continue to focus on the luxury segment of the marketplace by offering a six-star, all-inclusive experience, and Oceania Cruises will continue to lead the Upper Premium segment.

"Everyone at Regent Seven Seas Cruises is delighted with the formation of this new family of companies. With the tremendous financial resources of Apollo available to us, Regent Seven Seas Cruises will continue to strengthen our position as the leading luxury cruise brand. Our valued guests and travel agent partners will experience a seamless transition as we continue to deliver world-class cruise vacation experiences. We look forward to continued success and the use of the new financial resources available to accelerate our future growth," stated Mark Conroy, president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

"Regent Seven Seas is the largest, most successful luxury cruise brand, and we look forward to the growth opportunities this addition offers consumers, travel agents and the team members at both Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises," stated Steve Martinez, a partner with Apollo.

Six times chosen as the world's top-rated cruise line by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazine, Regent Seven Seas Cruises offers voyages to all corners of the globe aboard its fleet of modern, six-star rated, luxury vessels. In addition to the all-suite, all-balcony, 700-guest Seven Seas Voyager and all-suite, all-balcony, 700-guest Seven Seas Mariner, the fleet also includes the 490-guest Seven Seas Navigator, with 90 percent balcony suites, and the 330-guest Paul Gauguin, a ship dedicated to sailing the South Pacific.

"Regent Seven Seas Cruises offers an exceptional product, and its superb shipboard and shoreside teams have built an enviable reputation as the foremost luxury cruise brand. The brand awareness and market presence of Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises will offer our discerning travelers and travel agents worldwide the most vibrant and diverse range of cruise experiences, serving the broadest spectrum of spectacular destinations," stated Frank Del Rio, chairman and CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings.

Lehman Brothers Inc. served as financial advisor to Prestige Cruise Holdings on the transaction, and Goldman, Sachs & Co. served as financial advisor to Carlson.

Carlson announced today that it has named Bjorn Gullaksen as president, Regent Luxury Group. Gullaksen has most recently served as executive vice president for Carlson Hotels Worldwide Managed Hotels & Resorts in the Americas. He will continue to oversee the managed hotel and resort operations in his new role. A hospitality industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience, he previously has served as the company's executive vice president of Full Service Hotels, including Radisson Hotels & Resorts and Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts.

Under Gullaksen, a brand council, with leadership from the cruise company and Carlson Hotels Worldwide, will oversee the luxury standards of the Regent brand in all of its applications globally.

Jay Witzel, president and CEO of Carlson Hotels Worldwide and CEO of Regent, said Regent Hotels & Resorts will continue to grow globally as a leading luxury brand in the hotel industry. Following the completion of the cruise line transaction, Regent Hotels & Resorts will be operated as part of Carlson Hotels Worldwide, one of the world's top 10 hotel companies. The current global portfolio includes Regent properties in Beijing; Shanghai; Singapore; Taipei; Berlin; Zagreb, Croatia; and Turks and Caicos. The company's North American expansion plans also include The Regent Bal Harbour, Florida, scheduled to open in early 2008 and The Regent Boston at Battery Wharf, also scheduled to open in 2008. Future global developments include properties in Bordeaux, France; Bangkok, Thailand; The Republic of Maldives; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Papagayo, Costa Rica; and Dubrovnik, Croatia.

ABOUT APOLLO MANAGEMENT L.P.:
Founded in 1990, Apollo is a leading private equity and capital markets investor with more than 17 years of experience investing across the capital structure of leveraged companies. The firm employs over 140 professionals and has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Singapore, Frankfurt and Paris. Since its inception, Apollo has managed more than $28 billion of capital across a wide variety of industries both domestically and internationally. The firm's most recent private equity fund and its co-investment affiliate have capital commitments of approximately $11.6 billion. Investments in the leisure and hospitality industries have included Harrah's Entertainment (pending), AMC Entertainment, Sirius Satellite Radio, Wyndham International, and Vail Resorts. Apollo is already active in the cruise industry, having invested in the upper premium Oceania Cruises brand earlier this year, and is scheduled to shortly close on a committed investment in NCL Corporation Ltd ("NCL"), parent company of Norwegian Cruise Line and NCL America . Since investing in Oceana, Apollo has supported the ordering of two new ships worth approximately $1 billion.

ABOUT CARLSON:
Carlson is a global leader in the hotel, restaurant, business and leisure travel, and marketing industries.

The Carlson family of brands and services include: Regent Hotels & Resorts(R), Radisson Hotels & Resorts(R), Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Park Inn(R) hotels, Regent Seven Seas Cruises(R), T.G.I. Friday's(R) and Pick Up Stix(R) restaurants, Carlson Wagonlit Travel(R), Cruise Holidays(SM), All Aboard Travel, Cruise Specialists, Fly4Less.com, Cruise Deals.com, Dazzle Travel, Results! Travel(R), Carlson Destination Marketing Services, Carlson Leisure Travel Services, SeaMaster Cruises(R), SinglesCruise.com, Partners In Travel, Luxury Travel Network, Carlson Marketing, Peppers & Rogers Group(R), and Gold Points Reward Network(R).

Based in Minneapolis, Carlson's brands and services employ about 190,000 people in 150 countries and territories. Carlson's 2006 systemwide sales, including franchised operations, totaled $37.1 billion. http://www.carlson.com/.

ABOUT REGENT SEVEN SEAS CRUISES:
Regent Seven Seas Cruises(SM) (RSSC) operates a fleet of medium-sized luxury cruise ships that visit over 300 ports on all seven continents, including Antarctica. RSSC is consistently rated among the world's top three cruise lines by readers of luxury travel magazines. Travel professionals worldwide voted RSSC the "World's Best Luxury Cruise Line" for the third consecutive year as part of the 2006 Travel Weekly Awards and readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine voted RSSC "World's Best Small-Ship Cruise Line" in 2007. For further information, contact Regent Seven Seas Cruises, 1000 Corporate Drive, Suite 500, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33334. For brochures, call toll-free (866) 284-4079; for reservation information call toll-free (800) 285-1835; or visit: http://www.rssc.com/.

ABOUT OCEANIA CRUISES:
Oceania Cruises(R) is the world's only upper-premium cruise line and offers a unique combination of the finest cuisine at sea, luxurious accommodations, exceptional personalized service and extraordinary value. As the leader in destination cruising, Oceania Cruises sails to more than 180 ports in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean. Featuring three intimate and elegant mid-sized ships, Regatta, Insignia and Nautica, the line will introduce two new mid-size Oceania Class ships to its award-winning fleet in 2010 and 2011. For additional information, to make a reservation, or to order a brochure, please contact your Travel Agent or Oceania Cruises at 800-531-5658. Visit us at http://www.oceaniacruises.com/.

Windstar's 12/8 Wind Spirit Cruise Canceled

Due to a cracked propeller on the Wind Spirit, Windstar Cruises has canceled its December 8 sailing out of St. Thomas. The repair requires dry docking and the ship is expected to be back in service for the December 15 sailing.

Windstar offered passengers a 100% refund, reimbursement of transportation-related expenses, and a 50% onboard credit for a future cruise.