A&K does the unimaginable
Luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent is getting ready to surprise you. On February 19, 2009, it will celebrate its newly redesigned website with an unusual discount program. Starting at 9 AM (CST), a savings of 5 percent will be offered on each of five itineraries. Every half hour, another 5 percent will be cut from the price. By 3 PM, the discount will reach its final level of 60 percent off. Of course, departures are limited and on a first-come, first served basis.
So, this is your chance to spend for an A&K experience what conventional travel would normally cost.
For example, the “Once in a Lifetime Egypt” trip could sell for as little as $3,328 (a savings of close to $5,000). You’ll get 10 days that include the Four Seasons Cairo, not to mention a Nile cruise on Sun Boat IV. “Once in a Lifetime Kenya” consists of eight days for possibly as little as $2,118 (with a stay at the Fairmont Norfolk Hotel, among others), and the experience in Spain could cost $6,000 less than usual. The other destinations are Botswana and Zambia and a voyage to Melanesia aboard “Clipper Odyssey.”
Remember: the sale begins at 9 AM (CST) on February 19. Put a reminder in your calendar and be ready to click fast!
Flexjet gives rich people new choices
The wealthy feel pain, just like the rest of us. As we fight the tightening walls of a global recession, Flexjet is making things a little easier for the world’s financial elite. If you’re looking to extend the value of your private jet dollar, these two programs could be exactly what you need. If, on the other hand, you are like me, read something else, maybe the Cockpit Chronicles or Galley Gossip … this sale is too rich for your blood.
The Flexjet 25 “split-payment option” turns the obligation of one payment into two! Instead of having to pay for a 25-, 30- or 35-hour Flexjet 25 Jet Card, you can pay half up front and the other after six months – or when you have scheduled more than half of the purchased flight hours.
The other new development is that cardholders can now split their hours between two types of aircraft without incurring any additional fees. If you are among the privileged few, your choices include the Learjet 40, Learjet 45, Learjet 60, Challenger 300 and Challenger 604.
Among the capitally anointed? This is not a deal to be missed!
Photo of the Day (1-21-09)
Titled “Afternoon Snack,” this photo by Patrick Powers is a modern day still-life. What a study of light, colors and shapes that capture the mood of a Sunday afternoon in California. The photo was taken at the Ritz-Carlton. Wouldn’t Rembrandt have loved the subtle light on the people in the background and the glint and shimmers of the glass?
If you have an image that would make an art master proud, send it our way at Gadling Flickr photo pool. It could be picked for a Photo of the Day.
QE2 to be cut in half in Dubai
We’ve written about QE2 before. The last post was Jeffrey’s report that the ship had made it to Dubai with great fanfare.
When I read yesterday that the QE2 was to be cut in half, I pictured two halves of this magnificent ocean liner floating around its palm shaped, manmade island. Did Dubai World, the state-run conglomerate who bought the ocean liner want a hotel for each side of the island, I wondered. Something like bookends?
That’s not it. Turning a ship into a hotel doesn’t mean just docking it as is. At least, not in this case. Although, The Queen’s Room, The Captain’s Quarters and The Bridge will stay in their original state, according to this msnbc article from last November, there are changes to be made to make the ship hotel worthy.
Apparently, that’s where cutting it in half comes in. When it’s cut in half, a 100-foot extension will be added into the middle. What will be done with the middle, I’m not sure. This Daily Record.co.uk article doesn’t say. What it does say is that some folks are miffed–spitting mad with the idea of the alteration. Disgusted. Not in those words exactly, but the sentiments are about right. For maritime buffs, cutting the QE2 in half is worse than turning it into scrap metal. To these folks, cutting the QE2 in half is an indication that the company that bought the ship has no idea what a treasure it has.
I’ve heard that getting a ring resized by cutting the band at the back in order to add an extension is a bad idea. It makes the ring lose its value. Perhaps the same holds true with a luxury liner.