Celebrity Cruises’ new travel agent loyalty program, new members for the Brand USA Board of Directors and new Star Wars experiences at Disney’s Hollywood Studios are the travel headlines to watch today.
Celebrity Cruises Launches North American Trade Loyalty Program
Celebrity Cruises has launched a new loyalty program for North American travel agents dubbed Celebrity Rewards. Through the program more than 85,000 eligible travel agents in the U.S. and Canada can receive rewards for every qualified booking.
Travel agents who enroll in the program and register their Celebrity bookings can earn points and redeem the points for a reloadable gift card. For every qualified booking made on or after January 1, 2017, agents will receive 500 points, when travel agents have 2,500 points, they can redeem them for $25 placed on the reloadable gift card.
Additionally, all of Celebrity’s ChoiceAir bookings during January and February 2017 will earn 500 bonus points. Travel agents may enroll in the program soft-launching now.
Visit www.celebrityrewards.com
New Members for Brand USA Board of Directors
Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, has announced the appointment of two new board members and the reappointment of two existing members. The newly appointed and reappointed members include:
- Alice Norsworthy, chief marketing officer, Universal Orlando Resort and executive vice president, international brand management, Universal Parks & Resorts (new appointment, representing the attractions or recreations sector).
- Thomas O'Toole, senior fellow and clinical professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University (new appointment, representing the passenger air sector).
- Andrew Greenfield, partner, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen and Loewy, LLP (re-appointment, representing the immigration law and policy sector).
- Barbara Richardson, chief of external relations, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (re-appointment, representing the land or sea transportation sector).
The appointments were made by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security as provided for in the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014. Each appointment became effective December 1, 2016, for a term of three years.
New Star Wars Experiences Planned for Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Finally, in theme park news, Disney has announces plans to bring new Star Wars experiences to its Hollywood Studios park beginning in mid-December, some of which are inspired by the upcoming "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" that opens in theaters worldwide on December 16.
Premiering this month are:
- Star Wars Launch Bay – a multi-sensory space celebrating all things Star Wars – is now updated with replicas from "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” joining other Star Wars memorabilia in the preview gallery. Making-of footage from "Rogue One" has been added to the "Meet the Makers" film featured in Star Wars Launch Bay.
- In the daytime stage show "Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away," guests will get a first look at AWR Troopers from "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." These soldiers serve as bodyguards and enforcers for Director Krennic, a highly placed officer within the Advance Weapons Research (AWR) division of the Empire. A new Troopers sequence will join the show December 16. Performances daily.
- The nighttime show, "Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular," will return to Disney's Hollywood Studios on December 16 and will join "Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!" as a second nightly fireworks spectacular at the park through December 31. The show will continue to be presented in 2017.
- Starting mid-December, randomized tracks will be returning to Star Tours – the Adventures Continue, the attraction that uses motion simulator-based technology. Instead of each ride experience launching from the planet of Jakku, the attraction will be randomized to both start and end at different locations for every galactic journey. New scenes from "Star Wars: Episode VIII" will be added to Star Tours in the coming year.
Looking ahead to 2017, the park will add a new Star Wars guided tour. At seven hours long, the tour will include an expert guide; priority boarding for Star Tours – The Adventures Continue; an encounter with Chewbacca and Kylo Ren at the Star Wars Launch Bay; a tour around the Launch Bay; a screening of “Star Wars: Path of the Jedi”; Star Wars-themed menu items during dinner at Backlot Express; and a spot in the Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party, which includes themed sweets and specialty beverages, as well as reserved viewing for the Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular fireworks show.
Children ages 4-12 on the guided tour package can also train in the way of The Force in Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple. Priced at $129 per person, tours begin January 2 and will be offered on Mondays and Saturdays throughout 2017. Reservations for January tours can be made soon.
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