Montego Bay showcased on JTB's Irie Hour fam

Holland America’s Rotterdam back in Caribbean

SEATTLE — A second Holland America Line ship has returned to Florida cruising and the Caribbean since the start of the pandemic. The cruise line’s new Rotterdam set sail last week from Fort Lauderdale on its inaugural Caribbean cruise, a roundtrip five-day sailing that visits Bimini, Bahamas and Half Moon Cay,

Holland America’s private Bahamian island. The ship arrived at Port Everglades following its maiden transatlantic voyage from Amsterdam. Last month Nieuw Amsterdam was the first ship in the fleet to begin Caribbean cruising from Fort Lauderdale. Later this month, Rotterdam will be joined at Port Everglades by Pinnacle Class sister ships Nieuw Statendam and Eurodam, which also kick off their Caribbean seasons. “We have been awaiting our return to the Caribbean for a long time and having Rotterdam and our other ships restart operations out of Fort Lauderdale is an incredible moment for our company,” said Gus Antorcha, President of Holland America Line. “Rotterdam’s maiden voyage from Europe was a huge success and we’re getting a lot of positive feedback from guests about the ship.” Rotterdam will now sail the Caribbean through April, with all departures roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale. The cruises range from 6-11 days and span the region on southern, eastern, western and tropical itineraries. Every Caribbean cruise includes a call at Half Moon Cay.

Holland America is currently operating vaccinated cruises, as defined by the CDC, through Feb. 28, 2022. These cruises are available for guests who have received their final dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to the start of the cruise and have proof of vaccination. Additionally, fully vaccinated guests must produce a negative viral COVID-19 test (medically supervised PCR or antigen test) taken within two days of embarkation on all sailings.

The JTB’s Dan Hamilton, Judy Nash, Louise Paquette, Jerron Britton, Angella Bennet, Emma Madsen and Racquel Queensborough

MoBay’s resorts, attractions highlight of JTB’s ‘Irie Hour’ fam

MONTEGO BAY — The Jamaica Tourist Board’s recent ‘Irie Hour’ trip brought 50 Canadian travel agents, plus JTB reps, together for a fun-filled and educational fam in Montego Bay. The JTB says the invite-only fam was offered to a select group of 50 VIP travel advisors who were loyal attendees of the JTB’s virtual Irie Hour over the past many months. Irie Hour started in May 2020 as a way for the JTB to reach out and connect with Canadian agents, offering everything from up to date info in the early months of the pandemic, to camaraderie and support. During the seven-day fam agents reconnected with the JTB Canada team and on-site JTB reps. Agents were hosted on island by JTB Canada’s Angella Bennett, Regional Director, Canada; Dan Hamilton, District Sales Manager, Canada; Louise Paquette, BDM, Eastern Canada; Racquel Queensborough, BDM, Ontario; Emma Madsen, BDM, Western Canada; and Judy Nash, Administrative Assistant for the JTB Toronto office. Also joining the group: local JTB BDM Jerron Britton, Jamaica’s ‘Man in MoBay’ and a frequent Irie Hour guest star. Authentic Jamaican experiences featured on the fam included a jerk lunch at Scotchies, a catamaran tour with Island Routes and a beach BBQ. There were also plenty of site inspections, at Secrets Wild Orchid, Breathless Montego Bay, Excellence Oyster Bay, Zoëtry Montego Bay, RIU Montego Bay, Iberostar Selection Rose Hall Suites and Ocean Coral Spring. Fam participants also had the chance to see Jamaica’s rigorous health and safety protocols in action and were able to take advantage of the enhanced PCR testing services now available for Canadian travellers in the destination. Since Oct. 28, Canadians have been able to book in-hotel pre-departure COVID-19 molecular test directly through Baywest Wellness Clinic and Technological Solutions Ltd. (TSL) for US$75, more than 50% off the previous PCR testing price. Says Angella Bennett, Regional Director, Canada, Jamaica Tourist Board: “For this very special Irie Hour fam trip, we chose agents who have demonstrated a strong dedication to Jamaica over the past year and a half. These loyal agents have shown up every week during our virtual Irie Hour series and they are committed to learning about our safety protocols and staying on top of what's new in Jamaica. This was an opportunity for us to thank these hardworking agents for their continued support of Jamaica and showcase some of the very best island experiences, hotels, and attractions for them to share with their clients back in Canada.” Agents unable to join the fam in person tuned in for a live-on-location Irie Hour broadcast at Royalton Blue Waters, featuring musical entertainment, cooking and cocktail demonstrations, and a surprise announcement regarding more Irie Hour fam trip opportunities for Canadian travel agents in 2022. More information about Irie Hour and Jamaica’s other engagement programs for Canadian travel agents is at visitjamaica.com/Canada.

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