The Aquavit Terrace on Viking Star.

Viking Cruises is launching its new ocean product, Viking Ocean Cruises, setting sail with its first vessel, Viking Star, in May 2015.

Viking, which christened 10 new river ships in March and has 12 new river ships planned to launch in 2014, will be launching a second ocean vessel in 2016.

“It is our view that in the race to build bigger ships, many cruise lines have lost sight of the destinations to which they sail,” says chairman Torstein Hagen. “With our new ocean cruises, we are applying the same principles behind our award-winning river cruises to our itinerary and ship design; privileged-access excursions; and onboard experiences to make destinations the true focus.”

The 928-passenger, all-verandah Viking Star will sail in Scandinavia and the Baltic, as well as the Western and Eastern Mediterranean, giving passengers maximum time in port with late evenings and overnight stays. For example, the 15-day Viking Homelands itinerary will include overnights in Bergen, Norway; Stockholm, Sweden; and St. Petersburg, Russia. Introductory 2-for-1 fares start at $4,999 pp with discounted air from $895 pp. Fares include beer and wine with lunch and dinner; WiFi; self-service laundry; and 24-hour room service.

On Viking Star, travelers can choose from five stateroom categories on the ship, all featuring verandahs, king-size beds, large showers and LCD TVs. Viking Star also features two pools (one of them being an infinity pool); The Spa with a sauna and “snow grotto” with falling snowflakes; a variety of restaurants serving global cuisine and regional specialties that incorporate local ingredients; an onboard cooking school; and venues including the Viking Piano Lounge, the Star Theater, and a 3-deck atrium.

For more information, visit vikingcruises.com/oceans.

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Nothing beats a Las Vegas show, so send your clients to the “Entertainment Capital of the World” for an unparalleled experience.

The biggest musical acts on the globe perform in Las Vegas nightly. At The Colosseum inside Caesars Palace, Shania Twain performs live after an eight-year hiatus. She shows why she’s “Still the One,” performing all of her hits in a full 100-minute production show with dancers and a 13-piece band.

Your clients can also relive the music of the ’80s at “Rock of Ages” at the Venetian. The hilarious show brings audiences back to the era of big hair and even bigger bands with a soundtrack of 28 popular rock songs, including “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” “I Wanna Know What Love Is,” “Here I Go Again,” “Don’t Stop Believin’” and more.

And if they’re a little bit country and a little bit rock ’n’ roll, your clients will certainly enjoy Donny & Marie performing their variety show spectacular at the Flamingo.

The music of the King of Pop is also on display in Cirque du Soleil’s newest Las Vegas production, Michael Jackson ONE at Mandalay Bay. The production is an entirely fresh creation, developed in consultation with the Michael Jackson estate and committed to honoring the artist’s legacy by staying true to Jackson’s spirit as a performer and a person. Because innovation was an integral part of Jackson’s character and motivation, ONE was conceived as an original work of art, as well as a tribute to the King of Pop.

And for an over-the-top production experience with invigorating music, innovative lighting effects, sensational technology and the antics of three captivating, blue men, visit Monte Carlo for the Blue Man Group.

Your clients can also relive the magic of Sammy, Dean, Joey and Frank at “The Rat Pack Is Back” at the Rio All-Suite Hotel or the turbulent story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons in “Jersey Boys” at Paris Las Vegas.

Amazing entertainment options, everywhere you look. Track your Vegas bookings at lasvegas.com and give your clients the trip of a lifetime.

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Las Vegas is home to some of the most lavish pools on the planet, so invite your clients to relax poolside all summer long and soak up the sun in style.

For the ultimate in opulence, your clients can book a cabana at Wynn Las Vegas with a private patio. They’ll relax in comfort by the secluded European-style pool, the sparkling main pool or two pools exclusively for Tower Suites guests. Cocktails and food service are available at all four pools, and poolside massages can be booked through the spa.

They can also be treated like a deity at the Caesars Palace Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis. They’ll love the spacious, luxurious and stately collection of exclusive pools, decadent cabanas and palatial sunbathing spots. The Bacchus pool overlooks the expanded Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis, boasting imperial views of the new Jupiter and Apollo pools, as well as upscale amenities by attentive cabanas servers.

There are more than 40 new cabanas in all, with stocked refrigerators, flat-screen TVs, DVD players, iPod docks, wireless Internet, ceiling fans and plush furniture. Some of the deluxe services offered poolside include frozen towels, Evian face spritzers and body massages. Or, they can just keep it simple and lay out on one of the more than 1,700 deck chairs.

Perhaps your clients would prefer to just sink their toes in the sand—real sand. Twenty-seven hundred tons of it, to be precise, can be found at Mandalay Bay Beach. This lush, 11-acre tropical water environment is comprised of a sand-and-surf beach, lazy river ride, four pools and a jogging track, and provides a remarkable recreation and relaxation experience. The wave pool is capable of waves up to six ft. high.

The pool area of Monte Carlo features four separate pools, a 400-ft. lazy river, a beach-sand volleyball court and 11,000 sq. ft. of gorgeous landscaping. Poolside servers offer a full range of cocktails, as well as a menu that includes an array of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers and pizzas made to order. The complex also features pool bars serving cooling alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. Full-day tube rentals are available, as well as life jackets.

When it comes to relaxing by a luxury pool, no place compares to Las Vegas. Give your clients a Vegas pool experience as part of a summer getaway, and track your Vegas bookings at lasvegas.com.

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After 13 years managing the Rose Hall resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica, The Ritz-Carlton is passing the torch to another company to take over management.

Effective May 21, the 427-room The Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort, Rose Hall will no longer operate under the brand. Several media outlets have reported that Playa Hotels & Resorts has purchased the property, but according to Playa Hotels & Resorts chairman and CEO, Bruce Wardinski, “Playa Hotels & Resorts is in negotiations to acquire the hotel but the sale is not complete. If and when the sale is complete, we will be able to issue additional information regarding future plans for this prestigious resort.”

The property, set on 5,000 acres of a plantation haunted by the ghost of Annie Palmer, features famed golf course, the White Witch Golf Course. For more information, call (800) 241-3333 or visit ritzcarlton.com. For more on the resort and its golf course, see Caribbean Golf from the May 2013 issue.

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(Photo courtesy of Monteverdi hotel.)

Set on a hilltop in a medieval village in Tuscany, the new Monteverdi hotel, which opened in August, is launching its restaurant in June.

The hotel, located between Rome and Florence, spans three buildings offering seven rooms and suites, as well as 2-, 3- and 6-bedroom villas. In addition, the hotel offers a cafe, infinity pool and now a restaurant in the 12th-century village. Guests at the hotel have access to a fitness center, 24/7 concierge, in-room spa treatments, private vineyard tours and a private chef upon request.

Guests can dine on the verandah overlooking the Val d’Orcia at the new restaurant, which features local ingredients, from the tomatoes to the lamb. The hotel can also arrange private cooking lessons in the villa accommodations or excursions with the chef to the local farms and markets.

Rates start at $7,225 per week, including breakfast. For more information, visit monteverdituscany.com.

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