Travel Briefs

September 2019 issue | Appears on page 4

Virgin Voyages debut

Richard Branson’s new cruise line, Virgin Voyages (Plantation, FL; 954/361-9500, www.virginvoyages.com), will commence sailings April 1, 2020, with its first ship, The Scarlet Lady. Cabins can now be booked.

Offering 4- and 5-night Caribbean cruises, all leaving from Miami, The Scarlet Lady can hold 2,770 passengers. The ship will be adults only, with no one under 18 on board. There will be 20 bars and restaurants, and food and drink will be included in the fare.

A double...

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September 2019 issue | Appears on page 4

Royal Air Maroc to join oneworld

Morocco’s national airline, Royal Air Maroc, will join the oneworld airline alliance in mid-2020. Some current oneworld member airlines include American Airlines, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Qantas and Qatar Airways. Passengers who are frequent-flyer-program members of a oneworld-member airline earn benefits such as miles and have access to airline lounges when ticketed to fly on any oneworld airline.

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September 2019 issue | Appears on page 12

Public transportation app

Covering some major cities in Canada, Latin America and Europe, the CityMotion app allows users to see real-time updates for nearby public transportation options, along with maps and estimated walking times to stops. Also included are station maps to help users find the correct platform for trains or metros. The app is available for free on Android and Apple.

September 2019 issue | Appears on page 23

Marine museum, Bordeaux

Containing more than 10,000 items related to boating, including scale models, navigation equipment and maps and charts as well as works of fine art, Musée Mer Marine, or Museum of the Sea & the Navy (89 rue des Etrangers, Bordeaux; phone +33 5 57 19 77 73, www.mmmbordeaux.com/en), opened in the former port of Bordeaux, France, on June 21, 2019.

Exhibits have info posted in English. Open 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Wed.-Fri. and 10:30-7 Sat. & Sun. Entry, €14 (near $16).

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September 2019 issue | Appears on page 36

Pic’s Peanut Butter, NZ

In the city of Nelson on New Zealand’s South Island, a peanut butter factory opened Pic’s Peanut Butter World (49 Saxton Road; phone +64 3 544 8402, www.picspeanutbutter.com) on Feb. 23.

On a free 40-minute tour, offered at 10 and 11:45 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., visitors can make their own peanut butter, get samples (including tastes of almond and cashew butters) and buy products found only at the factory. A spot on the tour should be booked in advance.

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September 2019 issue | Appears on page 42

InterContinental drops mini-toiletries

InterContinental Hotels Group, which owns hotel chains such as Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Kimpton and Regent, announced on July 30 that it will remove mini-toiletries from their hotel rooms and replace them with bulk containers. About a third of the company’s hotels have made the change, with the goal to complete the move by 2021.

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September 2019 issue | Appears on page 49

Uber a submarine in Australia

The ride-sharing company Uber introduced a submarine-hiring service, scUber, on May 27. A submersible with pilot can be hired for one hour by one or two people using the Uber app (available on iPhone and Android).

A scUber submersible is currently available at two Great Barrier Reef locations: Heron Island, off the coast of Gladstone, and Agincourt Reef, off the coast of Cairns, both in Queensland, Australia.

Hiring a scUber costs US$3,000, which includes pickup and drop-off at...

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September 2019 issue | Appears on page 49

NZ ebike rentals

In the town of Whanganui, on New Zealand’s North Island, visitors can rent ebikes for up to eight hours from eBikes Wanganui (73 Putiki Dr.; phone +64 6 348 8008, www.ebikeswaganui.co.nz).

An ebike uses an electric motor to propel the bike or, on climbs, offer pedaling assistance. The motor can produce speeds up to 32 kph (near 20 mph). Pedaling options are indicated on an LED screen on the handlebars, which also shows distance traveled and speed. An 8-hour rental costs NZD50 (...

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