Published for the Travel Agents of Suffolk County

Our March 9th TASC dinner meeting is being held at
Shandon Court.

We are holding CRUISE NIGHT #2 featuring:
Carnival Cruise Lines
Celebrity Cruises
Ponant Yacht Cruise & Expeditions
Scenic / Emerald River & Ocean

Free raffle for a future TASC dinner

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TASC MARCH MEETING - LIVE!!
LOCATION
SHANDON COURT, 115 EAST MAIN ST., EAST ISLIP, NY

DATE AND TIME
03/09/22 6:30pm - 03/09/22 8:30pm

SIGN IN & MINI TRADE SHOW: 6:00PM // MEETING & DINNER: 6:30PM MEMBERS: $25, NON-MEMBERS: $35 RSVP IS MANDATORY
YES I WILL BE ATTENDING

RSVP
RSVP’S for the general meeting should
now be made by using the RSVP button above.

At this time you will continue to be able to RSVP to:
Honey Pressgrove’s office 631-363-9522
or email to [email protected]
RSVP's must be received no later than the MONDAY
before the meeting. If you are unable to attend the meeting after you have already responded PLEASE call to cancel.


PLEASE RSVP WITH THE "YES I WILL BE ATTENDING" BUTTON ONLY IF YOU DEFINITELY PLAN ON ATTENDING OUR MEETINGS

IMPORTANT INFORMATION IF YOU SHARE A SINGLE EMAIL ADDRESS WITH A COLLEAGUE
SINCE EACH EMAIL ADDRESS IS LINKED TO ONLY 1 PERSON, ONLY THAT 1 PERSON CAN BE COUNTED WHEN YOU RSVP ELECTRONICALLY, ADDITIONAL ATTENDEES MUST PHONE OR EMAIL IN THEIR RSVP.
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Our 2021 TASC Trade Show is now in the books and I think it was one of the best in years!

Thank you to the many agents that came out and to the following suppliers who exhibited at our show.

Affluent Hospitality, AM Resorts, Andaz Resorts, Antigua/Barbuda, AutoEurope, Barbados Tourism,
Blue Diamond Resorts, Cayman Islands Tourism,
Celebrity Cruises, Delta Vacations, E-Z Italy,
Elegant Hotels/All-inclusive Marriott Resorts,
Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau,
AIC-Hard Rock Resorts, Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau, Hyatt Resorts Caribbean, Impressive Resorts, Jamaica Tourist Board, Kensington Tours,
Norwegian Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Sandals/Beaches, Scenic Cruises USA, Silversea Cruises, St Kitts Tourism, Stan Enden Associates,
The Sol Group/Melia Hotels, Travelsavers,
Turks & Caicos & Vacation Express

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PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
Dear Members,

We are living in crazy times. Now that we are finally seeing low Covid infections and travel plans are ramping up, Russia decides to invade Ukraine! Please pray for a swift end to this war with peace and freedom for the Ukrainian people.

We are again holding a live meeting this month. We will be featuring cruise night # 2. At this month's meeting we are pleased to welcome Carnival, Celebrity, Ponant and Scenic Emerald cruises. Starting at 6pm they will set up their catalogs and brochures and engage in one-on-one discussions, then later they will give their focused presentations.

In honor of Saint Patrick's Day, we will be offering corned beef as one of your selections and we will also be serving wine with dinner. In addition, we will raffle off a free future TASC dinner for a lucky winner.

Respectfully,
Susan Bonesso


A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for.
           -- Grace Murray Hopper
         
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UPCOMING TASC MEETING/EVENT SCHEDULE

MAR 9 - CRUISE NIGHT # 2
APR 13 - STAN ENDEN
MAY 11 - SANDALS
JUNE 8 - BARBADOS TOURIST BOARD

Attention suppliers! 2022 is booking up quickly, get your choice date booked now. You may contact our Programs Director, Fran Raupp at [email protected] to book your program.
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Current Industry Affairs (CIA)

Several Caribbean island destinations have eased Covid restrictions as they transition from pandemic to endemic status.
Dominican Republic drops mask requirements
The D.R., whose entry regulations have been among the most relaxed for visitors throughout the pandemic and which has required no proof of vaccination, entry test or quarantine, now has dropped all mask requirements in indoor and outdoor settings, except for at the airport.
Jamaica lifts travel authorization requirement
Visitors to Jamaica no longer will be required to obtain travel authorization to enter the island, effective March 1. Those age 12 and over will only need to provide a negative antigen or PCR test result done within 72 hours prior to arrival. In addition, travelers no longer will face travel-related quarantine measures. Jamaica recently shortened the isolation period for U.S. travelers who test positive while in Jamaica and eliminated quarantine restrictions for fully vaccinated business travelers who present a negative PCR test taken within three days of travel to Jamaica.
St. Maarten eliminates testing for vaccinated
Effective March 1, St. Maarten will eliminate the requirement for proof of a negative test result for entry for vaccinated travelers as well as for those who have recovered from Covid in the past nine months.
Unvaccinated travelers must still provide a negative PCR test result taken 48 hours prior to arrival or an antigen test taken 24 hours before arrival. The health authorization form will still be required for all travelers within 72 hours of arrival.
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Cruise lines are scrapping stops in Ukraine and Russia in light of the escalating conflict there
• Viking River Cruises is canceling all 2022 departures of its Kyiv, Black Sea and Bucharest itinerary.
• Scenic is canceling its entire slate of 2022 river cruises in Russia. 
• Norwegian Cruise Line is cutting St. Petersburg from itineraries for the entirety of 2022. 
• Atlas Ocean Voyages is tweaking the itineraries of two late-summer Baltic cruises to drop St. Petersburg, Russia.
• Windstar Cruises has canceled all sailings in the Black Sea region and will alter Baltic itineraries to swap out calls in St. Petersburg with a non-Russian port.
• Carnival Corp. said its brands would modify itineraries, replacing St. Petersburg calls in the coming weeks once it can secure alternative ports.
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The Canadian government unrolled a new set of guidelines for cruise ships that require a 100% vaccination rate for all ships stopping at its ports, potentially complicating the 2022 Alaska cruise season. 
Transport Canada, the nation's transportation agency, said more announcements will be coming soon. 
Canada's guidelines create a higher standard for cruising than the CDC. Last week, the CDC said it was grading ships based on their vaccination rates. The CDC will label ships with at least 95% of passengers and crew with two initial doses as "highly vaccinated" and ships with 95% of passengers and crew with two doses plus a booster shot as "standard of excellence" ships. Those that don't meet these criteria are labeled "not highly vaccinated." 
Cruise ships were banned from Canada in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Because foreign-flagged ships are required to stop at an international port for cruises departing from the United States, U.S. lawmakers passed a law to temporarily allow ships to skip the perfunctory stop in Canada on Alaska cruises. Without the waiver, cruise lines would not have been able to salvage the 2021 Alaska cruise season. Alaska lawmakers are working on new legislation that would allow cruise ships to continue to sail past Canada without the required stop. 
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For current travel restrictions for the Caribbean, go to: https://www.travelweekly.com/Caribbean-Travel/Caribbean-readies-for-a-wave-of-reopenings
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For current travel restrictions for Europe:
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MEMBERS CORNER:
The TASC Executive Board sends get well wishes to current Board member Will Porrier who is home convalescing with a fractured arm.
Cards may be sent to him at: 16 Baymens Court, Sayville, NY 11782
TASC would also like to send out get well wishes to long time member Fern Spies who is recovering from recent surgery.
The current TASC board of directors time in office will be ending this July. I am looking for someone to volunteer for the position of Nominating Chairperson who will contact the candidates and read the slate of nominees at the April/May/June meetings. Please see Susan at the March meeting if interested.
TASC ANNUAL DUES
Your annual TASC membership renewals are now past due. They are still only $40 per year.
A Membership form is available at our website or from the sign in table at the TASC dinner.
Anyone who joins now will be paid up
for the 2022-2023 term
Your TASC board has a new email address: [email protected]
If you have any member news that you would like posted in this newsletter please send an email with information to: [email protected]
In addition to the get wells and condolences, we can also list job postings
or pertinent industry news.
If we don't know about it, we can't post it!
WWW.LI-TASC.COM
This is our website. Visit us !!!
Also visit our TASC Facebook page and “like us”.
Only TASC members will be able to post on the Facebook page.
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POSITION AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY
VacationWiser is looking for an Administrative Assistant/Customer Service person. Start immediately.

  • Full-time, In-person position in our Woodbury office
  • Assist VacationWiser with operations and customer service
  • Update various spreadsheets on daily, weekly, monthly basis
  • Customer service duties, such as responding to customer inquiries, managing airline schedule changes, communicate travel information to customers
  • Prepare and send itineraries
  • Assist with accounting work
  • Answer phones and direct callers
  • Maintain customer files/folders
  • Must be proficient in Microsoft Office, especially Excel
  • Able to learn various computer software
  • Travel background not required but is a plus
  • Salary plus benefits (medical, dental, vision, 401k)
  • Contact Kathryn Meehan -- [email protected] or 631-863-6771

Supplier Rep Updates

We would like to welcome several new supplier reps that have recently been assigned to the Suffolk County area.

Apple Leisure Group
Brian Ehlers, [email protected]

Carnival Cruises
Grace Ambrosia, [email protected]

Celtic Tours
Kathy Writer, [email protected]

Collette Vacations
Tracy O'Neill, [email protected]

Holland America
Ann Hall, [email protected]

Norwegian Cruise Lines
Lori Innamorata, [email protected]

Oceania Cruises
Thierry Vuolo is still the local rep for many agencies on LI, her email remains [email protected]
Maggie De La Cruz, [email protected] covers less active accounts from her Florida location

Playa Resorts
Pedro Spignolio, [email protected]

Regent Seven Seas
Janelle Valentino, [email protected]

Royal Caribbean
Molly Paolini, [email protected]

Sandals/UVI
Kimberly Daino, [email protected]

Seabourn Cruises
Ann Hall, [email protected]

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Executive Board
President
Susan Bonesso
Vice President
Fran Raupp
Secretary
Liz Henn
Treasurer
Ginny DeFeo
Director Owner
Will Porrier
Director Affiliate
Gavin Simmons
Director Agent
Jeffrey Austin
Past President
Garrett Simulcik


Rogers Travel


Bay Travel & Tours


LBAC Travel


Empress Travel


Ginger Peachy Travel


Sandals


Vacation Wiser


Cruise Planners



631-289-5252


631-447-6440


631-648-8032


631-698-7767


631-563-2001


631-526-3301


631-499-4483


631-274-5490



Committee Chairpersons