THE TRUE THING... about most anniversary promotions? As in those specials and deals that pop up when a business is marking a momentous occasion, the kind of treats that are very much customer-focused and all about showing gratitude to a company's loyal and future fans? They have a very predictable way of wrapping up by the conclusion of the organization's anniversary year, if not before. But sometimes, if we're lucky, a solid deal that initially sprung from an anniversary will stick around for not one, not two, but several years beyond when it was expected to have ultimately concluded. The Birthday Ride Promotion on the Catalina Express, the busy boat that whisks daytrippers, overnighters, and those who live full time on Catalina Island between the mainland and the island, was introduced in 2012 as part of the company's 30th anniversary celebrations. The promotion was popular, which is no surprise, and it chugged onward, beyond the company's 30th anniversary, as thousands of birthday-having travelers took to the waves, no cash required, to enjoy a special day in Avalon. But the...
FREE BIRTHDAY RIDES ARE ENDING, after 200,000 round-trip voyages, as of the close of 2017. This won't be the end of promotions and deals for the ferry company — there are more to come — and if you have a birthday from now through Dec. 31, 2017, you're welcome to book your gratis passage, as long as you "...register and begin (the) journey by December 31, 2017." Details on doing that? They're all on the Catalina Express site (and keep in mind that you must travel on your birthday). So how many...
FIRST-TIME VISITORS... to the island were inspired by the six-year-long promotion, which was originally slated to last but a year? Catalina Express shared that "nearly 60 percent" of those who booked a free birthday ride had never been to the island before. It was obviously a great way for many visitors to get acquainted with Avalon, the bison, Two Harbors, and Catalina's gloriously hilly interior. Stay tuned for what's ahead for the Catalina Express, which will keep wave-riding into the future with fresh packages, contests, specials, and ways to make a daytrip to one of Southern California's most storied destinations extra Catalina-tastic.
