worldwide cruise News

This past Sunday saw Silversea’s luxury expedition liner, Silver Explorer, call at Lyme Regis. This was the first time that this West Dorset town had been visited by a cruise ship.

Some time ago Princess Cruises started a blog called “Inspired to Cruise: a Year of Reasons to Get Away from the Everyday” where it publishes some of the top stories told by cruisers to explain why they are cruising.

The latest addition to the upper-premium Oceania Cruises fleet, the Riviera, was named last Friday during a private gala ceremony in the Spanish city of Barcelona. The humanitarian, author, restaurateur and co-host of the latest Around the World in 80 Plates series, Cat Cora, named the cruise liner. She was joined by Deacon Ricardo Rodriguez-Martos whose job it was to bestow the traditional blessings.

Louis Cruises has introduced a brand new land excursion that takes guests to the famous archaeological site of Akrotiri on the Greek island of Santorini. The site has only recently been re-opened after it had been closed to the public for nearly seven years.

Passengers on board Fred Olsen's Cruise liner Braemar on the 22nd of May might be quite literally bowled over by the UK's indoor bowling champion, Greg Harlow.

An ex-Prussian capital, puffins’ Icelandic party venue, the marital stomping grounds of Louis XIV, the birthplace of Napoleon and the gateway to Norway’s most beautiful locations are among seven new European ports of call for Crystal Cruises this year.

Encouraged by the excellent response to its Asian itineraries, Costa Cruises now plans to place another cruise liner in the area from May next year. Up to now, the company has operated the 1,680-passenger Costa Classica in Asia, and the additional ship will mean that the company’s capacity in the region is increased to 5,074.

Jean-Michel Cousteau is an educator, an environmental activist, a film producer and, last but not least, a renowned author. He has used all these platforms to communicate his concern and passion for the oceans of our planet.

The latest addition to the AIDA fleet, AIDAMAR, was named at an illustrious event on the evening of the 12th May 2012 in the German port city of Hamburg. The new lady of the seven seas was accompanied by the cruise line’s other three ships.

Among the dignitaries and stars present at the grand christening of MSC Cruises latest arrival, MSC Divina, will be internationally renowned violinist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Maxim Vengerov. The event will take place on the 26th May 2012.

The British icon of the cruise world, Cunard, has once again sponsored the yearly BritWeek Los Angeles, which took place between the 24th April and the 7th May. The event was, as before, a star-studded display of British entertainment, arts and business innovation. It also highlighted the long-standing friendship between the UK and Los Angeles.

Top-selling writers Lynne Truss and Mary Higgins Clark are ready to join a wide-ranging array of well known guest speakers cruising onboard next year's Silver Whisper World Cruise, a 115-day trip leaving Los Angeles on the 5th January.

In what the cruise line claims to be a first for the luxury cruise industry, Crystal Cruises has launched an iPhone application that will enable guests to share customised postcard-sized pictures of their cruise adventures via email, social media and even ordinary postal mail.

Crystal Cruises has published its latest Worldwide Cruise Atlas for the whole of next year and the winter/spring of 2014. The company is the first luxury cruise operator to publish its itineraries for those years.

It took six months and, after some unannounced delays, even a bit longer and it cost the cruise line a whopping £25 million. However, seeing Saga Sapphire after she emerged from the dry dock, it was worth every penny and every minute of labour.

Dining has always been a highlight of the Carnival cruise holiday experience and the 130,000-ton Carnival Breeze will have a suitable choice of culinary discoveries when it embarks on its maiden journey on the 3rd of June 2012.

Let's face it: vegetarians still sometimes face an uphill battle when they travel. It's good to know, therefore, that a number of major cruise lines have special vegetarian menus available on board their cruise ships. One such cruise line, Holland America, has just launched a great new all-vegetarian menu. They also added no less than 30 vegetarian meals to the menu in their main dining room.

Costa Fascinosa, the latest pride and joy of Costa Cruises, was presented to the cruise line on Saturday by the Fincantieri shipyard in Venice, Italy. Formally presented at the Venice Passenger Terminal, Costa Fascinosa – with sister liner Costa Favolosa – is the biggest Italian-flagged cruise ship to date.

Viking River Cruises made headlines during the past couple of days with the news that it has commissioned two new luxurious ocean-going cruise liners. The first of the two will be launched in two years’ time and the second in 2015. Both of them only weigh 45,000 tons and have a passenger capacity of 998.

Most of Scenic Tour’s ships, the Scenic Emerald, Scenic Pearl, Scenic Ruby, Scenic Diamond and Scenic Sapphire, are of a similar size and offer similar amenities. The company’s latest arrival, the Scenic Crystal, however, boasts several unique features.

Celebrity is adding additional contemporary luxuries along with its suite round-the-clock butler service. These include an improved “welcome” bottle of Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine, premium mattresses, the Celebrity eXhaleTM bedding programme, plush duvets and pillows, linen made from 100% Egyptian cotton; parallel iPod/iPad docking stations; luxurious BVLGARI bath products; reserved theatre seating, and unique works of art from ArtCenter/South Florida artists.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ 490-passenger, all-suite Seven Seas Navigator will go into dry-dock within the next two weeks, during the fourth stage of the cruise line's fleet-wide Seven Seas Signature upgrade programme.

Crystal Cruises' largest ultra-luxurious cruise liner, Crystal Serenity, has won its seventh award since going through a $25 million “Extreme Makeover” renovation project in 2011. The ship won the “Judges Award for Distinctive Cruise Design” by Hospitality Design magazine.

Over 140 volunteers from Royal Caribbean Cruises spent Saturday the 28th April at the Tanganyika Wildlife Park cleaning, planting and performing other duties as part of the cruise line’s 15th G.I.V.E. day.

Some time ago we reported that Cunard will, from this year, start to offer weddings at sea. This has now become a reality. During the past week the first ever wedding ceremony took place on the luxurious cruise liner.

Norwegian Breakaway, when it is launched in April next year, will take outdoor fun and recreation to new heights, says the cruise line.

Since the Costa Concordia debacle many cruise news writers seem to have become obsessed with bad news. Perhaps it is simply a matter of bad news selling better than good news, but suddenly cruise journals are filled with bad news about the cruise industry.

We all know how frustrating it can be when you have to spend what seems like an eternity on line waiting for a call centre to resolve some or other issue you have or clarify something you need more information about.

The new flagship of Costa Cruises, and, in fact, the whole of the Italian passenger fleet, the Costa Fascinosa, will be formally presented to the cruise line at the Venice Passenger Terminal on the 5th May 2012.

To commemorate Earth Day, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) issued a press release highlighting the current and past efforts of its members to preserve and protect the environment in which they do business.

Hurtigruten has always actively participated in many of the remote areas it sails to on its expedition journeys and the cruise line often raises money for good causes.

Cruise lovers who have sailed on board one of Viking River Cruises' boats know that the ambiance, service and amenities are hard to beat. These people will be thrilled to hear that Viking Ocean Cruises, the sister company of Viking River Cruises (the leading international river cruise line) and Fincantieri, an international leader in the construction of cruise ships, recently announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Agreement for the manufacture of two new luxurious ocean cruise liners.

People who can appreciate the finer things in life would no doubt revel in the following bit of news: Costa Cruises has commissioned Italian glass specialists Venini to develop three vases that will be showcased onboard Costa Fascinosa’s private cruise embarking on the 6th May this year.

For cruise fans with a sweet tooth, MSC Cruises has just designed the cruise of a lifetime. The company has signed an agreement with the owner of the first hotel in the world with a chocolate theme, renowned chocolatier Gerry Wilton, to design a very different type of cruise holiday.

Cruise liners travelling to the Antarctic already have to follow stringent regulations overseeing the number of people they are allowed to take ashore, and the fuel they are allowed to burn to avert polluting the natural habitat of the area. Now, for the first time ever, a cruise line has announced that one of its vessels will essentially be carbon neutral.

Cruising in today's world has become about much more than just venturing out to explore great destinations. Onboard entertainment is playing an ever increasing role in the success of cruise lines and the race is on to provide bigger and better shows. Comedy is and has always been an important part of onboard entertainment.

In an era of rising fuel costs and shrinking family budgets, cruising has become an ever more popular way to not only experience new places, but also have a lot of fun in the process. A modern cruise ship is not only a floating hotel – it is also a floating entertainment complex.

A number of exciting new entertainment and dining options, such as the free of charge Taste Bar starter programme, The George Lopez Punchliner Comedy Club and the George Lopez Punchliner Comedy Brunch will make their debut on board Carnival Miracle.

Pushing the boundaries of river cruising once again, next year Avalon Waterways will introduce Avalon Choice(SM) – a completely fresh concept in river cruising. The company will, in fact, allow river cruisers the independence to customise their cruise from start to finish.

In October 2012 Oceania Cruises will welcome wine experts and culinary stars on two nine-night “Bon Appétit Wine & Food Festival” European cruise holidays.

When she embarks on her inaugural journey in May this year, Riviera, Oceania Cruises’ latest arrival in the upper-premium section of the cruise market, will further affirm the cruise line's status amongst food and art lovers.

Cunard’s extremely popular Apple iStudy courses have been expanded to all three of the cruise line's ships, subsequent to the recent launch of the Apple Learning Centre aboard Queen Victoria.

Windstar Cruises, which manages a three-ship fleet of high-end yachts that sail to secluded coves and hidden harbours of the earth's most cherished holiday spots, recently launched its new 2013 selection of luxurious cruise journeys to Costa Rica, the Caribbean, Italy, Northern Europe, the Greek Isles, the Mediterranean and trans-Atlantic Crossings.

Thomson Cruises intends to shell out millions of pounds on upgrading two of its cruise liners, placing them on an equal footing with the four-star hotels in its Platinum Collection. Thomson Dream, constructed in 1986 – with a passenger capacity of 1,506, will be first to be refurbished. Cabins will be re-vamped and fitted with flat-screen TVs and coffee and tea-making facilities.

Costa Cruises has released information showing that reservations for its 2012 Easter cruises over the last two weeks have surpassed figures registered over the same period last year – showing that cruising continues to be among the most popular kinds of holiday during Easter.

Voyages of Discovery has introduced its first-ever programme of river cruises aptly called European River Cruises. Passengers will sail through the Danube and the Rhine, the rivers of central Europe or discover Russia’s main river, the Volga, while enjoying a custom-made schedule of shore excursions.

Norwegian Cruise Line has announced it will extend its well-liked “Norwegians Take it to the Next Level” special offers programme until Sunday the 15th April, providing prospective passengers with one more chance to capitalise on significant cruise savings.

After offering cruises on the Hebridean Princess for 25 years, Hebridean Island Cruises will become the first UK cruise line to offer their passengers the chance to make a substantial contribution to underwater conservation.

The Pyramids of Giza, Agra Fort, the Sphinx, the Taj Mahal: those famous destinations are on most people's bucket lists of “must-see” travelling sites. Unfortunately they are somewhat hard to get to, and also expensive.

Recent unfortunate events have no doubt made some people apprehensive about the safety of cruising. In this regard, it is perhaps judicious to keep in mind that a cruise ship still remains one of the safest forms of transport on earth.

On the 1st February next year a very special occasion will take place on board Norwegian Sky: the world's first Bluegrass Festival on a cruise ship. This will happen on a cruise between Miami and the Bahamas.

AmaWaterways has finally announced that Christine Duffy, Cruise Line International Association (CLIA’s) President, is to act as the godmother of its most recent cruise ship, the AmaCerto. Ms Duffy has been commissioned to guide the ship and will bless her at the naming service in Vilshofen, Germany on the 16th May, this year.

Costa cruises has launched a one-of-a-kind onboard designer boutique programme on their cruise liner Costa Victoria.

For the few who have never heard of Paul Gauguin Cruises: the company operates the cruise ship named Paul Gauguin, which has the highest rating in the South Pacific. The cruise line also operates a smaller passenger liner, Tere Moana. It has recently published the 2013 itineraries for this ship. It will cruise in Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe.

With the cost of fuel escalating out of control, cruise lines have no other option but to take steps to reduce costs. Anyone who knows that sinking feeling you get after paying to fill up the family car will have at least a little bit of sympathy for the accountants who have to balance the books for cruise liners that use tonnes rather than litres of fuel.

P&O’s Ventura is about to get 18 new single cabins in a refurbishment during March next year. The new cabins will be identical to the solo cabins on Ventura’s sister ship, Azura. They will run next to the main Exchange bar and will unfortunately reduce the available space for the casino.

You can spend Easter this year virtually anywhere in the world on board a Fred Olsen cruise liner. The company offers a whole array of exciting cruises to international destinations.

The latest addition to Norwegian Cruise Line’s fleet, Norwegian Breakaway, will boast the biggest dedicated facilities for teens and youths in the Norwegian fleet. Splash Academy, the youth area, will span two full decks that are situated conveniently next to the family-friendly cabins.

This year has been a landmark of expansion and innovation for Viking River Cruises – the world’s biggest river cruise line. At a spectacular ceremony in Amsterdam the company launched the first four of its new range of Viking Longships.

Rudi Sodamin, Master Chef and culinary consultant for Holland America line, has once again had the honour of being named Best Cruise Line Chef by the influential Porthole Cruise magazine.

After twelve months of meticulous planning, Crystal Cruises has officially started the process of becoming an all-inclusive cruise line. The programme was officially launched with the departure of Crystal Symphony from Miami on a Trans-Atlantic cruise to Lisbon on Thursday.

Norwegian Cruise Line has announced a groundbreaking new innovation in cruise ship design. Called The Waterfront and 678 Ocean Place, it will make its debut on board the company’s latest acquisition, Norwegian Breakaway, which is launched in April this year.

Princess Cruises yesterday published more information about several of the specialty restaurant and main dining room options that will be on offer on board Royal Princess when the cruise liner makes her debut in June next year.

The leading river cruise line in the world, Viking River Cruises, announced a few days ago it has ordered another six Viking Longships to be delivered next year. The six ships will join Viking Odin, Viking Njord, Viking Idun and Viking Freya and Viking Aegir and Viking Embla, which still have to be delivered.

If you are booked on the inaugural cruise of the latest member of Saga Cruises’ fleet, Saga Sapphire, we have both good and bad news for you.

This year Regent Seven Seas Cruises, of course, celebrates its 20th anniversary. The company kicks off the cruise season with the introduction of a new dining option called Sette Mari on board all three of its ships.

We live in an era where “bigger” has taken on the meaning of “better” – especially in the world of cruise holidays. Today’s mega cruise liners are no longer just floating hotels, they are floating resorts – complete with everything one would normally expect from a top-notch resort.

By taking over a cruise ship that was being constructed for the overthrown ruler of Libya’s son Hannibal Gaddafi, MSC Cruises might have bought a bargain – but they are missing out on a feature that would have made the ship rather unique: an aquarium housing six sharks.

Single travellers who love the Aegean Odyssey, but resent paying single supplements or being forced to share with someone else, would no doubt be happy to hear that the boutique cruise liner has been remodelled by Voyages to Antiquity to give it eight brand new single cabins. This means the ship now has 24 single cabins in all seven categories.

Sea Dream Yacht Club’s voyage schedule for 2013 features a whole array of new Black Sea cruises. Between May and October, both SeaDream ships will embark on cruises to France, Spain, Italy, Monaco, Turkey, Greece, Montenegro, Croatia, Portugal and Malta.

The rapid expansion we have recently seen at MSC Cruises will, in all likelihood, continue in the near future. The company has revealed that they successfully negotiated the takeover of a 140,000 cruise-liner with STX France after the original owner terminated the agreement.

Norwegian Cruise Line has partnered with Allin Interactive to launch a groundbreaking new smart-phone application that will enable iPad, iPhone, Window7 and Android users to interact live with the service desk and onboard guest information on Norwegian Epic during a cruise.

Passengers heading for Crystal Cruises’ ships can now bypass the hassle normally associated with flying and sail through any busy airport like true royalty.

MSC Cruises has always been known for its ability to keep teenagers occupied and amused on board its cruise liners with a whole range of facilities. The company has now decided to go one step further and add Teenage Kicks treatments at the MSC Aurea spa.

Norwegian Cruise Line is offering passengers onboard all its ships a one-of-a-kind intimate gourmet culinary experience by introducing the Chef’s Table. Passengers who opt for the Chef’s Table experience will be swept off their feet by an amazing dining adventure as they feast on a very upmarket nine-course menu consisting of contemporary dishes that were prepared using the finest of ingredients and the most refined of cooking techniques.

One of the world’s ground-breaking chefs – and also one of the most personable and most generous – has been appointed by Oceania Cruises to act as godmother for their latest ship, the Riviera.

Rumours that a new ship will join the Thomson Cruises fleet have for some time been doing the rounds. For now they remain just that: rumours. The cruise line has, however, announced on the 6th March that the ageing Thomson Destiny is about to be replaced.

Carnival Destiny is about to embark on a £100 million makeover programme so revolutionary that she will even receive a new name in the process: Carnival Sunshine.

As a British cruise line with more British passengers than any other nationality, one would, of course, expect Fred Olsen Cruise Lines to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in a manner than fits its British image.

It has become the custom in cruise circles that every new cruise liner should be christened by a famous “godmother.” Sometimes it is a member of the British royalty – and often it is a member of US royalty – aka a famous pop singer or film star.

Royal Caribbean Cruises has decided to exercise its option for the construction of a second ship in the Sunshine class. The new ship will only be delivered three years from now, in the spring of 2015.

For those of you who love river cruising, we have exciting news today: Uniworld Boutique River Cruises announced the introduction of a new ship. The Queen Isabel will sail on the Douro River in Portugal.

Norwegian Cruise Line has decided to further improve dining options for its passengers by introducing its trademark Brazilian-style steakhouse to more ships in its fleet.

Recent unfortunate events in the world of cruising have served to put off many potential cruisers. In the long term the fact that cruising remains one of the safest forms of travel there is will, however, no doubt bring sanity back to the marketplace.

Cruise ship MS Paul Gauguin has received a major overhaul costing £4.5 million, the most expensive in its 14-year history. She now looks “lighter and brighter” than ever before.

For those who love sheer luxury and who can afford ultra-luxurious cruising holidays, Silversea Cruises has always been something very special. The cruise line is known for its super-luxurious ships and also for the fact that it regularly visits off-the-beaten-track and exotic destinations.

Finally there is the cruise of all cruises, the one cruise that will, without any doubt, prove to the rest of the world that you have – or had – £1 million pounds to blow into the wind. If this is any consolation: the price is per couple, not per passenger.

While there are no doubt many love stories that had their origin on board a luxurious Cunard ship somewhere in the world, up to now couples could not get married aboard one of these ships. This will soon change, however: from April 2012, for the first time in the cruise line’s 172-year history, couples will finally be able to say “I do” while cruising the seven seas.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has always been an industry leader when it comes to introducing cruisers to new forms of entertainment. The cruise line announced recently that it has formed an alliance with Sixthman for the development of world class music experiences on board its ships.

As Crystal Cruises makes ready for a smooth changeover to “All Inclusive” at the beginning of March, the ultra luxurious cruise line has also undergone another transformation: it will in future offer longer stays in departure ports before the start of a cruise.

In an era of jumbo cruise ships, where “bigger” is often seen as “better,” smaller cruise ships continue to attract an elite crowd of knowledgeable cruise lovers who are well aware that the best in service and entertainment will not necessarily be found onboard the biggest cruise liners.

In a short three months from now MSC Divina will join the MSC cruises fleet. This new cruise liner will take MSC’s Fantasia class ships to new levels of luxury.

On Valentine’s Day, the 14th February, Allure of the Seas docked at Labadee. If you do not know where that is, do not feel bad – only a few thousand selected cruise lovers and all their family and friends do. This is because Labadee is a private 260-acre resort on the Haitian north coast that belongs to Royal Caribbean.

During the upcoming cruise season from April to December 2012, ultra-luxurious cruise line Crystal Cruises is offering various new ways for cruise lovers to explore the rich Christian heritage of the European continent.

Hurtigruten is helping cruise lovers to celebrate the return of spring with an exciting new Arctic Awakening theme cruise between 15th March 2012 and 31st May 2012.

Swan Hellenic’s pride and joy, the Minerva, is currently undergoing a £10 million refit at the Bremerhaven dry dock. The work should be completed in two weeks’ time, after which the new-look Minerva will depart on her inaugural visit from Portsmouth.

To celebrate the very first Rhone cruise of AmaDagio, Rudi Schreiner, the President of AmaWaterways, and Kristin Karst, the Executive Vice President, will host a President’s Wine cruise on the AmaDagio’s inaugural cruise down the Rhone. It will feature the founder and chairman of Central Coast Wine Classic, Archie McLaren, and Carissa Chappellet, the owner and managing director of Chappellet Winery.

To spend their honeymoon on board a luxury cruise liner must be the dream of any newlywed couple. For Todd O’Neil and Erin Picard of Peabody it is about to become a reality in the next few months. They fell in love aboard Norwegian Spirit in 2010 and will marry during July 2012.

Next time you go on a cruise holiday you will get the required safety drill behind you sooner than before, allowing you to concentrate on the much more important aspects of having fun and enjoying the company of other guests.

Saga, the leading company for holiday adventures for the over 50s, is celebrating another milestone this year: the man in charge of Saga Ruby, Captain David Warden-Owen, has clocked up 50 years at sea.

Fred Olsen’s cruise liner with a passenger capacity of 1,350 people, Balmoral, has made a maiden call at the United States port of Galveston. This was during the initial sector of her 90-day world cruise called “Cruise to the New World” which left from Southampton on the 5th January 2012 and arrives back in the city on the 3rd April 2012.

Two cruise lines, both with excellent safety records, are offering cruise lovers thousands of free flights in the aftermath of recent events that caused a dip in cruise reservations.

This year the Holland America Culinary Arts Centre Programme will play host to a long line-up of celebrity television personalities from the world of gastronomy, including cookbook authors and celebrated chefs. Altogether there will be 60 of them, including “The Next Food Network Star Personality” and YouTube sensation Serena Palumba, Tony Maws – the guy who won the 2011 James Beard Award for “Best Chef: Northeast” and Zac Young, a participant in “Top Chef: Just Desserts.”

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, Celebrity Cruises is offering a whole array of special cruise prices this February. The Celebrity Cruise Sale even includes free flights on some cruises.

NCL has developed new Youth and Teen programmes, but instead of picking names for the programmes themselves, they have decided to ask parents and kids to help them find suitable names. The company calls the contest Up2You. It will run until the 13th February 2012.

World cruisers on board Queen Mary 2 unexpectedly spent a day at sea recently when their planned visit to Mauritius’s capital, Port Louis, had to be cancelled because of cyclone Funso.

Princess Cruises might not exactly be offering to name a cruise liner after you or have your fingerprints cast in cement, but they are offering cruise lovers the opportunity to permanently share their cruise holiday memories with all future passengers onboard the new Royal Princess.

Royal Theatrical Productions and Oceania Cruises have teamed up to feature “Now and Forever – The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber” onboard the new 1,250-passenger Riviera, which makes her debut in May 2012.

Crystal Cruises has never been known for resting on its laurels, so we should probably take its claim that 2012 will be “A Year of New Developments” very seriously.

True connoisseurs of the cruising world immediately recognise the name Regent Seven Seas Cruises: the company is renowned worldwide as being the most inclusive luxury cruise line on earth. Literally everything is included: all-suite accommodation, airfare, fine wines, premium spirits, award-winning cuisine, shore excursions, live entertainment, taxes, gratuities and even a pre-cruise sojourn in a luxury hotel.

Following a recent unfortunate incident involving Costa Concordia of which we are sure all readers are aware of by now, Costa Cruises’ parent company, Carnival Corporation, which also manages eight other cruise lines around the world, is to comprehensively investigate all emergency and safety procedures across its entire operation.

Unless it is your first cruise, when everything is just wonderful, if there is one aspect about a cruise holiday that can become rather tedious it is the check-in process.

Veteran cruise journalist John Honeywell is currently sailing the clear blue waters of the Western Caribbean on board Allure of the Seas. In the light of certain recent events that might put the safety of cruising in question, he recently spent an hour with Captain Hernan Zini, while the latter explained all the features and procedures Royal Caribbean has in place to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.

MSC Cruises made an announcement on Monday the 16th January that it will use Miami as its exclusive home port for all Caribbean sailings from the autumn of 2013. This is still subject to approval by the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners later in January.

After a very successful first year of its “voluntourism” programme, Crystal Cruises has decided to extend its groundbreaking “You Care, We Care” programme with new opportunities being added for the 2012 season.

According to the latest Berlitz Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships the cruise ship with the highest ranking in the world is none other than Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Europa. If this sounds like your kind of ship, and you love music, you will no doubt be delighted to hear that Europa will offer guests at least two international quality music festivals this year.

The BBC has created nearly unprecedented interest in the polar region with their television series The Frozen Planet. In response the experts on polar cruises, Hurtigruten, will send an additional ship to Spitsbergen for the summer 2012 season.

Following in the footsteps of other cruise lines, beginning this month Oceania Cruises has launched two new beverage packages on their cruise liners.

If you have ever cruised on board Princess Cruises’ liner Sapphire Princess, you had better take good care of your holiday photos: the next time you travel on this ship it is going to look dramatically different.

Crystal Cruises has a long tradition of providing their guests with top quality authentic international gastronomic experiences. In line with this tradition the company recently announced the introduction of “Chinese comfort food” onboard Crystal Serenity.

Hebridean Princess prides herself on being the smallest luxury cruise liner in the world. The petite lady is not in the news very often, as befits a ship of her standing. The latest entry we could find about her in the archives was when she passed under Tower Bridge on her way to London in August 2011.

The list of cruise liners receiving major upgrades is getting longer and longer. Recently Queen Mary 2 left the dry dock after a revamp and P&O Oriana is like a brand new ship, after a major refit.

Crystal Symphony is to get a major makeover during a visit to the dry dock in June 2012. The planned upgrades will cost in the region of £10 million.

Oceania Cruises has announced more than a thousand new excursion packages and tours to allow passengers to custom design their own cruise holiday and enjoy significant savings in the process. This comes shortly after the company announced new beverage packages.

The distinct smell of new carpets still lingers in the air on P&O Oriana after she recently underwent a multi-million pound upgrade to convert her to an adults-only cruise liner. She has just returned from her first cruise after the revamp.

If you have an inspiring story to tell about a cruise holiday it could well earn you another holiday and with Princess Cruises it could become part of a year-long travel blog where passengers share inspirational stories about their cruise experiences.

To better cater for the fast-growing family cruising market, Norwegian Cruise Line announced yesterday that it plans to revitalise its present youth programme. The new programme, the company says, will be the best in its class. Norwegian Gem will be the first NCL cruise liner to implement the programme next month and afterwards it will be rolled out to all the company’s Freestyle Cruising ships.

Princess Cruises currently offers discounted fares on cruises to Alaska and Europe – and there is a Balcony Bonus Sale that will end on the 31st January. Passengers who make a reservation right now can qualify for discounts of up to £645 ($1,000 US) per cabin off Launch Fares and receive a complimentary balcony upgrade.

Collectively Silversea Cruises’ six luxurious cruise liners will offer more than 200 cruises and visit more than 450 destinations on seven continents next year, making their line-up one of the most expansive in the cruising world.

Cunard Line has decided to focus on a combination of good value for money, quality service and trustworthiness to counter the challenges that lie ahead during 2012. Just to sweeten the deal a little bit, the cruise line will also give anyone that makes a cruise reservation before the 29th February a 10% discount.

Norwegian Cruise Line is anxiously awaiting completion of its brand new mega cruise liner the Norwegian Breakaway, which is currently under construction at the German Meyer Werft shipyard. If all goes well, the ship will be delivered in April 2013.

For those who are going to holiday with a cruise line for 2012, the question is usually where do you want to go and which cruise line is the best for you? There are cruises designed for luxury and elegance, where you might spend several thousand pounds for the fun. You also have budget cruises offered by companies such as Carnival.

Taking a cruise this year may be in your plans or at least a suggestion that has come up for this year’s holiday. Cruises allow you to enjoy the exotic locations we have around the world. You might have to plan a little for the cruise, whether it is to save up the money to book the cruise in a few months time, or because you are unsure of your destination.

It seems that New Year’s Eve 2011 has sparked the release of Crystal Cruises idea to bring in the year 2013. The cruise line announced on the eve of 2012 that it would offer a private floating party in Sydney Harbour to welcome in 2013. The celebration is deliberately meant to be over-the-top in order for those who attend to fully enjoy the New Year’s fireworks, Crystal Symphony, and much more.

When it became known towards the end of last year that Viking River Cruises had placed an order for two 888-passenger ocean-going luxury passenger liners to be delivered in 2014 and 2015, with a third in the pipeline, it was inevitable that people would start speculating about a revival of Torstein Hagen’s Royal Viking Line – maybe not in name, but at least in reputation and service.

Love Boat was a 1980s sitcom in the USA that often had cheesy lines, events and celebratory occasions such as “weddings.” One couple decided to make their cruise ship adventure their romantic wedding spot, much like what you would expect on the TV show Love Boat. Rob Gower married Amy Kamaleddine on their cruise from Panania, New South Wales.

Cruising when you are single can be difficult. Often you find you are charged the same as if you were two people, with not even a small discount because you are only eating one portion of food or only using one of the two beds in the cabin. Despite these difficulties in the past, things are turning around with certain International Expeditions cruises.

The company will offer cruises on the seas rather than just on rivers. These new cruises will not begin until 2014 and 2015, when the ships are delivered. Right now the cruise ships are in the pre-construction stages. The first ship to be delivered is a 41,000-ton vessel that will carry 888 passengers. The construction will start in September.

The Alvin and the Chipmunks third movie, titled ChipWrecked, is possibly helping Carnival out for 2012. Fox and Carnival joined together in order to provide the film and advertise the cruise line. Carnival used one of their newest ships for the film. Carnival CMO stated they do not start a new year without a strategy.

Virgin Cruises have announced their worldwide tour plans for 2012 including current pricing for some of those holidays. Virgin cruise destinations can be found to Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, the Caribbean, South America and the Canary Islands, plus Transatlantic cruises. The truth is if you want to go on a holiday where everything is included except for the shore excursions, you will not find better prices for a holiday than a cruise.

Cruises offer all inclusive packages making it a simple holiday for a couple or entire family to plan. Crystal Cruises has released their 2012 itineraries that include a 50% increase in overnight stops. These overnight ports include many locations around the world such as Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, New York, Istanbul, Perth, Sydney, Montreal, Sorrento and Tahiti.

If one looks at the increasing popularity of cruise holidays, you sometimes forget that it is also a very competitive industry and that it is not a given that cruise lines’ profit will keep on increasing.

Celebrity Cruises will in future offer passengers a closer look into the interesting world that lies behind the glitter and glamour of a cruise ship. The company has added a new programme entitled “Celebrity Inside Access” to its onboard activities that will take passengers on a fascinating journey behind the scenes of their cruise liner and let them discover the complex functions and details necessary to keep it on course.

P&O Oriana was recently welcomed back in Southampton after it spent a month in the dry dock. A major refurbishment saw the addition of more cabins and specialty restaurants. The cruise liner will, in future, only accept adult passengers.

To have one’s jaw drop might not always be a pleasant experience, but in the case of Celebrity Cruises the company promises this to be very pleasant indeed. It is the reaction they predict when cruise lovers first see their new Signature Suites and Reflection Suite on board Celebrity Reflection.

Readers of Porthole Cruise magazine once again chose Cunard line, with its luxurious cruise holidays on board Queen Victoria, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth, as the cruise line offering the “Best Transatlantic Itineraries.” Cunard line was also once again – for the 9th successive year – awarded for offering the “Best on Board Educational Programmes” and the “Best World Cruise Itineraries.”

Despite the availability of abundant alternative transport options, some people still prefer to cross the Atlantic the old-fashioned way: in a rowing boat. Two of these die-hards had to be rescued by cruise liner Crystal Serenity on Wednesday after their eight-metre craft was capsized by a huge wave in the middle of the sea.

Royal Caribbean cruise line has just launched a new campaign to improve their brand awareness. It taps into the one element that all cruises have in common: the sea.

The presents have been wrapped, the stockings are hung and the festive season will soon be upon us. However, after the traditional Christmas turkey, the visit to the in-laws and New Year’s Day, what is there to look forward to in January except grey skies?

A week of excitement (and much guesswork) on board Saga Ruby has drawn to a close. You will remember our report about the ship embarking on a mystery cruise from Southampton a week ago. Her first port of call turned out to be Casablanca in Morocco.

Located in a private area of the ship’s 14th deck, Celebrity Reflection’s five Signature Suites each offer a 441-square-foot stateroom area and 118-square foot veranda, with floor-to-ceiling windows and veranda doors, all designed to maximize the stunning views of the sea. Celebrity’s Signature Suites each can accommodate up to four guests, and will offer the luxurious 24/7 butler service that is a hallmark of every suite across the Celebrity fleet.

Ultra-luxury cruise line Crystal Cruises has launched its full 2013 global cruise collection, making this the first luxury cruise line to publish its complete 2013 programme – including fares– and to open all cruises for reservations.

On Monday the 5th December 2011 Royal Caribbean announced seven new dining packages for passengers to derive even more enjoyment from the wide selection of speciality restaurants available on board the company’s ships.

MTN Satellite Communications announced on the 5th December 2011 that it has been appointed to provide Costa Fascinosa, the new flagship of the Costa Cruises group, with VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) services. The company will leverage its worldwide network of satellites on which many cruise liners have come to rely for timely delivery of passenger and crew data anywhere on the planet.

NCL has significantly upgraded its guest loyalty programme. In future it will be called Latitudes Rewards. The aim is to provide loyal guests with even higher levels of recognition than before.

Recently we reported about veteran cruise journalist John Honeywell joining Saga Ruby on a mystery cruise to who-knows-where. Three days after leaving Southampton the 600 passengers – and many crew members – were still none the wiser as to their first port of call.

Oceania Cruises has announced that they will offer two new beverage packages on cruises starting after the 1st January 2012. The new spirits, beer and wine packages were specially developed to offer guests better value for money, more convenience and allow them to experience a wider array of drinks.

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you are used to a white Christmas. Anything else will simply not feel the same. Princess Cruises is well aware of this and for the fifth year running passengers will not miss out on a white Christmas as magical snow flurries transform the ship’s atriums into a winter wonderland.

Costs Cruises has had two exclusive menus designed for those who have the good fortune of spending Christmas and New Year’s Eve on board one of their ships. The menus were specially created for food lovers by a one-off partnership between one of Italy’s best-loved TV chefs, Benedetta Parodi, and Michelin star chef Carlo Cracco.

After spending 32 years of his life tirelessly promoting the cruise industry, Nigel Lingard, the retiring Marketing and Sales Director at Fred Olsen cruise line, has received a lifetime achievement award from the Passenger Shipping Association.

The senior VP of technical operations at Princess Cruises, John Gunner, says that the company’s new ships will each be equipped with a 52mW powerplant that consists of two 14-cylinder and two 12-cylinder Wartsila F-Series engines. Every engine will have dual pumps for improved fuel consumption.

If you’re a regular guest on board Royal Caribbean you have all the more reason to raise your glass. The cruise line has introduced a new 48-bottle WineStation system, which means that the company now boasts a state-of-the-art automated wine serving system on board both Liberty of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas in the Vintages Wine Bar.

When veteran cruise journalist John Honeywell departed on his latest cruise on the 2nd December 2011, he did not know where he was going. Despite what some might think of John, he is not suffering from amnesia or even worse, dementia. He was simply one of 600 passengers on board Saga Ruby who sailed from Southampton on a mystery cruise that will return on the 18th December.

Reconnecting with loved ones to experiencing outstanding service on a cruise ship and meeting new friends were just a few of the hundreds of stories submitted to Seabourn Cruises during the cruise line’s “Seabourn Moments” competition on Facebook. After weeks of reading through submissions, voting and deliberation Seabourn has finally chosen the winning story.

Between September 2012 and May 2013 Ocean Cruises will often a true smorgasbord of winter cruises on board its four medium-sized cruise liners. The two 650-passenger ships Nautica and Regatta and their 1,250-passenger sister Marina will take passengers to the four corners of the globe.

Last Friday guests on board the Norwegian Epic had reason to feel special: they had an opportunity to attend the 500th show of Blue Man Group on board the ship. The ship’s Executive Chef, Peter Haselsberger, baked a special cake to mark the occasion. After their performance this cake was presented to the 35-member cast. Celebrations went on late into the night and included a private “after-party” that was red hot rather than blue.

Silversea Cruises just released a brand new 200-page brochure covering more than 200 different itineraries, visiting more than 100 countries on seven continents. In total it gives cruise lovers a choice of 450 exciting destinations all over the world.

If you are looking for inspiration for that perfect Christmas lunch or you are looking for tips on what to do with the pile of leftover meat after such a lunch, P&O Cruises has just the answer. The company has recently released three short videos featuring Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar and the renowned Marco Pierre White, as well as wine expert Olly Smith.

Every year guests on board Princes Cruises ships enjoy countless performances by a variety of guest entertainers, including magicians, tribute bands, comedians and other specialty acts. This coming April, however, one performer will have the honour of being crowned the Entertainer of the Year.

Royal Caribbean announced on Thursday that those travelling on board the company’s Oasis of the Seas will in future be able to indulge in their favourite espresso at the cruise liner’s brand new Starbucks coffee shop. The first ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet to have a Starbucks was, of course, Allure of the Seas, where Starbucks made its debut in December last year. Royal Caribbean International’s senior VP of Hotel Operations, Lisa Bauer, said “We are glad to feature the world’s only two Starbucks® stores at sea on our two largest cruise ships.”

Seabourn is really doing its utmost to entertain guests on Seabourn Quest’s 109-day inaugural world cruise, which departs in January. It has signed up a whole array of guest speakers for the trip, among them Oliver Reschrieter, Princess Diana’s former chef, and Marvin Hamlisch, an award-winning composer.

One wonders when the good people at Fred Olsen cruises will start to get bored with all the accolades the company receives from the cruising and travel trade. Their latest feat is winning the Cruise Company of the Year for Mainstream Cruise Holidays award in the Travel Agents’ Choice Awards.

If you enjoy trying out the different dining options on board a cruise ship, you will no doubt welcome the fact that Splendour of the Seas will emerge from a major visit to the dry dock on the 25th November with more than double the number of dining options previously on offer to passengers.

If you have been on many cruises, you will by now be accustomed to the ease of boarding a cruise ship. Have you ever spared a moment to think of the major task of getting all that luggage on board the ship? If you have ever stopped and taken a look at the forklift trucks marshalling to and from the quayside, you must have marvelled at the organisation behind all this.

Never in the history of cruising has there been a better time to embark on an ultra-luxury cruise than now. Top-of-the-range cruise lines, such as Crystal Cruises, Silversea and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, once seen as only for the filthy rich, are offering great value with not only price reductions but also more comprehensive packages.

According to a senior representative of the cruise industry, cruises represent too good value for money. The chief executive and chairman of Royal Caribbean, Richard Fain, was speaking at the World Travel Market when he made this remark.

MSC Cruises has just announced its 2012 summer itineraries and they offer passengers some truly exciting European cultural experiences, which include overnight visits to Dublin and Cork in Ireland, and St Petersburg in Russia.

The recent announcement by Carnival Cruise Lines that the company’s standard tipping rate was to increase from $10 to $11.50 a day on the 1st December 2011 once again raised the question of how much exactly is the ‘right’ amount to tip when you are on a cruise holiday.

Holland America Line’s intimate cruise liner ms Prinsendam and the company’s flagship ms Amsterdam will each depart on two Grand Voyages during the 2013 cruise season. Their four extensive itineraries will feature no less than 322 days of cruising. In the process they will visit over 120 ports in 65 countries around the world.

Windstar Cruises does not just operate a luxury yacht fleet that explores secluded coves and hidden harbours all over the world, the cruise line also regularly offers themed cruises for those who are interested in a particular cultural or gastronomic field.

There are many reasons why people go on a cruise. Some just love to spend time on a ship, while others are eager explorers. Good food, good entertainment and good company are also very often mentioned as reasons for cruising.

Thomsons can quite rightly be proud of their performance at Wednesday night’s British Travel Awards: the company won no less than 18 awards. Thomas Cook walked away with 15 awards.

A project that Princess Cruises started three years ago was recently completed when the final The Sanctuary was opened on board Sapphire Princess. The cruise line started to install this “pocket of tranquillity” on board its cruise ships three years ago and except for the two small ships, Ocean Princess and Pacific Princess, all of their ships now offer this popular feature.

If you are getting tired of the usual old Christmas routine and of the UK’s miserable weather during that time of the year, Voyages of Discovery has the perfect antidote: a Treasures of the Orient and Vietnam cruise exploring the delights of Asia for as little as £1,799 per person.

Cruise lovers all know the feeling: you’ve just returned from a cruise and you just can’t get yourself to concentrate on the humdrum routine of “normal” life again. All you want to do is to get back in the cruise mood.

Last week we reported about the Queen Mary 2’s pending visit to the dry dock in November/December. She is due for a major refurbishment, including new carpets and upholstery.

Starting December 2011, Windstar Cruises will offer free soft drinks on all its ships. The cruise company operates three luxury yachts that explore hidden ports and off-the-beaten-track destinations around the world.

If you are old enough to appreciate the music of the Osmonds, you will be delighted to hear the next bit of news: Fred Olsen has actually managed to get three members of what is arguably the best-known pop music family in the world to perform on board the company’s cruise liner Balmoral during the spring of next year.

Cunard Line has published details about the planned refurbishment of the company’s flagship, Queen Mary 2. The grand lady of the seas, of course, turns eight in January next year and the company felt the time was ripe to spruce her up a bit.

If you are a bridge lover, 2012 is the year during which you should embark on a Silversea Bridge Sailing. The company will offer the widest collection ever of bridge cruises next year.

We have always held the view that there are several advantages to be enjoyed from sailing on a small cruise liner. Certainly the new generation of mega cruise liners have more restaurants and entertainment, but being one of 4,000 passengers does to an extent mean that you are just a number.

Well known expedition cruise specialists Aurora Expeditions has just published its 2012/13 cruise programme for Antarctica – and it is a very exciting cocktail they have on offer, to say the least. With 20 cruises covering the highlights of the Weddell Sea, the Antarctic Peninsula, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia this season will no doubt be the biggest and best the company has ever experienced.

It is always a lot of fun to spend a few days before or after a cruise at one of your favourite destinations. It is, of course, possible to arrange this on your own, but it helps a lot if your cruise line does most of the work for you.

When it comes to cruising, there is no one-size fits-all. What is the perfect cruise line or cruise ship for one person would be totally unsuitable for another. Before choosing a cruise, there are some important considerations to take into account.

Celebrity Cruises will in future work with health and wellness authority Rodale to provide passengers with a new range of interactive activities with the common theme of “healthy eating choices.”

It is sometimes difficult to predict how the general public will react when a company changes something people have become used to. Sometimes they accept it without much ado – but now and then there is an unexpectedly severe backlash.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when going on a cruise is to over-pack. Of course you want to take clothes to dress up once or twice during the journey, but there is really no need to take enough clothing for a year if you are only going on a ten-day cruise. Do not worry about running out of clean clothes: virtually every cruise line nowadays has a laundry service on board its ships.

It might surprise cruise lovers to learn that a mere 120 years ago the modern cruise liner did not really exist. The world’s very first cruise ship was launched on the 29th June, 1900. The Prinzessin Victoria Luise was built for the Hamburg America Line and served as a cruise liner for nearly six and a half years.

If you have never been on a cruise before, you might want your first cruise to be to a destination that you will never forget. To a large extent your destination of choice will depend on where you live and how much time and money you have. Our list of top cruise destinations is, therefore, merely intended to whet your appetite.

Silversea Cruises has published more details about the company’s upcoming World Cruise for 2013 on board Silver Whisper and, to say the least, the 114-night journey between Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale looks extremely alluring.

Why there are not more move premieres on board cruise ships is hard to fathom. What better location can one ever find for such an event than a mega cruise liner where invited guests can be pampered in the lap of luxury during and after the show?

If you are travelling on your own, a group holiday is always a great choice. You get the opportunity to make new friends and you do not have to eat alone. Cruises in particular are great for this purpose, but not all cruise lines cater for single travellers.

Cunard’s Princess and Queens Grills Suites are renowned throughout the world. The latest Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships recognised this fact by awarding Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the category for Top 10 Large Resort Ships. This firmly establishes Cunard as the leader of large luxury ships worldwide.

Carnival has signed an agreement with Grammy award winners Maroon 5, under the terms of which the band will perform at an exclusive concert to welcome the cruise line’s latest ‘Fun Ship’ when it arrives at its new home port of Galveston, Texas on Sunday 13th November 2011.

We are all feeling the pinch of the poor economy and nobody is going to complain if he or she can get a dream cruise for less than expected.

Norwegian Cruise Line has recently unveiled a new platform for the brand. The company calls it Cruise Like a Norwegian and it has been designed to celebrate and embrace the diverse community of holidaymakers who travel on board its ships.

DreamWorks Animation and Royal Caribbean have announced that the DreamWorks Experience will be extended to a 5th ship next year. From 2012 Voyager of the Seas will also offer guests this popular experience.

Those of us who are young enough at heart to enjoy getting wet and just enjoying a lot of old fashioned splashing while cruising the seven seas loved the AquaDuck when it was introduced on board Disney Dream this January.

The British comedy series ‘Allo ‘Allo! was no doubt one of the biggest hits ever on BBC television. It was originally broadcasted between 1982 and 1992, and has been rebroadcast numerous times by various local and international television channels since then. Countless fans still delight in the clueless antics and comic-sounding accents of the farcical Gestapo officers and French resistance fighters of the series.

Star Clippers, the tall ship specialists, will offers guests on board its 227-passenger flagship the Royal Clipper free mediation and yoga classes as they traverse the Atlantic during April 2012.

We all know the feeling: the cruise is over, but you just cannot get yourself to pack and get off the ship. If this sounds familiar, you will probably love this: Celebrity Cruises will soon allow guests to remain on board their cruise ship until just before the start of the next cruise.

Holland America has decided to offer an extended range of Asian itineraries on board ms Zaandam next year. In total there will be five 13-night Asia Explore cruises.

Paul Merton is not only an intrepid explorer, he is also an astute observer and a genial comedian. His TV travelogues are watched by millions.

P&O Cruises has one more reason to be proud about its house wine collection. The wines, blended exclusively for the company by Olly Smith, have won two awards at the prestigious 2011 International Wine and Spirits Competition. Porta Palo Rose 2010 vintage was honoured with a Bronze award while Porta Palo Red 2010 vintage walked away with a Silver award, which means it was the best wine it its class.

Let’s face it: at least 50% of all cruise lovers also love to shop. This is not gender-based discrimination, although the 50% in questions does belong mainly to a specific gender.

SeaDream Yacht Club has all the reason in the world to feel very proud today: its two 112-guest yachts SeaDream I and SeaDream II came out top in the 2012 Berlitz Boutique Ship category for ships with a passenger capacity of between 50 and 200.

If you are one of those people who love to cruise, but who simply can’t stand a 3,000-passenger mega liner, Windstar Cruises might be just what you have always been looking for.

If you have always dreamt of seeing the Northern Lights, 2012 is probably the best opportunity you will ever get: NASA predicts the best Northern Lights experience in 50 years for next year.

Swan Hellenic’s newly upgraded cruise liner Minerva will embark on a whole range of new cruises in 2012/13 – including cruises to the Baltic, Mediterranean, India, Dubai and Vietnam.

MSC Cruises has always been renowned for good food. As if that is not enough, the company has now decided to take things to the next level with cooking courses managed by a couple of Italy’s world class chefs.

Few people will disagree that cruising is a great way of spending a holiday. The sheer variety of entertainment options, the good food and the exciting ports of call make cruising a very unique way of spending a couple of days in the sun.

Seven Seas Voyager, the 700-passenger cruise liner belonging to Regent Seven Seas Cruises, emerged from the dry dock on Sunday after undergoing extensive renovations. Both the public areas and the passenger suites have been upgraded. This is the third phase of the cruise line’s “Seven Seas Signature” initiative – a multi-phase project aimed at upgrading its whole fleet of ships.

Norwegian Cruise Lines announced on Sunday that two of the company’s cruise ships are to undergo extensive refurbishments. Both Norwegian Jade and Norwegian Spirit will soon visit the dry docks for enhancements that will cost millions of dollars.

Celebrity Cruises is not only known for offering its guests a luxurious, modern cruising experience or its commitment to quality; above all, the cruise line is known for culinary excellence. In laymen’s terms: if you want to eat really well, go on a Celebrity cruise.

Seabourn has just announced that in January 2013 their cruise liner Quest will embark on a grand World Cruise lasting 116 days. It will visit a smorgasbord of delightful destinations including Australia, the South Pacific, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Arabia, India and the ever-popular Mediterranean.

The argument over whether bigger is better or not in the cruise industry will probably never be settled in favour of one side or the other. The fact is, some of us prefer super liners such as the Queen Mary 2 and others prefer a smaller, more intimate cruising experience. For the latter a cruise line like Compagnie du Ponant is the perfect option: with less than 300 passengers on board each ship one will certainly never feel crowded.

Let us face it: there is only one Paul Gauguin. This is the most luxurious cruise liner in the South Pacific and the one with the highest rating. Even a luxury ship needs a revamp after 14 years of service though, and Paul’s turn will come in January 2012. The ship will receive a £4.5 million upgrade during an 11-night sojourn in a Brisbane dry dock.

We are the last ones to dispute the value of a good, scientific poll. After all, even the politicians use them to gauge their own popularity. When an institution like the Passenger Shipping Association commissions a company such as YouGove to gather information on their behalf, one expects that information to be at least somewhat useful.

Windstar Cruises has embarked on a multi-million dollar upgrade plan of their fleet of three luxury yachts. It will be completed in multiple stages starting this autumn. The company is known for exploring secluded coves and hidden harbours in some of the most treasured destinations on earth.

If the World Wide Fund for Nature and Oxfam get their way, a 3% carbon tax will in future be levied on international shipping. The two organisations say that the shipping industry accounts for about 3% of global emissions.

Those of you who have previously cruised on board a Norwegian Cruise Line ship will know that the sushi bar has been a fixture on most of the company’s ships for quite a while. It will usually be found in the Asian restaurant, which of course carries quite a hefty surcharge.

With the number of cruise itineraries escalating virtually on a weekly basis, many cruise lovers find it difficult to choose the perfect cruise. USA Today published a checklist a few days ago and we are sure our readers will find the information useful. Here are a few pointers to help choose the most suitable cruise for your individual needs.

Fred Olsen Cruise Line walked away with no less than three top prizes in the first Cruise International Awards on Wednesday.

One of the biggest cruise liners sailing the seven seas has cruised into Liverpool harbour, marking the end of the yearly Mersey River Festival. Queen Mary 2 is also one of the biggest cruise ships to ever dock in Liverpool.

The two new cruise ships Norwegian Cruise Line will acquire in 2013 and 2014 will be called Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Breakaway.

Normally you would come to these pages to read about cruise news. This will usually be good news, covering wondrous journeys to strange and exotic lands while being pampered in the lap of luxury.

Not so long ago going on an extended cruise meant that you would be cut off from the outside world. No newspapers, no television and certainly no internet. You might arrive back on shore only to find out that your favourite team was kicked out of the World Cup during the first round or that your girlfriend has eloped with a travelling salesman from York.

Here is some good news for cruise lovers who also happen to be shopping addicts: they can now enjoy an enhanced shopping experience on board Independence of the Seas thanks to a complete overhaul of the Royal Promenade shopping street that runs the entire length of the ship.

Swan Hellenic is about to send their only ship, the Minerva, for an extensive upgrade that will cost millions of pounds and take the exclusive little cruiser into the next era.

It is not every cruise ship that can boast that the library is the most popular room on the ship, but that is precisely the case with Minerva. To understand the reason for this, one has to keep in mind that it took 50 years to build up the library on this ship and that it provides avid explorers with a wealth of information about the places they are about to visit.

Compagnie du Ponant has followed a successful recipe for more than 20 years, which has kept them afloat even in these harsh economic times: enjoyment, discovery, relaxation and subtlety.

MSC Divina has been transferred to the STX Europe shipyard near Saint-Nazaire in France. She is currently in dock C for the final touches of the construction programme to prepare her for the christening ceremony in May 2012.

You might wonder how the appointment of a new sales and marketing director at a major cruise line could have anything to do with how you experience your next cruise. The answer is simple: a cruise line’s marketing chief does not only have the job of promoting what the company has to offer – he also has to provide management with feedback about what customers really want from a cruise.

At a press conference on Thursday, All Leisure Holidays revealed a major investment programme covering all three of its brands: Voyages of Discovery, Swan Hellenic and Hebridean Island Cruises.

The Executive Chairman of All Leisure Holidays, Roger Allard, must have felt like cursing accountants Grant Thornton last Thursday morning. This has little to do with accounting: the accountants stole the best view in London from him.

SeaDream’s Amazon cruises for 2012 are virtually fully booked. However, the good news for those of you who have literally missed the boat this time is that the company’s popular SeaDream II will return to the Amazon in 2013.

To address the demand from niche-interest cruisers, ultra luxurious cruise company Crystal Cruises will offer no less than 25 Experience of Discovery cruises next year. These cruises will cover 12 different themes. The company’s popular Ocean Views programme will be on offer on both Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity next year.

Great news for fans of Costa Cruise’s ship the Romantica: it is going to receive a major overhaul, get an extra 111 cabins and two new decks and be re-launched as the Costa neoRomantica in January next year.

Some of us love to be pampered for the whole duration of a cruise and not use a single brain cell the whole time. Others prefer their cruises to be about discovering new destinations and exploring the unknown.

Those of you who happen to be in Southampton on the 1st September might be attending the opening of the new QE2 Mile, a pedestrian walkway linking the waterfront at Town Quay with the city’s Cenotaph.

The current trend among cruise lines seems to be to sign up celebrities to draw more passengers. These range from famous singers to artists and from world-renowned chefs to experts in a variety of fields.

For the captain of the Azamara Journey, Magnus Davidson, it was a very special moment when the ship sailed into Lerwick harbour earlier this week.

Twenty years ago Slovenia gained independence from the former USSR. Therefore, this year it celebrates its 20th year of independence and Crystal Cruises has decided to join in the fun with an inaugural cruise to this country.

Thanks to the newly opened cruise terminal at Portsmouth International Port, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines promise cruise passengers an even better experience during its second season sailing out of this port.

Boriss Brandt has been appointed as the new Managing Director of AIDA Entertainment in Hamburg. He will take up the new position on the 1st September this year.

In a world of mega cruise-liners, some of them carrying in the region of 4,000 passengers, we sometimes tend to fall into the trap of believing that bigger is necessarily better. Those of us who have cruised on board the Hebridean Princess know better:

Windstar Cruises has launched their 2012 Caribbean schedules featuring three different itineraries and no less than 42 shore excursions. The company operates three luxury yachts that explore off the beaten track destinations around the world: from secluded little coves to hidden harbours.

The legal technicalities in which our cousins on the other side of the Atlantic can sometimes embroil themselves in will never cease to amaze those of us on the eastern side of that ocean. As many of you probably know, Carnival Cruise Line is being sued by the Coastal Conservation League and the Charleston neighbourhoods.

Normally one does not expect a cruise ship to drop anchor in the middle of the ocean. This is, however, exactly what happened when Holland America’s cruise liner Ryndam was on its way between Costa Maya in Mexico and Tampa in November 2010.

Silversea Cruises has just released a brand new 200-page brochure covering more than 200 different itineraries, visiting more than 100 countries on seven continents. In total it gives cruise lovers a choice of 450 exciting destinations all over the world.

The small port of Scrabster had the rare honour this week of welcoming the biggest ever cruise ship to visit this part of the world – the 43,537 ton Fred Olsen cruise liner Balmoral.

Carnival has signed a new five-year contract with the Port of Baltimore and the company’s year-round cruises from this destination will continue unchanged. This move has been welcomed by Martin O’Malley, the Governor of Baltimore.

Crystal Cruises has announced a vast range of cruise holidays for their early 2013 season. These cruises will visit 100 ports of call in 40 countries, overnight in 38 destinations, and navigate a dozen fascinating waterways in a cruise bonanza spanning nearly six months.

Whether you were zip-lining over treetops, swimming with sharks, riding camels in Egypt, relaxing on the beach or dressing up for dinner does not matter – you can enter all your favourite holiday pictures for the Cruise Photo of the Year competition.

Let’s face it: a cruise holiday is huge fun. The range of entertainment options is virtually limitless, the food is usually divine and nowadays you can even relax on a piece of real grass, admiring the sea stretching into eternity.

Most of our readers will remember the name Hurtigruten from the recent “Longest Live TV Documentary,” which broke a Guinness World Record.

Life on board a cruise ship should be as close to heaven as one can get. There should be perpetual sunshine, no rain and certainly no strikes. While this is true in many cases, it will still sometimes rain, even on the deck of the most luxurious cruise ship. Once in a blue moon a strike will force your cruise liner off course and you will have to spend an extra day in a glorious city, such as Barcelona.

Costa Cruises has plans to give its cruise liner Romantica such a major overhaul that even its name will be changed in the process. When the 1,697-passenger ship comes out of the dry dock she will be known as the Costa neoRomantica.

To coincide with the launch of its new Pack More In campaign, Royal Caribbean has also launched a brand new winter sun brochure packed with cruises to destinations that are known for their pleasant winter climate.

Between March 2012 and February 2013 Azamara Club Cruises offers cruise lovers no less than 54 different itineraries, ranging from short 5 night mini breaks to 16 night cruise holidays.

In news that will no doubt be welcomed by non-smokers but irritate smokers, Norwegian Cruise Lines has also decided to modify its smoking policy. From January 2012 smoking in cabins will be banned on all ships of the cruise line.

Norwegian Cruise Lines has announced improvements to its reservation system. Passengers can now pre-purchase shore excursions on all NCL ships and also reserve speciality dining on Norwegian Epic. This facility will be extended fleet-wide during the next few months.

P&O Cruises has signed up the Pop Idol star Gareth Gates for three special performances on board their cruise liner P&O Oceana.

If you love cruise holidays and you also love good music, you can now experience the two together: Cunard has announced a brand new 4-night winter cruise on board the company’s flagship Queen Mary 2, where none other than the award-winning four tenors of the pop group Blake will be performing.

Celebrity Cruises has always been known for their good food. Now the company wants you to take your memories of exquisite meals home after the cruise in the form of an exciting culinary book called ‘Excite The Senses.’

Even Queens need to freshen up from time to time and Cunard’s flagship Queen Mary 2 is no exception in this regard. She will visit the dry dock in November 2011 to undergo unspecified upgrades. Originally this was supposed to take three weeks, but a few weeks ago Cunard announced it would take only 13 days. This has now been further slashed to seven days.

During the prime of ocean liner travel a large number of films were released that used the exotic background of the open sea for smart comedy, high drama and some of Fred Astaire’s most famous dance numbers.

Celebrity Cruises has confirmed that the company plans to introduce a flight-options programme for UK customers who make a reservation on one of its full pre-arranged cruise packages.

In exciting news for cruise lovers, Carnival has announced that the company has ordered three brand new cruise liners – two for AIDA Cruises and one for its Costa Cruises brand.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s recent acquisition of the Norwegian Epic has proven to be a resounding success. This can clearly be seen from the company’s latest financial statements for the three months ending on the 30th June.

For any cruise lover Seabourn Cruises’ new 2012/13 catalogue makes fascinating reading. It will no doubt result in many hours of daydreaming. Hopefully many of those dreams will be fulfilled.

Over the years Costa Cruises has acquired a loyal following of cruise lovers who like the top quality service, world class amenities and specialised itineraries that the cruise line has to offer its passengers. The company’s latest ship, the Fascinosa, will no doubt continue with this grand tradition.

To say that MSC Cruises is not child friendly would be a blatant lie. Especially after their latest move to make sure children do not cost their cash-strapped parents a small fortune when they take them along on a cruise.

Silversea will present a new range of 20 “Grand Voyages” next year, developed specifically for those cruise lovers who do not like to be hurried.

It has not been a good month for cruise companies, even though the cruise market is booming. First Cunard was highly embarrassed when their pride and joy Queen Mary 2 failed a U.S. health inspection. Not long after that Carnival had to go through the embarrassment of two of their ships bumping against each other – causing no damage other than to the egos of the two captains.

This coming winter MSC Cruises will offer its guests the added enjoyment of world-class cuisine prepared to the highest standards by celebrity chefs from Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Spain.

British Travel Awards has named Hebridean Island Cruises as a short listed contender in the sought after Best Niche Cruise Company category for 2011.

The launch of Celebrity Silhouette this weekend was a rather low-key affair for a cruise ship of this size. There were no fireworks, no famous celebrities and the ceremony took place in the centre of Hamburg – more than 80km from the sea.

If you love cruising you will also love the new referral programme revealed by Crystal Cruises. It is quite aptly called the Referral Rewards Programme and it will offer a reward of up to $6,000 to anyone who refers new guests to the company. The offer is valid on all cruises for the remainder of 2011 and the ten cruises the cruise line will undertake in the first quarter of next year.

How would you like to ring in the New Year with a toast while singing Auld Lang Syne at the most northerly point in Europe: North Cape?

The exclusive suite complex on Norwegian Cruise Lines’ new Project Breakaway cruise ships will be called The Haven by Norwegian. This has been confirmed by the company in a press release on Monday.

Whether you are an avid dancer or someone who cannot put one foot before the other, you will have the opportunity to hone your dancing skills on board Crystal Cruises’ cruise departing from Lisbon to Miami this autumn.

Anyone who thought giant cruise liners do not have a heart was proven wrong on Monday night when the Carnival Magic with more than 4,500 passengers on board spent a full five hours in protecting a small motor yacht against the fury of the waves off the Spanish coast.

Cruising is enjoying unprecedented popularity in the UK as record numbers of people choose this mode of transport to explore the four corners of the globe.

Twitter is fast becoming part of our modern lifestyle, just as much as Facebook and email. Most people use all of these just for fun, but a lucky Tweeter is soon to embark on a luxury cruise holiday for her effort.

Celebrity Cruises says it wants passengers to spend more time having fun and less time with the finer details of what they are going to do or eat. After successfully implementing a beverage package programme, the company has now decided to also offer a new speciality dining package to allow passengers to explore different types of food while on board a Celebrity cruise ship.

A guru from the travel industry, Michelle Morgan, has been appointed as godmother of Celebrity Silhouette, the new flagship of Celebrity Cruises.

The person who has just won the Euromillions lottery walks around with a ticket worth more than £161 million. That is enough money to instantly turn him (or her) into the 413th richest person in the UK – nearly on a par with Victoria and David Beckham.

Earlier this year, at the UK Cruise Convention, the chairman of the discussion drew smirks from clever critics when he asked a Hapag-Lloyd representative what facilities there were for families on the company’s ships. When he asked whether the company would consider offering free accommodation for children, as is done by MSC, the smirks turned into derisive laughter.

Football is of course a very popular sport in Europe and Napoli is a famous football club. For any business to have ties with this club will be a big PR exercise that will no doubt turn out to be very profitable.

If there is one thing about a cruise holiday that really makes it memorable, it is good food. Who will ever forget the many culinary delights you savoured on your first cruise holiday? Who would not dream of being able to cook like that?

MSC Cruises says it wants to invigorate the senses of all their passengers. What you see, touch, hear and taste should delight your senses and make you want to come back for more. The company has now expanded this sensual approach to the very fragrance of every cruise holiday. From now on each one of their cruise ships will have a distinctive MSC aroma that will linger with you for years to come.

For many years Royal Caribbean has been the leader of innovation in the cruise industry. Its Freedom cruise ships were the largest in its class. The Allure and Oasis of the Seas are 40% bigger than virtually anything else.

The cruise ship Crystal Serenity will feature a number of celebrities from the worlds of space travel, television and sport, talking about their specialist fields during its 2012 World Cruise.

Those of us who still remember the Beatles will know who Tony Soper is. This veteran was one of the stars of the famed nature programme for children called Animal Magic that was hugely popular during the sixties and seventies. He will join guests on board Fred Olsen’s Braemar when it cruises to the North Cape in June next year.

Carnival Cruises has become the first cruise line ever to achieve the historic milestone of reaching one million Facebook fans.

MSC is, for one week only, offering cruise lovers free upgrades (up to five categories) when booking a balcony stateroom on one of their four to 14-day cruises. The offer started on the 1st July.

River cruising is one of the fastest growing segments of the cruise holiday market. Hardly a week goes by without an announcement about a new river cruise company or expansion plans of an existing one.

Carnival Cruise Lines says that their cruise liner the Carnival Miracle will be based in New York from spring 2012 on a year-round basis.

For most of us it is hard enough to reverse a car. Just imagine what it must be like trying to reverse a luxury cruise liner costing £500 million. If she is as long as three football pitches, the task becomes virtually impossible.

If you are a cruise fanatic but you simply cannot spare the time – or dare we say it, the money – for a complete world cruise, Holland America has just the thing for you. They have broken up their cruise ship the Amsterdam’s 2012 Grand World Voyage into eight segments that should be within your reach, both time and money wise. The segments vary between 13 and 50 days each.

If you like something out of the ordinary and you hate winter, you will no doubt be excited to hear about P&O Cruises’ planned range of cruises for the 2013 winter season. The company will offer 50 new holidays on board their ships Azura, Aurora, Arcadia and Adonia.

Indian tourism plans to take on some of the world leaders in cruise tourism by introducing a range of cruises along the country’s historic coastline within the next 12 months.

Cunard Line has announced the company’s world cruise itineraries for 2013 and it seems these cruises will once again offer travellers the ultimate in luxury cruise holidays.

The Queen has been given a rather bad rap on the knuckles by the American Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. In a surprise inspection they gave her a score of 84 out of 100.

Few cruise lovers will disagree with the statement that a cruise ship’s entertainment is a vital aspect of a successful cruise holiday. Most of them will, therefore, be happy to hear that Fred Olsen is bringing back its hugely popular Music & Laughter programme on some cruises for 2011/12.

It seems that Norwegian Cruise Lines is prepared to learn from its mistakes. The cabin designs for the company’s two new ships, carrying the code name Project Breakaway, have been published – and there are no more open plan bathrooms.

The Italian actress Margareth Madè who became famous for the lead role in Baaria, the film that was nominated for the Golden Globe, has been appointed as the godmother of Costa Favolosa. The christening ceremony will take place on the 2nd July in the beautiful Piazza Unità d’Italia in the Italian port city of Trieste.

If you were to announce a range of exotic cruise holidays, many of them to the South Pacific, you would probably also do it in a Polynesian tiki bar. The heart of London is maybe not the best place, but if it is the Mahiki Club where the likes of Prince William, Prince Harry and Kate Middleton used to hang out, you can be sure a lot of journalists will turn up – even if it is only out of curiosity.

Celebrity Cruises plans to convert three more of its cruise ships to the Solstice class after the success it enjoyed with the Celebrity Constellation. The three ships are Celebrity Summit, Celebrity Infinity and Celebrity Millennium.

Actress Blythe Danner christened the latest addition to the Seabourn fleet, the 450-guest Seabourn Quest, at a glittering ceremony in Barcelona on Monday.

More than 125 itineraries, five continents and 15 ships – that is the 2011/12 Holland America cruise programme.

During the next few months mouth-watering new dishes from Holland America Line’s prestigious Culinary Council will start to appear on menus in the main dining rooms of the company’s 15 ships. Each of the 6 Culinary Council chefs will provide recipes for their signature dishes as well as desserts that demonstrate their specific fields of expertise.

In what will no doubt be seen as bad news by smokers, Carnival Corporation has decided to issue a blanket ban against smoking in cabins on all cruise ships sailing under the Carnival Cruises, Princess Cruises and Holland America flags.

If there is one thing that most cruise lovers would agree with it is that they wish their cruise ship could spend more time at the various ports of call. Cruise lines regularly get requests for more overnight visits, giving passengers the opportunity to enjoy the nightlife at the various locations.

Fred Olsen will introduce three new Themed Nights on its cruises from July with matching entertainment and menus to heighten the party atmosphere.

Voyages of Discovery has given its ship a complete digital and design makeover to improve customer satisfaction levels and to bring the ship up to date with the latest technological innovations.

After spending three weeks in the dry dock, Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas has completed a $19 million revamp. The ship has received various upgrades to ensure it remains desirable and relevant in an increasingly competitive cruise market.

Whether it is the stars, the sea or the sun we do not know. For the ladies it could even be the sight of all those officers in crisp white uniforms. Whatever the case, a cruise holiday has a certain romantic allure.

Spa lovers will have something to celebrate when MSC Cruises launches their MSC Aurea Spa Suites later this year.

NCL Cruises’ Norwegian Dawn has received a major facelift at a drydock in Freeport, Bahamas. The refurbishment will cost several million dollars.

P&O Cruises now offers a series of “Getaway” specials with flights included on selected departures on board their ship the Adonia. These are all for Mediterranean fly-cruise holidays.

It is always somewhat of a problem for parents travelling with kids to have a night out on their own. If you are on a cruise ship the problem is even more severe: there is so much to do every night, but you cannot let the kids wander off on their own.

The latest addition to Celebrity Cruises’ fleet, Celebrity Silhouette, was spied in public for the first time after it left the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. A large number of residents in the area lined up to get the first glimpses of the ship, which is the fourth in Celebrity’s stylish Solstice Class fleet.

Although many regular cruisers are nowadays youngsters, the industry still gets a lot of support from mature travellers. This is the generation of people who are likely to still remember Woodstock, hippies and the Who.

It seems the booming cruise market has no end. In a not-so-surprising move P&O Cruises recently announced that the company has placed an order for yet another super cruise-liner. The ship will be able to carry 3,611 passengers and, if everything goes according to plan, it will be launched in March 2015.

Queen Mary 2 The Daily Mirror’s cruise correspondent, John Honeywell, recently embarked on a cruise to Hamburg on board the Queen Mary 2.

It took a major Hamburg shipyard, a number of highly talented designers, more than 500 international staff members, over 600 crew members and two weeks, for the largest ever upgrade of a Crystal Cruises ship.

Figures published during the past week clearly show that cruise holidays are becoming increasingly popular with holidaymakers.

The latest addition to P&O Cruise Line’s fleet of cruise ships, the Adonia, set sail on her maiden journey on Sunday after a glitzy naming ceremony on Saturday during which Dame Shirley Bassey broke the traditional bottle of sparkling wine against the ship’s hull.

Phillip Anschutz is not just any old billionaire. His AEG company rents the O2 arena in London for £1.5 million a year. He also owns a football team: the La Galaxy. Now the slightly eccentric Anschutz has apparently become tired of all this football nonsense and decided to rescue a bankrupt cruise line.

Cunard Cruise Line does not only offer cruise lovers the opportunity to live through the New Golden Age of Cruising; the company is also adamant that it wants to stimulate guests’ intellects by offering a range of special lectures and presentations on subjects as diverse as entertainment, politics, science, literature and history. The speakers are all well known in their areas of expertise.

Travel operators in the United Kingdom have received criticism from various sources for their failure to bring down fuel surcharges in the light of a 15% drop in the price of oil.

With global warming a very real phenomenon of our time and an increasing number of people becoming conscious of our responsibilities towards the planet, it comes as no surprise that green cruising has also gained a lot of popularity lately.

It seems like years ago when your daily newspaper was still delivered under your cabin door after being printed on a Roneograph. The stock prices were outdated and the football scores ancient.

Less than a month from now the official launch of P&O Cruises’ latest addition, the Adonia, will take place. The company has in fact already taken delivery of the stylish new cruise ship. Small by P&O standards, the Adonia weighs only 30,300 tons and she can carry only 710 passengers – as far as size goes, definitely not in the same league as the Azura.

Cruise lovers and travel agents who were looking forward to the naming ceremony of the cruise ship Adonia this weekend might be forgiven for thinking that Dame Shirley Bassey is bad news when it comes to the weather. Weather conditions for Southampton do not look very good for Friday and Saturday – and Ms Bassey will be the godmother at this ceremony.

Celebrity Cruises has always been art-friendly. The cruise line’s ships already exhibit modern works of art by both upcoming and well-known artists. In fact, you can even browse their ships via iPad if you want to truly experience the many art exhibitions on board.

The latest report issued by the PSA (Passenger Shipping Association) revealed a number of interesting trends in the world of cruise holidays. A director at the PSA, Bill Gibbons, discussed these trends at the latest UK Cruise Convention.

Various speakers at the Seatrade African Cruise Forum yesterday expressed the opinion that Africa has vast untapped potential as far as the cruising market goes. Cruise companies are looking for new markets outside their traditional strongholds of the U.S. and Europe.

It seems that Cunard’s celebrations of the Royal Wedding were so successful that the company decided to extend the festivities until the end of June – with nothing other than a cocktail programme fit for Royals.

Spirit of Adventure arrives in Civitavecchia (Rome) on Friday morning. When the ship docks the 350 passengers will be picked up by waiting coaches to be taken to Rome. Some of them are flying straight home – others will spend a few extra days exploring the Eternal City.

The legendary Scottish rugby star Scott Hastings has signed up to join SeaDream I for a seven-night cruise departing from Barbados in November.

Fred Olsen has just revealed more information about two grand new voyages that will depart from Southampton in January 2013.

Those of our readers who have cruised on and learned to love The Spirit of Adventure don’t have much time left for a last cruise on board this plucky cruise ship: it will soon embark on its final cruise and no announcement has yet been made as to its future.

According to executives from the cruise industry, the industry is expected to maintain growth during 2011. Increasing fuel costs and stricter environmental regulations are putting pressure on profit margins, but they are confident the industry will be able to weather the storm. Their confidence in the future of the industry is confirmed by the fact that no less than eight new cruise liners will be launched this year.

Responding to increasingly strong demand for some of its more exotic itineraries, Seabourn Pride will sail five, 14-day voyages between Hong Kong and Singapore. One of the stops includes the very popular Sihanoukville beach resort in Cambodia. Departure dates are scheduled between 4th January 4 and 14th March 2012.

As we have reported earlier, a number of cruise lines plan major upgrades to their fleets during the coming months.

Silversea Cruises ship Silver Shadow was given a major overhaul in Singapore recently to bring it in line with the sophisticated modern design theme of the company’s latest flagship, the Silver Spirit. The ship underwent some significant upgrades:

Fred Olson’s Preview Brochure for its range of summer and autumn cruises has been published. Those interested can make early bookings from 17 February 2011.