Guests seeking more fast-paced thrills than the turquoise tranquility of the Mediterranean Sea may test their “need for speed” aboard the Costa Serena’s Grand Prix race car driving simulator – the most accurate representation of Formula One driving available. The driving simulator was installed today on the ship, which will be officially inaugurated in Marseille on May 19 and sail from Venice to Greece, Turkey and Croatia in her first season. Installed on Deck 12 of the ship, nearly 100 feet above the sea, the simulator was produced from an original Grand Prix rac...

Alaska Itinerary Updates: Millennium will replace Summit in 2008, sailing alternating Northbound and Southbound Alaska open-jaw voyages from May through September, 2008 between Vancouver, BC and Seward, Alaska. Millennium will open the Alaska season with a 14-night Ultimate Alaska voyage round-trip from San Francisco, CA on May 5, 2008. Millennium will then sail a 13-night West Coast and Alaska voyage from San Francisco, CA to Vancouver, BC on May 19, 2008. Millennium is also slated for one 3-night British Columbia voyage round-trip from Vancouver, BC o September 19, 2008 and will comple...

Royal Caribbean exercised its option to build a second ship in its “Genesis Project." Destined to become the 24th ship in the Royal Caribbean International fleet, the 5,400-guest, 220,000-gross-registered-ton ship would be built at Aker Yards in Finland, with delivery projected for August, 2010. Like the prototype ship due out in Fall, 2009, the second Project Genesis ship will be a trailblazer in cruise-ship and vacation innovation. New icons and amenities will continue to challenge and expand guests’ expectations of cruising, and the latest technology and design will c...

Oceania Cruises announced that it has entered into a memorandum of agreement with Italy’s Fincantieri shipyard that calls for the construction of two 1,260-guest, 65,000-ton ships to be delivered in the fall of 2010 and summer of 2011. The agreement includes an option for a third vessel to be delivered in 2012. The contract price for each vessel is $500 million dollars. “This new class of elegant, mid-size ships will define upper-premium cruising for years to come and demonstrates our commitment to providing our guests and travel agent partners with an extraordinary onboard ...

Walt Disney Company will build two new ships for Disney Cruise Line with scheduled launch in 2011 and 2012. Details were scant but the ships will be 122,000 tons each and two decks taller than the 83,000-ton Magic and Wonder. Both will have 1250 staterooms. Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts said, "Disney Cruise Line continually sets sail with the highest load factors in the industry of nearly 150%." The company statement noted strong demand for new itineraries: "Trips to the Mediterranean and to the West Coast have recently set booking records within t...

“Carnival Dream” and “Carnival Magic” are the names Carnival Cruise Lines has chosen for its two 130,000-ton SuperLiners scheduled to enter service in October 2009 and June 2011, respectively. Representing a new class of vessel for the line, the 3,652-passenger “Fun Ships” will be the largest in Carnival Cruise Lines’ fleet and offer a host of innovative on-board amenities and facilities. “Carnival has earned a reputation as a cruise industry innovator by continually upgrading its product and introducing new and exciting features. Carnival ...

Celebrity Cruises named the third ship in its Solstice-class series the Celebrity Eclipse, which will bring Celebrity's fleet total to 13 when it joins the fleet. The Celebrity Eclipse is on schedule to make its maiden voyage in 2010, following two sister ships, the Celebrity Solstice, which debuts in 2008, and the Celebrity Equinox, which is due to sail in 2009. All three Solstice-class ships are being constructed by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft. The Solstice-class ships are larger than their predecessors, each weighing in at 118,000 tons with the capacity to carry 2,850 passengers...

Holland America Line recently opened the new over water Grand Cabana at Half Moon Cay. This Grand Cabana offers a great opportunity for groups and large families to lounge in privacy. The cabana includes 480 square foot sun deck, an eight person hot tub, a 1,140 square foot covered deck, separate male and female changing and rest rooms, an indoor and an outdoor fresh water heated shower, teak dining table and chairs for six, BBQ area, a full wet bar complete with teak lounges, double lounges, and bar stools to accommodate 12 guests, refrigerator, iPod music system, massage table, 100-foot ...

Grand Turk, the newest Caribbean cruise destination, finished its inaugural season with 136 cruise ship calls and 295,000 passengers, far exceeding expectations for the number of visitors for its first year of operation (the port officially opened in Feb. 2006). December was a record month with more than 46,000 passengers arriving on 28 cruise ship calls. Twenty of the calls were made by Carnival Corporation & plc brands, including Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America, and Costa Cruises; the remaining eight calls were by Silversea, Crystal, Regent Seven Seas, Oceania, Fred Olsen, Hap...

Norwegian Cruise Line made several changes to its North American fleet rotation. The line will send the Norwegian Sun from New Orleans to Miami in October, move the Norwegian Spirit from New York to New Orleans in November and assign the Norwegian Gem, which debuts in October, to New York beginning in December to sail to the Bahamas and Florida. In Hawaii, NCL America will lose two ships. The Norwegian Wind will be transferred to parent company Star Cruises' Asia fleet. The Pride of Hawaii will be moved to the European market and be renamed the Norwegian Jade. Starting in September, the ...

Celebrity Cruises continued to expand Celebrity Expeditions by adding the 710-passenger Blue Moon, a Pullmantur ship that will enter the Expeditions fleet in October. The ship will be renamed the Celebrity Quest and will undergo a $17.5 million revitalization in drydock before entering service for Celebrity. It will sail 12- to 14-day Caribbean itineraries and a series of 14-day Panama Canal itineraries. The other new Celebrity ship, the Journey, will begin sailing the Bermuda season from Cape Liberty (bayonne) New Jersey in May.

Royal Caribbean International will name its third Freedom-class ship the Independence of the Seas when it debuts in May 2008. The vessel is currently under construction at Aker Yards in Turku Finland. Along with sister ships the Freedom of the Seas and the Liberty of the Seas, which will debut in New York in May, the 160,000-ton vessel will carry 3,634 passengers and will share the title of world's largest cruise ship. Like its sister vessels, the Independence of the Seas will have amenities that include the FlowRider surf simulator, the H20 Zone aqua park, cantilevered whirlpools, an ice-s...

Carnival Cruises will put its newest ship, the Carnival Freedom, on the Carnival Liberty's six- and eight-day Caribbean cruise route from Fort Lauderdale in November 2008. The Liberty will launch a seven-day Caribbean cruise schedule from Miami beginning in May 2008 and sail year-round, alternating seven-day eastern and western Caribbean cruises. The Freedom is was recently delivered from Italy's Fincantieri shipyard and debuted in Europe on March 5th. Carnival also confirmed an order for a second 130,000-ton vessel for Carnival Cruise Lines, to be constructed by Fincantieri and delivered...

Viking River Cruises has created a new service guarantee that offers full refunds to passengers who express dissatisfaction within 24 hours of starting their trip. The guarantee, which goes into effect with 2007 cruises, states, "Should you be dissatisfied with our service upon first check-in (hotel or onboard ship) including food, personnel or shore excursions, notify us within 24 hours of the start of your cruise-tour. We then have 24 hours to correct the situation. In the unlikely case that a solution is not possible, you can then depart as soon as you can and we will refund 100 per...

Holland America Line has decided on a name for its first Signature-class vessel: the Eurodam. The 2,044-passenger ship, the largest to be constructed by the line, is to be delivered in summer 2008. The 86,000-ton Eurodam will be built at Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard with an estimated all-in cost of $450 million. HAL has a second Signature-class ship on option with Fincantieri, with delivery scheduled for spring 2010 "We chose the name Eurodam to celebrate our European and Dutch heritage and our third century of sailing in one of the world’s most popu...

Military Rates will are now available on select Royal Caribbean sailings. Restrictions will apply and one qualified guest must sail in each cabin To Qualify: * Active personnel currently serving in the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard, Reserves or Canadian National Defense. Proper ID in the form of a US Uniformed Services WHITE. ID Card for US Military personnel, and a WHITE N.D.21 ID Card with Red Canadian Flag displayed- Must be presented at time of check-in. * Retired from any of the divisions listed directly above. “Retired” is defined as A) en...

Creature comfort is the mantra of today's leisure traveler. Holland America Line is answering that call by enhancing their Mariner's Dream stateroom experience with a variety of pillows. The new pillows will come in three comfort levels and will be available in all suites aboard the fleet of 13 five-star ships. The premium line is a trend leader in hospitality innovations at sea, setting the standard in stateroom comfort. "When traveling, a good night's rest can elevate the enjoyment of life's experiences," remarked Richard D. Meadows, CTC, Holland America Line's senior vice pre...

For an 11th consecutive year, Crystal Cruises has been voted the "World's Best Large-Ship Cruise Line" in Travel + Leisure magazine's annual readers' survey. Crystal Cruises is the only cruise line, resort or hotel - and one of only three travel companies - to have won the prestigious award each year since the awards' inception. Travel + Leisure readers have an eye for style and excellence. We are enormously pleased that Crystal Cruises' unparalleled formula of choices, space, quality and service is so consistently voted best in class by these savviest of travelers," says G...

Carnival Cruise Lines, in a joint venture with Wireless Maritime Services, the world's largest cruise line will outfit its fleet of 22 ships with technology that will enable guests with any cell phone service to make or receive calls as they normally do on land, no matter how far out to sea they are. Carnival Triumph already has the service installed, and Carnival's remaining 21 vessels will be fitted with the technology by the first quarter of 2007. Consumers view cell phones as a necessity in today's world, said Carnival CEO Bob Dickinson. We've been exploring cellular phone service for...

Dancing waiters! A napkin ballet! Flying pepper grinders and a plate-spinning kick-line! “Dinner theater” takes on a whole new meaning on Holland America Line with the debut of the entertaining and innovative Signature Master Chef's Dinner which combines the premium line's award-winning cuisine, service and entertainment into an engaging new fine dining concept at sea. “We are well-known for our outstanding service, excellent food and innovative entertainment,” said Richard D. Meadows, vice president of marketing and sales. “Our new Signature Master Chef's Din...

A new loyalty program providing past guests with a variety of value-added benefits and features, including priority embarkation and debarkation, guaranteed supper club reservations and dining times, personalized stationery and custom-designed Carnival logo items. Available exclusively to Platinum cardholders who have sailed aboard the Fun Ships 10 or more times, the new Carnival Concierge Club benefits are designed to recognize and reward those longtime Carnival guests for their loyalty over the years. Carnival is committed to the highest standards of guest service and hospitality. The ne...