It's the best time of the year to get the best deals on cruise vacations because October is National Cruise Vacation month.  And The World’s Largest Cruise Event, October 4-10, 2008, is fast approaching. Michael Given, an expert Cruise Planners travel professional, is celebrating by offering clients incredible values and incentives on cruise travel to the world’s top destinations. “The World’s Largest Cruise Event is a celebration where lucky agents like me get to give the gift of great savings on cruises, and our clients are the guests of honor,” sa...

MSC Cruises has announced the extraordinary expansion of its fleet with the order of two additional ships from the Aker Yards France at St. Nazaire. The announcement was made today in Milan by Pierfrancesco Vago, CEO of MSC Cruises worldwide, and Domenico Pellegrino, MSC Cruises General Manager, and Jacques Hardelay, General Manager of Aker Yards France. The new ships -- due for delivery in 2011 and 2012 -- will be named MSC Meraviglia ("marvelous/amazing") and MSC Favolosa ("fabulous") and will be the fifth and sixth ships in the "Musica" class, at 9...

The most widely heralded ship to enter the cruise market this year, Celebrity Solstice, departed Meyer Werft shipyard yesterday in Papenburg, Germany, as the largest ship ever built by the longtime shipbuilder. In a milestone event known as "The Conveyance," the 2,850-guest Celebrity Solstice made its way down the River Eems, as tens of thousands of area residents lining the river banks cheered and photographed the historic event. "This is a very momentous occasion for Celebrity Cruises," said the brand's President and CEO Dan Hanrahan. "Celebrity Solstice is the...

The most widely heralded ship to enter the cruise market this year, Celebrity Solstice, departed Meyer Werft shipyard yesterday in Papenburg, Germany, as the largest ship ever built by the longtime shipbuilder. In a milestone event known as "The Conveyance," the 2,850-guest Celebrity Solstice made its way down the River Eems, as tens of thousands of area residents lining the river banks cheered and photographed the historic event. "This is a very momentous occasion for Celebrity Cruises," said the brand's President and CEO Dan Hanrahan. "Celebrity Solstice is th...

Rare Behind-the-Scenes Access Will Give Passengers Exclusive Insider's View of Ship Operations Most cruise ship passengers are aware that behind the scenes of their relaxing cruise vacation there's a bustle of activity to deliver an excellent experience, but few have gotten an up-close look at these inner workings. This will change in November with the debut of Ruby Princess as Princess Cruises introduces an industry first, The Ultimate Ship Tour, an exclusive opportunity to experience an array of "back of house" areas that are key to a ship's daily operations. This pioneering c...

Five Holland America Line ships will soon undergo individual month-long dry docks at a total cost of approximately $200 million. The most dramatic alterations during the latest Signature of Excellence enhancements will result in an additional 32 verandah staterooms added to the aft portion of each ship. In addition, 46 new innovative lanai staterooms will allow guests direct access to the Lower Promenade Deck and on four ships verandahs will be installed on 12 staterooms on Deck 9 forward. On the five ships, ms Statendam, ms Maasdam, ms Ryndam, ms Veendam and ms Rotterdam, forty-six stat...