The newly-Solsticised Celebrity Infinity will feature the ‘eXhale’ bedding program in all staterooms, complete with new Reverie® mattresses designed exclusively for the cruise line and 100 per cent Egyptian cotton linen.

President and CEO of Costa Cruise North America, Maurice Zarmati, has announced his retirement after 43 years in the cruise business.

Carnival will home port two year-round cruise ships in New Orleans returning the line’s presence in the city to pre-Hurricane Katrina levels.

The 1,500 entries have been reviewed and, Aussie fan Elke Faulwetter has successfully named the new thrill slide on board Carnival Spirit ‘Green Thunder’.

The most awarded tourism operator in the Whitsundays, Fantasea Adventure Cruising will star on US television on BBC America’s Lonely Planet cable network.

Carnival Ecstasy has entered the record books as the first ship ever to sail four and five-day Bahamas and Caribbean itineraries from Port Canaveral.

RCCL has signed a letter of intent with MEYER WERFT shipyard to build their next generation of ships dubbed ‘Project Sunshine’.

Strong passenger growth during the third quarter this year pushed Norwegian Cruise Lines' operating income up 18.3 percent over the same quarter last year.

Four 'Grand Voyages' have been announced for Holland America Line's flagship ms Amsterdam and ms Prinsendam in 2013.

Princess Cruises has announced two additional cruisetours for guests travelling to Europe in 2012, bringing their total land/sea options to seven.

Cruisers will be able to sail direct from Cairo to Aswan for the first time in 16 years following an announcement by the Egypt Tourism Authority in London this week.

Fans of the band Maroon 5 will be treated to a free concert celebrating Carnival Magic’s inaugural voyage from the U.S. next Sunday 13 November.

Classic International Cruises’ 550-passenger Athena will stake its claim as the first ship to visit the Victorian city of Portland as part of her 2012/13 Australian summer cruise program.

Royal Caribbean’s Splendour of the Seas has entered dry dock at at the Navantia shipyard in Cardiz Spain ready for her USD$35 million ‘Royal Advantage’ refurbishment.

In preparation for her eighth birthday in January 2012, Cunard’s flagship, Queen Mary 2, will head to the Blohm & Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany for a refit.

Shorter Cruises, World Events Featured in Deployment

The refurbishment has officially begun to transform Costa Romantica into the new Costa neoRomantica.

Seven New Ports, Five Grand Voyages and Circle South America

Crystal Cruises announces a new booking deadline of December 31, 2011 for revised 2012 Book Now fares.

The all-new ‘AquaLab’ will debut onboard Disney Fantasy when she launches next year and will offer guests a variety of ‘water experiments’ created by Donald Duck’s nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie.

Port Rashid cruise terminal in the heart of Dubai city will be expanded to accommodate up to five ships simultaneously by the end of 2012.

In a first for the online cruise community, Voyages of Discovery have launched a new online TV channel.

Royal Caribbean’s Freedom-class vessel, Independence of the Seas will return to America for the winter 2012-13 season, sailing from Port Everglades.

Hurricane Rina, the sixth hurricane of the season, is currently located approximately 180 miles south-southeast of Cozumel causing further disruptions to cruise itineraries in the Western Caribbean.