CRUISE LINES

Carnival to spend $1.3 billion on 2 ships

A new 4,000-berth ship will carry more passengers than any ship in the company’s history.

Jamaica

At pop-up port, a town’s ship comes in

When Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas pulled into Falmouth, Jamaica, this spring, passengers peering over guardrails saw a port bursting with local crafts, rum cocktails, reggae musicians and circus-style stiltwalkers. Everything was irie, as the Jamaicans say, and more.

Cruise lines

Developing destinations

Cruise lines increase Caribbean stops at newly developed island ports, private island compounds

CRUISE INDUSTRY

Norwegian Cruise Line orders new megaship

Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line has ordered a giant new ship, its largest yet, to be delivered in three years.

Sailing Down Under

Big cruise ships invade Australia and New Zealand with new strategies, itineraries, meat pies

Cruises

Carnival Spirit newly Aussified for Sydney

Americans traveling internationally often expect foreign resorts and cruise ships to bend their styles and tastes toward those of the United States, providing big urns of coffee, cold American beers in a bottle, and piles of bacon strips at breakfast.

Wine cruises

A taste of the grape

As cruise lines offer an increasing variety of themed sailings and shipboard activities, more travelers are choosing to combine the vacation fun of a cruise with a theme that pleases their palates: wine cruises.

Travelwise

Cruising the Med: lots of choices

A Mediterranean cruise is the dream of many people. It makes sense. Europe has so many places to see, so many cultures, so much history and such varied contemporary lifestyles. The Med boasts sensational shoreside activities and cuisines to try. But how does one choose with so many cruise lines, ships and itineraries?

Cruising

Sea trek: the next generation

2013’s cruise ships will launch new designs

Cruise notes

New paddlewheeler on Mississippi River

A brand new paddlewheeler started cruising on the Mississippi River last month. The 150-passenger Queen of the Mississippi, which makes seven-night cruises from several ports, has not been affected by the river’s drought-induced low water, which has curtailed some traffic on the river.

Cruising

Managing your time and money on a big, big ship

Aboard a ship like Royal Caribbean’s mammoth Oasis of the Seas, it pays to plan ahead.

Cruises

Breezing through the Med with a beachy look

Carnival’s newest ship shouts ‘Caribbean beach vacation’ — which is what it will be doing when it arrives in Miami in November.

CRUISE INDUSTRY

Cruise industry still in troubled waters six months after Costa Concordia

Six months after a deadly shipwreck in Italy, cruise lines are still in rough waters. For travelers, the deals continue.

CRUISE LINES

Daniel Hanrahan, CEO of Celebrity Cruises, announces resignation

The head of Celebrity Cruises is leaving that company to become CEO of hair care company Regis Corporation.

Ocean liner QE2 to host visitors again as hotel in Dubai

The Queen Elizabeth 2’s Dubai owners outlined plans Monday to turn the storied cruise liner into a dockside hotel that will keep many existing furnishings intact, ending years of speculation about the fate of the $100 million throwback.

Cruise notes

Cabanas on cruise line’s private island

A round-up of news from Carnival, Disney, MSC, and American Cruise Line and more.

CRUISE INDUSTRY

Norwegian Breakaway to draw entertainment from Broadway

For its next ship, Norwegian Cruise Line announced three shows that have appeared on Broadway and a partnership with star chef Geoffrey Zakarian.

Cruises

Salt air and live music

From gentle strings to hard rock bands, the sounds of music are wafting and reverberating aboard cruise ships booked for special entertainment packages this year and next.

Cruises

Choosing a Down-Under itinerary

One of the more difficult decisions for a first cruise in Australia and New Zealand is choosing an itinerary to visit all the ports you want to see. Don’t worry. You can’t. Unless your time and budget are nearly unlimited, these countries are far too big for one visit.

CRUISING

When kids are ready for shipboard vacations

My son and his family were planning their first cruise in 2009. Fortunately for my daughter-in-law, they cancelled their plans because she broke her foot. The good luck wasn’t the break; it was the decision to put off the Mediterranean cruise for another year. Her family wasn’t ready.