Carnival Corp. ordered a new ship for its Princess Cruises brand from Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri. The 143,000-ton, 3,560-passenger vessel, a sister to the Royal Princess and Regal Princess, is scheduled for delivery in 2017.

“Royal Princess and Regal Princess have been exceptionally successful for us and have received numerous accolades from guests, travel agents and media, so adding another sister ship will enable us to continue to expand our innovative vacation experiences,” said Princess President Jan Schwartz.

This September, Silversea Expeditions' all-suite Silver Galapagos will undergo a second phase of refurbishment during a month-long dry dock in Panama.

The renovations will entail a complete refurbishment of all suites, corridors and the Explorer Lounge. An elegant blue and beige color palette will create an interior décor echoing that of the recently refurbished Silver Discoverer.

Stricken cruise ship Costa Concordia is preparing to makes its final journey as authorities in Italy get set to tow the vessel away for scrapping. Following a painstaking process to re-float the ship over a period of month, Concordia will now be towed to Genoa to be broken up for scrap.

Norwegian Cruise Line has placed St. Kitts’ Port Zante, on the itineraries of its 93,000-ton Norwegian Gem, the 153,000-ton Norwegian Getaway, the 146,000-ton Norwegian Breakaway, the 76,000-ton, Norwegian Spirit and the Norwegian Pearl for 2014 and 2015.