Carnival Cruise Lines added new four- and five-day cruises with day-long calls at Cabo San Lucas to the Carnival Elation’s schedule from San Diego in July 2009. The Cabo voyages are in addition to the ship’s three- and four-day Baja program.
Avalon Waterways in 2010 will christen two new ships in Europe and will increase its vacations by nearly 20 percent with more than 30 itineraries of five to 23 days in Europe, China, Egypt and the Galapagos. Avalon Waterways has created five new river cruises for 2010.
Royal Caribbean International will base three ships in the Northeast U.S. in 2010, offering cruises to Bermuda, the Caribbean, Canada and New England from four homeports.
Passengers at Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades can expect to board the world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, in 15 minutes.
Royal Caribbean International and Universal Orlando Resort have partnered to offer Way More Than a Cruise packages. Bookings for the package are open for travel starting March 31.
The world’s top cruise lines rely heavily on North American passengers, but will not let the recession keep them from scouring Europe, Asia and Latin America for new customers and destinations.