Princess Cruises’ Tahitian Princess, one of the small vessels in the fleet, will be renamed Ocean Princess in 2009 to reflect the ship’s new deployment on worldwide itineraries.

MSC Cruises’ newest addition, MSC Poesia, was christened in Dover on April 5. Among the ship’s highlights are four restaurants-Le Fontane, Il Palladio, La Cafeteria Villa Pompeiana and l’Obelisco, the a-la-carte restaurant.

Royal Caribbean International has opened up bookings for its 2009 Alaska season, which will encompass 10 different itineraries, ranging from seven to 15 nights in length with departure points of San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Seward and Vancouver.

Silversea has expanded its distinctive wine and culinary arts enrichment program for 2008 featuring world-class wineries and award-winning chefs. Chef Maureen Signorella, a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier and the American Institute of Wine and Food, joins a distinguished panel of guest wine and culinary experts slated to share their talents on select cruises throughout the year.

Uniworld Grand River Cruises is offering a “November to Remember” sale. Passengers will receive a savings of $1,000 per person on 12- to 14-night cruises, or $500 per person on seven-night cruises, when select November cruises are booked and deposited prior to April 30.

Cruise traffic to Tobago has risen like the tides since the Scarborough Jetty cruise pier opened last fall, according to tourism officials. Cruise arrivals in December jumped 98 percent over December 2006, topping out at 3,452 passengers. Tobago welcomed more than 14,000 cruise passengers last year.