Sophia Loren will be a five-time godmother for MSC Cruises when she christens the MSC Poesia at midnight on April 5 in Dover, England. It will be the first launch of an MSC ship outside of Italy.

Crystal Cruises is debuting two new products geared for travel agents. The first is the line’s “E-mail Builder,” a program that allows agents to send savings opportunities, destination specials and other promotions to individual clients. Agents can use the promotional le-mail templates to customize the content to suit a particular client’s interests, schedule or budget.

Holland America Line will offer nine select voyages throughout Australia and New Zealand in 2009 aboard the 1,432-passenger ms Volendam. The ship will operate itineraries ranging from 14 to 19 days, departing from Auckland, Sydney or Singapore.

Carnival Cruise Lines has enhanced its “Fun Pass” online embarkation portal to allow guests the ability to register for the line’s shipboard credit card system and to electronically accept the Terms and Conditions of Passage prior to their cruise, thus further expediting the embarkation process.

The sailor’s knot is known for being easy to tie but hard to break. Now, guests who wish to be married at sea by captains of Azamara Cruises’ and Celebrity Cruises’ ships will soon be able to “tie” their own steadfast “knot” at sea, when the lines launch legal, captain-led wedding ceremonies later this year to complement their existing vow renewal and in-port wedding offerings.

Carnival Cruise Lines has introduced a new on-board program called “Circle C” aimed specifically at the 12- to 14-year-old age group, with expansive new clubs, a full schedule of activities and trained staff.