In 1958 Holland America Line embarked on its first Grand World Voyage, circumnavigating the globe on the beloved Statendam IV. Fifty years later in 2008, four Grand Voyages will commemorate the premium line’s golden anniversary of worldwide cruising with two sailings each aboard the flagship ms Amsterdam and the intimate ms Prinsendam. As the popularity of longer cruise voyages grows, Holland America Line is expanding its Grand Voyages program with four extensive itineraries in 2008 that boast a total of 320 days of cruising, 118 ports of call and 74 countries, and will sail more than 95,000 nautical miles. A 114-day true circumnavigation voyage aboard Amsterdam anchors the offerings.

C&O Tours, through the Norwegian shipping company Hurtigruten, is now offering an interesting and marvelous trip to the Chilean fiords and the Antarctic. The 15-day cruise teed off its new 2006-2007 season on October 17. The trip starts either in Ushuaia or in Punta Arenas, and ends on either point’s opposite side. The innovation this time around –the company says- is that the trip includes the city of Puerto Natales.

The countdown is on for the much-anticipated arrival of MSC Lirica in Fort Lauderdale on November 15, marking the launch of MSC Cruises’ 2006-2007 Caribbean season. Time is also running out for travelers to take advantage of fantastic savings on MSC Cruises’ 11-night cruises on board the stylish MSC Lirica and MSC Opera, which arrives in January.

When the Mercury set sail from Canada Place last Sunday, it signaled the end of the 2006 Vancouver-Alaska cruise season, which saw an estimated 858,500 passengers depart or arrive through the port on 253 vessel calls. While the passenger total for 2006 stands for a six percent decrease over the previous year, the Port of Vancouver is projecting an increase of 100,000 passengers in 2007.

When Holland America Line recently added a new Culinary Arts Center to the final ship in the fleet, all structural changes originally envisioned for the company’s $225 million Signature of Excellence initiative were complete. The comprehensive Signature of Excellence upgrades announced nearly three years ago (November 2003) triggered an industry trend of fleet rejuvenations and enhancements to meet the demands of an expanding set of discriminating cruise vacationers.

Royal Caribbean International is combining its signature active cruising experience with crocodiles, kangaroos and koala bears, when the cruise line returns to the land of Down Under for the 2007-2008 season. Rhapsody of the Seas will sail a series of new itineraries to the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand as she heads for her recently announced Far East adventure.