EasyCruise, which is getting rave reviews from budget-minded people in their 20s and 30s, and is also charting a new course through the canals of Holland and Belgium, is adding St Kitts and Nevis to its new schedule of Caribbean sailings during the upcoming cruise ship season. EasyCruiseOne is currently sailing the French and Italian Rivieras and will make a transatlantic crossing later this year in time for a new schedule of Caribbean sailings. EasyCruiseTwo is sporting a new look along with the new itinerary –out with the traffic cone color and in with battleship grey.

Crystal Cruises will spend $23 million to enhance the Crystal Symphony in what will be the cruise line´s largest and most expensive dry-dock ever. During two-week refurbishment, from October 31 to November 12, nearly 1,300 people will work around the clock on more than 150 projects to create what Crystal said will “essentially be a new ship, especially to those familiar with it.”

Crystal Cruises is offering travelers the opportunity to experience all of the luxurious trimmings and expanded onboard programming of its renowned World Cruise in a condensed 24-day voyage from Istanbul to London. The luxury line´s 2007 World Cruise Grand Combination Voyage gives travelers the opportunity to embrace exotic Mediterranean antiquities combined with the wonders of Western Europe, as well as an expanded program of onboard enrichment and guest lectures.

Windstar Cruises and parent company Holland America Line announced earlier this month a multi-million dollar Degrees of Difference initiative to enhance the line´s three-ship fleet of motor sailing yachts. Work will begin this fall on the msy Wind Surf during a five-week combined wet dock and dry dock in November and December 2006.

A few months ago we reported that Aruba is to become homeport for Pullmantur Cruise Enterprises, Spain´s leading cruise operators, for one year starting November 4. The 181-meter-long, 800-passenger cruise ship “Blue Moon” will use Aruba as homeport while the passengers will be flown in directly from Spain on a 747 plane.

Carnival Cruise Lines announced that the 110,000-ton Carnival Freedom will operate year-round seven-day Caribbean cruises from the Port of Miami beginning in November 2007, becoming the newest “Fun Ship” to operate from that port. Currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Maghera, Italy, the 2,974-passenger Super Liner will launch alternating weeklong eastern and western Caribbean cruises from the Port of Miami beginning November 17, 2007.