MSC Cruises ordered another Panamax ship from the Chantiers de l´Atlantique shipyard for a 2008 delivery, CEO Richard Sasso said at the Seatrade conference State of the Industry session here. Sasso did not say where MSC´s five new ships on order would go but that North America would “get a lot of attention. “These ships give us so much versatility,” he added.

Parading penguins and towering icebergs, hundreds of mysterious Moai statues standing as tall as than 70 feet, and giant tortoises and blue-footed boobies are among some of the exciting sights awaiting guests of Discovery when the ship returns to South America and the South Pacific for the fourth consecutive year in 2007. A specialist in exploring exotic and faraway places in comfort and style, Discovery World Cruises –operators of Discovery- will offer 17 spectacular cruise tours, ranging from 13 to 40 days to the Galapagos Islands, Antarctica, South America and the South Pacific for 2007.

With Europe an ever popular cruise destination, Holland America Line is adding a fifth ship, the new ship Noordam, to sail the Mediterranean throughout the summer. The Noordam makes her European debut starting with a 16-day Atlantic crossing from New York to Rome followed by a full summer of 10-day cruises exploring the romantic and beautiful Mediterranean round trip from Rome (Civitavecchia) from May through September.

Cruises offer a range of family-friendly activities and a sea of destination choices throughout Europe and the Caribbean Choosing the right family vacation to keep both parents and kids happy can be a challenge. For those parents seeking an alternative to the traditional summer road trip or week by the seashore, a cruise might be just the solution. In fact, a cruise was the top vacation choice for the “perfect summer trip” in a 2005 National Geographic Kids survey that polled 401 children ages eight to 14.

Three member lines of the Niche Cruise Marketing Alliance are offering unique theme cruise experiences during 2006 ranging from garden tours to equestrian excursions and musical extravaganzas. Peter Deilmann Cruises is expanding its European garden theme cruises this year on its river ships sailing the Danube, Dutch and Belgian Canals, Seine, Rhone and Elbe rivers and on the ocean liner Deutschland sailings on the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean and Baltic seas.

Norwegian Cruise Line is offering a three-in-one cruise that takes in Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Caribbean, as well as two days in New York. This new cruise, which has been dubbed ´the BBC´ by NCL, features two back-to-back six and eight night cruises out of New York.