The 130,000-ton Carnival Breeze, conducts sea trials in the Adriatic Sea in preparation for its inaugural June 3 voyage from Venice, Italy. The 130,000-ton Carnival Breeze, Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest ship, is shown here conducting sea trials in the Adriatic Sea in preparation for its inaugural June 3 voyage from Venice, Italy. The 3,690-passenger vessel, currently in the final stages of construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, had a full contingent of officers, technicians, and engineers on board who thoroughly tested the Carnival Breeze’s sophisticated navigation, technical and mechanical systems.

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the Caribbean’s newest destination, the $65 million Amber Cove Cruise Center, were held in the Dominican Republic at the project site on the Bay of Maimon located near Puerto Plata in the country’s North Coast. The new facility – which represents one of the largest cruise industry investments ever made in the Dominican Republic – is scheduled to open in 2014.  The project is designed to re-establish the Dominican Republic’s North Coast as a popular cruise destination.  The last cruise ship to call at Puerto Plata was nearly 30 years ago.

The Tampa Port Authority welcomed the announcement by Royal Caribbean International of its plans to replace its current cruise ship serving Tampa, Jewel of the Seas, with Brilliance of the Seas beginning with the 2013-2014 season. Both belong to the Radiance Class of ships, with 2,112 passenger capacity. In May 2013, before Brilliance of the Seas is deployed to Tampa, she will enter dry dock to undergo a major revitalization as part of Royal Caribbean's Royal Advantage program, and re-emerge almost as if she were a new ship. 

Century Cruises, a leading Yangtze River cruise line, has announced the signing of a contract with Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection.  The world’s only authentic boutique cruise line™, Uniworld is recognized among the “World’s Best River Cruises” by Travel + Leisure. The company was also voted the“#1 River Cruise Line in the World” in Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards, and was named to Condé Nast Traveler’s prestigious Gold List and their Platinum Circle for having made the list consistently for the past five years.

Pan Star, a leading cruise line, will be operating a two-day, one-night cruise between Busan and Yeosu six times during the 2012 EXPO Yeosu period. The cruise departs from the Busan International Passenger Terminal on Saturday at 12:00 noon (see below for sailing dates) and arrives at Yeosu around 6:30pm. After docking for several hours at Yeosu, the cruise ship departs at 11:30pm and sets sail for Busan, arriving at around 8:30am the following morning.

Royal Caribbean International continues to bring the cruise line's most innovative features and popular venues first introduced on Oasis-class ships to its fleet with the revitalization of Grandeur of the Seas this month. The ship begins a five-week long, $48 million dry dock at the Navantia ship yard in Cadiz, Spain, where she will receive an array of new venues, jaw-dropping entertainment and exciting amenities for guests. Grandeur of the Seas is the third of six Vision-class ships to undergo extensive revitalization.

Sunvil Sailing has teamed up with Lovesail.com to offer cabin charter flotilla holidays for singles in the Greek Ionian Sea. Prices are from £850 per person per week or £1,200 for two weeks for departures on 10th June including flights from London Gatwick, transfers and optional tuition – there is no single supplement.

During its annual National Tourism Week (NTW) Luncheon Tampa Bay & Company honored its former President & CEO Paul Catoe with the 2012 Gonzmart Family Ambassador of the Year Award. The award was presented by the President and CEO of the Columbia Restaurant Richard Gonzmart and the current President/CEO of Tampa Bay & Company Kelly Miller in front of a crowd of almost 500 at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina.

MSC Cruises has a flair for offering innovative and exciting food and wine theme cruises, with recent initiatives including five popular Facebook competitions for UK, French, German, Italian and Spanish guests in which the lucky winners each set sail with one of their nation’s famous chefs. Sharpening its creative culinary skills further still, MSC Cruises has now joined forces with Gerry Wilton, international chocolatier and founder of the world’s first chocolate themed hotel, the chic and unique Chocolate Boutique Hotel in Bournemouth, to offer a voyage of discovery with a difference for guests on board MSC Opera from 13- 23 May 2012.

Louis XIV’s marital stomping grounds, puffins’ Icelandic party pad, a former Prussian capital, Napoleon’s birthplace, and the gateway to Norway’s most scenic vistas are among seven European ports-of-call Crystal Cruises will be visiting for the first time this year.  From Crystal Serenity’s current trans-Atlantic voyage to Crystal Symphony’s reverse pond crossing in September, guests will be among the first Crystal travelers to stop in quaint communities, centuries-old fishing villages, and trendy cosmopolitan centers in Lithuania, Norway, France, Iceland, and Spain.