Holland America Line is offering a series of familiarization cruises to Alaska, the Pacific Coast and Caribbean for travel agents. The seven-day Alaska fam cruise aboard Oosterdam and departs Sept. 15, 2013 and calls at Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan, Alaska, and Victoria, British Columbia, with scenic cruising in Tracy Arm Fjord.

Today Carnival Corporation & plc announced it is introducing its Princess Cruises brand to China in 2014, naming Shanghai as home port for Sapphire Princess during a four-month season expected to carry 70,000 passengers.

If you’re taking a cruise from Miami to the Caribbean, these are generally the destinations you’ll be visiting. And while several cruise lines offer longer cruises, either from Miami or San Juan, the further south you go in the Caribbean, the less likely you are to see a high rate of cruise calls.

China targets to increase their revenue from cruise industry with new terminals – along with big plans for more facilities and a luxury ship – to bring more foreign tourists ashore and capitalize on domestic travellers wanting to sail the high seas.