In 2011-12, Princess Cruises will base five ships in the Caribbean. The Ruby Princess will operate seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruises roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale on Sundays. The itinerary features Princess Cays, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Grand Turk from Nov. 5, 2011, to April 29, 2012. The ship will also offer a nine-day Southern Caribbean holiday sailing from Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 30, 2011, calling at Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, St. Thomas and Princess Cays.

Pristine Bay Resort in Roatan, Honduras, is opening its Black Pearl golf course to cruise passengers starting Dec. 1. Roatan, a tropical island 40 miles off the coast of Honduras, is a favorite of scuba divers and an increasingly popular destination on Western Caribbean cruise itineraries.

Crystal Cruises has added two additional Pacific Coast voyages to the fall 2011 calendar. Sailing roundtrip from Los Angeles aboard Crystal Symphony, the seven-day “Coastal Escape” and “Pacific Sunsets” cruises feature Crystal’s first-ever itineraries with two-day, two-night overnight stays in San Francisco, plus visits to Santa Barbara, San Diego and Ensenada, Mexico.

MSC Cruises’ offers a variety of Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale on the MSC Poesia. Special pricing is available through valid promotions. A few of these offers include the following: “Buy One, Get One Free,” “Last-minute Sale” and “Sail Free on Your Birthday.”

Regent Seven Seas Cruises has introduced its “Winter Collection” of cruises from October 2011 through May 2012. With bonus savings, guests can save up to $6,000 per suite when booked by Dec. 30, 2010.

The first cruise ships have returned to the Caribbean island of St. Lucia following the devastation caused by hurricane Tomas. P&O’s Oceana arrived in Castries yesterday, closely followed by Holland America’s Noordam.