Three of Princess Cruises six ships that will be cruising the Caribbean have St. Kitts on their itineraries during the 2009/2010 Cruise Ship Season, while a fourth ship will stop on a trip from New York to Puerto Rico. Two of the three ships, the Grand Princess and Ruby Princess, will be visiting Port Zante for the first time.

Silversea Cruises says it’s seeing year-over-year growth of about 10 percent in guests who have never previously sailed with the line. Currently, 54 percent of all guests are new to Silversea, the largest percentage the line has ever achieved, it says.

Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises have unveiled Groups Your Way, a new policy designed to offer travel professionals a choice of two different ways to book groups based on the number of staterooms they wish to hold. Agents will be able to take advantage of the new “Groups Your Way” policy for new and most pre-existing groups in September.

The tourism industry in the Dominican Republic reported revenues of 5.6 million dollars during the 2007-2008 cruise season. Some 70,000 cruise travelers, 38 percent of whom came from Latin America, visited this city. European travelers accounted for 33 percent, compared to 27 percent of US tourists and nearly 2 percent from other countries.

Windstar Cruises is offering holiday sailings in the Caribbean and Costa Rica. Wind Spirit’s seven-day holiday cruise departs from St. Thomas on Dec. 20 and visits St. John, St. Martin, St. Barts, Jost Van Dyke and Virgin Gorda.

Azamara Cruises has launched a promotion that includes onboard credit and complimentary standard gratuities on 2009 Europe sailings on 694-guest ships. Those who book, between Aug. 1 and Aug. 31, any 2009 Azamara Europe sailing will receive onboard credit of $150 for each ocean-view or veranda stateroom or $300 for each suite.