Aruba will become this year the home port for Pullmantur Cruise Enterprises, Spain´s leading cruise operators, for one year starting on November 4. The 181-meter-long, 800-passenger Blue Moon cruise liner will use Aruba as home port while passengers will be flown in straight from Spain on a 747 plane.

The number of luxury line cruise ships calling at Chilean ports grew to a record breaking 120 in 2005, up by 20 percent over the previous season. Industry leaders say that even more cruise ships are on the horizon. Passengers who visit Chile aboard the cruisers spend on average $100 in each port, and the packaged tourism deals sold to the passengers have increased by 30 percent the past several years.

The Grand Turk Cruise Center –the Caribbean´s newest cruise facility-held its official opening ceremony with a reception attended by government officials from the Turk and Caicos Islands and representatives from Carnival Corp., the operator of the $42 million center. Although the Grand Turk Cruise Center welcomed its first ship on February 25 when Holland America Line´s Noordam made its inaugural call at the facility, the official opening marks the completion of construction.

A rich bevy of 22 diverse itineraries distinguishes Holland America Line´s 2007 Caribbean season, the most extensive program of cruises offered by any premium cruise line in the region next year. With itineraries appealing to a wide variety of tastes and schedules, travelers may choose from 125 departures, including a dozen Holiday voyages, four short Bahamian jaunts, and sailings from new Caribbean homeport, New York City.

Amtrak and Carnival Cruise Lines will resume their “Rail and Cruise” program out of New Orleans, with the resumption of four- and five-day cruise service from the Port of New Orleans on the cruise ship Fantasy beginning in October. Passengers may combine their voyage on the Fantasy with travel to and from the ship aboard Amtrak´s City of New Orleans, Crescent and Sunset Limited services.

Celebrity Cruises is canceling one sailing on Summit to replace the starboard thrust bearing in the ship´s propulsion system. The ship must enter drydock to replace the bearing, which will result in the cancellation of its May 20 sailing. The ship is expected to return to its scheduled sailings on May 27. The cancelled sailing is a seven-night Alaska cruise from Vancouver to Seward. Summit is currently sailing a 13-night West Coast / Alaska cruise that will end in Vancouver, as scheduled on May 20.