Happy new year! Cruisers are in for another big one, with 30 million travellers globally expected to take an ocean voyage and 25 ocean-going cruise ships set to launch in 2019, 18 of them belonging to CLIA's (Cruise Lines International Association) member cruise lines. Here's a look at a few of CLIA's forecasts for the coming year.
Flamboyant billionaire Sir Richard Branson recently announced that Virgin Voyages plans to build a dedicated cruise terminal in Port Miami for its upcoming fleet.
Cruising to Cuba has increased by leaps and bounds since the Caribbean island nation eased restrictions for US cruise lines in 2016.
Britain's Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) might not be particularly well known to east-coast Australians but over the past five years the line's boutique ship Astor has gained a loyal fan base in Western and South Australia.
Celebrity Solstice is now cruising in local waters for the seventh year running and the ship has proved to be so popular that Celebrity Cruises is sending a second ship Down Under for the 2020/21 season.
Oceania Regatta and Oceania Insignia are among the record number of overseas ships heading our way for the 2018-2019 summer cruise season.
Expedition and adventure cruising is the focus of the last week of 2018’s Choose Cruise month, but there is so much happening in this sector of the cruise industry it really needs a month to itself.
Avalon Saigon, which set sail in October 2018, is the newest ship on the Mekong. Like its European fleetmates, Avalon Saigon is a Suite Ship but at 60 metres long rather than 135 metres, it’s relatively petite – and an identical sister to the popular Avalon Siem Reap.
Read MoreThe luxury cruise industry is enjoying an unprecedented boom – just look at the number of new multimillion-dollar ships being built.
The arrival of Princess Cruises' Majestic Princess in Sydney last week marked the official start of the 2018-19 cruise season, one that promises to be the busiest yet for Australia's ports.
P&O Cruises has been cruising in Australia since 1932 and the line is marking its 86th birthday year with some dramatic changes.
Grand crystal chandeliers, marble walls and a new menu: Compass Rose, the main dining room of the Regent Seven Seas Mariner has had a dazzling makeover.
Several river cruise lines are making substantial changes to their existing ships rather than investing in new ones. Uniworld has three freshly made-over ships sailing in Europe this year…
Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Cruise Line's 16th ship, was christened in suitably splashy style in Seattle at the end of May after a six-week pre-inaugural tour.
Did you know that almost one in 18 Australians have taken a cruise? And that most Aussie cruisers come from NSW?
Silversea Cruises has ordered a third ship in its Muse class just months after it signed a contract with shipbuilder Fincantieri for Silver Moon, which is due to be delivered in 2020; Silver Dawn is scheduled to set sail in 2021.
This is an important anniversary year for several cruise lines: Holland America Line is celebrating its 145th, Seabourn its 30th, Fred.Olsen its 180th and Ponant its 30th.
As Seabourn Ovation slipped its mooring lines and moved slowly away from the dock at Genoa's Fincantieri shipyard, Captain Stig Betten made a formal but emotional statement.
Until the local cruise season heats up again next summer, the choice of ships sailing in our region narrows considerably, so why not head off to Asia for your next cruise fix?
