Cruising Into 2008 and Beyond

From overland odysseys to the Himalayas to Zodiac landings in the icy realms of Antarctica, cruising in 2008 not only will cover the globe but also will offer a variety of experiences never before available from - or on - a cruise ship. Here are some of the highlights.

Think Big: The summer of 2008 sees Carnival's first-ever Baltic cruises on the company's newest and largest ship, the 3,006-passenger Carnival Splendour. Act quickly: These 12-day Northern European sailings are selling well, thanks in part to low lead-in prices. In September, Splendor repositions to operate the line's popular Mediterranean and Greek Isles cruises.

Think Small: This past fall, Celebrity Cruises introduced the second vessel in its new two-ship brand Azamara Cruises. After some initial teething pains, Azamara continues to refine and perfect the cruise experience that it defines as "deluxe." The industry's newest cruise line promises to deliver an experience on its 694-passenger ships that is slightly more upscale than its sister brand Celebrity Cruises. Meantime, big sister Celebrity will launch in December 2008 her largest ship to date, Celebrity Solstice. Solstice begins sailing seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale in December.

Land Cruising: Crystal Cruises will take its guests higher than ever before in 2008. Literally. New overland adventures feature travel in Bhutan, situated in the Himalayas, and India, during Crystal Serenity's 2008 world cruise (if you missed 2008, talk to us about 2009 world cruises). In Asia, March through May, Crystal's two ships will offer more than a dozen new itineraries, including nine overnight tours for in-depth exploration, and 17 overnights in Asian ports.

Hail To The Queen: Queen Victoria, England's "modern" monarch, was the first queen to have a telephone, ride a train, be photographed or host a World's Fair. Like her namesake, Queen Victoria, the second largest Cunarder ever built, boasts many firsts (at sea): the first traditional West End-style private boxes in the Royal Court Theatre, the first Cunardia museum exhibit and the first two-story library. Following her maiden season world cruise beginning in January, Queen Victoria will offer inaugural European itineraries in the Mediterranean, Baltic and Northern Europe.

Back By Popular Demand: The popular Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, now nearing 10 years old, just keep on bringing smiles to kids, families -- and even seniors, singles and honeymooners. In 2008, Disney Magic returns to the West Coast to offer a dozen seven-night Mexican Riviera sailings from Los Angeles.

Dam Ship: Making its debut in July, Holland America Line's Eurodam will offer a series of Baltic cruises before repositioning to the line's new homeport, Quebec City (which coincidentally ranks as the highest-rated port among HAL passengers). Eurodam will offer a series of 10-day cruises between New York and Quebec City during the fall, and will winter in the Caribbean, where an expansive HAL fleet will offer 121 sailings ranging from three days to 20 days.

Fit For A Princess: Boasting its largest fleet ever in Europe, Princess Cruises will operate six ships on 87 sailings calling at more than 115 ports throughout the continent -- more than ever before. Eight new ports debut as well as five new itineraries. The two-year-old, 3,070-passenger Crown Princess makes her debut in Europe while the smaller 670-passenger Pacific Princess cruises the Mediterranean. Also new for 2008: Tahitian Princess will offer new 14-day Connoisseur Alaska Cruises;" Princess' first-ever Galapagos Islands cruisetours; three ships sailing South America; and the debut of the historic Chinese city of Hangzhou as a new destination. The city is one of the highlights of a new Beijing. Hangzhou and Xian tour, one of three Princess cruisetour options in China available in fall 2008 and spring 2009.

More To Cheer: It's hard to top Regent Seven Seas Cruises' announcement in 2007 to offer free booze on its ships. The award-winning cruise line just continues to keep on pleasing its guests, as evidenced by the fact that readers of Conde Nast Traveler recently ranked Regent number-one small ship cruise line. Each of the line's four ships feature some of the industry's highest space-per-guest ratios and crew-per-guest ratios.

Bigger, Better: Royal Caribbean is putting the final touches on Independence of the Seas, which debuts in May to share the title of world's largest ship with her two sisters: Liberty of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas. These 3,634-passenger vessels are real crowd-pleasers, noted particularly for their family-friendly features: the FlowRider surf simulator; the wet and wild H2O Zone aqua park; an ice-skating rink; and the 1,215-square-foot Presidential Family Suite, which sleeps up to 14. Independence of the Seas will be the largest ship ever home-ported in Europe, when she begins sailing from Southampton, England this summer.

Sample Sailings:

SARA Enterprises Inc., is not responsible for content on external Web sites. ©2008 Montrose Travel. All rights reserved.
CST# California: 1018299-10; Iowa: 763; Nevada: 2003-0393; Washington: 602-341-432