Cruising just seems to get better and better with each passing year. And why not? It’s a relatively young segment of the vacation industry. Born in the late 1960s, cruising would be a Generation X’er if it had human attributes, not even old enough to be a Baby Boomer. Still, cruising is maturing in ways that have expanded and vivified the vacation market. In its infancy, cruising served up only the Caribbean on a few ill-suited ships. Now that it’s all grown up, cruising spans the globe on innovative ships that continue to impress even the most jaded travelers.

2007 will be no exception to cruising’s “wow” factor. Start with the destinations. If you were to spin your globe and jab your finger on any body of blue water, you’d likely land on an area that ships are visiting or have charted to visit. With the Caribbean now “tried and true,” itinerary planners are laboring to plot new destinations worldwide for today’s avid cruisers.

Seattle-based Cruise West, for example, has charted new sailings to Vietnam for 2007. The 11-night itinerary will call on Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, where guests will experience the French Colonial influences on architecture and cuisine. These 11-night journeys complement Cruise West’s China and Japan cruises (a category that typically has been selling out a year in advance, so book early). Known for its “up close, personal and casual” style, the small-ship operator also will offer a number of unique itineraries in Alaska that visit the Bering Sea and the Russian Far East.

Cruise West will not be alone in Asia. Luxury line Crystal Cruises will return to Asia for the first time in two years to offer a collection of four destination-intensive itineraries as well as its first-ever cruise from Singapore to Dubai, one of the world’s hottest vacation destinations. The 16-day cruise even features three days in Myanmar (formerly Burma).

Royal Caribbean International returns to Asia in December 2007 with Rhapsody of the Seas, and both Holland America Line and Princess Cruises will operate new Asia itineraries as well.

Crossing The Big Pond
2007 WILL SEE A LOT OF EMPHASIS ON EUROPE CRUISES. As a source market for cruise lines, more Europeans than ever are boarding ships to set sail, both in their own backyard and in destinations abroad. For Americans cruising in Europe, the cruise lines’ interest in Europe bodes well. With the destination maturing as a cruising region, old ports are being improved and new ones are being charted. Plus, the cruise lines are moving their best ships to Europe for the season.

Princess Cruises introduces what it calls its “most dramatic deployment in Europe to date,” with five ships offering itineraries that range from seven to 24 days and destinations as varied as Iceland and Egypt. This spring, Princess launches the new 3,110-passenger Emerald Princess and the newly reconfigured 680-passenger Royal Princess (it was Swan Hellenic’s Minerva II) in Europe. Emerald Princess spends spring, summer and early fall on alternating 12-night Mediterranean and Greek Isles cruises before repositioning to Fort Lauderdale to alternate Eastern and Southern Caribbean itineraries. Like the popular new Crown Princess, Emerald Princess will feature a big-screen LED on the top deck and down below, the Piazza, a popular gathering spot that has the feel of an Italian “Piazza” at the lower level of the atrium.

Also operating 12-night Mediterranean and Greek Isles cruises (and featuring the Holy Land), Royal Princess will emerge from renovations that will add Sabatini’s, the popular Italian grill reservations-only restaurant, and a 24-hour Lido Deck cafe as well as a library that will boast more than 4,000 titles.

Holland America Line, a cruise company with roots in Europe (the company was founded in Rotterdam more than 130 years ago), will introduce 13 maiden ports of call during its five-ship season in Europe. While maiden ports of call include destinations such as Jupivogur, Iceland; Sochi, Russia; and Koper, Slovenia, the primary focus will be on 46 itineraries featuring 136 ports of call from the Black Sea to the Baltic. For the first time, Disney Cruise Line will operate in Europe, repositioning the Disney Magic for the summer of 2007 to the Port of Barcelona in Spain, where the ship will offer alternating 10-night and 11-night Mediterranean cruises. Eight European ports of call provide gateways to familiar cities such as Florence, Rome, Pisa and Cannes. Be sure to ask about discounted air upgrades to make the long-haul as comfortable as possible. To entice travelers across the Big Pond, for example, Crystal Cruises is offering reduced business class air for 2007 European cruises booked by March 31, 2007.

Final Frontiers
While Europe beckons with Continental flair and sophistication, Alaska lures travelers with its call of the wild.

Next year sees Holland America Line’s largest ever Alaska deployment, with 156 cruises on eight ships, including 58 cruises roundtrip Seattle. HAL also will offer 29 cruise tours, a combination of a cruise and a land tour. Also new: Cruise tour guests will travel in new or recently enhanced Explorer

Coaches that provide leather seats with the equivalent legroom of a domestic first-class airline flight.

Princess, Royal Caribbean, NCL and other operators will offer Alaska cruises as well, with Princess deploying a record five vessels on Gulf of Alaska cruises and expanded capacity on Inside Passage itineraries, including the debut on that route of Golden Princess.

NCL’s new Norwegian Pearl will offer a series of summer Alaska sailings from Seattle, while Celebrity Cruises will have three ships sailing from Vancouver for the 2007 Alaska season.

The big news for Celebrity, however, is its new Australia/New Zealand cruises. Celebrity Mercury will offer six 14-night open-jaw sailings between Auckland, New Zealand, and Sydney, Australia, from December 2007 through March 2008. Princess and Holland America Line also offer extensive Australia/New Zealand cruises.

New and Like New Ships
While the breadth and scope of itineraries is expanding, the quality of ships is keeping a similar pace. Cast your eye across the fleet of ships operated by North American-based cruise lines, and you will find some impressive hardware. 2006 marked another turning point for the cruise industry as yet another record was broken for world’s largest cruise ship. That ship, of course, was Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas.

Size records will not be broken in 2007, but Royal Caribbean will introduce a sister to its largest vessel. Liberty of the Seas launches this spring to offer seven-night alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries.

2007 will see nine bottles of bubbly smashed against the hull of nine new ships if counting the reconfigured Royal Princess. The first new ship out of the gate is Carnival Freedom. The 2,974-passenger ship launches in March to offer Carnival’s first Mediterranean/Greek Isles/Turkey itineraries. Carnival Freedom’s 12-day runs will visit eight ports with lots of opportunities to explore ashore.

NCL’s Norwegian Pearl was to be a 2007 baby, but the shipyard was running ahead of schedule, so that Norwegian Pearl emerged two months early — in December 2006. Yes, there is the 10-pin, regulation-size bowling lane that promises a “roll true” experience, but what we think avid cruisers will enjoy most on this Freestyle ship are the 10 restaurants, 14 bars and lounges and the 10 Courtyard Villas.

Originally introduced on Norwegian Jewel, the Courtyard Villas are a close cousin to the pricey 5,000-square-foot Garden Villas. Surrounding a private courtyard and pool, these expansive suites are among the best values at sea. Pearl positions in Miami during her inaugural season to offer five-night Western Caribbean cruises and nine-night Southern Caribbean cruises.

In October, NCL launches Norwegian Gem, a sister ship to Pearl, with many of the same features. Norwegian Gem home ports in New York to offer a series of cruises to the Bahamas and the Caribbean.

The latest launch of the year will be Cunard Line’s Queen Victoria in December 2007. At 90,000 gross tons (compared to Queen Mary 2’s 150,000) Cunard’s second largest liner will feature many of the hallmark features that are found on Queen Mary 2 (such as the Todd English restaurant, a Grand Lobby and more) plus many innovative features, including private viewing boxes in the Royal Court Theatre, alfresco dining for Grill guests, a floating museum of Cunard memorabilia, and a two-story library with 6,000 books. Queen Victoria will debut with two special maiden voyages, a Christmas Markets Voyage and a Canary Islands Festive Celebration — both in December 2007.

2007 also brings significant refurbishments to several ships. Just in time for the new year, Windstar Cruises’ Wind Surf will be the first ship to emerge from a comprehensive upgrade of the fleet’s three ships. A big change for Wind Surf will be the Yacht Club, a new gathering spot for guests on the main deck. The company’s other two ships, Wind Spirit and Wind Star, will be refurbished in the spring and the fall, respectively. And you heard it here first: Windstar will offer a series of roundtrip Athens cruises in 2008.

Some of the most welcome news for the new year comes from Regent Seven Seas, which will offer worldwide cruises again in 2007 ranging from seven to 111 nights in length and reaching 21 new ports of call from Kotor (Montenegro) to Yasawa (Fiji). But that’s not the news that caused us to perk up and listen. The luxury line announced that beginning in 2007, it will offer select complimentary wine and spirits at all bars and restaurants fleet wide on every sailing. Now there’s something to toast for the new year.

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