It’s another busy year for the cruise industry, with new ships, river cruise boats and itineraries.
Disney Cruise Line has already made a big splash in 2011 with the launch of Disney Dream. Its first ship for a decade, the Disney Dream has inside cabins with virtual portholes and a watercoaster at sea.
April and May are busy. As well as the entries listed below, the big news is Crystal Cruises’ return to Alaska, with Disney Cruise Line and Oceania Cruises making their debuts in the 49th state. Plus, SeaDream Yacht Club starts its first season of northern Europe cruises.
Elsewhere, French line Compagnie du Ponant and six-star Regent Seven Seas Cruises try their luck with no-fly cruises from the UK, while Uniworld rolls out the first river cruise boat with a cinema.
To help you keep up to date, we’ve rounded up the key events with this month-by-month calendar. Package prices are per person with flights and transfers unless otherwise stated.
February
Oceania Cruises’ 1,258-passenger ship Marina is named in Miami by Entertainment Tonight presenter Mary Hart. From £1,349 cruise-only for a 10-day Islands in the Sun cruise round trip from Miami on January 3, 2012. oceaniacruises.com
March
Uniworld’s 158-passenger Antoinette, boasting conservatory-style balconies and a 20-seat cinema, launches in Holland. From £1,899 for a seven-night cruise from Amsterdam to Basel on August 21 including shore excursions and drinks with dinner. titanhitours.co.uk
Viking River Cruises starts selling the Nile in the UK for the first time, offering cruises on two Mövenpick vessels, Prince Abbas and Royal Lotus. From £2,190 for a 12-day holiday combining three nights cruising the Nile and three nights cruising Lake Nasser, one night in Luxor and four nights in Cairo, including excursions. vikingrivercruises.co.uk
April
Crystal Cruises’ 1,070-passenger Crystal Serenity returns to west coast Africa for the first time in a decade, visiting Namibia, Togo, Ghana and Senegal. From £7,368 for a 21-day cruise from Cape Town to Dover on April 17 including $1,000 per person onboard credit. crystalcruises.co.uk
Compagnie du Ponant’s 264-passenger yacht L’Austral is launched in Marseilles, France. From £1,655 for a seven-night, cruise-only Dalmatian coast cruise from Venice on July 12. ponant.com
Royal Caribbean International’s Liberty of the Seas arrives in Barcelona with Saturday Night Fever playing in the theatre and characters from DreamWorks parading down the Royal Promenade. From £1,033 for a seven-night Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona on June 4. cruisingpower.co.uk
Scenic Tours launches new river cruise boat, Scenic Pearl. It’s the company’s fifth vessel, featuring balconies and butler service. From £3,645 for a 15-day Jewels of Europe cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest on November 9 including shore excursions and gratuities. scenictours.com
Viking River Cruises’ 264-passenger Viking Emerald launches on the Yangtze in China with giant presidential suites. From £2,495 for a 13-night holiday combining a five-night cruise and overnights in Shanghai, Xi’an and Beijing including shore excursions and wine with dinner on the cruise. vikingrivercruises.co.uk
P&O Cruises is offering its first no-fly cruise to Alaska for 40 years on Arcadia. The 72-night voyage is available in 13 shorter sectors. From £7,099 for a 72-night cruise-only round trip from Southampton on April 12. pocruises.com
May
Carnival Cruise Lines is back in the Mediterranean for the first time in three years, sailing seven, nine and 12-night cruises from Barcelona on the new 3,690-passenger Carnival Magic. From £929 for a seven-night Mediterranean cruise round trip from Barcelona on July 3. carnivalcruise.co.uk
Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess arrives in Southampton for a summer season of no-fly cruises after a refit that has added a piazza-style atrium, a pizzeria and upgraded steakhouse. From £1,199 cruise-only for a 14-night Mediterranean Medley departing on October 21. princess.com
The Ace UK Cruise Convention is in Southampton from May 3-5. A Columbus Day for owners, managers and Ace ambassadors is on May 3. There will be a chance to visit four ships over the three days. Tickets are £125 for three days, £75 for two days, rising to £150 and £95 on February 1. ukcruiseconvention.org
Avalon Waterways’ new 166-passenger river boat Panorama, boasting two decks of suites, will be named in Mainz, Germany, on May 14. From £1,799 for a 15-day Magnificent Europe cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest on November 2 including UK transfers, drinks at dinner and shore excursions. avalonwaterways.co.uk
P&O Cruises takes delivery of the adults-only, 710-passenger Adonia, which is currently sailing for Princess as Royal Princess. From £1,692 cruise-only for a 17-night west Mediterranean cruise round trip from Southampton on October 12. pocruises.com
Uniworld’s new 128-passenger Douro Spirit sets out on its maiden voyage, sailing a round trip from Porto, on May 1. From £2,379 for a seven-night cruise on the Douro Spirit on August 21 including UK transfers, shore excursions and wine with dinner. titanhitours.co.uk
June
Costa Cruises launches a Great Capitals of Europe cruise, sailing from the UK and visiting seven northern European capital cities. From £1,019 cruise-only for an 11-night voyage from Dover on June 8. costacruises.co.uk
Seabourn launches new ship Seabourn Quest, offering luxury-style casual cruising and even champagne and caviar in the surf. From £4,499 cruise-only for a 14-night Turkey, Greek Isles and Dalmatian coast cruise on September 12. seabourn.co.uk
Orion Expeditions doubles in size with the addition of the 100-passenger Orion II. Currently sailing as Clelia II, it will cruise around Asia. From £4,770 cruise-only for a 10-night Inland Sea of Japan cruise on July 18. orionexpeditions.com
July
Holland America Line is celebrating 40 years since it became a conventional cruise line with a transatlantic crossing from Southampton. A nine-night voyage from Southampton to New York on July 5 starts at £1,489. hollandamerica.co.uk
Costa Cruises is launching Costa Favolosa, promising a contemporary enchanted castle with a Grand Prix simulator and Aqua Park. From £1,179 for a seven-night Ancient Treasures cruise from Venice on September 4. costacruises.co.uk
Celebrity Cruises launches Celebrity Silhouette, the fourth new Solstice-class ship, featuring new dining venues on the trademark lawn. From £2,011 for a 12-night Holy Land cruise from Civitavecchia on September 3. cruisingpower.co.uk
Viking River Cruises’ new Viking Prestige sails from Amsterdam to Budapest, to start a series of Romantic Danube cruises. From £1,595 for a seven-night cruise between Budapest and Nuremburg including shore excursions and wine with dinner. vikingrivercruises.co.uk
August
Shearings has chartered Discovery, the cruise ship owned by Voyages of Discovery, for a 14-day no-fly cruise to the Baltic. From £1,599 cruise-only for a 14-night round trip from Harwich on August 20. shearingsagent.com
Compagnie du Ponant is offering no-fly cruises around Britain for the first time. From £1,790 cruise-only for a 12-night round trip from Portsmouth on Le Diamant on August 3. ponant.com
Regent Seven Seas Cruises has a debut cruise from the UK, sailing around Britain and to Jersey in the Channel Islands from Southampton. From £4,489 cruise-only for a 10-night sailing around the UK on August 9. rssc.co.uk
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ round-Britain, garden-themed cruise departs Southampton with Radio 4 gardening experts onboard. From £1,114 cruise-only for a 10-night trip around the UK on August 8. fredolsencruises.com
September
Hurtigruten has a cruise from Spitsbergen to Bergen, following in the footsteps of Norwegian polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen, to mark 150 years since his birth. From £3,196 cruise-only for an 11-night Polar Bears, Islands and Fjord cruise on September 7 including flights from Oslo to Longyearbyen and one night pre-cruise in Longyearbyen. hurtigruten.co.uk
AMA Waterways launches AmaLotus on the Mekong river, offering week-long cruises through Vietnam and Cambodia. A seven-night sailing from Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh City on September 1 including shore excursions and drinks with meals starts at £1,225 cruise-only. amawaterways.co.uk
October
P&O Cruises is debuting Mediterranean fly-cruises, offering 10 and 14-night voyages from Italy and Greece on Adonia. From £1,295 for a 14-night cruise from Piraeus, the port for Athens, to Trieste in Italy on November 22. pocruises.com
November
SeaDream Yacht Club has a series of new six and seven-night cruises from Barbados and Antigua. From £4,157 cruise-only for a seven-night sailing from Antigua to Barbados on November 13. seadream.co.uk
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has an extra international cruise to Antarctica, when literature, lectures and shore excursions will be in English. From £5,110 cruise-only for an 18-day Antarctica and Falkland Islands voyage from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia. hl-cruises.com
December
Star Clippers will welcome eco-adventurer David Bellamy as guest lecturer on Star Flyer as it cruises around Costa Rica and Nicaragua. From £2,239 for an 11-night cruise from Puerto Caldera in Costa Rica on December 8 including three nights’ hotel accommodation. starclippers.co.uk
