Some 50 ships, including passenger ferries, have been stranded in the iced-over Baltic Sea according to maritime authorities in Sweden.
Reports detail the plight of the commercial vessels that are awaiting aid from ice-breakers, with up to six passenger ferries carrying thousands of people included in the freeze. Two of the ships have so far been freed. Swedish maritime authority spokesperson Johny Lindvall has called the situation the worst since the 1980’s.
Of the six stranded passenger vessels, five were making the trip between Finland and Sweden, while the sixth – the Regal Star – had been travelling to Estonia when it [...]

Two passengers have died onboard a Mediterranean cruise ship after the vessel was hit by a massive wave measuring some eight metres in height.
The two men, one Italian and one German, died after abnormal waves struck the Louis Majesty, part of the Greek Louis Cruise Lines, on Wednesday. There were around 1,800 people on board at the time of the tragedy, including 1,350 passengers and an additional 580 crew. The deaths occurred as the freak waves crashed over the side of the ship, smashing a series of windows in the boat’s public area. Six others were injured in the same [...]

The resurgence in the cruise industry means that 2010 could well be the best year in a while, as holidaymakers turn increasingly away from the air and head onto the water.
So just where are the best destinations for cruising holidays? The following are the current hot items that should be discovered while they can.
A tour of the arctic region may well come once in a lifetime, especially if the global warming doomsayers are correct. The Svalbard archipelago is the best Nordic region to see the majesty that sea has to offer, with Spitsbergen a popular stopover on the Iceland and [...]

Boston’s cruise business has once again set a new record for passenger numbers, making this the third consecutive year it has done so.
The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) announced today that Boston’s Black Falcon Cruise Terminal has so far hosted 299, 736 cruise passengers in the year to date, up by a huge 11% from last year.
Massport’s Executive Director and CEO Thomas J. Kinton Jr said the results showed the continuing strength of the Boston market for both cruise departures and passengers arriving for port of call visits. Kinton stated that the recession has resulted in travellers becoming more selective about [...]

A massive search has been launched after the apparent disappearance of a passenger from an Alaskan cruise ship.
Authorities in Vancouver are combing the local area after it was discovered that a 67-year-old woman from the United States who had joined the Sapphire Princess on Sunday in Alaska did not get off at her scheduled destination on the Canadian west coast. A spokesperson for Vancouver’s Victoria Joint Rescue Coordination Centre confirmed that a search of the vessel had found all of the woman’s luggage still unpacked in her room after docking in Canada Bay early Wednesday. Crew members who made the [...]

Cruise North, the arctic cruising specialists, have bucked the recent travel downturn with numbers holding steady across all bookings to its northern destinations. The steep drop in tourism across the globe has fortunately not affected the group, who confirm that advance bookings for next year already hint at an economic recovery.
The World Tourism Organisation announced in its most recent report that first quarter numbers for global travel were down by 8.4%. November and December were especially difficult months for northern hemisphere operators as staycations and holiday periods saw spending focused more at home than abroad. In this period, Cruise North [...]

A new UK based cruise company, Cruise & Maritime Voyages, announced this week it will launch in January 2010. In a week where Voyages of Antiquty head Gerry Herrod announced their pending launch, UK holiday makers have suddenly found themselves with an abundance of cruise options.
Cruise Critics News states that the Cruise & Maritime Voyages refit will be tailored towards a more mature market, with a return to more traditional entertainment, dining and rooms. Both companies emphasize itinerary choice aimed at the more discerning cruise-taker.
The Mirror’s “In Cruise News” the Cruise &Maritime Voyages purchase of the Marco Polo, currently owned [...]

Crystal cruises has been voted number one on Travel + Leisure’s coveted list for the 14th year in a row. The list is a ranking of the top ten large cruise ships currently in operation.
The annual list has become well watched in the industry and by tourists. The magazine surveys its readers every year on a variety of topic. Their latest rankings include lists of top cruise lines, hotels, museums and so on.
There has been some controversy from readers who point out that many of the top picks are often the most expensive options. One wonders if Travel + Leisure [...]

Training on facilities for disabled has begun not only for those working with them, but for agents who sell the cruises. It is thought that a better understanding of the facilities will help sell to disabled passengers.
A course has been designed for the purpose of the training. It will provide agents with knowledge of facilities as well as policies involving the facilities and disabled passengers in general. The course will provide a guide to facilities throughout the fleet and advise on how to best accommodate guests with medical needs as well as limited mobility or hearing or sight impairments. The [...]

P&O Cruises has joined a long list of cruise lines to recently further cut back on the places people can smoke on board. The cruise line’s six ships will all ban smoking in interior areas of its vessels; including cabins and casinos.
The British line already forbids indoor smoking on three of its ships. This went into effect in line with the UK’s indoor smoking ban. Two more ships, the Aurora and Oriana will ban smoke in April, with The Arcadia banning indoor smoking in May.
P&O will be debuting its seventh vessel in April, called Azura, it will also be smoke [...]