Cruise passenger visits to the USVI grew by 4.9 percent last year, with a total of 1,998,579 cruise passengers. That was among the largest improvements of any Caribbean destination with complete annual reporting from 2013.

Royal Caribbean International said the Independence of the Seas will spend its first summer in the Caribbean in 2015, returning from deployment in Europe. The ship will sail alternating seven-day eastern and western Caribbean itineraries from Fort Lauderdale.

The arrival of a spectacular four-mast sail boat in Cayman Brac on Friday could herald the start of a new era of cruise tourism for the island. Without the amenities or the infrastructure to adequately handle full-size cruise ships, tourism chiefs on the Brac hope to tap into a niche market of smaller touring vessels.

Costa Cruises has revealed the inaugural cruises for Costa Diadema, the fleet’s future flagship which will be delivered by Fincantieri on October 30th 2014. The first cruise departing on November 1st will be the vernissage cruise, with three new culturally rich and architecturally beautiful cities included in the itinerary.