Carnival Corp. has broken ground on a $3 million welcome center in downtown Grand Turk, which will feature a variety of retail establishments. Over a year in development, the project is being funded by Carnival Corp. & plc and is believed to be the largest single private investment in the downtown area.

Discovery Cruise Line, which offers day cruises from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale to Freeport on Grand Bahama Island, is closing down on Sept. 6, the Miami Herald reports.

Crystal Cruises is moving its 2012 holiday cruise on Crystal Serenity from the Holy Land to the Caribbean. The line said the change was made due to increased demand for a warm-weather itinerary in North American waters. The 14-day 2011 holiday voyages, departing Dec. 21, remain unchanged.

AdventureSmith Explorations has announced a two-for-one special (cruise rate only in shared cabin) for four late summer and early fall departures in the Galapagos Islands on the 32-passenger motor yacht Galapagos Evolution. The cruises take place Aug. 25 to Sept. 4, Sept. 8 to 18, Sept. 15 to 25, and Sept. 22 to Oct.1, and sail roundtrip from Quito, Ecuador.

According to preliminary data, The Bahamas saw 1.57 million cruise passengers up to July 8th 2011, the CHTA reporting a 16.3 percent growth year-on-year, while 2010 saw 3.8 million cruise passengers for the top spot – a 16.8 percent growth over 2009’s number. 

American Safari Cruises is offering a $200-per-person travel credit for new bookings made between July 20 and Sept. 30 on the line’s Sea of Cortés cruises in Baja, Mexico. The 22-guest Safari Quest sails on weeklong adventure cruises from La Paz, Baja California Sur, from November through April.