Spain’s Alicante could be set to receive an influx of cruise passengers. Representatives of seven US cruise companies will visit Alicante from Thursday September 22 to Saturday 24 to explore the possibility of using the port and city on their cruise itineraries.

Costa Cruises’ newest ship, the Costa Fascinosa, fleet, was floated out July 29 during a technical launch ceremony at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy. The 114,500-ton, 3,800-passenger ship is set to debut May 2, 2012. Costa’s total investment in Costa Fascinosa is €510 million ($734 million).

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.