Royal Caribbean International will double the number of ships it sails from Australia next year. The company will homeport two ships in Sydney starting in October 2011. The Rhapsody of the Seas, currently in its third Australian summer season, will be joined by the Radiance of the Seas. The vessels offer cruises in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific during the summer months from October to April. The announcement comes 14 months after the Miami-based company opened its Sydney office.

Crystal Cruises is rolling out nearly 800 Europe shore excursions, dozens of which are new. From soaring above Stockholm in a hot air balloon to scuba diving off the coast of Turkey, Crystal Adventures augment Crystal’s 32 itineraries exploring the Mediterranean, Baltic and Black seas, North Cape, Canary Islands, Middle East and British Isles.

Royal Caribbean International will base the Liberty of the Seas in Barcelona in 2011. The line said the cruise ship sector in Spain continues to grow at an annual rate of between 8 and 10 percent, despite the fall in tourism. Royal Caribbean predicts a 60 percent growth in guest volume in 2010, compared with a growth of 30 percent in 2009.

American Cruise Lines is rolling out a new commission program for travel agents. Travel agents working with American Cruise Lines can now earn up to 13 percent commission on all individual commissionable bookings.

The $62 million Mahogany Bay Cruise Center in Roatan, Honduras, officially opened Feb. 10 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by local dignitaries and VIPs. The ceremony kicked off the center’s 2010 cruise season, which will see about 200 cruise ship visits and 500,000 passengers in the coming year.

Since acquiring the paddlewheeler Queen of the West, American Cruise Lines has been working to enhance the ship, which was built in 1996.