The world´s largest and most innovative cruise ship, Royal Caribbean International´s famed Freedom of the Seas, left Southampton, England last week to make her transatlantic voyage to New York where she will make her U.S. debut on Wednesday, May 10. Having already caused quite a stir in Europe, Freedom of the Seas was reported to be the second most popular search term on yahoo.com last week.

Aker Shipyards of Finland delivered the Freedom of the Seas, the world´s largest cruise ship, to Royal Caribbean International April 24 at a ceremony in Hamburg, Germany. The 160,00-ton ship was delivered after a weekend of successful sea trials in the North Sea. The 3,600-passenger ship sailed immediately to Oslo, Norway, on April 26, then headed to Southampton, England, April 29. On May 3, it will begin its transatlantic voyage to Royal Caribbean´s port in Bayonne, N.J., for its U.S. debut.

Carnival Cruise Lines´ 88,500-ton Carnival Legend will offer a new eight-day schedule from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., featuring three distinctly different tropical destinations –St. Kitts, St. Lucia and St. Maarten- beginning in January 2007. This marks the first time that St. Kitts and St. Lucia have been featured on a Carnival itinerary in more than 10 years.

Guests wishing to book longer cruises on Windstar Cruises´ fleet of upscale motor sailing yachts will find a wider selection of back-to-back options on the 2007 and 2008 deployment calendar. Itineraries featured as part of the Connoisseurs´ Collection feature different itineraries week to week to facilitate 14-day cruises on the same ship. Guests booking back-to-back receive 5-10% off the total cost of the cruise depending on date and itinerary.

From Casablanca to Cornwall, from the Bosporus Strait to the best of ancient Greece, Celebrity Cruises´ European itineraries in 2007 and 2008 will take guests to the broadest array of locations since the line began sailing there in 1999. Bookings opened for Celebrity´s new and expanded European season on Century, Constellation, Galaxy and Millennium, and for cruise tours in the region.

Praise Fest Ministries, a volunteer-run evangelistic mission based in Northport, Alabama, has chartered Royal Caribbean´s Sovereign of the Seas on May 29, 2006 for a 4-night cruise to the Bahamas. Cruise with a Cause has been designed to combine a family vacation experience with a faith-based opportunity allowing guests to participate in a mission effort on Grand Bahama Island.