Amtrak and Carnival Cruise Lines will resume their “Rail and Cruise” program out of New Orleans, with the resumption of four- and five-day cruise service from the Port of New Orleans on the cruise ship Fantasy beginning in October. Passengers may combine their voyage on the Fantasy with travel to and from the ship aboard Amtrak´s City of New Orleans, Crescent and Sunset Limited services.

Celebrity Cruises is canceling one sailing on Summit to replace the starboard thrust bearing in the ship´s propulsion system. The ship must enter drydock to replace the bearing, which will result in the cancellation of its May 20 sailing. The ship is expected to return to its scheduled sailings on May 27. The cancelled sailing is a seven-night Alaska cruise from Vancouver to Seward. Summit is currently sailing a 13-night West Coast / Alaska cruise that will end in Vancouver, as scheduled on May 20.

With her energetic surf park, cantilevered whirlpools and colorful H20 Zone silhouetted against the backdrop of The Statue of Liberty, Freedom of the Seas, the most anticipated cruise ship to take to the seas in years, made her spectacular U.S. premiere last week. With all of her never-before-seen features, Freedom of the Seas lives up to the standard Royal Caribbean created with years of envelope-pushing amenities.

Carnival Cruise Lines´ 2,642-passenger Carnival Destiny will launch a new seven-day southern Caribbean schedule from Puerto Rico´s San Juan featuring port calls to five different tropical destinations beginning in January 7, 2007. The island-intensive itinerary features extended day-long visits to a variety of magnificent southern Caribbean ports, including St. Lucia, Antigua, Dominica, Barbados, and St. Thomas/St. John, along with a fun-filled day at sea.

Discovery World Cruises, specialized in exploring faraway places in comfort and style, unveiled 26 cruise vacations that showcase the kaleidoscope of vibrant history, cultures, architecture and shopping found throughout Europe and the Mediterranean for Summer 2007. Guest can choose from 10- to 33-night itineraries, calling at ports as diverse as Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, and Tartous, Syria, with rates beginning at $1,995 per person, double occupancy.

Discovery World Cruises´ Discovery has completed its maiden visit to the Galapagos Islands. Passengers on this first five-day sojourn were limited to 500 under a special license for ship operators. Discovery World Cruises says it opted to make the stay be slightly briefer than the norm so that it could be part of a longer voyage. The line´s inaugural cruise to the Galapagos sailed from Papeete, Tahiti and it included visits to Easter Island, Chile and Peru.