Costa Cruise Line´s newest and largest ship, the Costa Concordia, will debut in June housing what it is calling the largest spa on the sea, a facility that will feature 55 cabins and 12 suites situated within it, Costa said last week. The 112,00-ton, 3,000-passenger ship will introduce the Samsara Spa, a two-story, 20,500-square-foot “wellness center” with panoramic ocean views offering Ayurvedic, or holistic healing, treatments.

From yoga and tai chi and cooking demonstrations to fitness and nutrition workshops hosted by leading wellness experts, the third annual Mind & Body Cruise offers a weeklong variety of interesting and insightful activities designed to rejuvenate the mind, body and spirit. Sponsored by Carnival Cruise Lines and Shape and Men´s Fitness magazines, the health and wellness cruise takes place aboard the 2,974-passenger Carnival Glory from December 2 to 9, 2006. Ports of call include Key West, Belize and Cozumel.

During the 2006/2007 winter season, the Costa Marina, one of the ten ships currently comprising the Costa fleet, will be offering Far Eastern cruises out of Singapore for the first time and throughout the winter season. The program includes five cruises of between 11 and 15 days departing from Singapore and calling at some of the loveliest places in India, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei and Indonesia.

Tourism officials in Dominica believe that the cruise industry is continuing to see steady growth, highlighting six cruise liners that docked here for the first time, as a major achievement. Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism, Loreen Bannis-Roberts, said the heightened activity showed clearly that government is taking cruise tourism seriously.

With the grand opening of the new Grand Turk Cruise Center later this month, cruise line passengers now have nearly two dozen exciting land- and marine-based excursions that enable them to get an “up close and personal” look at this fascinating island paradise. Holland America Line´s new cruise ship Noordam made the first-ever call at the new Grand Turk Cruise Center last Saturday as part of its inaugural voyage from New York.

With the addition of this new 90,000-ton vessel, the Cunard liner legacy will be faithfully upheld, as Queen Victoria will offer all the classic characteristics that have become associated with the company´s unique liner heritage. From the outside, her distinctive black and red livery will hint at the experience that differentiates a Cunard liner from a modern-day cruise ship.