For the first time in its history, the American Queen, one of the three authentic steamboats of Delta Queen Steamboat Company, embarked through the Gulf of Mexico on a journey to Texas on a 30-day charter. Based on confidentiality, the company did not issue the name of the chartering entity. The steamboat traveled down the Mississippi River and out into the Gulf of Mexico for a two-day journey to Texas.

Silversea Cruises is taking steps to “discourage” agency rebating by disallowing agents to charge a client´s credit card less than the full amount of the cruise purchase, the line said. “Silversea believes rebating continues to hurt the distribution systems and the company is fully committed to providing a level playing field to agents,” the company said in a statement.

Carnival Cruise Lines´ 2,056-passenger Fantasy recently underwent a multi-million-dollar refurbishment and emerged with a host of new and updated features and facilities, including new photo and art galleries, a nine-hole miniature golf course, and completely renovated health and fitness center. The upgrades were completed during a 21-day scheduled dry dock that took place in Norfolk, Virginia. The Fantasy resumed its year-round schedule of three- and four-day Bahamas cruises from Port Canaveral, Florida.

Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises` innovative online check-in program that launched on two ships in July now is available fleet-wide, in English and Spanish, reducing guests` check-in times to mere seconds at the pier. Named “Xpress Pass” for Celebrity Cruises and “SetSail” for Royal Caribbean International, online check-in allows guests to fill out all pertinent cruise documents before arriving at the pier. Boarding documents, immigration forms, onboard accounts and ticket contracts can be completed with just a click of the mouse.

Carnival Cruise Lines will get another ship from parent company Carnival Corp., to be delivered in spring 2008. The vessel –at 112,000 tons and room for 3,006 passengers- is slightly larger than the ships in the 110,000-ton Conquest-class series, and it will be the first Carnival ship to top the 3,000 lower-berth mark. Carnival said the ship will represent a new design and will offer a larger spa and kids´ facilities. The new ship, which is still unnamed, is the final ship in a multi-vessel deal struck between Carnival Corp. and Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri last fall.

Windstar Cruises is launching an upgrade program similar –albeit smaller in scale- to sister company Holland America Line´s Signature of Excellence program. The Windstar initiative, called Degrees of Difference, will add new amenities to the cabins and other enhancements around its three-ship fleet. The program was unveiled during the Cruise Lines International Association´s Cruise3Sixty event here.