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.

The Grandeur of the Seas, which had been scheduled to sail from New Orleans on seven-day cruises this winter, will homeport in Tampa, Florida., starting on December 3. The vessel will offer four- and five-day western Caribbean itineraries through April 22, Royal Caribbean International said. The vessel will operate a seven-day cruise from San Juan on April 29.

Clipper Cruise Line introduced a number of new itineraries for 2006, including a 17-day voyage on the Clipper Odyssey in the South Pacific islands from New Caledonia to New Zealand. The cruise departs November 9, 2006, timed to coincide with the Leonid meteor shower. An astronomer will be onboard to amplify the experience for guests. Cabin rates will start at $7,270 per person, double occupancy.

Carnival Cruise Lines set October 2006, as a return date for its cruises from New Orleans, when it plans to again deploy the Sensation on four- and five-day cruises from the city. “We are eager to return to pre-Katrina capacity levels from New Orleans, a homeport that is extremely near and dear to us,” Carnival CEO Bob Dickinson said in a statement.

Royal Caribbean International inked a deal with the CBS Television Network to run an exclusive in-cabin station called “CBS Eye on Royal Caribbean” that will feature an assortment of clips, stories and shows from CBS. Programming will include features from CBS News and CBS Sports; scenes from “The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson;” and comedies such as “Two and a Half Men,” “The King of Queens.” In addition, entertainment coverage will be part of the lineup.