EasyCruise took a cheeky shot at Carnival Cruise Lines in a new print ad promoting its Caribbean cruises. The ad says: “If spending nights at sea in tacky ballrooms full of old folks is not your idea of a holiday, then easyCruise.com is for you,” followed by “any similarity with Carnival Cruise ships is purely coincidental.”

The majestic 150,000-ton Queen Mary II, with 2,464 passengers and 1,295 crew onboard, made its first of five stops in St. Kitts for the 2005/2006 cruise ship season last week. The world´s largest and most expensive cruise liner docked at Port Zante from New York.

Next summer, Silversea Cruises is offering the well-heeled, sophisticated traveler eleven opportunities to explore the unspoiled beauty of Alaska from the comfort and incomparable luxury of its all-suite, 382-guest Silver Shadow, the only ultra-luxury cruise ship scheduled to call in Alaska in 2006. From the beauty of snowcapped volcanoes and ice-blue glaciers, to the rugged grandeur of Misty Fjords, the privileged guests of Silversea will explore one of the world´s last great untamed frontiers, as they sail in the pampering luxury of their intimate, six-star ship on voyages ranging from nine to 14 days.

Celebrity Cruises will tempt travelers´ taste buds once again with its “Savor the Caribbean” series. For the third year, the line known for fine dining is pairing some of the hottest chefs with one of the industry´s highest rated ships, Celebrity´s Infinity. The “Savor the Caribbean” series will take place onboard Infinity´s seven-night Eastern Caribbean sailings from January 15 through March 12 with a host of celebrated chefs.

As seagoing vacations continue to grow in popularity, cruise lines have introduced new ports of call around the world and next year will be no different. In 2006, travelers will find a portfolio of new cruises to the far reaches of the globe. The 19 cruise line members of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) take travelers to 1,800 ports of call on more than 150 ships of varying styles, from yacht-like luxury ships carrying 150 passengers to mega vessels carrying more than 3,000 guests.

Amadeus added Cunard Line to its Amadeus Cruise roster enabling agents to book the Queen Elizabeth 2 and Queen Mary 2 via one of the more than 40,000 Amadeus Cruise terminals in 80 countries worldwide. Bob Lowry, senior vice president, products and support, Amadeus North America, said, “our continued investment in our Amadeus Cruise application has resulted in significant efficiencies in time and productivity for our users.”