Happy hump day, folks! Sail through the rest of the week by spending your entire afternoon catching up on the latest cruise news.

Silversea unveils 197 new itineraries for 2021-22

General sales are now open on Silversea Cruises’ new 2021 & 2021/2022 itineraries. Designed by Silversea’s team of destination experts, the cruise line’s new voyage collection offers many once-in-a-lifetime experiences to offer guests, from solar eclipse voyages in Antarctica to an immersive cruise to the Holy Land.

The leading ultra-luxury cruise line has unveiled a total of 197 new itineraries, setting sail between January 2021 and April 2022, which incorporate calls to 528 destinations in 92 countries, with 28 maiden calls.

Scenic Eclipse gets graffiti installation 

Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours has unveiled three custom installations on board Scenic Eclipse by the famous British graffiti artist, Carl Hush.

The works were installed over a two-day period while Scenic Eclipse was in port in Rotterdam.

Michelin Star chef Curtis Stone welcomes new ship Ruby Princess to Sydney

Australia celebrated its first new ship of the summer cruise season with the maiden arrival of Princess Cruises’ superliner, Ruby Princess into Sydney this morning.

Michelin Star Chef Curtis Stone welcomed Ruby Princess to her new Sydney homeport by using his Princess OceanMedallion to activate a spectacular ruby red fireworks display as the ship entered the harbour. Ruby Princess arrives in Australia with a new six-course fine dining menu designed by Chef Stone for his onboard restaurant SHARE.

Ruby Princess joins Majestic Princess cruising 444 cruise days out of Sydney, generating a combined landmark capacity of over 100,000 guests.

During her maiden season, Ruby Princess will be activated with Princess MedallionClass, making her the first “smart-ship” homeported in Australia.

Ruby Princess will depart Sydney this afternoon on a 10-night cruise to Brisbane.

Seabourn outlines details for the Colonnade dining venue on Seabourn Venture

Seabourn is busy preparing for the launch of its new ultra-luxury purpose-built expedition ship, Seabourn Venture, set to begin cruising the world’s most coveted and remote destinations in June 2021. Travellers on Seabourn Venture and her yet-to-be-named sister ship will find a wealth of masterfully crafted onboard spaces, including the Colonnade, where guests can find a variety of delicious meal options for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The venue is part of the eight dining experiences expedition travellers will enjoy onboard the forthcoming expedition ships.

Renowned designer Adam D. Tihany has shaped public spaces that capture the romanticism of early explorers with the vibrant energy of present-day, invoking a timeless sense of adventure while maintaining the familiarity of the venues that past guests have grown to enjoy.

Voyager to return bolder than ever 

Royal Caribbean’s multimillion-dollar amplification of Australian favourite, Voyager of the Seas is set to bring new adventures to the region when she returns next month.

An impressive 2,200 crew members and tradespeople embarked on the amplification, transforming some of the ship’s most popular venues and adding a host of bold new features in just 41 days.

Royal Caribbean has shared a sneak peak of Voyager of the Seas during dry dock, with the addition of first-to-market experiences including The Perfect Storm℠ duo of racer waterslides and Battle for Planet Z℠ laser tag as well as a reinvigorated Vitality Spa and Fitness Center, redesigned kids and teens spaces and 72 additional inside and balcony staterooms.

From this week, the ship will embark on a series of 3- to 5-night Southeast Asian itineraries before repositioning from Singapore via Darwin, Cairns and Brisbane to arrive at her homeport of Sydney on 30 November 2019 – just in time for summer!

Experience ancient cultures of northern Australia and Papua on a PONANT and National Geographic expedition

One of the first of the newly created PONANT & National Geographic partnership expedition voyages, Ancient Cultures of Northern Australia & Papua, will explore remote parts of northern Australia and the fascinating Asmat region of near-neighbour Western New Guinea – Papua.

Travelling between Darwin and Cairns, departing 6^th December this year, guests will visit remote indigenous communities while travelling in the company of National Geographic experts, including Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Jay Dickman, adding professional perspectives to enrich guest experiences both on board and ashore.

This voyage, onboard PONANT’s modern small luxury expedition ship Le Lapérouse, offers an opportunity to meet and interact with indigenous groups living in remote areas, and learn about their customs, traditions, spirituality and art.

Expedition highlights include visiting the Tiwi Islands, home of the Saltwater Tiwi People, renowned for their wooden carvings – particularly of birds which have a special place in Tiwi mythology, and Elcho Island and Yirrkala, home to several renowned Aboriginal artists recognised for their spectacular traditional bark paintings – work that can be found in art galleries around the world. This is also the traditional home of the Yidaki (didgeridoo), with some of the world’s finest didgeridoos being crafted here.

In Western New Guinea, more extraordinary photo opportunities are in store when you come face-to-face with legendary Asmat tribes in their war canoes. Here, learn about their lives, customs and warrior ceremonies as a guest in their village.

Free onboard spending money of up to 400 euros per couple on 30 European river cruises

Riviera Travel River Cruises will offer a special onboard spending credit of up to of 400 euros per couple on 30 selected, five-star river cruises across Europe from December 3, 2019, to October 20, 2020.

The sailings cover 12 different itineraries featuring rivers such as the Rhine, Danube, Rhone, Seine and Moselle and the canals of Holland.

The onboard spending credit will be 100 euros per person for cruises of seven nights or less and 200 euros per person for 14-night sailings. The credit will be valid for all existing or new bookings on the 30 cruises.

The onboard credit can be used to buy drinks, spa treatments, boutique purchases or extra optional shore excursions onboard Riviera Travel’s five-star ships.

SeaLink WA brings new boat and departure location to Rottnest Island service

SeaLink WA is expanding its services by introducing another boat to Rottnest Island and will offer a new daily departure from Barrack Street Jetty at Elizabeth Quay from 14 November this year.

The new service comes just two years after SeaLink commenced its Fremantle to Rottnest operation and is a direct result of the success of the business and the rapidly growing passenger demand.

P&O Cruises counts down to Pacific Adventure’s arrival with the ‘Twin Racer’ waterslide and new family entertainment area

P&O Cruises’ newest ship to call Australia home will feature the first-of-its-kind dual racing waterslides where family and friends can challenge each other to score the fastest time.

Called the “Twin Racer”, the waterslide is specifically designed for people to race each other against the clock.  It has two 135m tubes including two sections which are transparent so racers can keep tabs on their opponent as they rush towards the finish.

Pacific Adventure’s splashing new feature forms part of the ship’s new dedicated family entertainment area, which also includes a pool under a sliding glass roof so guests can swim any time of the year.

Situated in the heart of the 3100 guest ship, the modern indoor-outdoor space is designed for families to spend time together on holiday enjoying group games and activities.

For the more adventurous, guests can experience the P&O Edge Adventure Park with a flying fox, “Walk the Plank” and rock climbing wall built next to the “Twin Racer” waterslide and offering unrivalled views of the ocean from its very top.

Feeling peckish after all that entertainment? Enjoy a pizza delivery by picking up the ‘Big Red Phone’ connecting to a hotline where guests can order a variety of delicious traditional Neapolitan pizzas from 400 Gradi by award-winning Melbourne chef Johnny Di Francesco.

Children and the young-at-heart can try Pacific Adventure’s quirky take on traditional family activities including lawn bowls, table tennis, hopscotch and quoits to name a few.

See India’s most iconic wildlife on remote river cruise

Australians seeking a rare wildlife experience can save 25 per cent on a boutique river cruise along India’s sacred Brahmaputra River, shadowed by the Himalayan mountains, this region is home to India’s most iconic animals, including the Royal Bengal tiger and great one-horned Rhinoceros.

For all sailings of the Brahmaputra River in the months of December, March and April, Adventure Resorts and Cruises (ARC) is offering a 25 per cent discount for Australian travellers. The special offer is available until sold out. Departure dates are December 1 and 22, 2019, March 1, 8 and 29, 2020 and April 5, 2020.

Guests will cruise onboard ARC’s boutique, 46-guest river ship, MV Mahabaahu, which boasts a swimming pool, spa, bars, lounge, restaurant and sun deck.

MSC reveals new Cirque du Soleil at sea for MSC Grandiosa

MSC Cruises revealed has revealed details of the two brand-new and original Cirque du Soleil at Sea shows coming exclusively to MSC Grandiosa. In COSMOS, Journey to the unbelievable, guests will experience a breathtaking voyage across the galaxy with a brave astronaut on a quest for self-discovery. Audiences of EXENTRICKS, Expect the unexpected, will be caught off guard at every turn in this high-spirited spectacle.

Each Cirque du Soleil at Sea show is an original production and Cirque du Soleil are constantly pushing their creative boundaries, reinventing their processes, challenging the status quo and exploring new territories to create inspiring experiences that are sure to delight MSC Cruises guests.

Genting Cruise Lines presents the World Premiere of Dream Cruises’ Global Dream hull art at ITB Asia

Genting Cruise Lines officially announced the world premiere and unveiling of Global Dream’s brand new hull artwork, entitled “A Dream Through Time and Space” at ITB Asia in Singapore.

Building on the successful debuts of Genting Dream, World Dream and Explorer Dream, Dream Cruises’ new 208,000 gross tonne ship, Global Dream, is currently under construction at Genting Hong Kong’s very own MV Werften shipyard in Germany. Global Dream is set to enter into service in early 2021 and will invite guests to cruise worldwide on inspiring voyages on board the largest cruise ship to homeport in the Asia Pacific region.