Unveiled in 1996, the 2,642-passenger Carnival Destiny was a prototype for an entire generation of vessels at industry giant Carnival and its sister line Costa Cruises. What’s it like on the inside? Click HERE to see our new comprehensive photo tour of the Carnival Destiny by veteran cruise writer and ship photographer Peter Knego. Designed [...]

This item was written by Fran Golden, a cruise expert and Trip Coach for Budget Travel magazine. Golden is serving as Guest Editor of The Cruise Log while USA TODAY Cruise Editor Gene Sloan is away. Add The Doobie Brothers to the list of musical acts heading to sea. The legendary rock band will join [...]

This item was written by Fran Golden, a cruise expert and Trip Coach for Budget Travel magazine. Golden is serving as Guest Editor of The Cruise Log while USA TODAY Cruise Editor Gene Sloan is away. The 332-passenger Paul Gauguin, which cruises from Tahiti to French Polynesia and the South Pacific, has undergone a $7 [...]

This item was written by Fran Golden, a cruise expert and Trip Coach for Budget Travel magazine. Golden is serving as Guest Editor of The Cruise Log while USA TODAY Cruise Editor Gene Sloan is away. Haiti’s Minister of the Interior, Thierry Mayard-Paul, is hoping for a cruise milestone, the first ship to call at [...]

This item was written by Fran Golden, a cruise expert and Trip Coach for Budget Travel magazine. Golden is serving as Guest Editor of The Cruise Log while USA TODAY Cruise Editor Gene Sloan is away. While big ship cruise lines have reported significant declines in bookings in the wake of the Costa Concordia disaster, [...]

This item was written by Johanna Jainchill, who covers the travel industry for Travel Weekly. Jainchill is serving as Guest Editor of The Cruise Log while USA TODAY Cruise Editor Gene Sloan is away. There are still cabins left on the second of two cruises that will mark the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking [...]

This item was written by Johanna Jainchill, who covers the travel industry for Travel Weekly. Jainchill is serving as Guest Editor of The Cruise Log while USA TODAY Cruise Editor Gene Sloan is away. Soul Train creator Don Cornelius was memorialized in Los Angeles this month , but the cruise commemorating his landmark show will [...]

Norwegian Cruise Line has repeatedly violated wage and overtime rules on the Pride of America, a ship based in Hawaii, several news outlets in the state are reporting. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser says a federal investigation of labor practices on the 2,138-passenger vessel going back to 2009 found systemic violations of minimum wage, overtime and record-keeping provisions [...]

Industry leader Carnival is expanding capacity in the Southern Caribbean for 2013. The line today announced the 2,974-passenger Carnival Valor will move from Miami to San Juan, Puerto Rico in February 2013 to operate year-round, seven-night trips to the Southern Caribbean, taking the place of the smaller, 2,758-passenger Carnival Victory. The Carnival Victory, in turn, [...]

Texas-based Concierge Travel, one of the nation’s fastest-growing operators of gay cruises, will offer its first sailing in Europe this summer. The gay-owned and operated travel agency says it has chartered a 170-passenger Star Clippers ship for a seven-night voyage around the Greek Isles and Turkey starting on Aug. 25. Concierge Travel offered its first [...]