Costa Replaces Allegra, Suspends Red Sea Itinerary
Following the engine room fire incident aboard the Costa Allegra on Feb. 27, Costa Cruises is replacing the 1,000-passenger Allegra with the 227-guest Costa Voyager, starting March 18. At the same time the company is temporarily suspending the Voyager’s planned “Corals and Ancient Treasures” Red Sea itinerary. Guests who had booked that itinerary may select a different cruise or cancel without penalty and receive a full refund and a voucher equal to 30% of the rate paid toward the purchase of a future cruise. The line has not yet determined how long it will take to repair and bring the Allegra back into service.

Oceania Returns to Alaska, Opens 2013 Europe Bookings
Oceania Cruises will return to Alaska with seven itinerary choices from May through mid-August 2013 after a one-year hiatus. All voyages, ranging from seven to 10 days will be aboard the Regatta. Departure options include San Francisco, Vancouver and Seattle. Also, Oceania opened bookings on its summer 2013 European sailings (April to September 2013). Highlights include 7-, 10- and 12-day Mediterranean voyages aboard the Riviera; a new 10-day Stockholm to Copenhagen Baltic voyage on the Marina with three full days in St. Petersburg; an 18-day Voyage of the Midnight Sun from London to Copenhagen visiting 12 ports in Norway on the Nautica; and 7-, 10- and 12-day itineraries that visit popular continental cities.

Crystal Opens Bookings on Early 2014 Sailings
Crystal Cruises is opening several early-2014 preview itineraries for booking. Seventeen voyages, visiting 74 ports in 34 countries, are now available for January to April 2014 sailings on the Crystal Serenity and January through May 2014 sailings on the Crystal Symphony. New for 2014 are maiden calls to Luanda, Angola; Lombok, Indonesia; and Malacca, Malaysia. Also new are a Los Angeles to London World Cruise, back-to-back Polynesian explorations, and a 15-day Tokyo to Los Angeles ocean-crossing, with one overnight stop in Honolulu.

Royal Princess’ Inaugural Season Unveiled
Princess Cruises announced the itinerary line-up for its upcoming ship Royal Princess, set to debut in June 2013. The ship will sail a series of 12-day Grand Mediterranean cruises between Barcelona and Venice from June 23 through Sept. 27. Prior to that, the Royal Princess will sail a special seven-day inaugural Iberia cruise from Southampton to Barcelona on June 16. On Oct. 9, the ship will depart on an 18-day re-location cruise sailing from Venice to Ft. Lauderdale with six ports of call. Bookings open March 15.

Carnival Legend to Sail CCL’s Biggest European Season
Carnival Cruise Lines will launch its widest array of European itineraries ever with the Carnival Legend, including the line’s first-ever Norwegian fjords itinerary and its first extended program from the U.K. The ship’s schedule, which begins in April 2013, will encompass 12-day voyages to Norway/Western Europe, the British Isles and the Baltic, all departing from Dover. There will also be 12-day Mediterranean cruises departing from Venice, Barcelona and Dover. In total, the Carnival Legend will operate 17 European cruises between April 22 and Oct. 31, 2013.

Viking Announces Douro River Cruise
Viking River Cruises will expand its presence in Europe to Portugal and Spain in 2013 with a new Douro River itinerary. The 10-day cruise-and-land journey aboard the Viking Douro includes time spent in Lisbon, as well as time spent on the Douro River.

Norwegian Jewel to Sail Alaska
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel will makes its inaugural debut in Alaska this May, marking the first time the line has had two Jewel-class in Alaska, as the Norwegian Pearl will also cruising there. The Jewel’s weekly Sawyer Glacier cruises will depart on Saturdays from May 26 to Sept. 8 with ports of call in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, Alaska; and Victoria, British Columbia.

RSSC Unveils Select 2013 Sailings
Regent Seven Seas Cruises opened bookings for cruises from April 2013 to December 2013. More than 50 itineraries in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Alaska, New England and Canada are available, as is a special Amazon River sailing. Maiden ports of call include Ajaccio, Corsica; Genoa, Italy; and Lanzarote and St. Cruz de Tenerife, both in the Canary Islands.

Orion Releases 2013 Calendar, Cuts Back to One Ship
Orion Expedition Cruises released its 2013 calendar of sailings for the Orion (previously the Orion I). Forty 5- to 20-night itineraries are on offer to such exotic locales as the sub-Antarctic Islands, Melanesia and the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Kimberley and the Spice Islands, Borneo and the Bay of Islands and Norfolk Island. Absent from the schedule is the Orion II, which is being returned to its owners in November 2012.

Paul Gauguin Announces 2013 Schedule
Paul Gauguin Cruises has announced its 2013 sailing schedule. Highlights include 7-,  10-, 11- and 14-night sailings of the French Polynesian Society Islands and a selection of sailings with special guests like Jean-Michel Cousteau.

Star Clippers Opens 2012 Fall Sailings
Star Clippers opened bookings for its fall 2012 through spring 2013 Caribbean and Costa Rica sailings aboard its three ships. The 227-passenger Royal Clipper will sail two different seven-night roundtrip Barbados itineraries, while the 170-passenger Star Clipper sails two seven-night itineraries, roundtrip out of St. Maarten. Also, the 170-passenger Star Flyer returns to Costa Rica with seven-night roundtrip Puerto Caldera sailings.