What to expect on the high seas in 2008

By Anita Dunham-Potter

Travel columnist

updated 12:43 p.m. ET Dec. 10, 2007

Anita Dunham-Potter Travel columnist • Profile • E-mail

Once again, it's time to see what's on tap for the high seas in the new year. Here's what's to come in 2008: fuel surcharges, more tonnage, more adventure, healthier cruising, improved "fantasies" and a sad farewell to two great queens.

Ships, Class of 2008
Eight new ships will be ready for their close-ups next year, along with two older ships refurbished and relaunched with new cruise lines. Here's a summary for the Class of 2008, in order of the month they debut.

April

• MSC Cruises' 92,400-ton MSC Poesia, the third ship of the cruise line's "Musica" class, will carry 3,013 passengers. The ship will sail seven-, 11-, and 13-day sailings year-round in the Mediterranean.
• Silversea Cruises has acquired its first expedition vessel. The yet-to-be named 6,072-ton, 140-passenger vessel (which formerly sailed as the World Discoverer for the now-defunct Society Expeditions) will sail on adventurous voyages to destinations throughout the world, perhaps including the Galápagos Islands and Antarctica.

May

• P & O Cruises' 116,000-ton Ventura will carry 3,100 passengers. The ship will sail alternating seven- and 14-day European itineraries from Southampton, England.
• Royal Caribbean's 160,000-ton Independence of the Seas will carry 3,600 passengers and sail year-round from Miami in the Caribbean. This ship is the sister vessel to Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas; together they tie for bragging rights as the world's largest cruise ship. The Independence of the Seas will sail in Europe until November, when it repositions to Fort Lauderdale for its winter Caribbean season.

June

• Lindblad Expeditions' 6,100-ton, 147-passenger National Geographic Explorer (formerly the Lyngen from the Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten) will sail a series of explorations in and around the Arctic, Iceland, Greenland, the Canadian Arctic and Coastal New England.

July

• Holland America Line's 86,000-ton Eurodam is the first of the line's "Signature Class" vessels. The ship, which will carry 2,104 passengers, will sail the Baltic region for the summer then transition to Quebec City for a series of Canadian and New England cruises in early fall. In mid-October, Eurodam will head to Fort Lauderdale for the winter season, sailing seven-day Eastern Caribbean sailings.
• The 113,000-ton Carnival Splendor will carry 2,974 passengers and sail in the Baltic Sea until November, when it will transition to Miami for a handful of Caribbean itineraries and Carnival's first-ever cruises to South America. In March 2009, the ship will be based in Los Angeles and will offer seven-day Mexican Riviera cruises.

November

• Princess Cruises' 116,000-ton Ruby Princess, sister ship to Crown Princess and Emerald Princess, will carry 3,100 passengers. The ship will sail seven-day Western Caribbean sailings from Fort Lauderdale.

December

• Celebrity Cruises' 118,000-ton Celebrity Solstice is the line's first new ship since 2002 and the first of four 2,850-passenger vessels the line has ordered. The ship will sail seven-day Eastern Caribbean sailings from Fort Lauderdale.
• MSC Cruises' 133,500-ton, 3,959-passenger MSC Fantasia will be the largest ship ever delivered to this cruise line. The ship will sail year-round in the Mediterranean.

Fuel surcharge
Cruising in 2008 will be more expensive than in recent years as 20 cruise lines have levied new fees to cover rising fuel costs. Carnival says its fuel costs have increased 140 percent over the last three years, with a 50 percent increase in the past seven months alone. Fuel fees range from $5 per person, per day all the way up to $10 per person, per day, but many cruise lines are capping the fees at $70 per person, per voyage.

Blogs at sea
When John Heald, cruise director for the Carnival Freedom, started blogging last February, he had no idea he was starting an online cruise revolution. Now Internet surfers can get all kinds of behind-the-scenes information from cruise lines and their employees about cruise topics of interest, including what it takes to be a cruise director and a day-by-day report on the progress of building a new ship. Additionally, two cruise lines offer passenger blogs on various voyages. Look for additional blogs in 2008. Here's a current list of official cruise line blogs:

• John Heald's cruise director blog
• Carnival's Senior Vice President Vicky Freed's travel agent blog
• Cruise West's voyage journal entries
• Majestic America Line's Mississippi journey
• Lindblad Expedition's refurbishment of the National Geographic Explorer
• Holland America Line's Eurodam blog

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