It’s Hump Day, folks, and we’re feelin’ fine.

Get your latest and greatest cruise news right here, then sail on into the sunset of another Wednesday.

Whether you’re busy and need short and snappy news tidbits, or just want a light way to catch up on the goss, we’ve got you covered.

The countdown is on!

Royal Caribbean is counting down until the arrival of newest ship, Explorer of the Seas, with less than two months to go until the largest cruise ship to be based down under arrives. To celebrate her maiden season in just under two months, Royal Caribbean has launched a bonus onboard credit offer of USD$100 per stateroom.

Also on offer is Explorer of the Seas’ maiden voyage to Australia as she repositions over 10 nights from Singapore. Departing 3 November 2015, she calls at Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi in Malaysia as well as Phuket in Thailand before arriving in Fremantle on 13 November, her very first Australian port of call and where she will be greeted by an extra special welcome.

Sail through the Med

SeaDream Yacht Club’s luxury mega motor-cruisers SeaDream I and SeaDream II will prove just how aptly named they are when they sail to ports in the Mediterranean in 2016 that are so small, secluded and inaccessible to larger vessels, that they truly are to dream about…

In all, the boutique “twins” will offer over forty itineraries between May and October next year in an ambience akin to holidaying on your own luxury yacht, with each having just 56 staterooms for a maximum 112 guests served by 95 crew.

These will include in 2016 such fabled names as Cannes, Monte Carlo, St Tropez and Nice, Kepez in Turkey with the opportunity to visit Gallipoli, and 3000 years old Roses on the spectacular Spanish Costa Brava.

Oh Captain, my Captain!

Captain Cook Cruises is delighted to announce the appointment of Nicholas Sciancalepore as Master of the PS Murray Princess, operating three, four and seven night cruises along the Murray River.

A local South Australian boy, Nicholas grew up in North Haven before moving to Renmark when he was 22 years old. Always aspiring to be a Master Nicholas attended Port Adelaide and Portland campuses where he studied his Master 5, Master 4, Med 2 and STCW95 offshore safety at sea.

“I also can’t wait to show guests on the Murray Princess the amazing Murray River, its beautiful scenery, the amazing sunrises, sunsets and its history,” he said.

Sail under the Mediterranean sun

Here’s a holiday that promises to really liven up next Australian winter: it’s a 20-night fly-cruise-and-stay, beginning with a four nights in Rome and ending with a couple of nights in Venice, both in four-star hotels.

In between, a 14-night Greek, Turkey and Italy cruise aboard Royal Princess, round-trip from Rome, visits top destinations in the Mediterranean.

The holiday is ‘Ancient Ruins and Mediterranean Sun’ from Worldwide Cruise Centres. It costs from A$6899 twin share per person, including flight from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth to Rome and  return flight from Venice.

The price is valid for booking till the end of October 2015 unless sold out earlier. A bonus US$85 in onboard credit is provided per twin cabin aboard Royal Princess. The holiday begins with a flight to Rome on 30 May 2016.

Sail on a Silver Cloud

Silversea Cruises has announced it will move Silver Cloud to its luxury expedition fleet in November 2017.  Destined mostly for polar waters, the elite 296-guest ship that launched the ultra-luxury cruise line will be converted into an ice-class ship during an extensive refurbishment scheduled to start in August 2017.

As an expedition ship, the all-suite Silver Cloud will accommodate 260 guests and also sail on itineraries to non-polar regions.  When sailing Arctic and Antarctic itineraries, the guest complement will be restricted to 200.

Guests are enriched by an onboard program of destination lectures, photo presentations, and daily recaps.  Exploratory excursions are complimentary, and led by a team of experts, including marine biologists, ornithologists, geologists, botanists, historians, and anthropologists.

Silversea’s 2017 schedule will be announced shortly.

New accolades for Evergreen

Evergreen Tours’ sister company Emerald Waterways received the honour of being Highly Commended in two tightly fought categories in the Cruise International Awards, in only its second season sailing Europe’s rivers.

In the Best New River Ship category Evergreen’s newly christened ‘Star Ship’, Emerald Dawn, received a nod from the prestigious UK cruise magazine thanks to its sleek design and innovative features such as the heated pool which turns into a cinema each night. And Emerald Waterways itself was Highly Commended in the Best River Cruise Line category despite being such a young company.

These awards add to the prestigious Cruise Critic Editor’s Picks award for Best New River Ships 2014 which was won during the first year of operation.

A fifth ‘Star Ship’, Emerald Belle, will join the fleet in 2016.