What day is it? Wednesday! Hump day after all!

But in case you’re lagging a little, which we totally understand, here’s some cruisy news to pick you back up.

From our friends on the sea and sailing down the rivers, we present you this week’s wrap.

Cruise is hot news in Indochina

Market demand for more variety of cruise options in Indochina has seen Wendy Wu Tours expand its 2016 program making it the largest range to date with a focus on various cruising products in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

Managing director Alan Alcock said that part of the demand came from past passengers who had an introduction to the region through an overland tour and were looking for cruising products that came with the same high standards and quality for which the company is known.

These cruising options have been designed to coincide with group tours allowing customers to add pre or post touring in conjunction with their cruise. A new fully inclusive Classic Tour has also been designed for 2016; the 12-day Irrawaddy Voyager which includes three nights in Yangon and a seven-night cruise along the Irrawaddy River from Mandalay to Bagan.

This new product, as well as expanded product for independent travellers, is featured in WWT’s newly designed 2016 Vietnam brochure. All brochures have been redesigned to clearly categorise four distinct tour types, Classic, Discovery, Deluxe Tours and Independent Travel. The Vietnam brochure includes a separate cruise section to be more consumer and agent friendly by highlighting the most relevant information.

Paris is twice as nice!

Here’s a glorious sample of summertime France, a holiday that combines a round-trip canal cruise from Paris with three nights in the French capital and a two-night stay in in Nice at the heart of the French Riviera.

Exclusive to Worldwide Cruise Centres (www.worldwidecruisecentres.com.au), this 11-night special is called ‘Paris Canals to the French Riviera’.

It departs Australia on 24 July 2016, priced from A$6699 per person twin share – including return flights from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth to Paris and return from Nice. It’s valid for sale until 6 November 2015 unless sold out beforehand.

‘Paris Canals to the French Riviera’ includes sightseeing in Paris, with a cruise along the Seine river and lunch at the Eiffel Tower. A first class train journey from Paris to Nice is included as well.

Ovation hits half way

Royal Caribbean International has released images of Ovation of the Seas under construction – close to 50 per cent complete – at the Myer Weft shipyard in Germany. The newest and most technologically advanced ship to ever call Australia home is set to debut in down under in December 2016, arriving at her first port of call, Fremantle, on 6 December 2016 before making her way to her new home Sydney on 15 December 2016.

Bookings for Ovation of the Seas’ first Australian season are open now. The US$1 billion ship will offer three Australia and New Zealand sailings and a repositioning sailing all departing Sydney from December 2016.

Cruise the French canals

European Waterways, Europe’s largest luxury hotel barging company, is offering 10% off per cabin and 10% off whole boat charters for select, popular routes in March and April 2016 for bookings made by December 31, 2015.

Among the hotel barges offering 10% off per cabin is L’Art de Vivre in Burgundy for its April 10th and 17th departures; the Anjodi on the Canal du Midi in the Languedoc-Rousillon region for its March 20th and 27th departures; and the Rosa in Gascony for its April 17th  and 24th departures.

“Along with comfortable temperatures, a landscape in bloom and fewer tourists, Spring is an ideal time for a leisurely hotel barge cruise,” said Derek Banks, managing director of European Waterways.

“The cruises wind their way through some of the country’s most renowned vineyards and give guests the chance to visit medieval towns, châteaux, cathedrals and colourful local markets. The cuisine and wines served onboard reflect the region’s gastronomic tradition.”

See Special Offers at www.gobarging.com/special-offers.php#offers.

Solstice down under

Celebrity Solstice makes her triumphant return to her Sydney Harbour home today as she kicks off her fourth season down under.

“With 15 decks and capacity for close to 3,000 guests, Celebrity Solstice cuts a fine figure at Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal,” said Adam Armstrong, commercial director, Celebrity Cruises Australasia.

“She is truly one of the most striking megaliners to call Australia home, at 317 metres long and weighing 122,000 tonnes, but she is also just seven years old – making her by far the youngest cruise ship to sail these waters,” he continued.

Celebrity Solstice boasts unique features not found on any other cruise ship in Australia. The local favourite is best known for her Lawn Club, a freshly manicured half acre of real lawn on her top deck, as well as an internal atrium that spans 10 decks, and a two story, floor-to-ceiling glass wine tower – capable of holding 2800 bottles of wine. Plus, 85 per cent of her cabins have their own private balcony –the highest ratio of any cruise ship in Australia.

Watch out for Mighty Cruise Ships on Channel Seven this Thursday at 8:30pm, when Celebrity Solstice opens her doors and decks to viewers for an in-depth look at life on Australia’s youngest and highest rated cruise ship.

Free upgrades with Captain Cook

Captain Cook Cruises Fiji has released an amazing deal where passengers save 20% with ‘Early Bird Saver’ fares and receive a free cabin upgrade on selected three, four and seven night cruises until 31 March 2017. The deal is on sale until 30 November 2015 and offers savings of up to $990 per person.

All three, four and seven night cruises are aboard the 130-passenger, fully accommodated MV Reef Endeavour small ship cruise vessel which visits parts of Fiji larger ships cannot get to. Passengers discover remote villages, churches and schools of the real and untouched Fiji and take part in traditional village sevusevu ceremonies and Meke and Lovo feasts.

All fares include shipboard accommodation, all meals, guided village, school and island tours, snorkelling and glass bottom boat excursions, daily island stopovers and water activities, hikes and Kayak safaris, on board entertainment, kids club (5-10yrs), onboard Wifi, 24 hour self-service tea and coffee bar, post cruise transfers to Nadi and Denarau hotels and Nadi airport and use of the ship’s facilities including a swimming pool, spa’s, mini gym, sun deck, cocktail bar and library.

Croatia hot cruising property

The range of Croatian small ship cruises for Australian travellers has grown dramatically over the last six years and 2016 is no different with Croatian experts Beyond Travel noting that the industry is meeting the substantial demand by producing the most new small ships for the region in one season.

BT will use more than a dozen new ships for the 2016 cruise season allowing the company produce its largest range of product ever in Croatia – including 15 brochure pages dedicated to cruising holidays.

New to its 2016 Croatia and Beyond brochure are mini cruises- three day itineraries, more one-way cruises on the Dalmatian coast, new cruise tours-combining land touring with a seven night island cruise, new hotels, a new exclusive special  journey and more new premium escorted tours in Croatia and surrounding countries.

Beyond Travel has also continued its popular “Discover More Travel Credits”, which are available on a choice of tours, cruises, hotels which range from $400-$600 per couple to be used towards any additional services booked with Beyond Travel until December 31, 2015.

From kilts to the Colosseum

To sample the authentic atmosphere of England and Scotland, venture away from the tourist beat.

Cruise Traveller presents a refreshing new way to do that in the form of a back-roads British exploration as the first part of a new holiday called ‘From Kilts to Colosseum’.

England and Scotland are followed by a 24-night ‘Grand Voyage to the Rivieras’ cruise from London to Rome aboard Aegean Odyssey. The ship is operated by Britain’s Voyages to Antiquity, winner of the ‘Best for Enrichment’ category accolade at the 2015 Cruise International Awards in September.

‘From Kilts to Colosseum’ costs from A$20,549 and catches the essence of European summer, departing Australia on 13 June 2016. It blends variety and luxury with special, off-the-beaten-track experiences. The whole fly-cruise-and-stay holiday lasts a little over five weeks – 36 nights.

A special offer gives free flights from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth to Edinburgh to begin the holiday, with return flights from Rome to Australia at the end. All travellers who book an outside cabin or above by the end of November 2015 qualify for the free flights.

Big things from Liberty’s Texan upgrade

Royal Caribbean International is taking holiday adventures to the next level and giving Texans more to look forward to when the 3,634-guest Liberty of the Seas emerges from an extensive month-long dry dock in February 2016.

The extensive bow-to-stern makeover will introduce a slew of Royal Caribbean firsts as well as guest favourites. As the most innovative ship in Texas, Liberty will offer guests unexpected adventures visiting Mexico and the Caribbean from the Port of Galveston.

During the dry dock Liberty will receive a Texas-like makeover and bring even more adventure onboard with the addition of the a collection of waterslides called the Perfect Storm including the first ever boomerang style slide at sea, Tidal Wave.

The new hair-raising slide features a steep drop that propels riders up a near vertical wall for a moment of weightlessness and into free fall. The Perfect Storm also features two new racer slides called Cyclone and Typhoon which will be located at the aft of the ship alongside the FlowRider surf simulator that was initially introduced on the Freedom class of ships.

In addition, kids will have an adult-free zone with the introduction of Splashaway Bay, an aqua park featuring an interactive kid’s play area with water cannons, geysers and much more.