This year, the cruise industry continues to expand, showcasing more than a dozen new ships, trawling new waters and tweaking onboard offerings. Here's a round up of what's new in 2003:

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES
New Ships: Carnival Glory, the second in the 110,000-ton, 2,974-passenger Conquest class, debuts July 19.

New Ports & Itineraries: The Carnival Glory will be homeporting, on a year round basis, in Port Canaveral, where it replaces Carnival Pride (and adds a capacity of 40 percent more passengers). The ship will sail seven day alternating eastern and western Caribbean itineraries. Out of New York, Carnival's adding a number of departures -- its most ever from the Big Apple. Among them? Carnival Legend will, during warm weather months, sail eight day Caribbean voyages. Carnival Victory will handle the line's already well-established fall foliage sailings; passengers can choose from three, four and five day options. Also in New York is Carnival Pride, which nabs the assignment of the seven day Bermuda itinerary. Speaking of Carnival Pride, when the weather turns colder, it will head west -- where it will be ensconced in Los Angeles, representing a newer, spiffier ship alternative for fans of the Mexican Riviera.

In other moves, Inspiration, which sails out of Tampa from May 4 onward, is adding some "exotic" Caribbean islands -- Costa Maya and Belize -- to the more usual Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Elation moves to Galveston in September where it will offer Carnival's first regular seven day itinerary. Also that month, Jubilee launches a port-intensive new schedule, stopping at six Caribbean islands on a seven day cruise. Non-smokers who've adopted Paradise will get some new choices; the ship will introduce more exotic stops -- such as the Dominican Republic's Casa de Campo -- on its seven day alternative eastern and western Caribbean schedule. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

CELEBRITY CRUISES
Ports & Itineraries: Celebrity is homeporting Mercury in San Francisco this summer, where it will sail a genuinely unique-in-the-industry itinerary: "California Coastal" features stops at Monterey and Catalina Island. The ship will also offer the traditional Mexican Riviera trip. On land, Celebrity's introducing new pre- and post-cruise add-on tours on some Europe voyages (the program's already in effect in Alaska). Options include Paris, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Florence and Siena.

Onboard: Celebrity continues to roll-out what it calls "enhancement features" on its ships. These include "small" (but nice) touches like sorbet service, cold towels at poolside, sunset yoga, later-night hours at its Elemis Spas, and announcement-free disembarkation. Gambling that some passengers prefer kid-free sailings, the line has added four additional "Celebrity Escapes" trips. These voyages offer other unique facets -- champagne upon embarkation and more enrichment-style lectures, for instance. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

COSTA CRUISES
New Ship: In June, Costa inaugurates its brand new flagship: CostaMediterranea. The 85,000-ton, 2,114-passenger ship, a sister to CostaAtlantica, will homeport in Genoa throughout the summer before heading across the Atlantic. CostaMediterranea will be based in Ft. Lauderdale in the winter months and will offer 7-night alternating eastern and western Caribbean itineraries.

New Ports & Itineraries: This winter, CostaVictoria and CostaAtlantica, are making night calls at Casa de Campo, a resort in the Dominican Republic. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

CRYSTAL CRUISES
New Ship: Launching in July is the line's much-awaited third ship Crystal Serenity. The 68,000-ton, 1,080-passenger ship will not only be the line's largest but also will feature its highest-space-per-guest-ratio. The extra size allows for an expanded spa and athletic facility, more penthouses and larger staterooms. 85 percent of outside cabins have verandahs.

New Ports & Itineraries: A first time itinerary for Crystal will be Crystal Symphony's autumn transatlantic from London to New York that explores the route of the Vikings, making stops in Scotland, Denmark, Iceland, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Another first for Crystal: this summer two ships (Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony's) will ply European waters simultaneously. New York is added back to the port-roster after a six year hiatus; Crystal Symphony's will sail three Maritime Canada routes in the fall. And Crystal Symphony's will achieve another first when it sails South American itineraries in the fall.

Onboard: Look for Serenity to have numerous new innovations, including "The Sushi Bar," a third specialty restaurant; The Studio, an arena that is custom-designed to support Crystal's enrichment activities; and The Vintage Room, a combo boardroom and wine cellar. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

CRUISE WEST
Ports & Itineraries: New this year in Alaska is "Wilderness Waterways," which traverses a more offbeat path along the Inside Passage. And on Spirit of Oceanus' "Voyage to the Bering Sea" and "Coastal Odyssey" itineraries, the ship will be outfitted with zodiacs so passengers can get even more up-close-and-personal then usual.

Onboard: Cruise West is expanding its "single share" program to all ships and on all voyages. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

CUNARD
New Ship: While the much-hyped biggest-ship-ever Queen Mary 2 will not offer passenger sailings until 2004 the ship is slated to be delivered to Cunard late this year.

Onboard: QE 2 will spend much of 2003 marking this as her farewell transatlantic season with a variety of entertainment or cultural themes, along with gala farewell parties on each of its 17 six-day transatlantic crossings between New York and Southampton. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

FIRST EUROPEAN CRUISES
Onboard: European-based Festival Cruises (marketed in the U.S. as First European) has teamed up with Hilton International for a new program. "Hilton Floating Resort on Festival Cruises" will feature "Hilton Suites" on the line's newest ships -- European Stars, European Vision, and Mistral. The concept will act as an extension of Hilton's own frequent guest program: those who've registered with Hilton will get special services usually found at its hotels and resorts, including special check-in and check-out facilities as well as priority handling. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

FRED OLSEN CRUISE LINES
Onboard: "Arts Club," a new concept for Fred. Olsen's three ships -- Braemar, Black Watch and Black Prince -- will, on specially designated cruises, offer heightened instruction, workshops and lectures in a variety of the arts, including music, dance and watercolor. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

HOLLAND AMERICA
New Ship: Premiering July 10 is Oosterdam, the latest in a series of 85,000-ton, 1,848-passenger ships in what's now called the Zuiderdam class. These ships are the biggest in the line's history.

Ports & Itineraries: This summer Holland America will have eight ships in Alaska. In an interesting twist on Alaska homeports, Prinsendam will sail a series of trips there -- two weeks in length -- out of San Francisco throughout the summer. Holland America will have a regular ship sailing out of Port Canaveral -- this is a first; Zaandam will offer alternating weekly eastern and western Caribbean departures on a seasonal basis. And Rotterdam will offer a brand new itinerary: a 33-day North Atlantic voyage, roundtrip from New York, that features Greenland, Iceland and the Baltic.

On the shore-tour side, Holland America introduces visits to Kluane National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Canada that boasts five of North America's seven highest peaks. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

MSC ITALIAN CRUISES
New Ship: MSC Lirica, the line's first-ever newbuild, debuts in April. The 58,600-ton, 2,200-passenger ship will then assume title as MSC's flagship. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

NORWEGIAN COASTAL VOYAGES
New Ship: Boasting the line's first-ever private balconies is the 15,000-ton, 674 passenger Midnatsol, which replaces an older liner, half the size, of the same name. The new Midnatsol is slated for an April 15 maiden voyage from Bergen.

Onboard: The new Midnatsol is the third in a series of Norwegian Coastal's Millennium class design, which has incorporated many modern accouterments, such as whirlpools and an Internet cafe. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE
New Ship: The 2,224-passenger Norwegian Dawn technically began regular sailings in late 2002, but it's still a new ship for 2003. Not new but simply transferred is 1,022-passenger Crown Odyssey from Orient, NCL's sister line.

Ports & Itineraries: Most notable is Norwegian Dawn's summer schedule of Bahamas sailings from New York. While these seven day voyages will call at Nassau and NCL's private island, then stop at Miami and Port Canaveral what's interesting is that passengers can either embark in New York or Port Canaveral. Crown Odyssey will be NCL's first ship to seasonally homeport in Baltimore; it will offer Canada/Maritime itineraries in the fall.

Onboard: While replicating Norwegian Star, the company's first built-for-freestyle ship, one major difference on Norwegian Dawn's is its tony art collection; Le Bistro restaurant exhibits four original art paintings by impressionist masters Renoir, Matisse, Van Gogh and Monet. Also notable are the ship's unique garden Villa suites, measuring a vast 5,350-square feet a piece. In Bermuda, where Norwegian Sea and Norwegian Majesty will offer a series of seasonal sailings, NCL is launching its first-ever "shore side dining program." This encourages cruisers to visit Bermuda's restaurants by offering $25 lunch vouchers ($50 for dinner vouchers); there is a $5 charge to the passenger for each voucher. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

PRINCESS CRUISES
New Ships: The 88,000-ton 1,950-passenger Coral Princess -- the first in a new class of mid-sized ships -- debuted in early January after a series of delays and will focus on the Panama Canal this winter. Island Princess -- its sister ship -- is slated for a May launch and will start off with Gulf of Alaska itineraries. Pacific Princess technically debuted last year -- under the auspices of P&O, Princess' sister cruise line. But it actually launches as Princess Cruises' Pacific Princess this summer, when it will sail Alaska itineraries out of San Francisco.

Ports & Itineraries: For the first time, Princess is offering an "Antarctic" itinerary. In this case Royal Princess gets the nod and while the ship does spend several days sailing between islands off the Antarctic peninsula, passengers do not actually disembark the ship for shore explorations. Seattle gets a first-ever homeport nod as Star Princess will be based there during the Alaska season. Another first for Star: the ship will spend late-autumn/early winter in Australia/New Zealand. This year, Hawaii-bound cruisers can travel non-stop from Los Angeles on a 15-day itinerary on Regal Princess.

Onboard: In an experiment, Princess has launched ScholarShip@Sea, an enhanced enrichment program, on its just-debuted Coral Princess. The roster of courses will include topics such as cooking, computer skills, photography, pottery making, visual arts and finance. Stages in the ship's Universe Lounge have actually been designed with the program in mind and, for example, feature a kitchen set. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

RADISSON SEVEN SEAS CRUISES
New Ship: The all-balcony all-suite 700-passenger Seven Seas Voyager is on
track for an April Fool's Day debut (April 1). Voyager is similar to Seven Seas Mariner.

Ports & Itineraries: Radisson's Navigator is the line's first ship to win a berth in Bermuda. Based in New York, Navigator will offer 11 weeklong roundtrips and include a call in Norfolk, Va. The much-missed 180-passenger Song of Flower, currently on hiatus, will return to service in April; new ports-of-call on this European-based ship include Italy's Brindisi, Pesaro, Pescara and Ravenna. And 320-passenger Paul Gauguin, which routinely sails seven day voyages in French Polynesia, will mix things up a little bit with two 14-day voyages that include stops at the remote Marquesas Islands. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL
New Ships: Royal Caribbean introduces two new ships -- representing two different classes -- in 2003. In the autumn, 2,110-passenger Serenade of the Seas, the third in the Radiance series of ships, debuts. The 142,000-ton, 3,114-passenger Mariner of the Seas, a sister of the world's-biggest Voyager class ships, launches in the early winter.

Ports & Itineraries: Mariner of the Seas will be the biggest Royal Caribbean ship to offer weeklong Caribbean schedules out of Port Canaveral. Monarch of the Seas gets a new assignment next May: that ship will head to Los Angeles, where it will handle the Mexican Riviera "short" cruise niche for the line. Enchantment of the Seas also gets a change in surroundings as it moves to Ft. Lauderdale, where it will sail four- and five-night western Caribbean itineraries. In Europe, Royal Caribbean is launching a new pre- or post-cruise land tour program highlighted perhaps by the family-oriented, Harry Potter-themed "Magical Tour of England" offering. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

ROYAL OLYMPIC CRUISES
Ports & Itineraries: Royal Olympic sails its first Baltic Sea itinerary this summer aboard Stella Solaris. Olympia Voyager will offer a one-time "Great Rivers of South America" voyage, roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale. This summer, Olympia Voyager makes its first-ever call at Monte Carlo on a new 14-day "Mediterranean Medley" itinerary.

Onboard: Royal Olympic is launching a new "Seafaring Gourmet" program on select sailings throughout the year. Teaming up with Wine Enthusiast Magazine as well as with a roster of guest chefs (including Andre Soltner from New York's Lutece) the program will feature demos, lectures and tastings. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

SEABOURN CRUISE LINE
Onboard: Look for an overhaul of the ships' Veranda Cafes as Seabourn's celebrity chef Charlie Palmer unveils new menus for the casual eatery. The decor will also get a revamp. The line plans to make periodic refurbishments to its three vessels throughout the year; of particular note is its expansion of the fitness facility. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

SILVERSEA CRUISES
Ports & Itineraries: Silver Wind, back from hiatus in the spring, has been redeployed from Asia to the Mediterranean; following the summer season the ship will head to the Caribbean.

Onboard: Silversea, which already has a well-established culinary program, is launching a wine series on select European itineraries. Activities rang from special onboard tastings to vineyard excursions to talks by noted winemakers. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

SWAN HELLENIC
New Ship: Swan Hellenic introduces a brand new Minerva in April; Minerva II is a former Renaissance R-series ship and, with a passenger capacity of 694, holds more than twice as many passengers as the first.

Onboard: The newer ship means that Swan Hellenic can now offer more contemporary features and amenities, such as a wider variety of alternative restaurants, cabins-with-balconies and an Internet cafe, among others. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

UNIWORLD
New Ships: Uniworld has two ships launching this year. The 138-passenger River Countess debuts in March and sister ship River Duchess launches in June.

Onboard: The company's two newest ships, plus sibling River Empress, which birthed last year, are the only river vessels in Europe to have an "Internet corner." Other innovations include (more) expansive fitness centers and more sophisticated cabin locks. Uniworld is expanding its ClearVoice Audio Program, which launched on board River Empress last summer, to the entire fleet; this provides all passengers with wireless headsets so they can better hear shore excursion guides on land tours. Another addition to the Uniworld program is the option to combine the river cruise with a one-way transatlantic voyage on QE2 on trips between April and October. Visit CruiseDirect for the best cruise deals.

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