Here's a quick look at what's new this week in cruising, and how it could impact your next trip...
- Attention, blue-footed booby fans! Celebrity Cruises is adding a 16-passenger catamaran and a 48-passenger ship as part of its acquisition of Galapagos tour operator Ocean Adventures. The small ships will explore the remote islands together with the 100-passenger Celebrity Xpedition, which has brought a dose of pampering to the wilds of the Galapagos for a decade.
- People go crazy for what’s new and big, so its no wonder the viral cruise news of the week is that Royal Caribbean's 6,000-passenger Harmony of the Seas, soon to launch as the world's largest ship, left a French shipyard and hit the water for the first time. No, you can't get onboard yet or even view the finished product online (the ship's debut is in late May). But you can see photos of the officers putting the huge ship through its initial paces (in what's known as sea trials).
- Wait for it. Yes, the band KISS is back with a 2016 cruise, this year themed on the group's infamous 1982 "Creatures of the Night" tour. "Creatures of the Deep" sets sail on Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Pearl in November. It's the rockers’ sixth cruise outing.
- Make sure your light saber is charged because Star Wars Day at Sea is returning to Disney Cruise Line's Disney Fantasy next year. The force will be with you -- and so will Star Wars characters and themed events -- on 15 eastern and western Caribbean sailings between early January and mid-April.