*** Carnival Corporation, which operates the Grand Turk Cruise Center, announced that the port facilities will reopen Oct. 8, 2008.   Due to damage during Hurricane Ike,  passenger ships will be unable to use the facility until repairs take place.  Carnival Destiny will return to the island Oct. 8.

– Cruise West, which operates a fleet of small ships, will now offer Quito and Galapagos Islands cruises in 2009 aboard the 40-passenger Isabela II.  The 10-day itineraries will begin with a two-night stay in Quito, Equador followed by a flight to Baltra Island to board the ship.  Cruise West has scheduled three departures: Aug. 23, Aug. 30 and Sept. 6, 2009; per person, double occupancy fares start at $6,399. 

– Holland America Line has announced that its second  2,106-passenger “Signature-class” ship will be named Nieu Amsterdam.  Scheduled to enter service in 2010, the 86,000-ton vessel will be a sister ship of Eurodam, which joined the fleet this year.