American Safari Cruises' Safari Quest at sunrise in the Sea of Cortez.

Sea of Cortez Sunrise (c) Linda Garrison

More Sunrise Photos from the Sea of Cortez

In 2011, for the very first time, Silversea's new Silver Spirit will embark on a full World Cruise traversing both hemispheres.

This grandest of voyages, appropriately themed "Spirit of Discovery," begins in Los Angeles on January 19, when Silver Spirit is set to welcome no more than 540 privileged guests for a 119-day odyssey exploring 60 destinations in 25 countries -- with 11 overnight port visits -- before concluding in Southampton on May 19. Along the journey, Silver Spirit will take in the tranquillity of French Polynesia, Australia's untamed landscapes, the unique customs and cultures of Asia, ancient Egyptian wonders and timeless Mediterranean hideaways spanning from Italy and Monaco to Spain and Portugal.

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Azamara Cruises - the two-ship brand launched in 2007 with the 694-guest Azamara Journey and sister ship Azamara Quest - today became "Azamara Club Cruises," with a newly refined focus, and a series of new attributes designed for upmarket, experienced travelers.

Azamara Club Cruises President & CEO Larry Pimentel, tapped to take the helm of Azamara Cruises in July of this year, spent several weeks talking with travel agents, past guests and press to determine how to make his great-to-exceptional goal a reality. He also tapped a small new team focused 100 percent on Azamara, including VP of Sales & Marketing Edie Bornstein, AVP of Hotel Operations Bert Van Middendorp, Director of Marketing Signe Bjorndal, Director of National Accounts Michelle Nevin, and an eight-member field sales team dedicated solely to Azamara.

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The Costa Deliziosa, Costa's newest flagship, completed her official technical trials in the open sea successfully. She will be inaugurated on February 23, 2010 in Dubai, which marks the first time the international locale has hosted a cruise ship naming ceremony.

The stunning ship, Costa's 15th fleet member, built at Fincantieri's Marghera (Venice) shipyard, was put through her paces in the open sea for the first time, with a series of running tests on the ship's systems, machinery and engines. During the official trials performed at sea, the Costa Deliziosa sailed at maximum speed (in excess of 23 knots = 40 km/h), for eight hours non-stop during the endurance test. A crash stop was also carried out. This maneuver involves the total shutdown of propulsion with full ahead movement to see the distance required to bring the vessel to a total stop in the event of an emergency. During the UMS trial, the Costa Deliziosa sailed for six hours non-stop using only her automatic control systems for power generation and propulsion. Lastly, the blackout test was conducted whereby all the ship's control equipment is shut down and reactivated automatically.

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