Norwegian Cruise Line has announced its 2011/2012 summer deployment and itineraries with highlights including a new homeport in Europe, more capacity and newer ships to Bermuda from the Northeast, and a year-round commitment to New Orleans.

In a first for the line in Europe, Norwegian Sun will homeport in Copenhagen offering nine-day cruises to the Baltic.

For Bermuda sailings, the company is deploying Norwegian Gem from New York for the first time and Norwegian Dawn from Boston.

In addition, Norwegian Spirit will homeport year-round in New Orleans, the first time NCL will homeport a ship year-round in the Crescent City.

In the Baltic, Norwegian Sun will sail from Copenhagen offering 15 nine-day Baltic Capitals cruises. Ports of call include: Berlin (Warnemünde), Germany; Tallinn, Estonia; an overnight in St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm (Nynashamn), Sweden.

In addition to Norwegian Epic’s deployment from Barcelona to the Western Mediterranean in the summer of 2011, Norwegian Jade, which currently sails year-round in Europe, will replace Norwegian Gem sailing from Venice on a seven-day Greek Isles cruise with ports of call including: Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos and Olympia (Katakolon), Greece.

The ship will also sail a seven-day Adriatic, Greece and Turkey cruise with ports of call including: Dubrovnik, Croatia; Athens (Piraeus), Greece; Ephesus (Izmir), Turkey and Split, Croatia.

These sailings can be booked back-to-back for a 14-day cruise with no port repetition sailing to Greece, Italy, Croatia and Turkey.

Check out www.ncl.com for further details.

Princess Cruises is offering passengers some fresh ways to experience Alaska up close and personal this year with a variety of new summer shore excursions.

Among the 20 new options is a unique opportunity to join a scientific expedition while in Juneau to help study climate change and wildlife behaviour patterns.

Passengers can also get closer to the dramatic glaciers of Tracy Arm, pilot their own zodiac on a tour of Ketchikan or enjoy the opportunity for animal encounters at a film trainer’s wildlife park.

These new options join Princess’ extensive shore excursion program, which currently offers 215 different Alaska tour options for passengers starting in May.

New tours for this year include Whales & Glaciers Citizen Science Adventure (Juneau); Back Country Zodiac Expedition (Ketchikan); Alaska Wildlife Park (a Princess exclusive, Skagway); Whales, Bears & Glaciers Adventure (another Princess exclusive, Juneau); Tracy Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer (Juneau); Adventure Park & Zip Lines (Skagway); Juneau Jeep Adventure (a Princess exclusive); and Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter & Salmon Bake Combo (another Princess exclusive, Juneau).

Sail on over to www.princess.com to learn more.

Building on the past success of World Leaders Symposium cruises in Asia and the Middle East, Silversea Cruises has announced its collaboration with San Francisco-based World Leaders Travel to host the 2010 World Leaders Symposium, a Black Sea voyage aboard Silver Wind headlined by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other dignitaries.

This one-of-a-kind travel event from Aug. 30 to Sept. 15 includes a 10-night cruise aboard the Silver Wind and a range of specially arranged shore excursions in Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Turkey.

In addition to former Secretary of State Rice, featured speakers include former Secretary of Defense William Perry, former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, and leading figures in fields ranging from technology and the US-Russian space race to cultural history and global affairs.

Focusing on the cultural, historical and political highlights of the Black Sea region, the Symposium begins in Moscow with three nights at The Ritz-Carlton. Travellers will experience a Moscow rarely seen by visitors and attend a gala dinner with Gorbachev.

Participants then fly by chartered jet to Istanbul, Turkey, to board the all-suite Silver Wind. The final two nights are spent in Istanbul at the Ciragan Palace Kempinski Hotel and will feature special excursions and lectures. Optional extensions to Kiev, Chernobyl and Moscow, and to Istanbul and Ephesus, are also available.

Visit www.WorldLeadersTravel.com/Silversea for additional information.