Smooth sailing: A look at what's ahead in the cruise industry

Anyone with sea legs will tell you that cruising is no longer just about sun-drenched islands. Sure, there are plenty of Mediterranean and Caribbean sailings this summer, but cruise lines are also sending more ships to Northern Europe (where you can, for instance, see the Baroque Catherine Palace, just outside St. Petersburg) and increasing capacity in Alaska (where you can take a ride on the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad, a relic of the 1898 gold rush).

There are excursions that whisk passengers farther and farther away from the ship (Antarctica, anyone?) and cruises that stop in far-flung ports in the Middle East and Asia, for those who want to mix, say, a little archaeology with their rest and recreation.

New ships

There are six big new ships hitting the water this year: Holland America's Noordam, Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of Hawaii, Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, the Crown Princess from Princess Cruises, and two ships from Italian operators — MSC Cruises' Musica and Costa's Costa Concordia.

At 160,000 tons, the 3,634-passenger Freedom of the Seas (www.royalcaribbean.com) will supplant the Queen Mary 2 as the largest ocean liner in the world when it begins sailing in June on seven-night Caribbean tours out of Miami. The ship carves out plenty of niches for children, including an ice skating rink, basketball, golf and a sports pool for water volleyball. The FlowRider, the much-advertised surf park, looks like a cross between a resistance swimming pool and a Class V rapid (thankfully, lessons are included). For adults, the Freedom of the Seas is offering fitness amenities, including a full-size boxing ring and a studio with eight Pilates machines.

The second-largest ship launch scheduled for this year is the 113,000-ton, 3,080-passenger Crown Princess (www.princess.com), which has an entire deck of 323-square-foot mini-suites, plus interconnecting "family suites" that sleep up to eight people, a two-story spa and gym and new casual dining options, including an area that imitates a street cafe setting.