Cruise Pulse: News and Notes for Jan. 22, 2016

Photo courtesy of Thinkstock

Ducasse Conseil Catering Centre to Revamp Ponant's Onboard Menus The Ducasse Conseil catering centre run by Alain Ducasse Enterprise will assist French line Ponant in reimagining its onboard culinary options.

American Queen, American Empress Get Off-Season Spiff-Ups While laid up, both American Queen Steamboat Co. riverboats will get cleaned, repaired and updated with fresh paint, carpet and upholstery.

Hurtigruten Connects Europe and Africa with Exciting New "Cultural Contrasts" Itinerary Expedition cruise line Hurtigruten has announced Cultural Contrasts: Through the North Atlantic to Africa, a new itinerary connecting the two continents.

Colonel Chris Hadfield's Generator Joins Quark Expeditions on Legendary Icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov This Summer Quark Expeditions will welcome astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield on its Arctic Icebreaker Expedition: Best of the Canadian High Arctic sailing in 2016.

JUST THE LINKS

Tauck plans to reconfigure its five Jewel-class riverboats with larger cabins, reduced capacity and a refreshed second dining room.

Lindblad Expeditions will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first 'citizen explorers' cruise from 1966 on Jan. 23, 2016.

Port Everglades, Florida prepares for the future filled with larger tonnage with investments in infrastructure like LEED-certified renovations to Terminal 4.

Santa Barbara, California recognizes its cruise season with the arrival of Princess Cruises' Crown Princess.

2015 was a year of record passenger growth for the cruise port of Valletta, Malta.

After raising 100,000 euros during its New Year's Raffle, AIDA Cruises will donate the money to support the children's aid organization "SOS-Kinderdorf e.V."

---

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.