Carnival Cruise Line have announced the name of the newest and largest ship will be "Mardi Gras" in a historic link to its very first ship that went into service in 1972.

Carnival's 28th ship, Carnival Mardi Gras will be 180,000 gross tonnes and the largest in the Carnival fleet. Carrying 5,200 passengers it will go into service in 2020 and be their first LNG powered vessel.

In exciting news for the Australian cruise industry, Royal Caribbean International have announced it will base it's luxury ship Celebrity Eclipse in Melbourne during the 2020/2021 summer season. Expected to inject $13 million into the Victorian economy, the decision follows other cruise lines choosing a Melbourne homeport to capitalise on it's 4.8 million residents. Melbourne is also seen as an attractive way of growing the Australian market whilst avoiding the congested Sydney port.

Silversea Cruises has announced details of three new ships to join the fleet in 2020 and 2022. Two unnamed "Evolution Class" ships will sail alongside it's exisiting ocean liners, along with a new expedition ship cruising to the Galapagos.

Silversea's Australasia Managing Director Adam Armstrong described the deal as an "action packed new chapter" for Silversea as a new marjority owner of the Royal Caribbean group. The Evolution class ships will be a new generation of environmentally friendly liners in the ultra luxury cruise market.

Looking to sail the World's Largest Cruise ship and have your own personal playground? No more waiting in endless lines. What about a game of air hockey or a splash in your private hot tub in the comfort of your very own suite? These are the types of amenities on offer in Royal Caribbeans "Ultimate Family Suite" onboard Symphony of the Sea's.

Royal Caribbean's CEO Michael Bayley describes it as "a crazy space. It's just fun". The popular cruise liner combined two Loft Suites to make this 1,346-square-foot playground complete with amazing views.

Our Ultimate Guide to Packing for Children, Babies and Toddlers

So you're on your way to your first cruise as a family. Sounds exciting, right? It get's even more exciting when you start imagining all the fun activities and event's you'll be attending during your long awaited holiday.

Yes, everybody is in high spirits in anticipation of this special week or two to come…until the day you have to do the packing.

Dream Cruises has today confirmed they will bring Explorer Dream to Australia in 2019. Explorer Dream is the ship formally known as SuperStar Virgo operated by Dream Cruises sister brand Star Cruises.

In the announcement Dream Cruises announced SuperStar Virgo will transfer to it's fleet following a US $30 million refurbishment in April 2019. The newly transformed ship will then be deployed in Tianjin and Shanghai before relocating to Australian waters from October 2019 until March 2020.

Princess Cruises has unveiled a sneak peak of it's luxurious Sky Suites to be included on it's newest ship Sky Princess. The suites will feature the largest balconies ever offered by the cruise line measuring 700 sq ft with sleeping capacity for five guests. The "Sky Suites" will have a huge private balcony with 270 degree views, including a private view of the Movie Under the Stars screen. Sky Princess is currently under construction in Italy and will enter service in October 2019.

In a remarkable feat of naval engineering, Silversea Cruises has completed its planned lengthening of "Silver Spirit". The ship was sliced in two and inserted with a prebuilt 15m segment to create more public areas and enhance it's facilities during a recent dry dock. The process including a total refurbishment of the existing ship took only 59 days.

Carnival Cruises have announced Carnival Spirit will be based in Brisbane for the first time starting in 2020. This is a first for Carnival having never had a ship homeporting in the Sunshine State capital.

The exciting announcement was made following the approval of Brisbane's new International Cruise Ship Terminal.