Travelfox is noted for its over-55 offers and this October has a 10-day trip to Costa Del Almeria, to the four-star Best Sabinal Hotel in Roquetas de Mar on a half-board basis with free wine and water, for €499. 

Skiing in Bulgaria

Update 5.50pm: Julien Ruas, a deputy mayor of Marseille, said that the lifeboat fell 10 metres or so from the fifth deck of the Harmony of the Seas into the sea with the five crew members aboard.

Beautiful Bahamas

What is it really like on board the world’s biggest cruise ship? Hilary Fennell finds out as she boards Harmony of the Seas for its inaugural sailing.

What a challenge! A Corkman gets to sample all the food and drink being served on the world’s largest luxury cruise liner and he get’s paid for it.

TRAVEL and how we experience that longed-for getaway, be it in the sun, snow, wilderness or a city break, changes faster than those enticing last-minute holiday package offers posted in your local travel agency shopfront.

Imagine the sort of cruise where your drinks are prepared by a series of robotic arms, and everything you do on board can be controlled via your personal device.

The Port of Cork is seeking planning permission for a €1.5m deep-water pontoon and access bridges to cater for bigger cruise liners arriving in Cobh.

THE cruises sector of the global travel industry has been defying recessionary trends and growing non-stop, with average annual growth of 9%.

The Port of Cork is looking at expanding its cruise line terminal facilities in Cobh to accommodate much larger ships capable of carrying 5,000 passengers.

The Allure of the Seas is the world’s largest ocean liner. Among its 2,284 crew are Corkonians Derek McKnight and Aisling McCarthy.

A record number of cruise ship passengers will disembark in Cork next year, up 15% on this year and worth an estimated €21m to the economy.

Prices are down, capacity is up, and Ireland is poised to grow as a port of call. Pól Ó Conghaile on why there’s never been a better time to cruise.

Travel agents are likely to cut back on their own holidays this year as they report a strong demand for foreign sun holidays from consumers.

A cruise liner has been placed under quarantine in Brazil after hundreds of passengers were hit with vomiting and diarrhoea.

THE world’s biggest cruise ship – boasting its own open air park and amphitheatre – was officially unveiled yesterday.

IT’S a sign of the times that Irish tour operators are having to trim down operations to stay in business.

Dozens of crew members and two passengers on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship who were suspected of having swine flu have tested negative for the virus, the cruise operator said today.

Dozens of crew on a cruise ship were confined to their cabins with suspected swine flu today.

The Bahamas has awarded a contract to a Dutch marine engineering contractor to dredge two million cubic metres of sand and mud from a Nassau harbour to accommodate the world’s largest cruise ships.

MAJORCA and Lanzarote feature strongly in Sunworld’s new summer brochure.

Hurricane Dean limped across Mexico today as a weakened tropical depression, but still dumped torrential rains that flooded rivers and drenched mudslide-prone mountains.

THE world’s largest cruise- liner will visit Ireland three times next year but only Cobh’s terminal in Cork will be big enough for it.

COMBINING breathtaking scenery, sophisticated shopping and sumptuous accommodation with the adventure of safari, South Africa will be the destination of choice for over 50,000 Irish visitors in the coming season.

THE largest liner to call to Cork this year is expected in Cobh next Thursday.

WITH A magnificent fireworks display and the popping of hundreds of champagne corks, Freedom of the Seas, the world’s largest passenger ship, left Southampton on its inaugural cruise last week.

The dancer whose silhouette has sold millions of iPods worldwide still can’t afford to buy one of the digital music players herself, she has revealed.

British printing group St Ives maintained its profits guidance today after its books division was kept “busy” by the sixth version of the Harry Potter series.

Hurricane Charley is expected to slam into the British Cayman Islands today after spinning away from Jamaica.

A Finnish shipyard has been awarded the contact to build the world’s largest cruise liner which will weigh in at 160,000 tons.

P&O Princess has taken a step closer to sealing its £3.5bn (€5.4bn) tie-up with its US rival, Carnival.

Cruise giant Carnival was today preparing to meet P&O Princess executives after rival bids for the UK group both received regulatory backing.

THE Irish skiing business continues to grow and Topflight has moved to take advantage of a huge surge in interest.

P&O Princess, the cruise group at the centre of a takeover battle, today increased its fleet of ships in a $150m (€154m) deal.

P&O Princess says its merger plans with Royal Caribbean could collapse if shareholders don't approve the deal next week.

The FTSE 100 Index is off 12 points at 5126.4 after an hour's trading.

Cruise giant P&O Princess’s merger with Royal Caribbean was under threat today after Cunard owner Carnival moved to scuttle the deal.

The FTSE-100 Index was off 41.6 points at 5296.4 after an hour's trading, despite a strong close on Wall Street overnight.

P&O Princess Cruises is to merge with US rival Royal Caribbean in a £4.2bn deal.

The US Government is investigating trading in shares of 38 companies, including major airlines, cruise lines, General Motors and Raytheon, to determine if people used advance knowledge of the terror attacks to profit.