New cruise ships are ready for maiden voyages

• Cunard rolls out the regal Queen Victoria in December with an elegant Todd English restaurant.

• MSC's Poesia is poised for March, carrying 3,013 guests on 13 passenger decks. Amenities include a tennis court, teen club, cigar room, disco and miniature golf.

• Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas makes waves in England in May with a spa and well-being center with thermal caves.

• Next summer, Holland America debuts the 2,104-passenger Eurodam, the largest ever for the line. New innovations include a topside pan-Asian restaurant and a lounge that overlooks the ocean and pool.

• Carnival's Splendor makes its inaugural cruise next July. The 113,000-ton ship will have a sliding Sky Dome, a 21,000-square-foot health and fitness center and 68 special spa staterooms.

• The 113,000-ton, 3,080-passenger Ruby Princess sparkles in November 2008 with a dramatic piazza-style atrium and performing street entertainers, in addition to its signature Movies Under the Stars.

• The 122,000-ton Celebrity Solstice takes its maiden voyage in December 2008.

• In the fall of 2009, Royal Caribbean's "Project Genesis" ship will set a record as the largest cruise ship on the sea. This whopping 220,000-ton, next-generation ship will carry 5,400 passengers.