Apparently, the cruise line has applied for a 10-year permit to cruise in Glacier Bay National Park, where there are tight restrictions on the number of ships allowed in.

All the more interesting as it was also suggested to me this week that the Baltic might also be on the Mickey radar. With two new big ships coming 2011 and 2012, guess it has to find somewhere to cruise other than its well-trod Caribbean home.

I've yet to have seen the latter at work - he does his magic up close so it depends on him coming to your table - but the oohs and ahhs from other passengers were impressive.

Plotvinova is great. She walks into a curtained closet in one outfit and emerges at the other end in another, or wraps herself in a cloak, then whisks it off to reveal - yes, another outfit. I was standing right in front of her, trying to take pictures, but it's impossible because it all happens so fast. And no, I couldn't see how it is done.

These "street" entertainers are very clever. Gives the atrium - sorry, Piazza - life and a reason to hang out there, rather than just passing through to admire the décor and eat the sticky buns they offer for breakfast in the International Cafe!

I looked at them earlier and wondered who would eat such unhealthy food for breakfast - sugar, icing, you name it, they are covered in it. And then along came the Americans!

Suddenly it becomes a lot more attractive!

Yacht Club people also have 24-hour butler service, a VIP swimming pool, hydro-massage pool, solarium, lounge and direct access to the spa.

The ship holds a massive 3,959 passengers and takes pride of place in MSC's new 2008/09 brochure. It will be sailing the Med - the maiden voyage is an eight-night Christmas cruise, then there's a New Year sailing and 12-night itineraries out of Genoa.

How much extra does it cost for the Yacht Club? Unfortunately my press release skips over the money bit and as I'm away and it's now 7am in the morning UK time, I can't find out.

If anyone can enlighten me, I'd love to know.

This ship is longer than four football pitches, higher than Nelson's Column - 220,000 tons and with room for 5,400 passengers.

Royal is moving staff from other areas into reservations to cope with an expected 50% more bookings than on its previous busiest sales day. Senior managers have been drafted in to deal with booking inquiries and Jo Rzymowska, associate vice-president and general manager, has promised to make the tea.

Some £1 million has been set aside to make sure this behemoth sells. It's going to be a long day.

I remember doing something similar to this - except it was sand yachting in Le Touquet in France. It was wet and windy and our yachts kept going every which way except around the course.

After about 30 minutes, the owner, fed up with putting us back upright, gave a Gallic shrug and walked back to his office, leaving his hapless assistant in charge of a bunch of out-of-control journos. Sadly it meant he missed the spectacular pile-up at the end, memories of which kept everyone in hysterics for the rest of the trip.

I hope Bonaire land sailing is as much fun.

It's also nice to see a zip-wire adventure in Barbados adding a touch of spice to the rather tame island tours, jeeps and botanical garden visits.

Now I've discovered a band on Princess Cruises' Crown Princess called Endur. Doesn't really sell them to me.

This guy is Daniel Hochsteiner, from Germany, one of a band of entertainers who juggles three or so times a day in the piazza on Princess Cruises' Crown Princess.

The piazza, but the way, is the ship's atrium by another name because it is a place where you can buy coffees, teas or something stronger, snack on salads, cookies or cakes from the International Cafe - free in the day, charged in the evening (I'm not entirely sure why as the daytime food is so much nicer) - or just meet others and watch the entertainers. Much like an Italian piazza.
 
Oh - and it's also one of the best places for us laptop junkies to pick up wireless internet, which is why I'm spending a lot of time there.

Daniel was getting off the ship just after I took this picture. He's been on for a week, juggling hoops and tennis rackets, and now he's off to do the same on another cruise ship.

Rest assured, I'll be back down there to see who takes his place.

This is me, at my sartorial best, about to set off on a RIB boat ride in the Stockholm archipelago.

I've been wanting to do this for years - well since 2004, when I first saw it - so my thanks to Tina Brännström at the Stockholm Visitors Board for getting bit booked for me and making my dream come true.

I'm always amazed how few people know what a great city Stockholm is - pretty and with the amazing Vasa Museum to see. And then there are the sightseeing boats that have running commentary as they chug along under the bridges that connect this city's island.

Interesting, but not nearly as much fun as the RIB. And as the boats hit 40-45 knots at high speed, bouncing over waves, banking around nothing in particular (just for the fun of it), you'll forget how daft you look and be very grateful for the wind and waterproofs and silly hat!

According to P&O Cruises, a two-week cruise in an ocean-view cabin this summer would have cost £1,579 per person. Ten years ago it would have cost £2,520.

But there's more. P&O's managing director Nigel Esdale has been doing some tantalising number crunching.

"The cumulative inflation rate between May 1998 and May 2008 is 32% [Office of National Statistics], so if cruise holidays had increased accordingly, then our prices should be more than double those in this summer's brochure. In actual fact, this year's prices are more than £900 cheaper per person, almost £2,000 cheaper for a couple than 10 years ago."

Everyone loves a deal and no one wants to miss out on having a holiday - especially in the UK's wet new world of global warming. With bargains like that, cruises should be flying off the shelves next week.

Tomorrow's Movie under the Stars is Narnia, which my daughter Ilana has already decided we'll watch. At 9.30pm. In the Baltic. I fear a sudden heatwave is out of the question so I've already earmarked my blankets. Lots of them!

I was thrilled to discover that our Captain is Andy Proctor, who married me (to my husband, that is) on Grand Princess back in 2004. That was in the Baltic too, on a day at sea sailing between Copenhagen and Stockholm, so it's quite a nostalgic trip for Ilana and I. Wonder if he'll remember me...?

The letter from managing director David Yellow to the passengers said that the itinerary in Tallinn had been changed - the ship was in port for a couple of hours less than originally scheduled - not that the Tallinn stop had been cancelled.

I'm delighted to hear that was the case and my thanks to them for putting me right.

Terry Thornton, Carnival's vice president for marketing planning, said there is no end in sight for demand for Caribbean cruises, which the company bolsters through locating its ships at drive-to ports around the state of Florida. "The cruise industry is doing well because people are driving to their ports."

Many Brits have already discovered the joys of being able to pack the car and drive to Southampton, Dover or wherever to start their cruise. No airport security hassles, no delays. Just board the ship and you're on holiday.

The Passenger Shipping Association says a record 591,000 passengers cruised from the UK last year. As more people discover the benefits of sailing from the UK - and more ex-UK cruises are offered - that figure can only grow. I expect more records for 2008 and beyond.

In a story I wrote for the Telegraph last week, managing director David Yellow admitted there had been problems but said they would be fixed by Friday (August 22).

A statement yesterday from Voyages of Discovery also seemed to show all was finally well with the ship - even if she was going a little slow!

'The MV Discovery is operating its published Baltic Explorer itinerary and is currently in Korsor, as scheduled. The vessel did transit the Kiel Canal yesterday (Monday 25 August) en route to Korsor. During its journey from Harwich to Korsor, MV Discovery averaged its planned speed of 14.5 knots and has made no changes to its designated ports of call.'

But I have also been sent a letter from one of the passengers on the cruise, received on boarding and signed by David Yellow, informing them a new part was delivered last week but the engineers have still not managed to fix the problem. Apparently another new part now needs to be manufactured.

This does mean Discovery will be operating on 3 engines during your cruise which is perfectly permissible and the ship can do so safely. However it does mean that Discovery will be operating at a slightly slower speed than when the itinerary was originally planned.

It might be permissible and safe, but the letter also says Discovery will be skipping Tallinn, which will be a great disappointment to many.

David Yellow told me the part delivered last week also had to be specially manufactured. If that hasn't worked, maybe it's time to either take the ship out of service until it is fixed or replace the current cruise programme with slow, short hops over to the continent, sold on the basis of being one engine short, until everything is up and running again.

Or maybe Voyages just needs to splash out on a new engine. Discovery is an old lady, does some sterling work each year in Antarctica and is obviously feeling a little tired.

Whichever option, it would be a lot fairer to the passengers.

As mentioned in an earlier blog, the Orient Lines' brand was recently acquired by Wayne Heller, the American founder of Orlando-based travel agency Cruises Only, and he has now bought a ship and is back in business.

The ship is the Maxim Gorki, a 40-year-old 24,981-ton vessel with capacity for 650 passengers that is currently operating for Phoenix Seereisen, a Germany-based tour company.

It leaves Phoenix in November for a major refit so it can meet tough new SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) standards effective from 2010 and will then be renamed Marco Polo II and start sailing again in spring 2009, starting with Med cruises from Barcelona before the ship sails north for itineraries visiting London and Scotland.

That doesn't sound too exploration-like - the style of cruising for which the original Orient Lines was famed - but apparently more out of the way places, Antarctica included, will follow.

Whether you get a discount or pay more for being near a public room, history does not relate.

The changes have already been made on Carnival Valor and will be rolled out across the fleet by the end of the year.

Lynn Torrent, Carnival's senior vice-president sales and guest services, says the change will allow passenger to pick a cabin that exactly meets their needs while giving agents a better chance to upgrade clients because the price gap between the categories is much smaller.

For the sake of the trade, I just hope this reclassification doesn't catch on. Royal Caribbean International  released prices for its giant Oasis of the Seas last week, as the ship went on sale to Crown and Anchor loyalty club members, with 37 different cabin categories. That's quite enough for any agents - and actually consumers - to get their heads around.