Featuring the largest Australia deployment of any North American line in the region, Princess Cruises’ 2012-13 season of “Down Under” cruising offers intriguing new routes, a special solar eclipse cruise, a new cruisetour to the Outback, and more sailings to New Zealand than any other line.

Whether it’s the timeless cities of the Mediterranean, the splendour of Scandinavia and Russia or the intriguing ports of the continent’s northern reaches, Princess Cruises passengers may have a hard time choosing from among next summer’s array of Europe sailings.

Princess Cruises ships will sail to the balmy waters of the Caribbean from both Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and Galveston, Texas during the fall 2012 to spring 2013 cruise season, plus will offer a variety of ways to cruise through one of the world’s engineering wonders, the Panama Canal.

Princess Cruises has renewed the lease for its headquarters location in Valencia Town Centre, and has announced it will continue to be “home ported” in Santa Clarita. Under the terms of the new lease, which includes approximately 270,000 square feet of office space in four buildings in the Town Center, the cruise line will remain based in Santa Clarita for at least the next 15 years.

Three-quarters of Americans want to see National Relaxation Day (Aug.15) become an official U.S. holiday, according to a new national survey. Overworked and over-scheduled, Americans are so eager to adopt and observe this day of rest, they are even willing to trade-in an established holiday like Columbus or Labor Day.

From the Christmas tree adorning the ship’s mast to a visit from Santa, the holiday season brings a special kind of cheer to Princess ships. This year, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year celebrations will be in full swing fleetwide, with several new seasonal activities for passengers to enjoy.