Game cruise operator Genting Hong Ltd. announced Wednesday that it will add another ship to its Dream Cruise fleet. Genting Hong Kong said the Explorer Dream will replace a total of 75,338 tons and can accommodate 1,870 passengers. The ship was previously called Superstar Virgo (pictured), and belonged to a fleet operated by Genting Hong Kong brand Star Cruise.
Genting Hong Kong said the ship will join the Dream Cruise Line after a $30 million renovation in March next year. The renovation will include new facilities such as The Palace, a luxury area with 50 suites and butler services, a place to enjoy new meals and drinks, and Crystal Life Spa.
The announcement quoted Yim Kok-tai, executive chairman of Genting Hong Kong, as saying the Dream Cruise will offer vacations to people around the mainland Chinese cities of Shanghai, Tianjin and Beijing and visit Australian ports. If so, the route will be the first to venture out of Asian waters.
"We will accelerate this vision to develop Dream Cruise into a global cruise line in Asia by leveraging its superstar Virgo, one of Asia's favorite ships, to transform it into a new sibling with Genting Dream and World Dream," Lim said, adding that Genting Hong Kong will expand its offerings to include fly cruise and flyrail travel options.
Explorer Dream will pick up passengers for cruises from China's Shanghai and Tianjin to Japan, Russia, Hong Kong and the Philippines next year, while it will pick up passengers for cruises from Sydney and Auckland to Australia and New Zealand later this year.
Dream Cruise Chairman Thatcher Brown said in a prepared statement that there was a positive response to the route's offering by mainland Chinese customers and that the new cruise will showcase the brand globally. "By making the Explorer Dream our Pathfinder ship, this is truly the first huge step for Dream Cruise to become a global cruise line in Asia," he added.
Genting Hong Kong, a subsidiary of Malaysian conglomerate Genting Bhd, is accelerating plans to expand its cruise business, and has developed a portfolio of cruise lines of three brands serving different parts of the market. Crystal Cruises is in the ultra-luxury category, Dream Cruises is in the premium category and Star Cruises is in the "contemporary" category.
The Hong Kong-listed company reported last month that its shareholders lost $140.1 million in the first half of the year, down 30.7% year-on-year to $777.6 million in revenue.
The company said the deficit in the first half of the year was driven by an improvement in its cruise business, which also saw its total operating expenses rise 35.6% year-over-year to $647.4 million.
BY: 카지노사이트