Royal Caribbean International, at a press conference in Beijing, said Mariner of the Seas will be based in Asia in June 2013 and will offer a number of itineraries from China and Singapore to Southeast Asia, Japan and Korea throughout the rest of the year.
Mariner of the Seas is the second 3,114-passenger ship to move to the China market, joining Voyager of the Seas. Royal Caribbean executives said this illustrates the company’s commitment to the growing cruise industry in Asia. Together, the two ships represent the two largest and most modern cruise ships operating in the region.
Richard Fain, chairman and chief executive officer of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., and Adam Goldstein, president and chief executive officer of Royal Caribbean International, made the announcement with Dr. Zinan Liu, group managing director for China and Asia.
Royal Caribbean will deploy Mariner of the Seas to China in June 2013. The ship will offer a wide variety of itineraries, ranging from three nights to 12 nights. The move is designed to offer additional capacity to a fast-growing cruise in China, as well as attract cruise guests from around the world to visit China and sail around Asia. The ship will adopt the same product customizations made for Voyager of the Seas' entry in the market, including Chinese-style menus, as well as enhanced retail and entertainment offerings, and language services.
“The opportunities to attract guests from China to cruise are abundant,” says Goldstein. “Mariner of the Seas recently received a host of Royal Advantage enhancements and I’m confident cruisers here will be amazed by the Oasis-class innovations available for everyone of all ages on this ship.”
“We’ve made it clear we see Asia in general, and China in particular, as a strategic objective,” adds Fain. “We have been so pleased by the market’s response to bringing Voyager of the Seas to Asia that it made strategic sense to send a second ship of equal size.”
Mariner of the Seas, which displaces 138,279 gross registered tons, will depart the Caribbean in April 2013 and head to Singapore and onto China via Dubai and the Suez Canal. When the ship sails into China in June 2013, Mariner of the Seas will offer guests the benefits of the company’s Royal Advantage strategy, including enhanced staterooms and other innovative features.
Underscoring the significance of the growing Chinese cruise economy and established desire to sail with Royal Caribbean International, Voyager of the Seas is confirmed to return to China in 2013 for a second season. Meanwhile, Legend of the Seas, which has operated out of Singapore and Shanghai for the past three years, will return to Europe.
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