ASIA PACIFIC. SkySea Cruise Line is to deploy the 1,800 passenger vessel Golden Era to a record five seasonal homeports in 2018 in China and Taiwan. It is seeking to establish itself as the expert cruise company geared to Chinese travellers.
SkySea Holding International – established in 2014 and co-founded by Chinese travel company Ctrip.com International and Royal Caribbean Cruises – was the first contemporary cruise line specifically built for the China market.
Its first large cruise ship Golden Era (formerly Celebrity Century) was purchased from Royal Caribbean and completed her maiden voyage in May 2015.
Two years later the ship – whose Chinese-tailored onboard retail is still run by Starboard Cruise Services, according to a SkySea spokesperson – is marking a new chapter as it extends its itineraries to include the seasonal homeports of Shanghai, Xiamen, Qingdao, Keelung (Taiwan) and Shenzhen.
More than 10 destination ports in four countries and regions will be visited throughout the year, catering to the markets of eastern, southern and northern China, as well as Taiwan.
SkySea Cruise Line CEO Ken Muskat said the five-homeport deployment is “a great indication that Golden Era has been well received by Chinese cruise guests”. On Taiwan he added: “A number of cruises in Keelung will be mainly aimed at Taiwanese guests and represent a solid step forward in the implementation of the greater China strategy of local cruise brands.” He declined to comment on the retail offer onboard the ship.
Recently, Princess Cruise Lines’ much larger 3,560-passenger Majestic Princess sailed on her maiden voyage from Europe to Shanghai to prepare for her first-season itineraries focused on the Chinese traveller, indicating how keen cruise companies are to capture PRC spending.
For the 2018 season, SkySea has broadened its itineraries and will visit Vietnam for the first time, docking at Halong Bay, Da Nang and other destinations. Other popular cruises to places such as Sasebo, Okinawa, Manila and Boracay will continue to be offered by the line and more than 80 cruises will be run during the full season.
SkySea will also increase the number of overnight and late night stays so that Chinese travellers get more time at their destinations. Bookings for 2018 sailings open on 8 August.
