Royal Caribbean Fans

Today, two Asian-based Royal Caribbean ships met at Marina Bay Cruise Center in Singapore.

(Photo: Royal Caribbean Asia)

Voyager of the Seas and Legend of the Seas were berthed side by side for the first time. Voyager of the Seas was starting an 8-night cruise to Shanghai while Legend of the Seas was leaving for a 2-night Malacca weekend cruise.

Image renderings of the new Kai Tak Cruise Terminal which is due to open later this year, shows an Oasis class ship berthed at the Terminal.

(Image: plusmood.com)

The terminal which has two berths can accommodate ships of up to 1,492 feet. The berths will be capable of handling two Oasis class vessels (1,187 ft) at the same time. Not even the terminal at Port Everglades can currently do that.

The renderings pose a good question about where the next Oasis class vessel will be posistioned. A third Oasis class ship in the Caribbean year round would be very unlikely. Asia is a rapidly growing cruise destination, with 7 million cruise passengers predicted to visit by 2020. In 2012, Hong Kong itself welcomed almost 1.4 million passengers.

The ship is currently planned to be built in France after Finland lost out on the project.

The Fiji Health Ministry has confirmed 51 cases of norovirus on board the Rhapsody of the Seas which is carrying over 2300 passengers and 870 crew.

Doctor Joe Koroivueta says they took measures immediately as soon as they received reports of the cases.

Affected passengers have been isolated and no one is allowed to enter the quarantined area on the ship except the medical response team.

Dr Koroivueta says the ship will leave for Noumea, New Caledonia tonight.

Voyager of the Seas became the largest cruise ship to visit Busan, South Korea on July 19th after she made her maiden call in the port.

Voyager of the Seas docked at the second largest city in South Korea as part of her first cruise season in the far east.

Lee Jae-Myung, Royal Caribbean's representative in South Korea, commented on the occasion, “We are proud to have added yet another popular Korean destination to Voyager of the Seas’ North Asian itineraries.”

“Busan, a cosmopolitan city with breath-taking mix of hills, mountains and the ocean, has always been one of Royal Caribbean’s top destinations in the region. With our multiple calls lined up this season, thousands of international guests will be able to enjoy the city’s scenic beauty, tourist attractions and famous seafood delights.”

Voyager of the Seas will also be calling at Fukuoka and Okinawa on the seven night cruise from Shanghai. Other itineraries include three and five night cruises from Singapore, along with five and seven night cruises from Shanghai and Tianjin. She will be calling at Busan six more times this year.

Royal Caribbean will be sending Mariner of the Seas to China in 2013 to join sister ship Voyager of the Seas. Royal Caribbean will be offering cruises to South east Asia, Japan and South Korea.

Mariner of the Seas will arrive in China in June 3013 and offer a number of itineraries from 3 to 12 nights. The addition of Mariner of the Seas will offer additional capacity to a Chinese cruise market that is growing quickly. Mariner will also adopt the same product customizations that Voyager of the Seas made to adapt to the Chinese marketing, such as Chinese-style menus, enhanced retail and entertainment offerings and language services.

Royal Caribbean's Richard Fain commented, “We see Asia in general and China in particular as a major strategic objective for our company, China has proven to be a very special market.”