China is a big part of Royal Caribbean’s plans in Asia. In fact, Royal Caribbean president Adam Goldstein has said, “2012 is for our company the year of China”.
China’s growing tourism market will soon be introduced to what will be the 2 largest cruise ships in the region. Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas is set to arrive in Singapore this weekend on its way to Shanghai.
A second ship, Mariner of the Seas, is already being committed to China as well, before the first ship even arrives. Both of these ships are part of Royal Caribbean’s Voyager Class and they can hold over 3,000 passengers with their 15 decks.
Both of these ships also have ice skating rinks, a rock climbing wall, a 9 hole mini-golf course, 3 swimming pools, and many other amenities.
Royal Caribbean is taking the unusual step of committing a second ship to a new market before its first vessel has arrived because of China’s significance to the company’s plans, chairman Richard D. Fain said. The U.S.-Norwegian line is based in Miami.
“We see Asia in general and China in particular as a major strategic objective for our company,” Fain said. “China has proven to be a very special market.”
There is no word yet on when exactly the Mariner of the Seas will be sent to China, but the company is currently taking bookings on the ship through the spring of 2013 for cruises out of Galveston.
Didn’t Broward County just finish enlarging the airport in order to accommodate the growing cruise industry in Port Everglades? This relocating several ships to China isn’t a good thing for greater Ft. Lauderdale and the county. And there’s a rumor going around that another cruise line, in addition to Royal Caribbean, is going to do the same thing.
I think this article is wrong! the 2 ships mentioned going to China are NOT the largest ships in The fleet of Royal Caribean
The cruise ships will be the largest in the region as the article states, not the largest ships in the world (Oasis and Allure of the Seas). “China’s growing tourism market will soon be introduced to what will be the 2 largest cruise ships in the region.”
The Voyager and Mariner of the Seas will be the 2 largest cruise ships in China.