Princess Cruises will tweak its
services for Asian tastes in the
largest ever deployment by a
premium cruise line in southeast
Asia.
Riding the wave of growth in Asian cruising,
Princess Cruises has announced a four-month
season in Singapore in 2014-15 (CW 11 Apr).
The 116,000-tonne, 2,670-passenger
Sapphire Princess will undertake 15 roundtrip
departures, ranging from three to 11 nights,
calling at seven countries and 16 ports.
Designed for the broad Asia holiday
market, the extended program offers more
destinations from Singapore than on any other
cruise line, including Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh
City, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Bali.
“Off-the-beaten path resort destinations”
include Penang, Koh Samui and Langkawi.
Alan Buckelew, the line’s president and CEO,
said the program was “custom designed” to
attract local first-time cruisers.
“Our new features superior itineraries
specifically designed for the regional market
which we believe will prove extremely popular
and will help to introduce cruise holidays to a
growing number of Southeast Asia travellers”.
The experience onboard Sapphire Princess
will be “substantially the same” as the
Princess product offered around the world,
the company added.
However, “some changes & enhancements”
will be made to appeal to the local market
including more multi-lingual crew members
and adjustments to the dining room menu,
enrichment programs, shopping selection and
spa treatments.
Approximately 40,000 passengers are
expected to be carried during the first season
of cruising from Singapore, with most coming
from Asia, Australia, North America & the UK.
Highlights of the new program include two
seven-night Vietnam & Thailand departures
on 30 January and 15 February 2015; and a
10-night Indonesia sailing with an overnight
stay in Bali (Benoa).
The longest voyage, an 11-night Southeast
Asia cruise, calls at Bandar Seri Begawan
(Muara), Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City (Phu
My), Sihanoukville, Bangkok (Laem Chabang)
and Koh Samui, with fares starting at $1299
per person twin-share.
The new cruises are priced from $499 for
a three-night cruise through the Strait of
Malacca on 23 January 2015 and on sale now.
For details, contact a licensed travel agent,
call 13 24 88 or visit www.princess.com.
