By
Rebecca Gibson |
Royal Caribbean International is to homeport its third Quantum-class ship, Ovation of the Seas, in Tianjin, China, after her April 2016 launch.
Currently under construction at the Meyer Werft yard, Ovation of the Seas will join Quantum of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas and Legend of the Seas as the fifth Royal Caribbean ship sailing in the region. Together, the five ships will comprise the largest fleet deployment for any cruise brand in the region and primarily sail three- to 12-night itineraries to destinations in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam.
“Cruising has become very popular for Chinese consumers and Royal Caribbean is already capturing their imaginations with our industry-leading cruise ships,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. “We are furthering our commitment by bringing two of the world’s newest and most advanced Quantum-class cruise ships to the region. In addition, we are significantly expanding our investment in the training and employment of Chinese talent so they can join us in delivering our amazing and distinctive vacations to Chinese travellers.”
Ovation of the Seas will sail from Tianjan after a 52-night Global Odyssey from Southampton, UK in May 2016. Guests can opt to sail on five separate itineraries during the Global Odyssey including a seven-night England to Barcelona, Spain, cruise, a 16-night voyage from Barcelona to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates; a 14-night India and Southeast Asia cruise from Dubai to Singapore; a three-night Malaysia roundtrip from Singapore; and a 12-night Exotic Asia itinerary from Singapore to Tianjin.
Meanwhile, Mariner of the Seas will sail from Shanghai and Quantum of the Seas will complete a full year of sailings from the city. Voyager of the Seas will sail regularly from Hong Kong’s new Kai Tak Cruise Port offering cruises to Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam itineraries. Legend of the Seas will offer a set of sailings from Tianjin and then reposition to its new homeport of Xiamen for the remainder of the season.
Royal Caribbean also partnered with the Tianjin Maritime College in August 2014 to teach Chinese students the culinary or restaurant service skills they need to work onboard the company’s ships. The cruise line has already hired more than 3,000 graduates and aims to expand the programme to more colleges in other Chinese cities.
In addition, the cruise line is investigating potential Chinese drydock facilities to revitalise Legend of the Seas as early as 2018; logistics centres in China to supply its ships; and an inbound-tourism business model to bring thousands of North American vacationers to experience China.