By
Rebecca Gibson |
Star Cruises’ recently refurbished SuperStar Gemini departed on her inaugural voyage from her Shanghai homeport on 8 April 2013, following a ‘sailing-off’ ceremony.
Around 1,000 passengers embarked on the maiden cruise, which calls at Jeju in Korea, while the ceremony was attended by Lin Zhang, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Transport and Port Authority; Xiping Zhang, deputy governor of Hongkou District People’s Government of Shanghai Party; and Jiali Zhang, vice president of Shanghai International Port Group.
SuperStar Gemini will homeport in Shanghai from April to October 2013 and offer over 40 four-day and seven-day cruises, calling at Busan, Jeju and Yeosu, as well as Taiwan.
“The Shanghai homeport deployment is Star Cruises’ most significant strategy in China this year,” said Michael Goh, senior vice president of sales at Star Cruises. “As the leading cruise line in Asia-Pacific, Star Cruises has the competitive advantage of having a better understanding of what Asian and Chinese travellers like in their holidays.”
The vessel, which was formerly Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Dream, underwent a US$50m refurbishment at Singapore’s Sembawang Shipyard before embarking on a series of cruises from Penang in Malaysia and Sanya on China’s Hainan Island.
SuperStar Gemini has been refurbished according to the preferences of Chinese tourists and features revitalised dining and recreational facilities, as well as a duty-free shopping boulevard provided by China Duty Free Group.
To celebrate SuperStar Gemini’s inaugural sailing from Shanghai and raise funds for education, Genting Hong Kong and the Chinese Athletes Educational Foundation have organised a charity golf tournament with four legs in China.