Carnival Cruise Line ships will homeport year-round in the country from spring 2017 and 2018
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Carnival Cruise Line is to homeport two ships year-round in China as part of Carnival Corporation & plc’s strategy to become the first global company to operate four cruise brands in the country from 2017.
The 2,124-guest Carnival Miracle is start sailing China departures in spring 2017. Following a refit this March as part of Carnival’s Fun Ship 2.0 product enhancement initiative, the ship offers a range of dining and entertainment venues. These include Red Frog Pub, Alchemy Bar, Sports Bar, four swimming pools, an expansive water park, and the Serenity outdoor area, which is restricted to guests aged over 18. More than 60% of the accommodation areas have a private balcony.
Carnival Splendor, which carries just over 3,000 passengers, will begin her China deployment in spring 2018. Like Carnival Miracle, the ship also has four swimming pools, seven whirlpools, a Serenity area and a variety of dedicated facilities for children of different ages.
Several areas onboard the ships, including the casino, shopping and dining offerings, will be enhanced to meet Asian tastes before they start service in China.
“Carnival is the world’s most popular cruise line and our style of cruising appeals to guests of all ages and particularly families,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “We attract more than 4.5 million guests a year and, as the family cruise leader, we also carry more than 700,000 children each year. Multi-generational families also choose to vacation with Carnival more than any other cruise brand. We look forward to bringing our one-of-a-kind, exceptionally popular cruise experience to the Chinese market.”
Both vessels will sail short cruises and specific details about the China itineraries will be announced at a later date. Reservations for voyages on Carnival Miracle are expected to open in 2016.
“The team brings this experience to life for our guests on every cruise with a high level of respect, service and hospitality,” said Duffy. “We know this will resonate very well with our Chinese guests and allow us to exceed their expectations.”
Carnival will be establishing operations in China in partnership with sister company Costa Asia, which has operated in the Chinese market for the past nine years.
“Given the combined experience of Costa Asia, along with other sister companies either already in the market – such as Princess Cruises – or entering the market – such as AIDA – the collective scale of Carnival Corporation’s Asia operations is unparalleled and enables us to tap into an immense network of resources and expertise as we launch our China programme,” said Duffy.