Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess dock in Southeast Asia

Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess have docked in Southeast Asia on the same day. The two sister ships are sailing in the region for the Singapore homeporting season. 

Between 14-17 January 2019, both ships met in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Laem Chabang, Thailand; and Koh Samui, Thailand. 

For the first time in history, the ships were captained by two brothers – Paolo Ravera on Sapphire and Stefano Ravera on Diamond – when the Princess Cruises’ ships met in Ho Chi Minh City and Laem Chabang.

Both ships met again in Singapore on 19 January where over 5,000 guests disembarked at Marina Bay Cruise Centre. Read more about our December coverage of Diamond joining Sapphire in Singapore.

While Diamond prepares for dry dock, Sapphire sets sail on a 37-night Indian Ocean and Europe Grand Adventure Cruise. She then returns to Southampton, England, in March for her second European season.

“This dual-ship homeporting marks our fifth year sailing out of Singapore, carrying over 200,000 guests during this time, marking a pivotal moment for Princess Cruises in Southeast Asia,” said Farriek Tawfik, director of Southeast Asia at Princess Cruises. “Princess Cruises also contributed economic benefit from each homeporting season estimated to be about S$250 million in the region over the last five years. We certainly look forward to sailing in the region for many years to come.”

After Diamond’s dry dock is complete, she will embark on a 12-night sailing from Singapore to Yokohama, Japan, arriving on Valentine’s Day. Along the way, Diamond will dock at Ho Chi Minh City; Nha Trang, Vietnam; Hong Kong; Taipei, Taiwan; Osaka, Japan; and Shimizu (Mount Fuji), Japan.

She will then commence her year-long sailing in Japan out of Yokohama and Kobe, featuring 60 roundtrips and visiting 41 destinations in seven countries.

According to Tawfik, the 12-day Singapore to Yokohama Diamond cruise that covers seven destinations is sold out.