Vessel embarks on 38-day voyage to Singapore ahead of fifth deployment in the country
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Princess Cruises’ Sapphire Princess has completed her first-ever homeporting season in Europe and has started her 38-day repositioning voyage to Singapore.
Sapphire Princess, which sailed various voyages to Northern Europe and the Mediterranean from the UK’s port of Southampton between May and October, will arrive in Singapore on 28 November after calling at 17 ports. They include Rome, Italy; Gibraltar; Athens, Greece; Malta; Petra, Jordan; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Cochin, India; and Colombo, Sri Lanka. The voyage will also include scenic cruising along the Suez Canal.
Homeporting in Singapore for her fifth season, Sapphire Princess will sail three- to 13-day voyages to destinations in Southeast Asia, as well as a ‘Grand Asia’ voyage from Singapore to Shanghai, China over the Christmas and New Year period. Sapphire Princess will then return from Shanghai to Singapore in early January to continue sailing in the region until March 2019, before returning to Southampton for a longer European summer season.
Sister ship Diamond Princess will reposition from Japan to Singapore to offer two 10-day roundtrips to destinations in Southeast Asia over Christmas and New Year. The first cruise will take guests to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia; Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam; and Bangkok and Ko Samui in Thailand. The second will call at Bali, Phuket in Thailand, and Port Klang and Penang in Malaysia.
“Bringing two ships to homeport in Singapore demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing our guests with even more choice and opportunity to enjoy cruising in the region,” said Farriek Tawfik, director for Southeast Asia at Princess Cruises. “With itineraries visiting top destinations and the newest innovations onboard including new Princess Luxury beds and award-winning culinary and entertainment experiences, guests can leave the stress behind and celebrate the festivities in style. Bookings for this season are very healthy and the Grand Asia voyage from Shanghai to Singapore is almost sold out.”