In less than 20 months, the team behind Dream Cruises not only introduced a new brand to an entirely new market, but it launched a 151,000gt luxury vessel Genting Dream too! It was a remarkable feat that took a huge amount of blood, sweat and tears to accomplish.
“The launch of a new brand and a new ship is always a very special occasion, and this has certainly been the case for Dream Cruises,” says Thatcher Brown, the line’s president.
“There is a great satisfaction in developing a new brand with a talented and motivated team, overcoming numerous challenges along the way.”
Brown says that there have been many highlights over the past few months. “Undoubtedly, the biggest for Genting Dream would have to be the actual debut of the new vessel in the various ports on her relocation cruise from her shipyard in Germany,” he explains. “We held various inaugural events in Mumbai, Colombo, Singapore and Hong Kong, capping off with her christening ceremony in Guangzhou.”
The company has also been successful in expanding the cruise industry – not only in Hong Kong, but also throughout the Pearl River Delta. “There’s been over 200,000 passenger trips to the region since our debut,” Brown says.
Appealing to the evolving interests of the discerning Asian traveller is at the heart of what Dream Cruises has set out to do, and is very much front of mind when planning itineraries. “Dream Cruises’ guests are independent-minded travellers who respond to opportunities to experience the charm and character of new destinations, embrace new cultures and enjoy special vacation memories,” Brown says.
“We were delighted to have Genting Dream embark on her new itineraries to Vietnam and Japan, visiting popular destinations, including Danang, Hanoi (Halong Bay) Naha and Miyakojima,” Brown continues. “The highlight of our Vietnam itinerary for our guests has undoubtedly been the world famous Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and notable for its scenic natural beauty featuring thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various shapes and sizes covered in tropical vegetation.”
The company’s ‘Island Gems of Japan’ itinerary has also proven to be very popular. “This includes stops in Naha and Miyakojima in the Okinawa prefecture of Japan and offers our guests everything from shopping and dining excursions in the capital city of Naha to snorkelling and diving adventures off Miyakojima Island,” Brown says.
This is just the beginning of Genting Dream’s adventures. “The ship will homeport in Singapore from mid-November 2017, taking guests to popular ports of call including Port Klang (Kuala Lumpur), Penang, Phuket, Surabaya and North Bali,” Brown explains. “We are truly excited to redeploy Genting Dream to Singapore. It’s a popular and well developed travel hub for the region and is well situated to serve the surrounding ASEAN countries, as well as fly-cruise international passengers. Indeed, Singapore offers a unique ‘east meets west’ experience with all the comforts and convenience of a modern, international metropolis including an excellent transport system and outstanding homeport facilities.”
Genting Dream’s departure makes way for her sister ship World Dream, which will be taking up residence in the Pearl River Delta, interporting between Guangzhou Nansha and Hong Kong. “World Dream is currently under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard and we are happy with the progress that is being made,” says Brown. “With World Dream, we have the luxury of having gone through the build experience with her older sibling, so the process has been quite smooth.”
World Dream will debut in Asia this coming November. Until then, Brown is focused on delivering the exceptional customer experiences that passengers have already come to expect from Dream Cruises. “While we have received very positive feedback from our guests, it is a priority to keep evaluating the market. We need to anticipate guests’ evolving needs quickly, always looking to make significant improvements,” Brown explains. “Genting Dream’s facilities and offerings are well suited for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, and it turns out to be more and more popular among groups, hence we are looking to adjust and improve our ship to better cater to their specific needs.
“We are also dedicated to recruiting and cultivating home grown cruise industry talent. With a great team of new and veteran crew on board and corporate staff on shore working hard and growing fast together, we all are ‘Dream Makers’ inviting guests to experience the excitement and value of Dream Cruises.”