92 INTERVIEW Redesigning an Arabian adventure The first Arabian cruise ship is coming soon. Jon Ingleton speaks to Alan Stewart about how SMC Design have led a giant ship transformation project to launch a new brand Aroya Cruises is teasing future passengers with the prospect of the ‘Khuzama Experience’ onboard its first ship Aroya, which it defines as “a touch of luxury” that “speaks to the Arabian identity and its unique features.” Delivering on this ambitious promise with a ship that was built for an entirely different market is a giant undertaking. “We’ve been involved in this project for over a year now and we’ve got a huge team working on it,” says Alan Stewart, director of SMC Design. “We spent two weeks on the ship in Singapore to scope the job and it quickly became apparent that this was no small refit job, with the intended redesign covering all guestfacing public areas. This led to some concept work with Aroya Cruises to develop the general arrangement, guest experience and facilities, and from that we got the okay to proceed.” At 151,000gt, 335 metres in length and carrying 3,364 passengers in 1,678 cabins, the project required a first-class team. Columbia Blue has been appointed as the ship manager while SMC Design are the leading architects responsible for the design throughout the vessel, designing most of the public and accommodation areas. They also worked with Partner Ship Design for the spa and several of the premium public spaces, and with Heineman and Brand Creative for the onboard retail venues. “ Every design decision is mindful of the guest experience” The Marka Cafe has been embellished with traditional Saudi arts and crafts
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