The world’s largest cruise group, Carnival Corporation, under its Princess Cruises brand, has deployed three different ships this year with Taiwan as their home port. By adopting a “shared home port” strategy, it connects Yokohama, Nagoya, and Osaka in Japan with Keelung in Taiwan, setting a precedent in Taiwan’s cruise tourism market.
To attract family travelers, Princess Cruises has assigned the newly refurbished Sun Princess—tailored for the family market—for its summer season from July to September, operating out of Taiwan. The ship offers a 5-day independent sea vacation itinerary that includes Amami Oshima. This marks the first time the Sun Princess has sailed from Taiwan, and also the first time that Japan’s Amami Oshima, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, has been included in a cruise itinerary departing from Taiwan.
New family-friendly features on the Sun Princess include: 1. An age-specific children’s activity space and “Discovery at SEA” program in exclusive collaboration with the Discovery Channel. 2. A new “SHARE” themed restaurant created by TV celebrity chef Curtis Stone.
Chen Hsin-teh, Marketing Director for Princess Cruises Taiwan, stated that from March to November last year, Princess Cruises operated 49 sailings with Taiwan as the home port, serving over 120,000 passengers. This year, Princess Cruises will manage the Taiwan market with three ships—the Sapphire Princess, the Sun Princess, and the Diamond Princess—offering a total of 52 sailings and aiming to serve up to 150,000 passengers.