Star Cruises Ventures Beyond Asia for the First Time, Taking the First Step Towards an “Asian Global Cruise Fleet”
The third ship under the Dream Cruises brand of Genting Cruise Lines, Explorer Dream, arrived in Sydney today to commence its Australia homeport season. Dream Cruises held a grand maiden voyage ceremony at Sydney’s White Bay Cruise Terminal, celebrating with guests as the brand officially took its first step towards building an “Asian Global Cruise Fleet” and embarking on its global expansion journey. From now until December 1, 2019, and again from February 9 to 23, 2020, Explorer Dream will offer several special cruises departing from Sydney or Brisbane, taking guests to explore a variety of unique destinations across Australia.
Dream Cruises’ Explorer Dream arrived in Sydney on October 27, 2019, to launch its Australia homeport season, with Dream Cruises holding a grand maiden voyage ceremony at Sydney’s White Bay Cruise Terminal
(From left) Ms. Brigita Devries, Vice President of Sales at Genting Cruise Lines, Mr. Ng Ming Fai, Mr. Philip Holiday, Acting CEO and Harbour Master of the Port Authority of New South Wales, Sydney, Captain Christian Aalbers of Explorer Dream, Mr. Joel Katz, Ms. Winnie Lee, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Genting Cruise Lines, and Mr. Jarwin Peralta, Hotel Director of Explorer Dream, celebrate Explorer Dream’s maiden voyage to Sydney, Australia
Mr. Ng Ming Fai, President of Dream Cruises and Head of International Sales at Genting Cruise Lines (left), presents a model of Explorer Dream to Mr. Joel Katz, Managing Director, Australasia CLIA, to commemorate Explorer Dream’s maiden voyage to Sydney, Australia
Mr. Ng Ming Fai, President of Dream Cruises and Head of International Sales at Genting Cruise Lines, said: “We are delighted that Explorer Dream has made its first entry into Australia and launched its first routes outside of Asia. This marks an important step for the Dream Cruises brand in becoming an ‘Asian Global Cruise Fleet’ and is a significant milestone in our global expansion. Explorer Dream will offer Australian guests a unique holiday experience and attract more international travelers to visit Australia by cruise through fly-cruise packages. Building on the success of this season, Explorer Dream also plans to return to Australia in Q4 2020.”
Explorer Dream will provide both local and international guests with the award-winning, dream-like journeys that Dream Cruises is known for, along with thoughtful and attentive Asian-style hospitality. The itinerary includes multiple 7-night round-trip cruises from Sydney and various 6-night, 7-night, and 8-night round-trip cruises from Brisbane, taking guests to popular Australian destinations such as Newcastle, Gladstone, the Sunshine Coast, Hobart, Melbourne, and Burnie. Explorer Dream also offers special 2-night Sydney cruises and 3-night Sunshine Coast/Sydney cruises departing from Brisbane, allowing guests to flexibly combine other Australian shore excursions.
Additionally, guests looking to experience the picturesque sights of New Zealand and Auckland in one trip can choose Explorer Dream’s 7-night special cruise from Sydney to Auckland on December 8, 2019 (visiting Milford Sound, Dunedin, Wellington, and Gisborne). There is also a 21-night Australia to Asia Highlights voyage departing March 1, 2020, taking guests from Australia all the way to Asia, visiting 11 unique and classic destinations including Bali, Singapore, Kota Kinabalu, and Palawan.
Explorer Dream began operations in April this year, joining its two sister ships under the Dream Cruises brand—Genting Dream and World Dream—to serve the premium cruise market in Asia-Pacific. Within just a few months of operation, it was ranked 17th in the “Top 20 Mid-Size Cruise Ships in the World” by the authoritative cruise industry guide Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships Annual 2020. The Dream Cruises brand, established in late 2015, has also received numerous accolades recently, winning the “Best Luxury Cruise Line” award at the 2019 TTG Travel Awards, and sweeping three major awards at the 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards by Travel Weekly Asia—“Best Cruise for Dining,” “Best Cruise for Entertainment,” and “Best Cruise for Families.”
Built with top German shipbuilding craftsmanship, Explorer Dream measures 268 meters in length, 32 meters in width, and has a total displacement of 75,338 tons. It features 928 cabins and can accommodate up to 1,856 passengers. The ship boasts The Palace, an exclusive VIP area conceptually pioneered by Dream Cruises, designed with the unique idea of a “luxury ship within a ship.” With the industry’s leading passenger-to-space and staff-to-passenger ratios, the majority of its luxurious Palace Suites exceeding 40 square meters, and 24-hour European-style butler service inspired by the brand’s luxury Crystal Cruises, The Palace offers an unparalleled premium experience for discerning global travelers.
From Asian flavors to premium international cuisine, Explorer Dream offers an exceptionally diverse dining experience at sea. Acclaimed Australian chef Mark Best brings his culinary vision to the ship with the Seafood Grill Restaurant; creative food lovers can enjoy innovative Italian dishes and pizzas at the Italian Pizza Restaurant; guests can savor exquisitely prepared traditional dim sum and Cantonese cuisine at Silk Road Garden Chinese Restaurant, fresh sushi and classic Japanese dishes at Seafood Sushi & Teppanyaki, Southeast Asian flavors at Blue Lagoon, and indulge in tea-time treats at Dessert Boutique, Matcha Bar, and Palm Court.
To further enrich guests’ onboard experiences, Dream Cruises has curated a series of themed activities, such as the Connoisseurs Circle series of special guest lectures and interactive workshops exclusively for The Palace guests, featuring distinguished speakers from various fields who share their passion and pursuit of dreams with insightful expertise.
Mr. Ng Ming Fai added: “Dream Cruises will continue to create exceptional cruise journeys that perfectly blend Eastern and Western elements. We sincerely hope that this Australia homeport season with Explorer Dream, along with future voyages from more Australian and regional homeports, will create unforgettable cruise memories for even more travelers.”
For more information about Dream Cruises and Explorer Dream, please visit dreamcruiseline.com or follow Dream Cruises on Weibo and WeChat.
About Dream Cruises
With 26 years of extensive experience in the Asian market, Genting Hong Kong launched its new brand—Dream Cruises. Dream Cruises is committed to becoming a benchmark in the industry, with each ship built using top German shipbuilding craftsmanship to meet the needs of confident, independent-minded Asian travelers seeking high-quality, premium experiences. The brand seamlessly blends Eastern and Western elements to deliver a unique cruise experience.
Designed specifically for the Asian market, Dream Cruises’ first ship, Genting Dream, debuted in November 2016, followed by its sister ship World Dream in November 2017. Departing from Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Singapore, the fleet offers the highest service standards and the most spacious and comfortable sea accommodations in the region, thanks to industry-leading crew-to-guest and passenger-to-space ratios. In early 2019, the Dream Cruises fleet welcomed the highly anticipated Explorer Dream, which successively homeported in Shanghai, Dalian, and Tianjin during spring and summer, before relocating to Australia and New Zealand for its winter homeport season. The groundbreaking 200,000-ton “Global Class” luxury cruise ships will join the Dream Cruises fleet starting in 2021, with construction of the first Global Class ship currently underway at a German shipyard.
The award-winning Genting Dream and World Dream were both selected as “Top 10 Best Large Cruise Ships in the World” in the 2019 Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships Annual’s Star Ratings, earning a 4.5-star rating—the only two ships in Asia to receive this honor. The newest member of the Dream Cruises fleet, Explorer Dream, was included in the list shortly after its launch, ranking 17th in the “Top 20 Mid-Size Cruise Ships in the World.”
Dream Cruises has also won numerous industry awards, including the 2019 TTG Travel Awards “Best Luxury Cruise Line” and the 2019 Travel Weekly Asia Readers’ Choice Awards for “Best Cruise for Dining,” “Best Cruise for Entertainment,” and “Best Cruise for Families.”