Star Cruises' First Voyage Beyond Asia Marks the First Step in Building an "Asian Global Cruise Fleet"
Today, the third ship of the Star Cruises brand under Genting Cruise Lines, the "Explorer Dream," arrived in Sydney for the first time to commence its Australia homeport season. Star Cruises held a grand maiden voyage ceremony at the White Bay Cruise Terminal in Sydney, celebrating with guests as the brand officially took its first step in building an "Asian Global Cruise Fleet" and embarking on its global expansion journey. From now until December 1, 2019, and February 9 to 23, 2020, the "Explorer Dream" will offer several special cruise voyages departing from Sydney or Brisbane, taking passengers to explore a variety of unique destinations across Australia.
The Star Cruises "Explorer Dream" arrived in Sydney on October 27, 2019, to commence its Australia homeport season, with Star Cruises holding a grand maiden voyage ceremony at the White Bay Cruise Terminal in Sydney
(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 the "Explorer Dream," Mr. Joel Katz, Ms. Felicia Lee, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Genting Cruise Lines Group, and Mr. Jarwin Peralta, Hotel Director of the "Explorer Dream," celebrate the ship's maiden voyage to Sydney, Australia
Mr. Ng Ming Fai, President of Star Cruises and Head of International Sales at Genting Cruise Lines Group (left), presents a model of the "Explorer Dream" to Mr. Joel Katz, Managing Director, Australasia CLIA, to commemorate the ship's maiden voyage to Sydney, Australia
Mr. Ng Ming Fai, President of Star Cruises and Head of International Sales at Genting Cruise Lines Group, said: "We are delighted that Star Cruises has made its first foray into Australia and launched its first routes outside Asia. This marks an important step in the Star Cruises brand's journey to become an 'Asian Global Cruise Fleet' and a significant milestone in the brand's global expansion. The 'Explorer Dream' will offer Australian travelers a unique holiday experience and attract more international visitors to Australia through fly-cruise packages. Building on the success of this season, the 'Explorer Dream' also plans to return to Australia in the fourth quarter of 2020."
The "Explorer Dream" will take both Australian and international travelers on an award-winning, dream-like journey with thoughtful and attentive Asian-style service. The itinerary includes multiple 7-night round-trip voyages from Sydney and 6-night, 7-night, and 8-night round-trip voyages from Brisbane, taking passengers to popular Australian destinations such as Newcastle, Gladstone, the Sunshine Coast, Hobart, Melbourne, and Burnie. The "Explorer Dream" also offers special 2-night Sydney voyages and 3-night Sunshine Coast/Sydney voyages departing from Brisbane, allowing passengers to flexibly combine other Australian shore excursions.
Additionally, travelers looking to experience the picturesque landscapes of New Zealand and Auckland in one trip can choose the "Explorer Dream's" special 7-night voyage from Sydney to Auckland on December 8, 2019 (visiting Milford Sound, Dunedin, Wellington, and Gisborne). There is also a 21-night "Australia-Asia Spectacular Journey" departing on March 1, 2020, taking travelers from Australia all the way to Asia, visiting 11 unique and classic destinations, including Bali, Singapore, Kota Kinabalu, and Palawan.
The "Explorer Dream" began operations in April this year, joining the two sister ships of the Star Cruises brand, the "Genting Dream" and the "World Dream," to serve the luxury cruise market in the Asia-Pacific region. 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 Cruise Guide 2020." The Star Cruises brand, established in late 2015, has also won numerous awards at major ceremonies recently. In addition to winning the "Best Luxury Cruise Fleet" honor at the 2019 TTG Travel Awards, it also swept three awards at the 2019 Readers' Choice Awards by Travel Weekly Asia, taking home the "Best Cruise - Dining," "Best Cruise - Entertainment," and "Best Cruise - Family" titles.
The "Explorer Dream," built with top German shipbuilding craftsmanship, is 268 meters long, 32 meters wide, and has a total displacement of 75,338 tons. It has 928 cabins and a passenger capacity of 1,856. The ship features "The Palace," an exclusive VIP area pioneered by Star Cruises, conceptually designed as a "luxury ship within a ship." With the industry-leading passenger-to-space ratio and staff-to-passenger ratio, the majority of its luxurious Palace Suites exceeding 40 square meters, and 24-hour European-style butler service inherited from the group's luxury Crystal Cruises, "The Palace" exclusive VIP area will provide an unparalleled premium experience for discerning travelers worldwide.
From Asian cuisine to premium global dining, the "Explorer Dream" offers a rich and diverse culinary experience at sea. Acclaimed Australian chef Mark Best brings his culinary philosophy to the "Explorer Dream" with the "Seafood Grill Restaurant." Food enthusiasts can enjoy innovative Italian dishes and pizzas at the "Italian Pizza Restaurant." Passengers can also savor meticulously prepared traditional dim sum and Cantonese cuisine at the "Silk Road Flower Dance Chinese Restaurant," fresh sushi and classic Japanese dishes at the "Seahorse Japanese Cuisine, Sushi & Teppanyaki," Southeast Asian flavors at the "Blue Lagoon Gourmet," and enjoy tea break moments at the "Dessert Collection," "Matcha Bar," and "Palm Lounge."
To further enrich passengers' cruise experiences, Star Cruises has carefully curated a series of onboard activities, such as the Connoisseurs Circle series of special guest lectures and interactive workshops exclusively for "The Palace" passengers, featuring distinguished speakers from various fields who share their dream-chasing journeys with passengers through their expertise and passion.
Mr. Ng Ming Fai added: "Star Cruises will continue to strive to create the perfect blend of Eastern and Western elements in its cruise experiences. We sincerely hope that this Australia homeport season for the 'Explorer Dream' and future homeport itineraries in Australia and the region will create unforgettable cruise memories for more travelers."
For more information about Star Cruises and the "Explorer Dream," please visit dreamcruiseline.com or follow Star Cruises on Weibo and WeChat.
About Star Cruises
With 26 years of extensive experience in the Asian market, Genting Hong Kong has nurtured its new brand—Star Cruises. Star Cruises is committed to becoming a benchmark in the industry, with each ship built with exquisite German craftsmanship to meet the needs of confident, independent-thinking, and quality-seeking Asian travelers. The brand perfectly blends Eastern and Western elements to deliver a unique maritime travel experience.
Star Cruises is tailored for the Asian market. Its first ship, the "Genting Dream," debuted in November 2016, and its sister ship, the "World Dream," joined the fleet in November 2017. Departing from Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Singapore, the ships offer the industry's leading crew-to-passenger ratio and passenger space ratio, providing the highest level of service and the most spacious and comfortable maritime accommodations in the region. In early 2019, the Star Cruises fleet welcomed the highly anticipated "Explorer Dream," which successively operated at homeports in Shanghai, Dalian, and Tianjin during spring and summer, before relocating to Australia and New Zealand for homeport routes in winter. The groundbreaking 200,000-ton "Global Class" luxury cruise ships will join the Star Cruises fleet starting in 2021, with construction of the first "Global Class" ship currently underway at a German shipyard.
The acclaimed "Genting Dream" and "World Dream" were both selected as "Top 10 Best Large Cruise Ships in the World" in the 2019 Berlitz Cruise Guide's Star Ratings, receiving a 4.5-star rating, making them the only two ships in Asia to receive this honor. The newest member of the Star Cruises fleet, the "Explorer Dream," was immediately included in the list upon its launch, ranking 17th in the "Top 20 Mid-Size Cruise Ships in the World."
Star Cruises has also won numerous industry awards, including the 2019 TTG Travel Awards "Best Luxury Cruise Fleet" and the 2019 Travel Weekly Asia Readers' Choice Awards for "Best Cruise - Dining," "Best Cruise - Entertainment," and "Best Cruise - Family."