Due to growing interest for cruising in Southeast Asia, Carnival Corporation & plc is introducing the largest deployment ever by a premium cruise line in the region when it brings Princess Cruises' Sapphire Princess to Singapore for a four-month fall 2014 to spring 2015 season.
Carnival Corporation & plc is launching a program with Princess Cruises to offer 15 roundtrip departures that can be combined for 25 itineraries. The itineraries have been custom-designed for the Asia vacation market, and will offer more destinations from Singapore on Princess Cruises than on any other cruise line, calling at seven countries and 16 ports. The wide range of cruise lengths will run three, four, five, seven, 10 and 11 days.
The itineraries will combine the region’s major metropolises such as Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Kuala Lumpur, with smaller resort destinations, including Penang, Ko Samui and Langkawi. One itinerary is a 10-day Indonesia sailing that visits Jakarta, Bali, Komodo Island and Lombok.
Approximately 40,000 passengers are expected to be carried during this first season of cruising from Singapore. Passengers will be sourced from Singapore and throughout Asia, in addition to other international markets including North America, the United Kingdom and Australia.
The 2014/2015 program includes the following 15 cruises sailing roundtrip from Singapore:
- 11-day Southeast Asia: Departs Nov. 27 and Dec. 18, 2014 with calls at Bandar Seri Begawan (Muara), Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Sihanoukville, Bangkok (Laem Chabang) and Ko Samui.
- 10-day Malaysian Peninsula & Indonesia: Departs Dec. 8 and 29, 2014, and Feb. 28, 2015, visiting Bali (Benoa), Kuala Lumpur (Port Kelang), Penang and Phuket.
- Five-day Thailand & Malaysia: Departs Feb. 23, 2015 with calls at Kuala Lumpur (Port Kelang), Penang and Phuket.
- Five-day Thailand: Departs Jan. 8, 2015 with visits to Bangkok (Laem Chabang) and Ko Samui.
- 10-day Indonesia: Departs Jan. 13, 2015 calling at Jakarta, Bali (Benoa, with an overnight), Komodo Island and Lombok.
- Three-day Strait of Malacca: Departs Jan. 23, Feb. 6 and 13, 2015 with calls to Penang and Kuala Lumpur (Port Kelang).
- Four-day Malaysia: Departs Jan. 26 and Feb. 9, 2015 calling at Penang, Langkawi and Kuala Lumpur (Port Kelang).
- Seven-day Vietnam & Thailand: Departs Jan. 30 and Feb. 16, 2015 visiting Ko Samui, Bangkok (Laem Chabang) and Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My).
These itineraries have also been designed with the option of being combined to offer passengers a choice of 25 cruises of up to 21 days in length, with a rich array of ports in one seamless experience. For example, the four-day Jan. 26 Malaysia cruise can be combined with the seven-day Jan. 30 Vietnam & Thailand cruise for an 11-day itinerary with six ports.
In conjunction with this new program, Carnival Corporation & plc will also launch a version of the on- demand, on-line training program called Princess Academy. Globally, over 50,000 travel agents are active participants in Princess Academy.
The 116,000-ton Sapphire Princess carries 2,670 passengers, and its amenities include the Lotus Spa, steakhouse, wine bar, patisserie, pizzeria, boutiques,and Internet café.
This new season of cruises from Singapore will open for sale tomorrow. Starting prices for these three- to 21-day cruises range from $443 to $3,184 per person, double occupancy.
For more information, visit www.princess.com.