The owner of Crystal Cruises and Star Cruises, Genting Hong Kong, is creating the first dedicated Asia-based premium cruise line.
Dream Cruises plans to initially operate two ships, with the first due to enter service in November 2016.
Genting Hong Kong claims the German-built 3,400-passenger Genting Dream will be the most spacious large cruise ship operating in the Asia Pacific region, including two exclusive floors of “Dream Suites” measuring from 32 to 183 square metres with butler service and special privileges.
Seventy per cent of the ship’s cabins will have balconies and more than 100 connecting cabins will cater for larger extended families.
Facilities include more than 35 restaurants and bars with an emphasis on Asia for Chinese passengers including regional cuisines from the country as well as Japanese, southeast Asian and Italian.
The ship will feature six water slides, a wrap-around promenade, play rooms, a rope climbing course, bowling alley, mahjong and card rooms, and duty-free shopping.
A second ship, World Dream, is set to start sailings in November 2017.
Genting Dream will have triple homeports in Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Sanya serving Chinese holidaymakers and international passengers flying into the airports of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Macau, Hong Kong and Sanya.
Itineraries from Guangzhou include a year-round two-night weekend cruise departing Fridays calling at Hong Kong and a five-night weekday cruise on Sundays calling at Halong Bay, Danang and Sanya.
The Hong Kong departures will feature a seven-night itinerary calling at Guangzhou, Halong Bay, Danang, Sanya and either Shenzhen or Zhuhai.
Seven-night cruises from Sanya will call at Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shenzhen or Zhuhai using Nansha port, Halong Bay and Danang.
Thatcher Brown, one of the first employees of Crystal Cruises when the company began 25 years ago, has been named as president of Dream Cruises.
“It is our mission to transpose the legendary six-star service standards of Crystal Cruises and to customise them to serve the fast growing Chinese market and all our Asian guests,” he said.
“All front-line staff will be able to speak Putonghua [standard Chinese], along with English as the secondary language on board.”
Genting Hong Kong chairman and chief executive, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, said: “Being the first company to offer cruises in China over 20 years ago with Star Cruises, we conceived Genting Dream three years ago to be the only purpose-built premium category new-build for the Asian, and specifically Chinese, market.
“Dream Cruises’ ships will be the most spacious ships in Asia-Pacific and provide the highest level of guest service in the region.
“The launch of Dream Cruises completes the company’s mission of having a brand for each of the three major cruise market segments – Crystal Cruises for the luxury segment, Dream Cruises for the premium segment and Star Cruises for the contemporary segment.”