Dream Cruises’ first homeport in Southeast Asia features new itineraries to take in the splendours of Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia
Genting Cruise Lines celebrated the arrival of Genting Dream today at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore in the presence of more than 800 guests including government dignitaries, business and trade partners and media. Asia’s luxury cruise line, Dream Cruises debuted Genting Dream to the high-end market in Asia last November to great acclaim receiving a Star Performer Top Ten rating in the Large Resort category highly-revered Berlitz Cruising and Cruise Guide 2018 along with ‘Best New Ship’ and ‘Best Cruise Line – Entertainment’ recognitions at the Travel Weekly Asia Reader’s Choice Awards 2017.
Notable attendees at the welcome event included Guest of Honour, Mr Lionel Yeo, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board, as well as Mr Lim Ching Kiat, Managing Director, Airhub Development, Changi Airport Group, and Mr Lionel Wong, Chief Executive Officer, SATS- Creuers.
Dream Cruises’ inaugural vessel, Genting Dream is a luxurious floating integrated resort designed specifically for the Asian market and will be Singapore’s newest landmark at Marina Bay Cruise Centre. This also marks the first time Singapore has hosted a large-scale, 150,695- tonne cruise ship for an extended period and the first homeport for Dream Cruises in Southeast Asia.
“Genting Cruise Lines is unique to Singapore as this was where our Chairman turned his dream into reality over 24 years ago – and we have been a permanent Singaporean citizen ever since. This is one of our proudest achievements that has been unmatched by any other cruise company in Singapore,” said Mr Kent Zhu, President of Genting Cruise Lines. “During this time, we have been at the forefront to build Singapore’s presence as one of Asia’s premiere cruise centres and it has been a pleasure to evolve with the city over the years.”
With the new homeport deployment of Genting Dream in Singapore, Dream Cruises has forged an innovative three-year tripartite joint cooperation partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board and Changi Airport Group. This collaboration will see an investment of over SGD 28 million to promote Singapore as a key tourism destination as well as an Asian cruise hub and strategic gateway to access neighbouring countries through fly/cruise itineraries.
“This tripartite partnership underscores Singapore’s drive to become Southeast Asia’s leading cruise hub and is an integral part of our continual efforts in promoting fly-cruise from Singapore. We are delighted to be selected as the first year-round homeport for Genting Dream in Southeast Asia. It marks another significant milestone in the longstanding and valuable relationship that we have with Genting Cruise Lines,” said Mr Lionel Yeo, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board.
Changi Airport Group’s Chief Executive Officer Mr Lee Seow Hiang said, “Asia Pacific is currently the largest aviation market in the world, and will be the fastest growing region in the next 20 years. With Changi Airport’s strong air connectivity to more than 380 cities worldwide, Singapore is well-positioned to capitalise on this growth opportunity and bring more fly-cruise traffic here, serving as a cruise hub for the region. We are excited to enter into a tripartite partnership with Dream Cruises and Singapore Tourism Board, as this provides greater opportunities to grow the fly-cruise segment – part of our strategy to provide sustained growth for our partners and Changi Airport. The expanded offerings will also provide a greater array of travel options for travellers passing through Singapore. Jewel Changi Airport, which opens its doors in 2019, will have a multi-modal transport lounge; this will enhance the transfer experience of passengers travelling onwards on cruises.”
As a leading pacesetter in the cruise industry, Dream Cruises is constantly developing innovative and exciting itineraries to exotic new destinations. With her new homeport in Singapore, Genting Dream will transport guests on inspirational cruises to a number of extraordinary Southeast Asian ports-of-call including idyllic North Bali, Indonesia and pristine Macleod Island in Myanmar.
As part of a ground-breaking new venture in Macleod Island, Dream Cruises is bringing the private island concept of cruising, popular in the Caribbean – where cruise brands invest in developing their own secluded destinations – for the first time to Asia.
“On this special day, we are grateful for Singapore’s warm welcome of Genting Dream. This historic occasion is a manifestation of Singapore’s branding “Passion Made Possible,” said Mr Thatcher Brown, President of Dream Cruises. “Dream Cruises is about inspirational luxury – as epitomised by our Dream Palace ‘ship-within-a-ship’ concept featuring 142 suites with highly personalised European style butler service.”
Mr Brown continued, “We are passionately committed to delivering great destination experiences, exemplary service and outstanding value from our new homeport in Singapore. We remain Asian at heart and international in spirit.”
Genting Dream offers a dazzling array of over 35 restaurant and bar concepts, where guests can indulge in the very best of Chinese regional, Asian and international cuisine, lovingly crafted with quality and authenticity.
Unsurpassed entertainment options include the first ‘China’s Got Talent’ on the open ocean. Entitled “The Dream Experience”, this 45-minute theatrical representation of the worldwide hit TV series will be held in the Zodiac Theatre, a 999-seat state-of-the-art venue that will also showcase other spectacles including “Voyage of a Lover’s Dream”, inspired by the hull art of renowned pop artist Jackie Tsai.
An array of inspirational on-board experiences have also been designed to provide the most unforgettable journeys with stimulating enrichment programs, one of the world’s largest Asian reflexology spas at sea, over 1,100 square meter of retail space for duty free shopping, state of the art fitness facilities, and a range of activities for family fun for travellers of every age.