New bookings for Dream Cruises suspended until further notice

Dream Cruises' vessel World Dream is one of the two cruise ships running cruises to nowhere in Singapore. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO

SINGAPORE - New bookings for Dream Cruises will continue to be suspended until further notice, the cruise operator said on Friday (Feb 4).

In response to queries from The Straits Times, Dream Cruises said although new bookings will remain suspended, its fleet will continue to operate in the region, including its vessel World Dream in Singapore.

New bookings will remain suspended as joint provisional liquidators are continuing to explore the state of the business.

They will also identify, examine, and explore the options available, the Dream Cruises' spokesman said.

The latest update comes about two weeks after Dream Cruises said new bookings would be suspended for an initial period of two weeks, which was meant to end on Friday (Feb 4).

Dream Cruises' vessel World Dream is one of the two cruise ships running cruises to nowhere in Singapore. The other is Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas.

Dream Cruises added in its statement that one of the primary purposes for applying to appoint joint provisional liquidators was to continue the scheduled itineraries for Dream Cruises.

The cruise operator filed to wind up the company with the Bermuda courts on Jan 27, and also submitted an application to appoint joint provisional liquidators for the company.

Its parent company, Genting Hong Kong, had also gone down the same path. It filed to be wound up on Jan 18, after it failed to secure funding to help it stay afloat following the insolvency of its German shipbuilding subsidiary.

The spokesman said: "Genting Hong Kong would like to reiterate that the appointments of joint provisional liquidators over the company and Dream Cruises are not to liquidate the companies but to identify potential remediation plans and to facilitate the restructuring of the group including Dream Cruises."

It added that Genting Hong Kong will continue to monitor the domestic situations and operational opportunities for Genting Dream and Explorer Dream in their respective markets.

The latest developments with the cruise operator has unnerved some consumers here, including one who wanted to be known only as Stella.

Ms Stella, who works in IT, booked a cruise for her family of four in April. She paid about $1,500 in total, and is torn between cancelling the trip and waiting it out.

“They’ve said that cruises will continue, but this is still quite unsettling. I don’t know what to do now because I’m not sure if I can get back my money if I cancel the trip,” she said, adding that while the chances of Dream Cruises still operating in April are uncertain, she hopes the cruise will still proceed.

Genting Dream and Explorer Dream are two other cruise ships under Dream Cruises.

Genting Hong Kong also owns two other cruise brands - Star Cruises, which operates in the Asia-Pacific, and luxury brand Crystal Cruises, which is headquartered in Miami, Florida.

Dream Cruises currently operates in Singapore and Hong Kong, although sailings in Hong Kong have been suspended due to Covid-19 curbs.

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