SINGAPORE - Cruise-goers are set to get another option to sail internationally as Resorts World Cruises looks to start trips to Malaysia and Indonesia on July 1.
Its cruises will call at Bintan and Batam as well as Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Penang, the company said on Tuesday (June 7).
It also plans to include more popular destinations such as Phuket, Krabi and Bali as early as October this year, said president Michael Goh.
This comes as Royal Caribbean - one of Resorts World Cruises’ major competitors here - announced that its ships would begin calling at Malaysian ports, including Penang and Port Klang, from the end of this month.
The July 1 date for international destinations is several months sooner than the company’s earlier announced plan for trips to Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia to begin at the end of September.
Cruises to Indonesia will begin with a two-night Bintan and Batam Weekend Getaway Cruise on July 1, said Mr Goh.
On July 3, the ship will sail for Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Penang, he added.
Ms Annie Chang, director for cruises at STB, said the expansion of Resorts World Cruises’ destination list strengthens Singapore’s cruise offerings and gives more options for domestic and international cruise-goers.
She added: “We are delighted that Resorts World Cruises has added destinations to its cruises as more ports in the region reopen.
“STB will continue to work closely with our regional counterparts to re-open more ports and re-invigorate the cruise industry in South-east Asia.”
The international cruise industry in Singapore has been largely dormant for more than two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, apart from cruises-to-nowhere, which have been operating since November 2020.
Resorts World Cruises’ trips to Malaysia and Indonesia will be made on its flagship, Genting Dream which is currently preparing for its maiden voyage under new management - a cruise to nowhere scheduled for June 15.
The ship was previously owned by Dream Cruises, which applied to be wound up in February after its parent company Genting Hong Kong folded in a move that left customers here in the lurch.
Resorts World Cruises - owned by Malaysian tycoon Lim Kok Thay - later stepped in to offer credits to affected customers.
The company is offering complimentary cruise credits of the equivalent value for all paid passengers affected by Dream Cruises’ cancellations in Singapore between March 2 and Aug 31 this year.
