Sapphire Princess Blazes Trail in China

Carnival plc yesterday celebrated the start of the inaugural season of Princess Cruises’ Sapphire Princess from its new summer home port of Shanghai.

This marks the first China homeport cruising program for the line, and brings an entirely new cruise experience called Princess Class to the rapidly-expanding China cruise market.

During the four-month season, which runs through August, the line will carry approximately 70,000 guests on 24 cruises with itineraries ranging from three to five days. The voyages will visit  cities in South Korea and Japan, including Seoul (Incheon), Busan, Jeju Island, Fukuoka (Hakata), Kagoshima, Okinawa and Nagasaki.

“We’re excited to be the first line to offer a genuine premium cruise option to Chinese vacationers,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises. “We know that they are discerning travelers, and have a great desire to explore and learn through travel and unique experiences. We’re well-positioned to provide this to them aboard Sapphire Princess.”

In preparation for the first season, Princess conducted extensive research into what Chinese travelers value, which include a high priority on food and amenities, an exceptional shopping experience, and service in their own language.

According to Carnival, special features on the cruise include the World Leaders Dinner, Tai Chi at sea, ballroom dancing, Ocean View Hot Pot dinner option, “Princess Night” stateroom amenities, a large selection of subtitled Hollywood movies, a variety of Chinese satellite TV channels, and an unparalleled shopping experience. In addition to the only 24-hour buffet at sea in China, a wide variety of traditional Chinese dishes will also be offered for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“Princess Cruises has blazed many trails in the cruise industry, continuously evolving to meet the needs of today’s vacationers, and we’re doing so in the China market as well,” said Cherry Wang, Carnival plc country director for China. “The innovations we’ve developed for our first cruise season here are behind the already promising demand for our Shanghai-based voyages. A place on Sapphire Princess is this summer’s hot travel ticket.”

The 116,000-ton Sapphire Princess carries 2,670 guests and, at 952 feet long, has 18 decks and 28 premium suites, with over half of the ship’s staterooms featuring private balconies.

The ship also includes five pools, a casino, duty-free shops, fitness center and spa, sports deck, children’s and teen’s centers, library, internet café, art gallery and a golf putting course, among other features.

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Press Release, May 23, 2014; Image: Wikimedia