Royal Caribbean To Offer A One-Off Penang Departure Cruise On Spectrum of the Seas
Malaysian guests can now embark on a Royal Caribbean cruise without having to travel to Singapore.
Spectrum of the Seas in Penang, Malaysia. PHOTO: PATRICK LOO
With Spectrum of the Seas homeported in Singapore, travellers from the region will normally have to make their own pre-cruise journey there to embark on their cruise vacations. However, Royal Caribbean is now trialling new plans to make the journey much more convenient.
Partnering with a Malaysian travel agency, Royal Caribbean has introduced a special 6D5N Phuket Overnight cruise in January 2023 departing from Penang, allowing Malaysian guests to experience Spectrum of the Seas - without the initial journey to Singapore. Guests booked on this special cruise will board the ship midway during an existing “Spice of Southeast Asia” cruise to Penang and Phuket, joining fellow travellers from Singapore.
Also known as inter-porting or dual-homeport arrangements, it is a fairly common practice outside of Asia. Competitor Resorts World Cruises commenced their own similar dual homeport arrangements in July 2022, between Singapore and Port Klang, Malaysia with their sole ship Genting Dream.
A Special Sailing
Hwajing Travel is the sole travel agency offering this 6D5N Penang-Departure itinerary. From Penang, Spectrum of the Seas will sail a full day before arriving in Phuket, Thailand on January 6, 2023.
The main highlight of the cruise will be the overnight stay in Phuket, Thailand. Guests will have the rare opportunity to enjoy Phuket’s popular beaches by day, and hit up the best nightlife spots the island has to offer - all while being able to enjoy the ship’s amenities.
Considering guests will require a return journey back to Malaysia after the end of the cruise, Hwajing Travel is also offering additional post-cruise land transfers back to Malaysia, which can be bundled with the cruise.
What’s So Special About This Cruise?
A majority of guests we spoke to residing in Malaysia have always been hesitant on booking a cruise that departs from Singapore, only to return to Malaysia for port calls. The added travelling required both pre- and post-sailing has always been a deterrent for many Malaysian guests wishing to try out cruising. Guests who wish to arrive one day ahead of their scheduled departure date - a normal amount of buffer time for fly-in cruise passengers, will also incur additional accommodation costs.
The move to trial a Penang departure could potentially be the first step towards a well-coordinated dual homeport arrangement for Royal Caribbean in their continuous expansion to new demographics.
We’ll most likely try this out.
As this is a very special sailing, Singapore Cruise Society will be there to document and experience first-hand, Royal Caribbean’s foray into Dual-Homeport arrangements in Asia. For interested guests, please click here to contact Hwajing Travel for more information.
DISCLAIMER: While due diligence has been taken to ensure all information presented is accurate and up-to-date, the information is subject to change, and discrepancies in, but not limited to, themes, timings and/or ports-of-call may occur. In the event of such a discrepancy, the cruise line’s itinerary will prevail. You are advised to contact the cruise lines directly for information, or to speak with your preferred travel consultant. Singapore Cruise Society will not be held responsible for any discrepancies found in the information provided.
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