Genting-owned Dream Cruises has announced it will restart operations from the end of July and is among the very first cruise lines to do so.
Dream Cruises to Resume Operations
Dream Cruises which is a luxury cruise line mainly based in Asia has announced a return to service from July 26, 2020. Dream Cruises is among a handful of cruise lines that have either returned to service already in a limited capacity or announced a return in July.
Tan Sri KT Lim, Chairman and CEO of Genting Hong Kong, said:
“After months of detailed planning with the authorities to ensure the safety and health of guests and crew, we appreciate the approval of Explorer Dream resuming cruise operations in Taiwan. Dream Cruises will be the first cruise line in the world to begin sailing after the global cruise industry was shut down due to the pandemic.”
“Our new standard operating procedures to ensure passenger safety draws on our first-hand experience from the charter of two of our ships in Singapore to house foreign workers and cooperating with DNV GL, the world’s largest classification society, for Explorer Dream to receive the world’s first “Certification in Infection Prevention for the Marine industry (CIP-M).”
Explorer Dream will kick off sailings offering 2-night and 3-night itineraries out of Keelung, Taiwan. The cruises will begin from July 26 will include calls at Penghu, Matzu, and Kinmen islands.
Twain is a good choice for Dream Cruises to resume operations due to the island’s low infection rate and the company’s 25-year history with Taiwan not just as a homeport but for ports of call too.
These short sailings are thanks to Taiwan opening up tourism once again and the country implementing new measures to make sure passengers can remain safe. Genting has also completely re-examined and enhanced all of its health, hygiene, and operating protocols to ensure the safest environment for everyone on board including social distancing in dining, entertainment and public areas, 100% fresh air ventilation in staterooms, and operations throughout the ship. Dream Cruises was one of the first in the world to detail new health measures for its fleet and several other cruise lines have also followed including Norwegian Cruise Line.
The 1,800 passenger Explorer Dream has undergone a thorough deep cleaning and observation of strict quarantine procedures for her crew. The majority of the crew will be from other Genting Cruise Lines ships who have been quarantined for the last 3 months and all will undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine on land after the ship arrives in Keelung on 30 June.
Also Read: When Will Each Cruise Line Resume Sailings Again?
Upon negative nucleic acid test results, an additional 7 day isolation period on board Explorer Dream will provide a total of 21 days of exhaustive preventive procedures before operations begin on 26 July. Explorer Dream is over 75,000 gross tons with a crew capacity of around 1,300.
