Resorts World Cruises, which launched in 2022 to cater to the Asian market, is expanding its global presence. Resorts World One, which was acquired by the new cruise line at the beginning of 2023, will be homeporting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for six months beginning in October of 2024. 

Resorts World One and Genting Dream, which was the first ship to join the new fleet about two years ago, already have a strong presence in Asia. The young cruise line already sails to destinations throughout China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

By embarking on a 6-month deployment in Dubai, the new company intends to expand its reach to the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The 1,856-guest vessel will primarily homeport in Dubai.

Specifically, the 75,338-gross ton ship will dock at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal at Mina Rashid, which is large enough to accommodate up to seven large cruise ships at once, or around 25,000 passengers at a time – and is currently undergoing an expansion to meet demand. 

As the Middle East’s leading cruise port for the past eight years, it serves as a gateway to the local cuisine, shopping, Dubai’s red sand dunes, museums, and famous sights like the Burj Khalifa, which is the world’s tallest skyscraper. 

But beyond cultivating more of a global presence for the new brand, the goal is to attract a new segment of cruise passengers from Asia, increasing diversity to and boosting the economy in the Arabian Gulf, while also making cruising accessible for Muslim passengers.

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“We are excited to introduce the Resorts World Cruises brand to the Arabian Gulf with the Resorts World One cruise ship. As an international cruise line that is homegrown in Asia, we have decades of valuable experience in the cruise and hospitality sector, especially in catering to the needs of different ethnic and religious markets,” said Mr. Michael Goh, President of Resorts World Cruises. 

“Both cities Dubai and Doha are key international gateways to the Middle East and with the support of the respective local governments, authorities and travel partners, we look forward to further developing cruises to the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,” added Goh.

In order to cater to regional Muslim cruisers, Resorts World One is in the process of obtaining her official OIC/SMIIC Standard Halal-Friendly Cruise Ship certification. As part of this, all meat products will be sourced from UAE Halal suppliers, and no pork will be served in any of the ship’s 18 restaurants to avoid any potential cross-contamination. 

In addition, guests will be able to make advance appointments to guarantee they have access to crew members of their same gender for certain onboard services, such as spa treatments. 

The First Arabian Gulf Itineraries From Resorts World Cruises

Resorts World One’s six-month deployment in the Arabian Gulf will begin on October 18, 2024, and last until April 13, 2025. Throughout this time, the ship is scheduled to make 75 port calls and host approximately 150,000 passengers. 

As a new cruise line, this deployment will largely serve as Resorts World Cruises’ introduction to the region. That said, some passengers may already know the Resorts World brand that the cruise line is an extension of – as the parent company owns over 46 luxury properties in 8 countries and 4 continents. 

As of now, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has resulted in numerous cancellations and alterations to cruises bound for the Red Sea region, is not impacting these itineraries. 

From Dubai, the ship will offer 2-night weekend cruises to Sir Bani Yas, UAE, with departures on Fridays; 3-night Oman cruises to Khasab, Oman, and Muscat, Oman, departing on Sundays; and 2-night cruises to Doha, Qatar, departing on Wednesdays.

For guests who want to spend more time at sea, there are flexible options to combine two or all three of the itineraries to increase the cruise length to 4, 5, or 7 nights.

Coinciding with Qatar’s annual school holidays, Resorts World One will temporarily switch its homeport to Doha, Qatar, from October 24 to November 2, 2024. During this window, there will be two separate 2-night, round-trip cruises to Dubai that will embark on October 24 and October 31, as well two five-night sailings based out of Doha that will call on Dubai, Khasab, and Muscat.

All sailings will be all-inclusive, with entertainment, gourmet meals, and onboard experiences like fitness classes, mini golf, dance classes, and even a rope course and 35-meter zipline included in cruise fare.

While the Resorts World Cruises is designed to be luxurious, guests who want to be extra pampered can choose to stay in The Palace, which is like a mini, all-suite hotel on both of the cruise line’s ships. This option even comes with a 24-hour butler service.

Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, operated by Margaritaville at Sea – formerly Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line – has failed a surprise inspection conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A number of issues were noted during the inspection on May 1, and the ship must now correct those issues or it could be prevented from sailing.

The detailed inspections from the CDC inspect a variety of health and safety issues. Margaritaville at Sea Paradise had concerns noted in 65 different areas, including food preparation in both guest and crew facilities, cleaning procedures, food storage, pool maintenance, plumbing cleanliness, and medical facility cleanliness.

Each violation noted by the inspection team is also given a recommendation for correction as necessary.

For example, the report notes “on several occasions, up to six bathers were noted in each whirlpool. Each whirlpool is designed to have a maximum bather load of 4 persons.” The associated recommendation is to “ensure the maximum passenger bather load number is not exceeded, so the proper halogen and pH values are not adversely affected.”

Potable water lines servicing the ship’s medical facility, garbage room, and engine room all received violations, as did lines servicing select guest cabin areas. These violations included blocked vents, improper marking of the lines, and excessive corrosion.

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For food preparation, crew training was examined and found lacking in several areas. For example, crew members appeared unable to ensure that the proper concentration of antimicrobial solutions for cleaning fruits and vegetables was used.

Several freezers and coolers were not maintaining the proper temperatures for safe guidelines or were out of service, as were several deep fat fryers. Even if such items are not being used, it is an inspection violation that they are not in proper repair.

Poor seals on refrigerators, incorrect fasteners on bar soda guns, torn plastic covers, an empty soap dispenser at a handwashing station, dirty deck space underneath equipment, ice buildup in a freezer, decks in bad condition, and insufficient lighting in some areas were all different violations reported aboard the ship.

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In total, Margaritaville at Sea Paradise‘s score was calculated at 83. The CDC considers any score of 85 or lower to be unsatisfactory. The cruise line will implement as many corrective options as possible and submit a report on their efforts, after which a new surprise inspection will be held to verify those corrections.

Despite the intensity of the inspections, it is possible for cruise ships to receive perfect 100 scores. So far in 2024, ships from Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, and Viking Cruises have all received perfect stores.

Previous Inspections

This is not the first time Margaritaville at Sea Paradise has failed a CDC inspection. In July 2019, the ship scored only 81. At that time, a number of corrections were made prior to the next inspection.

More recently, the ship scored 87 in May 2023, 91 in October 2022, and 88 in October 2019 – the first inspection following her previous failure.

Margaritaville at Sea Paradise is currently the only ship sailing for Margaritaville at Sea. She is homeported from West Palm Beach, offering 2-night sailings to Freeport, Bahamas. Later this year, the ship’s offerings will expand to include 3- and 4-night itineraries. The 3-night sailings will feature a full day at sea, while the 4-night cruises will also visit Key West.

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The ship debuted in 1991 as Costa Classica for Costa Cruises, before being sold into service for Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line as Grand Classica in 2018. In 2022, the cruise line rebranded as Margaritaville at Sea and the ship was renovated for that new ambience.

The 52,926-gross-ton Margaritaville at Sea Paradise can host 1,308 guests at double occupancy or as many as 1,680 travelers when fully booked.

The small cruise line is growing and a second vessel – Margaritaville at Sea Islander – is scheduled to begin offering 4- and 5-night sailings from Tampa from June 14. Depending on cruise length and sailing date, the ship will be visiting Cozumel, Progreso, and Key West.

Margaritaville at Sea Islander is the former Costa Atlantica, built in 2000. The 85,619-gross-ton ship can welcome 2,114 guests at double occupancy, or up to 2,680 passengers when fully booked.