True to its name, Royal Caribbean is best known for delivering unforgettable vacations throughout the Caribbean. Even with a heavy presence in North America, Royal Caribbean offers cruises around the world to Europe, Australia, and Asia.

In the last two years, Royal Caribbean has noticeably expanded its footprint in Asia, adding more ships to the region to keep up with growing demand from Asian travelers. In particular, Royal Caribbean will expand its presence in Hong Kong next year with new itineraries, ranging from short “cruises to nowhere” to port-immersive itineraries to Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

According to the cruise line, much of this surge is being driven by Gen-Z and Millennial cruisers who are seeking adventurous, experience-focused vacations. 

Notably, Royal Caribbean has seen a growing interest in longer, port-intensive itineraries across Asia. This is a stark contrast from the cruise line’s prior strategy in the region, which mainly focused on short getaway cruises and a few weeklong itineraries.

In all, three vessels in Royal Caribbean's fleet will be sailing across Asia through 2027. These include Spectrum of the Seas (Quantum-Ultra Class), Navigator of the Seas (Voyager Class), and Ovation of the Seas (Quantum Class).

Originally built to serve the Asian market, Spectrum of the Seas sails year-round from Shanghai, China, and Hong Kong. However, both Navigator of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas operate seasonal itineraries in Asia.

This trend isn't unique to Royal Caribbean. Asia has been experiencing a "global tourism boom" over the last three years according to the Economist, with particular interest in countries like Japan, Vietnam, India, and Thailand.

To meet this increased tourism demand, Royal Caribbean is offering more diverse itineraries aboard more cruise ships in the coming years. This includes longer itineraries throughout Asia aboard some of its most innovative cruise ships, featuring culturally-rich and immersive ports of call. 

After taking four immersive cruises in Asia over the last eight years, I can see why Royal Caribbean is betting big on this region.

To start, cruising is a convenient way to explore the continent.

Back in 2017, my husband and I visited Asia for the first time after booking a Southeast Asia cruise on Mariner of the Seas. We were broke college students, but the 7-night cruise to Thailand and Malaysia was only $500 each!

While airfare to Singapore was more expensive, we spent less than $2,000 each for a 12-night trip to Asia. Some excursions through the cruise line were only $30 for a full-day tour! We worked all summer to save up for this whirlwind adventure. 

Most people thought we were crazy to embark on such an exotic itinerary for two 21-year-olds, but a cruise was the perfect choice for us. Since we had never been to the continent before, the convenience of cruising, combined with the affordable price, made it an easy choice for the two of us. 

We were able to visit multiple countries, including an overnight stay in Thailand, while still enjoying all the familiar comforts of the ship. My husband and I spent our long days ashore experiencing the local culture before returning to our air-conditioned, comfortable, and safe cabin each night.

It was the perfect balance of vacation and cultural immersion for us without being too overwhelming or stressful. We loved being able to relax on the ship each night instead of worrying about transportation or logistics between each country. 

Since then, I’ve returned to Asia three more times - all by cruise ship.

After my memorable experience visiting Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia with Royal Caribbean, I couldn't wait to book another Asian cruise with my family. 

Seeing the Great Wall of China was on our family’s bucket list, and we were eager to book one of the few longer itineraries to Japan offered by Royal Caribbean. My parents love to travel, but they also value and appreciate the luxuries of a cruise ship. This is especially true while visiting more far-flung ports of call. 

For this reason, cruising was the best choice for our family vacation, as we could return to the familiarity and comfort of our cruise ship while still exploring Japan and China each day. 

We climbed the Great Wall of China in Beijing before taking the famous bullet train to Shanghai and boarding Spectrum of the Seas. After five days independently exploring in China, we were excited to board the ship and settle into our cabin for the upcoming adventure to Japan. 

Within the last year, I’ve returned to Asia twice on unique repositioning itineraries with Royal Caribbean Group. Last fall, we cruised with sister-brand Celebrity Cruises from Sydney to Singapore with stops along the Australian coast and two days in Bali, Indonesia.

Although our adventure-packed days in Bali were unforgettable, we were always relieved to return safely to our cruise ship, Celebrity Solstice. Having downtime aboard the cruise ship allowed us to comfortably decompress from the jam-packed days exploring Indonesia. 

And finally, last month, I returned to Asia once again so I could sail with my family on Anthem of the Seas. This repositioning itinerary departed from Singapore and concluded in Tokyo, with port stops in Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Japan. Our itinerary alternated between full days exploring the ports of call and sea days to recoup and recharge.

For this cruise, we opted to book excursions exclusively through Royal Caribbean. One of the perks of cruising is having the option to book excursions with reputable companies, especially while exploring unfamiliar destinations. Because we had never visited these ports in Asia before, we decided cruise-sponsored excursions made the most sense.

We trusted the excursions offered by the cruise line would be safe, and we weren’t disappointed. We also appreciated the added assurance that we wouldn’t miss the ship’s departure. This alleviated stress during the excursions, allowing us to enjoy our time together ashore as a family. 

Read more: I spent $6,773 to cruise on Anthem of the Seas. Here's what everything cost, from $251 internet to $2,302 flights

Every country in Asia has its own distinct culture, and a cruise lets you experience that diversity all in one trip.

After taking four cruises through Asia, I’ve been able to experience the distinct cultures, traditions, and customs across many different countries. It’s hard to compare Singapore's modernity and opulence with the luscious rice fields in Indonesia or floating villages on the outskirts of Phuket in Thailand. The quaintness of Jeju Island in South Korea was vastly different from the scooter-packed streets in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

By cruising to Asia, I’ve had so many diverse, culturally-rich experiences across the entire continent. Each destination was vastly different from anything I had experienced before, and I loved being able to have even just a glimpse of their local culture during my cruises.

Of course, some will say one day isn’t enough time to truly visit a country. This might be true for some, and some countries do deserve more extended visits. But, I’ve found that even a short stay can give you a meaningful first impression and help you decide if it’s a place you’d like to explore more in the future.

There are some countries that I can’t wait to return to, like Thailand and Singapore. For other destinations, like Hong Kong, a short visit felt sufficient for seeing the city's main sights. I want to see as much of the world as I can, and cruising allows me to embrace that variety, one destination at a time!

I’m a longtime fan of Royal Caribbean, but most of my sailings have been to the Caribbean, Europe, or Alaska. Although I had cruised to Asia before, our itinerary was filled with entirely new ports of call. In addition, it had been nearly six years since my last visit to Asia.

Sailing through Asia was a completely different experience than visiting familiar ports in the Caribbean or Europe. From the planning to extensive preparation and even onboard experiences, this cruise in Asia was unlike any other I had taken before.

For this cruise, I traveled with my sister and parents, as we had always wanted to visit these ports of call. During our 12-night repositioning cruise from Singapore to Tokyo, we visited far-flung destinations like Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea.

In fact, Royal Caribbean is continuing to expand its presence in Asia, offering a wider range of itineraries to meet growing demand. The cruise line is especially focused on offering longer, more port-intensive itineraries through the region, like this repositioning cruise. 

But if you’ve never cruised in this part of the world before, you’ll likely encounter some unique challenges and surprises along the way, both onboard and while ashore. While this itinerary was absolutely incredible, I learned some very interesting lessons along the way. 

This kind of cruise involves more planning and logistics than your typical Caribbean cruise. Like any vacation, not everything went as we had planned. From cultural differences to onboard challenges, here are five things that I wish I knew before my Royal Caribbean cruise in Asia. If you’re taking your first cruise to Asia, these tips can make you feel more prepared for your culturally-immersive vacation.

1. I wish I had taken more time to learn about Vietnam’s history

History was never my strongest subject in school, so I’ve never been especially well-versed in it. Because of this, I enjoy learning about a country's history as I explore it, as I believe seeing history firsthand makes it much more engaging.

Our first port of call was Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, and the city was preparing for its 50th anniversary of reunification. Preparations were underway for a major national celebration, and locals were already gathering around the Reunification Palace, proudly taking photos in front of the historic building. I was trying to learn about Vietnam’s history on my phone throughout the day, and I wish I had researched before arriving.

My dad, a U.S. veteran, never served in Vietnam but has many close friends who did. Visiting the city with him and walking through sites that once played pivotal roles in the war was deeply emotional for him. I could see how much it meant to him to witness these historic places. At the same time, I realized how little I truly knew about the Vietnam War beyond surface-level facts.

I wish I had spent some time learning about the history of the countries we were visiting, especially Vietnam. Having some historical context would have made my experience even more meaningful, especially seeing how emotional the experience was for my dad. This visit served as a powerful reminder that history is more than what you learn in a textbook.

2. Bring plenty of cash, including local currency

It’s a good rule of thumb to bring cash onboard your cruise. Whether you’re shopping at local markets in port or tipping crew members onboard for excellent service, having cash on hand is essential.

For this cruise, I only brought U.S. dollars and chose not to exchange for any local currency. Throughout most of the cruise, this wasn’t a problem—nearly everywhere we went, including markets in Vietnam and Hong Kong, accepted credit cards or U.S. dollars.

That all changed when we reached Japan. We took public transportation from the Yokohama port into Tokyo, and credit cards seemed to be widely accepted, until our return trip.

Read more: I spent $6,773 to cruise on Anthem of the Seas. Here's what everything cost, from $251 internet to $2,302 flights

We thought we had successfully made it back to Yokohama, until we went to exit the train station. Apparently, our tickets needed a fare adjustment because we didn’t purchase the right route.

Unfortunately, the ticket machine and customer service desk wouldn’t accept credit cards or U.S. dollars. We could only pay the fare adjustment with Japanese Yen, which we didn’t have.

Mind you, the fare difference was only $0.70 total, and the language barrier only made the situation worse. Thankfully, some fellow cruisers saw us struggling and offered their leftover Japanese Yen for us to use, but not having local currency caused unnecessary stress. If I travel in Japan again, I’ll be sure to have some Japanese Yen on hand.

3. Prioritize getting an early immigration ticket

During a cruise, you might need to complete face-to-face immigration. Depending on your itinerary, some countries mandate that all passengers go through immigration procedures, similar to arriving at an airport.

After arriving in Japan, Royal Caribbean stated that all guests would be required to go through face-to-face immigration. In fact, the cruise line stated the process could take several hours. Everyone was required to have an immigration ticket, as no excursions would be offered. Even if you weren’t going ashore, you would be required to disembark and immigrate into Japan.

The morning of our arrival, immigration tickets were distributed at 9 a.m. Starting at 7 a.m., people started to queue in hopes of receiving an earlier immigration ticket. Luckily, my sister was determined to get an early slot to maximize our short day in port, so she arrived bright and early.

She snagged us ticket #3, and we were able to disembark almost immediately after arriving. The immigration process took hours, with numbers all the way up to #40. We were able to visit Tokyo and return hours later, while others were still waiting to complete immigration!

I had no idea that immigration would be such a time-consuming process, and I am thankful my sister arrived early to get in line. Some people were unable to actually explore Tokyo because immigration took upwards of five hours, and some didn’t realize they needed an immigration ticket.

Booking a Royal Caribbean excursion can alleviate some of this stress. Unfortunately, all Royal Caribbean excursions were cancelled, meaning no one had priority immigration. If you’re needing face-to-face immigration, make sure to arrive early for the immigration ticket, or prepare for a lengthy wait.

4. Book as much as you can in advance

When I plan vacations, I like to strike a balance between scheduled activities and free time. That way, I’m not locking myself into a rigid, minute-by-minute itinerary. Unfortunately, this plan ended up causing some issues during our cruise in Asia.

Although we had booked excursions for every port, we didn’t arrange all of our necessary transfers. To start, we hadn’t pre-arranged transportation from the hotel to the cruise terminal in Singapore ahead of time.

This proved to be more difficult than expected with four people and nine suitcases. We tried to book a private transfer through multiple vendors after arriving, but didn’t have any luck. In the end, we ended up having two cars take us to the port with our luggage in a second car.

Read more: I paid $5,776 for a balcony room on a 12-night Royal Caribbean cruise. Having a balcony was a highlight

We also had a hard time planning our time in Japan at the end of the cruise, not realizing our visit coincided with Golden Week, which is a major stretch of national holidays that brings large crowds and limited availability.

Because our flight was in the evening, we hoped to find a private tour in the morning with an airport drop-off. We were also warned there would be few taxis available at the port. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any luck finding our own transportation and ended up booking a shuttle option through Royal Caribbean.

In the end, I wish we had booked some of these logistics further in advance instead of waiting until the last minute. Had I known we would be visiting Japan during this very busy tourism week, I would’ve arranged a debarkation tour further in advance. Lack of research created some stressful last-minute planning during my cruise that we could have avoided.

5. Obtaining visas was a huge pain

Before embarkation, Royal Caribbean sent an email warning that guests would not be allowed to board without the necessary visas or documentation for every country on the itinerary.

For this sailing, all U.S. residents were required to obtain an electronic Vietnam visa in advance. So many fellow passengers posted online about struggles with the visa process or Vietnam’s website. In particular, people seemed to have issues with the payment portal and receiving failures.

Sure enough, I ended up paying for two different Vietnam visas because I thought my first application had failed. Both of the payments ended up being processed, so my visa was double the cost that I needed to pay.

I warned my parents of the potential issues, so they paid extra to go through a visa service and avoid the headache. This ended up costing them $200 each for the visa service. On the other hand, my sister applied for her visa and received it without issue two days later.

If you need to apply for a visa, even if it’s an e-visa, you should give yourself plenty of time to account for potential delays or issues. Using a visa service could be a viable solution if you run into issues, and you don’t want to stress about potentially being denied boarding for your long-awaited vacation.

Want to know the latest Royal Caribbean this over the past week?

Royal Caribbean may not have made any big announcements lately, but there's still plenty happening in and around Royal Caribbean that you should know about.

In an effort to keep you updated, here's some of the cruise news happening that you might find interesting.

Have a great weekend!

Royal Caribbean returns to Asia for first time since 2020

Spectrum of the Seas recently sailed its first international call in Asia since December 2020.

Spectrum of the Seas sailed from her homeport of Singapore and arrived at Malaysia's Port Klang.

The Royal Caribbean ship's arrival in Malaysia is an import milestone as it marks the return of cruising to Asia. Malaysia and Indonesia are the first Southeast Asian countries to resume port calls since cruising was halted in March 2020.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley shared the news on Facebook, "After over 350 ocean getaways from Singapore, our guests finally got to explore the culture, history, and mouth-watering street food of Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia."

"We are looking forward to many more memorable vacations out of Singapore. Thank you to our partners for making this all possible !"

Serenade of the Seas European 2023 cruises cancelled

It appears Royal Caribbean is redeploying Serenade of the Seas in summer 2023.

Serenade of the Seas was to offer sailings departing from Copenhagen, Denmark and Stockholm, Sweden starting May 21st, 2023. 

Travel agents received an update indicating the war in Ukraine is to blame for the change, "However, with the increased uncertainty of visiting St. Petersburg, Russia, we've reviewed our upcoming 2023 deployment and decided to reposition Serenade of the Seas to a new homeport in Florida for our Summer 2023 season. "

Instead, Serenade of the Seas will be homeported in Florida in summer 2023

Royal Caribbean helps travel agents with new call back feature

Royal Caribbean has added another upgrade for travel agents to make their jobs a little bit easier.

A new call back function has been added for travel partners in their contact centers in an effort to minimize hold times.

The added feature is first available to trade partners booking groups and expected to be broadly available for U.S. and Canada-based trade at the end of August 2022.

When travel partners call the contact centers, they are immediately prompted with the option of a call back if the wait time exceeds 20 minutes. Once prompted, travel partners can leave a brief message and input their number to initiate a call back with a Royal Caribbean representative. A direct number to a land line or mobile is required; extensions are not supported. 

Royal Caribbean has been steadily working to make the process easier for travel agents to do their jobs, with over a dozen automation enhancements in the last 24 months.

Disney Cruise Line raises gratuity

Something to keep an eye on is another cruise line has raised their gratuities.

Disney Cruise Line increased its recommended gratuity rates $1 per day, per stateroom guest.

With the change, DCL's gratuities are now at $14.50 per passenger, per day for most staterooms, and $15.50 per passenger, per day for concierge suites.

Carnival and NCL have already raised their gratuities earlier this year.

Royal Caribbean hasn't touched their gratuity rate since the end of 2017, when they announced a change to the gratuity to begin in 2018.

Royal Caribbean hiring frenzy continues

Since the spring, Royal Caribbean has been busy trying to hire lots of new crew members, and that trend is continuing.

Royal Caribbean recently held career fairs in three different countries.

In Kenya, the company is looking to hire 2,000 new crew to work as cooks, waiters, baristas, kitchen utility staff, pastry chefs, guest relations agents, lifeguards, and marine staff.

They've also recently hired 600 people from Trinidad and Tobago as new crew.

Royal Caribbean also held hold another recruitment drive earlier this week in Grenada.

Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas made her first visit to two different ports in the Philippines this weekend, Subic Bay and Manila. This is the largest ever cruise ship to call at any Filipino port, and with the highest number of guests onboard totalling close to 4,600 from around the world. She is currently on a 5-night cruise from Hong Kong.

Photo by Royal Caribbean International

To celebrate the maiden call at Subic Bay, a traditional plaque exchange ceremony was held onboard between Ovation of the Seas’ Captain Flemming Nielsen and local officials namely Atty. Wilma Eisma, Chairman and Administrator of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and Mr Roberto Alabado III, Assistant Secretary of Department of Tourism. Senator Richard "Dick" Gordon and Ms Ma. Cristina Garcia, Vice Governor of Bataan were present at the event as well.

Photo by Royal Caribbean International

Photo by Royal Caribbean International

A similar ceremony was held to celebrate the ship’s maiden call in Manila, with Captain Nielsen and Mr Mancile Francisquiel, Port Manager of Philippine Ports Authority, Mr Pocholo Joselito Paragas, Chief Operating Officer of Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) – Department of Tourism, and Atty. Solfia Arboladura, Director of Manila Tourism and Cultural Affairs Bureau presented the “key to the City of Manila” to the ship's Captain.

Photo by Royal Caribbean International

Ovation of the Seas is the largest cruise ship to enter the Philippines.

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas arrived in Singapore to begin her longest-running Southeast Asia cruise season ever.  Voyager of the Seas will call Singapore home from April 2018 through June 2019.

She will be offering as many as 90 sailings of 3 to 9 nights from Singapore to a variety of popular regional destinations.

Voyager of the Seas’ itineraries that start from Singapore for this period include:

• 3-night weekend cruise to Penang/ Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang)
• 4-night cruise to Penang/Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang) and Phuket
• 5-night cruise to Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), Penang and Phuket
• 5-night cruise to Bangkok (Laem Chabang) with an overnight stay
• 7-night cruise to Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), Penang, Langkawi and Phuket (with an overnight stay)

The Port of Penang, Malaysia is partnering with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd expand berth from the current 480m to 700m, so that it can handle up to two large cruise ships simultaneously.

New Straight Times reports Royal Caribbean and the Port entered into a joint-venture about a year ago to upgrade and improve Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT) in Georgetown, Penang.  The work aims to accommodate berthing of larger cruise ships at its facilities.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd managing director, Asia Pacific, Sean Treacy said Malaysia has been a strong performer for our business and it is now the fastest growing market for Southeast Asia, doubling between 2015 and 2016.

“While we expect a similar performance this year, this strong growth is driven by our deployment of more ships, and newer and larger ones such as Ovation of the Seas and Voyager Class ships like Voyager of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas are attracting a growing number of travellers in Malaysia,” he said in a recent interview.

Royal Caribbean welcomed its one millionth guests sailing from Singapore, marking a milestone for the cruise line's 11 years of sailing history in Asia.

Singaporean Mr Wong Sin Fatt (王信發), 52, boarded Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas earlier this afternoon in full surprise as he was welcomed and cheered by Royal Caribbean crew and staff in the millionth guest countdown at the ship’s gangway. To celebrate, Mr. Wong was taken to the ship's Viking Crown lounge, where both the ship’s Captain Claus Andersen and Mr Sean Treacy, Managing Director, Asia Pacific of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. presented to Mr Wong the millionth guest prize package worth over US$2,400.

Mr Wong can look forward to a free cruise holiday for him and his sibling in his stateroom for his current 4-night Penang & Phuket Cruise sponsored by Royal Caribbean, plus VIP treatment for both. In addition, the cruise line is treating both of them to onboard credit of US$300 which they can spend on for instance specialty dining, shore excursions, shopping and even the special behind-the-scenes tour. Mr Wong also receives a cruise certificate worth US$1,000 for his next cruise holiday.

“This definitely made my holiday knowing that I’m the millionth guest for Royal Caribbean! This is my first time with Royal Caribbean, but never dreamt of winning something like this. My sister wanted a different holiday experience for the whole family, and I’m really excited about my prize that I’m sharing with my family with me here,” said Mr Wong, who is travelling with his family of eight for a vacation.

Mr Treacy said, “We have been looking forward to this day to welcome our millionth guest and thanking him in a big ‘Royal’ way. Crossing this milestone in a span of 10 years here represents a true achievement for us, and this would not have been possible without the strong support of all our guests and key stakeholders including the Singapore Tourism Board and Changi Airport Group which partner us on fly-cruise marketing, as well as the two cruise terminals in Singapore.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (Asia) Pte Ltd. celebrated its 10th anniversary last week with a celebration in Singapore at Clifford Pier, together with more than 150 trade, media, corporate and government partners from the region.

Guests in attendance were regailed with a look at the milestones reached over the past 10 years, from the first ship Rhapsody of the Seas’ arrival in 2007 to the most recent homeporting of Asia’s largest Ovation of the Seas in Singapore this year. In addition, the new TVC ‘Where Everyone Gets What They Need’ was unveiled, while guests got a virtual experience of Royal Caribbean’s most popular features from the new head-mounted display (HMD) VR headset – the ‘Holideck’ – on display.

Sean Treacy, Royal Caribbean’s Managing Director for Asia Pacific, thanked their team and travel partners for all of their support, "The last 10 years have seen Royal Caribbean flourish tremendously, having expanded our regional footprint from just one office in Singapore to six across Asia Pacific, and from one to three ships for our fleet in Singapore today. We are committed to continue bringing innovative and quality ships and growing Royal Caribbean as the top vacation choice for travellers in the region."

Royal Caribbean Asia is looking to use virtual reality to help show potential cruisers what a cruise experience is all about.

Using Royal Caribbean's new head-mounted display (HMD) virtual reality (VR) experience, dubbed the "HoliDeck", guests can be transported onto a Royal Caribbean International ship and experience these and other Royal Caribbean’s most popular features, without going out to sea. Viewers can choose a variety of interactive games, videos and images from the ‘HoliDeck’ 360° spherical virtual space to explore in depth the entertainment, accommodation and dining options onboard such as the skydiving simulator, Two70 high-tech entertainment space and Main Dining Room, with highly realistic visual effects.

The ‘Holideck’ will soon be available at Royal Caribbean’s booth at the upcoming NATAS Travel Fair in August and other roadshows, as a demo tool for customers to get a virtual taste of the Royal Caribbean cruise experience. The company is also distributing cardboard VR headsets that play a VR video showcasing key features like the Royal Promenade, ice show, skydiving simulator, SeaPlex and Loft Suite, to its key agents in Singapore as well as its International Representatives in the region as the latest sales toolkit.

This is part of Royal Caribbean’s new marketing campaign ‘Where Everyone Gets What They Need’, launched today with a TVC as well to mark the start of its 10th anniversary celebrations in Singapore. The TVC centers on the concept that a Royal Caribbean cruise is an enjoyable and hassle free holiday that appeals to multi-generational families, couples and singles. The line “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” from the Rolling Stones classic hit is playfully quashed here by the truly ‘one size fits all’ Royal Caribbean holiday, where all guests can indeed get what they need with the wide range of activities, from the aspiring North Star elevated glass capsule to bumper cars and DreamWorks Entertainment for instance.

Royal Caribbean, Changi Airport Group and the Singapore Tourism Board signed a new multi-million dollar marketing deal to promote cruising out of Singapore to passengers on Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas.

In a press release, the three entities indicated they intend to bring in about 45,000 tourists flying in to Singapore for a cruise on Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas between March and June. The partnership is expected to generate more than S$26 million in tourism dollars over this period, it added.

Royal Caribbean also said it will increase the number of homeported sailings in Singapore. The cruise line will have its longest deployment of ships in Singapore from 2017 to 2019, and Ovation of the Seas will also be docked at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre for its first season in Singapore.

“The announcement of Royal Caribbean’s longest deployment for the next three years is a reflection of how multi-sector collaborations like these are vital to developing the local and regional cruise industry. It is these partnerships that enable Royal Caribbean to bring bigger and more innovative ships to Singapore, enhancing the cruise experience for travelers and ultimately growing the industry here,” said Sean Treacy, Royal Caribbean’s managing director for Asia Pacific.

This is the second partnership between Royal Caribbean and the STB and Changi Airport Group, which was signed in August 2015. Royal Caribbean indicated that deal attracted 40% more visitors than its target goal.

The partnership can be extended for subsequent years if it proves to be successful.