Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in Australia when she debuts in November 2012, will be arriving with some special DreamWorks guests.  Royal Caribbean has announced details regarding the DreamWorks Experience at Sea on Voyager of the Seas.

Voyager of the Seas will feature characters from “Madagascar”, “Shrek”, “Kung Fu Panda” and “Puss in Boots”.

“Since being introduced on Allure of the Seas in 2010 – and then rolled out to another four ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet – the DreamWorks Experience has been incredibly popular with guests,” Royal Caribbean Australia and New Zealand Commercial Manager Adam Armstrong said.

In the main dining room, there will be special breakfasts in addition to photo opportunities daily with Po from “King Fu Panda”, Shrek, Fiona and Puss in Boots from “Shrek”, King Julien, Alex, Gloria and the Penguins from “Madagascar”.

Passengers aboard Voyager of the Seas will also be able to meet-and-greet with the characters during surprise appearances throughout the ship, including Voyager’s youth club, Adventure Ocean, where they will be involved in activities including storytelling and dance parties.

Two street parades will be scheduled down the Royal Promenade per cruise while DreamWorks films including “Puss in Boots” and “Madagascar 3” will be shown in the 1,350-seat 3D Cinema.

For an in-cabin fix, there will be a dedicated DreamWorks TV channel which will play programs and movies 24-7. 

Photo by daigolou_chan

Voyager of the Seas has been in Asia for a few weeks and there's definitely a lot of enthusiasm about a ship that large in the area.  Nelia Neri of the Philippines had the opportunity to sail on her after first sailing on her back in 1999 and shared her experience.

The author decided to make this a family trip, which included 38 people and boarded the cruise in Singapore for a five-day cruise to Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Phuket.

Family bonding was the name of the game during the cruise. Everyone would meet at the Windjammer Cafe for breakfast and then get off the ship for sightseeing and to have lunch in a resto serving the typical food of the place. Dinner time found all of us on three adjoining tables at the Carmen dining room planning the next day’s sked.

The cruise seems to have rekindled the sort of memories from the author's first cruise on Voyager and it sounded like all 38 people really enjoyed their time aboard.

Just as my late parents happily announced to relatives and friends that our 60th anniversary gift to them of a Caribbean cruise was a gift like no other, our four sons, two daughters-in-law and six grandchildren gratefully proclaimed that the Spice of Asia cruise on board the Voyager of the Seas was a vacation treat like no other.

Voyager of the Seas travels in the Far East continues to attract celebrity-like coverage.  This time, Royal Caribbean's largest ship in the region docked in the port of Jeju on Saturday, which is one of Northeast Asia's leading tourist destinations.

Voyager of the Seas pulled into port in the early morning to fanfare from local authorities that included traditional performances.

Jeju prepared special garlands and plaques for the passengers who arrived on the ship.

The provincial government hopes that the arrival of the cruise ship will be followed with other visits, which could help transform the island into a international resort. At present, the island off South Korea’s southeastern coast is a favorite attraction for Chinese and Japanese tourists, although there has been a steady increase of people from other countries.

Jeju Governor Woo Keun-min, who was present to welcome the ship, said the arrival of the cruise ship opened a new chapter for the province. He said that once the naval based in the southern part of the island is completed in two years, 150,000 ton ships will be able to berth easily to disembark tourists. 

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas has made its maiden voyage to China, stopping in Shanghai on Tuesday to begin the ship's summer itinerary.  The arrival culminates Royal Caribbean's shift in attention to China and already, the company is making good on its investments.

Lisa Bauer, senior vice-president, global sales and marketing, of Royal Caribbean, commented on the market in China, "China's cruise market is young and vibrant. Royal Caribbean International is optimistic about the development of the cruise industry here and will continue investment in this market."

Bauer said Royal Caribbean's business has grown tremendously since its entry into the China market in 2008, "The growth rate was above 50 percent at the beginning, when we entered China, and now it is over 100 percent."

Shanghai is aiming to make itself a major cruise center, with a new Five-Year Plan to hopefully become the third cruise center in East Asia, after Singapore and Hong Kong.

Michael Liu, Royal Caribbean China public relations and communications manager, thinks as more mega ships arrive in China, renovation and maintenance are becoming a market with huge potential, "Currently, we have to sail the ships to Singapore for renovation."

Bauer said the line has strict requirements for repair facilities and port infrastructure.

"We are generally satisfied with the infrastructure here but also believe there is still room for improvement," she said, noting that the company is talking with local governments and companies about wider cooperation, including renovation for the ships.

Royal Caribbean plans to introduce Mariner of the Seas, the sister of Voyager, to Shanghai next year, to meet surging demand from Chinese customers.

Photo by xinhuanet.com

Royal Caribbean will send Voyager of the Seas to dock in Keelung, Taiwan as part of its Asian itinerary in late August.

Lin Kai-ti, chairman of Royal Caribbean's Taiwan branch confined that Voyager of the Seas will bring its 3,800 passengers to the port later this year.

Voyager of the Seas has already been to Singapore in May and will make stop in Keelung across three cruises going from August through September. In addition to Keelung, the liner will take travelers to China's Shanghai and Tianjin, Japan's Fukuoka, and Jeju Island in South Korea.

Since launching Royal Caribbean Australia and New Zealand's Facebook page in April, they've received 10,000 likes and the company rewarded one lucky fan with a dream cruise.

Sheree Oakes of Glenmore Park has won a cruise aboard Voyager of the Seas' inaugural cruise when she arrives in Sydney this November.  Sheree was announced the winner of the ‘Share, Like and Win’ competition which asked fans to list their top three cruising destinations - she listed Europe, Alaska and Bahamas as top of her list.

“I’m so excited about this cruise, and I usually never win anything! I recently went on a cruise on Radiance of the Seas and now I tell all of my friends to cruise with Royal Caribbean. When you go on a cruise everything is there, it’s all done for you, so there’s no rushing and you get some real time to rest and relax.”   

Voyager of the Seas has become the largest cruise ship to ever dock at Port Rashid in Dubai after arriving this morning.

Voyager sailed from Barcelona on April 30 and stopped in Alexandria, Egypt and then passed through the Suez Canal on her way to Dubai.

Voyager of the Seas is making a stop in Dubai as she makes her way to Asia to re-locate to the region.  This summer, Royal Caribbean has plans to have Voyager of the Seas offer cruises out of Singapore and Shanghai with a series of 4 to 7-night itineraries to ports of call in Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea.  Following those cruises, Voyager of the Seas will head south to Australia and New Zealand.

Royal Caribbean is offering its broadest range ever of itineraries in Australia and New Zealand come summer 2013-2014.  For the second consecutive cruise season, Voyager Of The Seas, Radiance Of The Seas And Rhapsody Of The Seas will offer cruises to the region.

Voyager of the Seas will offer 53 distinctive itineraries along with the recently revitalized Radiance of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas.  In total, Royal Caribbean will offer 55 cruises at 56 Australian, New Zealand and South Pacific ports, with departures from September 2013 to April 2014.

Royal Caribbean commercial manager for Australia, Adam Armstrong, commented on the news, "It’s with great pleasure that we can confirm that sister ships, Voyager of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas, will be back to wow Australian cruisers in summer 2013-14. For the next two summer cruise seasons, Royal Caribbean International will be the largest cruise line operating out of Sydney, and these newly revitalised “premierships” will offer the very latest in cruising – experiences guests previously had to travel to other parts of the world to have."

“We’ve added more cruises on Australia’s first megaliner Voyager of the Seas and some new itineraries across the entire fleet to ensure that there are even more options to suit different lifestyles and needs. It’s our widest ever range of cruises Down Under."

Voyager of the Seas will reposition from Singapore to Sydney on a 14-night cruise in late October 2013 that begins with an overnight in Singapore and calls at Port Keland for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Darwin and Brisbane, Australia. The ship then homeports at Sydney for nine sailings to New Zealand, Fiji and New Caledonia. These cruises range from nine to 14 nights.

A nine-night Tasmania cruise in early February 2014 features an overnight at Hobart on a one-time-only itinerary. At the end of the season, Voyager of the Seas will sail an 18-night Australia and New Zealand itinerary to Perth before returning to the Far East on a 14-night sailing in late March to Singapore via Bangkok.

Radiance of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas also homeport at Sydney from October 2013 to early May 2014, and will operate a wide variety of itineraries ranging from seven to 15 nights.

The cruises visit Australia’s Tasmania and Queensland, New Zealand, Fiji and New Caledonia. Radiance of the Seas will circumnavigate Australia twice with a 16-night north coast and a 17-night south coast and New Zealand itinerary.

Pacific crossings between Vancouver, BC and Sydney bookend both ships’ Australia season. These are a 12-night Hawaii and a 16- or 17-night South Pacific sailing, departing Sept. 13, 2013 and April 10, 2014 aboard Radiance of the Seas, and Sept. 6, 2013 and April 18, 2014 aboard Rhapsody of the Seas.