GEORGE TOWN: Award-winning global cruise brand Royal Caribbean International is set to boost the number of tourists arrivals during Visit Malaysia Year 2020.
Its Quantum of the Seas cruise ship will be making record-breaking calls to Malaysia during the 2020-2021 season.
Including the current 2019-2020 season, a total of 430,000 passengers will enter the country.
Royal Caribbean (Asia-Pacific) managing director Angie Stephen said the ship would be making 55 calls in the upcoming season alone.
“This is an increase of 43 calls we made for previous seasons.
“We will extend to a six months season from October next year to April the following year,” she told newmen during a tour of the ship here today.
The Quantum class ship will see 38 sailings from Singapore to Malaysia for the 2020-2021 season at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT) here and Port Klang with an estimated 240,000 tourist arrivals.
The Quantum of the Seas’ itineraries include four nights cruise to Penang and Phuket, five nights to Port Klang, Penang and Phuket, seven nights to Port Klang, Penang and overnight at Phuket and seven nights to and overnight in Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City.
The 16-deck high 168,666 gross registered ton Quantum of the Seas, which carries 4,905 guests in total, currently offers the North Star, an observation capsule that rises 92m over the ocean.
The ship is also equipped with Two70 – a high tech entertainment venue, the Bionic Bar with robotic bartenders, skydiving and surfing experiences, interior virtual balconies with real-time ocean views, and SeaPlex, the largest indoor activity space at sea – housing a basketball court, roller-skating, bumper cars and more.
Guests may also experience new ones, including an escape room and glow-in-the-dark laser tag.
The ship houses 18 restaurants with cuisines from around the globe, including signature restaurants such as Wonderland, Chops Grille, Izumi Japanese Cuise and Jamie’s Italian by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.
The expansion work at SPCT will begin in the next two to three months.
Angie said the plan for the project has been approved and the construction will take 12 months to complete.
She expressed confidence that the expansion project would open doors to more cruises to dock in Penang.
“The construction partners and the concessionaires have been identified.
“Once it is completed, two Oasis-sized ships can be placed at the outer docks while two smaller to mid-sized ships can berth inside, all at the same time,” she said.
The agreement for the project was signed last year where Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PBSB) and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) will jointly invest RM155 million to expand the SPCT.
The improved terminal can manage 12,000 passengers at a time.