Royal Caribbean ramp it up for the Asian market.

Royal Caribbean has started work on a major upgrade to its 20-year-old Voyager of the Seas. They are going full-on with their plans too, with slides, extra cabins being put in, laser-tag and new soft furnishings being installed as over 2000 contractors spend the next 41 days on the $99 million renovations of their ship.

The Asian cruise market has been growing steadily over the past few years and the continued growth has seen many cruise operators position ships in the Far East ports to make the most of this growth market.

Asia has enjoyed nearly a 5% increase in the number of cruisers enjoying the area, making it the 3rd biggest market in the world behind Northern America and Europe. Singapore has enjoyed a huge increase in locals enjoying cruising, with a whopping 35% increase in numbers since 2017.

A large portion of those choosing to cruise is young families and Millennials, which makes sense when we see what new facilities are being installed on the Voyager of the Seas. Both Princess and Royal Caribbean are investing heavily on technology to enhance guests experience whilst on board, with Royal Caribbean’s mobile phone app where guests can book activities and dining times. Princess has launched ‘Ocean Medallion’ a wearable wrist device that can be used to open your cabin and ordering food and drinks.

Both lines have also said they are working continually to make cruising greener to appeal to the more environmentally conscious potential clients, with Princess saying by 2025 they will have 2 liquid natural gas ships, which will be the largest vessels in their fleet.