The end of Golden Era

ROYAL Caribbean Cruises (RCL) and Ctrip have confirmed they will end their Chinese joint venture SkySea Cruise Line and sell its ship, Golden Era.

The line has operated since May 2015 and was billed as the “first smart contemporary cruise line” specifically developed for the Chinese market.

SkySea will continue to operate until a final voyage is confirmed in coming weeks, and is expected to have carried nearly 500,000 guests on almost 300 cruises by the time it ends.

RCL and Ctrip said they would end the venture in the northern autumn this year and that Golden Era would be sold to TUI’s Marella Cruises, with delivery in Dec.

Tui plans to operate the ship as an adults-only vessel to be called Marella Explorer 2 (render pictured), sailing from Naples.

Despite the line’s demise, Ctrip and RCI insisted China would continue to be an important passenger source.

“The cruise market in China is still in the early stages but holds big potential,” the pair said.

“The cruise business will continue to be an essential part of Ctrip’s one-stop platform and the company will continue to work closely with all the cruise lines in the world, including Royal Caribbean, to better service the growing number of Chinese cruise travellers.”

RCL said it would continue to serve the Chinese market through its Royal Caribbean International brand “with the largest fleet deployment in the region and a strong collaborative relationship with Ctrip”.