Dubai welcomes maiden call of Mariner of the Seas
DUBAI: Dubai welcomed Mariner of the Seas, a member of Royal Caribbean International’s cruise line fleet, as it made its maiden call to the Emirate on 21st of May. The maiden call, which is another demonstration of Dubai’s increasing prominence on the cruise tourism map, was greeted with a traditionally warm and impressive welcome ceremony at Mina Rashid, which included the creation of huge heritage village replica that featured a variety of traditional activities such as live cooking stations, a performance by the Harbiya band, Arabic hospitality (Gahwah), a falcon display, and a henna station.
The welcome was organized by Dubai Cruise Tourism, a department of DTCM (the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing). Calling on Dubai en route to Singapore and China, the luxury liner - which can carry more than 3,800 passengers - is offering a wide variety of itineraries, ranging from three nights to 12 nights from China and Singapore to Southeast Asia, Japan and Korea throughout the rest of the year.
Following maritime tradition, the welcome event included a plaque and key exchange ceremony, during which Dr Ahmad Belhoul, CEO of Strategy & Tourism Sector Development for DTCM, and representatives from other Government Departments that support cruise operations such as Immigration, Customs, Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA), and DP World exchanged commemorative crests with the Ship’s Captain. The event continued with a ship visit and lunch on board for all the attendees.
Speaking about the event Dr Ahmad Belhoul, CEO of Strategy & Tourism Sector Development, DTCM said: “Dubai is increasingly consolidating its position as a destination of choice for cruise tourism. In 2012 we received 105 ship calls carrying almost 408,000visitors and expect this to increase to more than 420,000 from 110 ship calls this year. This will continue to increase in 2014 and 2015 with an annual growth rate that is in line with the projected global cruise tourist growth of 3% and we are looking forward to receiving over 450,000 passengers in 2015.”
Discussing the reasons behind Dubai’s steep increase in popularity as a cruise destination, Dr Ahmad Belhoul accredited the sector’s growth to the combination of meticulous planning, judicious infrastructure development, and targeted investment, combined with Dubai’s global appeal as a tourism destination. Dubai Cruise Tourism currently operates three facilities on a pier stretch of 1900 meters that can accommodate up to six cruise ships simultaneously, making it the most advanced and largest cruise tourism facility in the Middle East.
Dr Ahmad Belhoul continued: “Dubai is currently the homeport for four luxury cruise lines and features in the itineraries of no less than 20 world’s leading cruise lines. Since Royal Caribbean International first started its operations in the Middle East, choosing Dubai as its homeport in the region, we have developed a highly successful working relationship and so are very pleased to be able to welcome the beautiful ‘Mariner of the Seas’ on its journey to the Far East. We look forward to continuing to work together and foresee many more prosperous cruise seasons in the future.”
Lakshmi Durai, Executive Director (Middle East), Royal Caribbean International, said, “Mariner of the Seas is one of the biggest cruise ships to arrive in Dubai yet from our fleet and belongs to the Voyager class of ships that revolutionized the cruise industry by introducing the active cruise vacation, through debuting innovations such as the first onboard ice-skating rink and rock-climbing wall.
Another stunning feature is the Royal Promenade, an interior boulevard that runs nearly the ship’s length; flanked by restaurants, lounges and boutiques and where lively parades and evening street parties are held. This area is the heart of the ship for evening activity, along with a three-story high theatre in which some of the latest production technology is used to produce Broadway-standard shows at night.”
Weighing in at 138,279 gross registered tons and spanning 15 guest decks with a passenger capacity of 3,807, ‘Mariner of the Seas’ was built in Turku, Finland before making its maiden voyage in 2003. In preparation for being reassigned to Asia from the Caribbean, she has undergone the multi-million dollar Royal Advantage revitalization, which includes enhanced staterooms, new onboard dining options, a variety of entertainment options and other innovative features, such as a giant outdoor movie screen overlooking the pool that Royal Caribbean International has created in recent years.
The cruise liner’s sports facilities have also been overhauled to include an inline skating track, Royal Caribbean’s signature rockclimbing wall, a 9-hole mini golf course, a golf simulator, a full size sports court with basketball court, three swimming pools, and six whirlpools. In addition ‘Mariner of the Seas’ is the sixth Royal Caribbean International ship to offer the DreamWorks Experience, which features parades, themed activities and events based on DreamWorks Animation’s popular feature-film characters. Each ship also is equipped with a 3-D movie theatre that plays the latest DreamWorks Animation films.