大ニュース!!　Voyager of the Seasが日本に来ます!!

来年の話ですけどね...

Royal Caribbean to base giant Voyager of the Seas in China

Royal Caribbean's 3,114-passenger Voyager of the Seas.CAPTIONCourtesy Royal CaribbeanIn a bold bet on the growth of China as a cruise market, Royal Caribbean today announced it would move the giant Voyager of the Seas to the country for the summer of 2012. The 138,000-ton, 3,114-passenger vessel, which currently spends its summers in Europe, is one of the world's largest cruise ships and twice the size of any other passenger vessel operating regularly out of China. "There are clear opportunities in the China market," Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein says in a statement about the move. He called the country "a key area for Royal Caribbean International's global development." Royal Caribbean says Voyager of the Seas will move to Shanghai in June 2012 for a series of four- to 10-night sailings out of the city. The voyages will include stops in Fukuoka and Kobe in Japan; and Busan and Jeju in Korea, and continue through October 2012, when the vessel will depart for a season of voyages out of Sydney, Australia (see related story). RELATED: Royal Caribbean plans record deployment in Europe DEAL WATCH: Some June cruises in Europe going for $399 Voyager of the Seas also will sail a short series of cruises out of Singapore in May, 2012, before arriving in Shanghai. The new sailings out of Shanghai will be aimed heavily at Chinese vacationers, a fast-growing market, but also will be designed to attract vacationers from around the world who want to see Asia, the line says. Royal Caribbean had previously announced that Voyager of the Seas would spend the summer of 2012 in the Mediterranean sailing out of Venice, as it is doing this year -- one of a record 12 ships the line had planned to send to Europe in 2012. The line now will have just 11 ships in Europe. In moving to China, the Voyager of the Seas will be joining Royal Caribbean's much smaller, 1,804-passenger Legend of the Seas, which has been sailing out of the country seasonally for three years. The line today also announced that Legend of the Seas would return to China for a fourth season starting in March 2012, giving the line two ships in the country. Royal Caribbean says plans are in the works for both ships to offer a wider variety of on-board products tailored to Chinese guests, including more Chinese language services, authentic Chinese food and culturally appropriate recreational activities and duty-free items. Voyager of the Seas was the world's largest cruise ship when it debuted in 1999, and at the time industry watchers thought the only place where Royal Caribbean would be able to keep it filled was in the Caribbean -- then, as now, the world's biggest cruise destination. But cruising in regions beyond the Caribbean has grown greatly in the ensuing years, and Voyager size ships now appear regularly in Europe as well the Caribbean. Royal Caribbean has since built a number of ships that are even bigger than Voyager of the Seas, including the 225,000-ton sisters Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas -- currently the world's biggest cruise ships. Cruise Loggers, are you surprised to see such a large vessel going to China? Share your thoughts below or on our Facebook page, where we're discussing the topic.