Grand cruise liner comes a-calling

ROYAL Caribbean International’s largest and newest cruise ship in Asia — Spectrum of The Seas — made a grand entrance into Penang.

The towering 18-deck Quantum Class ship with 1,750 crew members and a capacity of 5,622 sailed into Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT) from Singapore.

Royal Caribbean’s Asia Pacific managing director Angie Stephen said the commitment to bring in two of Royal Caribbean’s largest and most innovative ships in 2019 underscored the company’s confidence in the region.

“We are embarking on a new era of cruising in Southeast Asia with the arrival of two Quantum Class ships.

“Malaysia is one of the region’s most significant cruise destinations.

“We look forward to growing the cruise industry here and elsewhere in the region,” she said at the welcome ceremony onboard the ship.

She added that the cruise brand was expected to bring in almost 300,000 guests to Malaysian ports this year.

Built at a cost of US$1.25bil (RM5.2bil) and measuring 347.11m in length and weighing 169,379 tonnes, the ship features balcony staterooms, surf simulator, rock-climbing wall, skydiving simulator and the North Star observation tower which is a glass-walled capsule at the end of a 41m crane arm.

Other facilities on the Sports Deck are the indoor pool with retractable roof and whirpools, solarium, spa and fitness centre.

There are a Royal Theatre for movie buffs, casino, bars and around 20 restaurants.

The Royal Theatre is one of the entertainment facilities on the ship.

Also present at the welcome ceremony were Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi, MMC Ports chief executive officer Ian James, Penang Port Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Sasedharan Vasudevan and Penang Port Commission chairman Jeffrey Chew.

Others at the event were Spectrum of the Seas cruise liner captain Charles Tiege, United States ambassador to Malaysia Kamala Shirin Lakhdir and Pulau Tikus assemblyman Chris Lee representing Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

-thestar online.