Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas makes maiden call to Tokyo

Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas makes maiden call to Tokyo

IN: Japan ~ Voyager of the Seas

Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas made her first ever stop in Tokyo over the weekend, which begins a season of stops to Japan’s capital.

Voyager of the Seas arrived from Shanghai, China and will be based in a Japanese port for the first time.  She will offer Tokyo sailings ranging from 5 to 6 nights visiting Busan, Jejuand Nagasaki until early May, including one cruise chartered by Club Tourism, a major tour operator in Japan.

As part of Voyager of the Seas’ first stop in Tokyo, a traditional plaque exchange between Voyager of the Seas’ Captain, Charles Teige and Mitsuchika Tarao, Director General, Bureau of Port & Harbor, Tokyo.

Royal Caribbean’s Regional Director, Asia Pacific Mr Kelvin Tan said, “We are proud to bring Voyager of the Seas to Japan to let our fans here experience directly from home Royal Caribbean’s signature international and innovative cruising style. Japan is one of our top markets in Asia, and we are very encouraged by the strong response from this market for these cruises. We will continue to work with our Japanese representatives, agents and partners to bring more of such cruises to Japan.”

Costa to resume Japan port calls

Costa to resume Japan port calls

By Donna Tunney
Costa Cruises said that its 1,680-passenger Costa Classica will resume Japan itineraries later this month.On Aug. 26, the ship will depart Shanghai for a four-day cruise calling at Fukuoka, Japan, and Cheju, South Korea, before returning to Shanghai.

Costa said the move demonstrates its “confidence in Japan’s tourism market and its support to the revitalization of the local tourism industry.”

Through mid-October, the Costa Classica, which is based in Shanghai, will operate 12 cruises to Japan and South Korea. Cheju will be the only port call in South Korea. Besides Fukouka, other calls in Japan will be to Nagasaki and Kagoshima.

In 2012, Costa plans to expand its operations in Asia and the Far East, with the deployment of the 2,394-passenger Costa Victoria, which will replace the Costa Classica.

The switch will increase Costa’s capacity in the region by about 40%.

The Costa Victoria next year will sail to several new destinations in Japan, including Hososhima/Miyazaki; Wakayama; Osaka; Yokohama; and Tokyo.