Explorer Dream Debuts With New Look

Explorer Dream

Dream Cruises has a third ship in the Explorer Dream, which debuted back into cruise service with a stunning new livery last week following a huge refurbishment.

The 2,000-guest cruise ship went from Star Cruises as the SuperStar Virgo to Dream Cruises, Asia’s only premium cruise brand.

Explorer Dream

A summer season sailing from Shanghai and Tianjin is scheduled for the ship, followed by a winter in Australia and New Zealand.

Among major changes to the ship was the installation of an exhaust gas scrubber, and the Palace, Dream’s ship-within-a-ship suite concept.

Explorer Dream

The new hull artwork by New York-based, Chinese artist, Kuri Huang continues the brand’s signature mermaid brand icon as the hull painting beckons viewers to ride upon “Waves of Dreams” in a whimsical and colorful ode to exploration and discovery, the company said.

Chinese designer Grace Chen will christen the ship in April in Shanghai.

Construction starts on Star Cruises megaship

Star Cruises has cut the first steel for a 4,500-passenger ship scheduled for delivery in the fall of 2016.

The unnamed ship, and a similar one due to enter service in fall 2017, will sail in Asia.

The Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, is building the vessels, which will be the largest by far in the Star Cruises fleet at 151,000 gross tons. Today, the line’s largest ship is the SuperStar Virgo, at 75,000 gross tons and capacity for about 2,000 passengers.

“The delivery of these two newly commissioned mega cruise ships will enable us to continue to strengthen and further enhance our competitiveness across our key source markets,” said Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, CEO  of Genting Hong Kong, the company that owns Star Cruises.

One of ship’s unique features will be a “street night market” with hawker stalls serving delicacies from various Asian countries. The megaship also will have a theater and a water park with slides.