After sitting in limbo in Europe and Asia, as reported by Cruise Industry News, Genting Hong Kong, the owner of Star Cruises, has said that the 2,150-passenger Norwegian Dream will join its fleet.
In its 2011 Annual Report filing, which has just been released, Genting Chairman and CEO Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay wrote: “We look forward to returning the SuperStar Aquarius for a second seasonal deployment in Hainan, and the deployment of the Norwegian Dream in the region, after her refurbishment.”
Star’s seasonal homeporting in Sanya on Hainan Island is reported to be doing well, as Cruise Industry News confirmed when talking to company leadership recently.
The report refers to the Aquarius as a “pathfinder” to “further tap into the growing Chinese cruise market.”