CHINA. The latest ship in the Princess Cruises fleet, Majestic Princess, will only accept bookings via Chinese travel agents in its first year, driving home its credentials as a vessel focused on the Chinese consumer.
The new 3,560-guest ship had its naming ceremony on 9 July in its new home port of Shanghai, led by Shanghai-born NBA basketball star Yao Ming and his wife, Ye Li. This followed its maiden voyage from Europe.
In its first year “only Chinese travel agents can offer cruises on the Majestic Princess” a spokesperson from Princess Cruises told The Moodie Davitt Report, which means that the vast majority of guests will be Chinese. “This will most likely change in 2018 when the ship sails to and from places like Australia.”
‘The largest shopping space at sea’
Majestic Princess was built especially for the Chinese market and its retail offer –developed in-house – reflects this. “The retail on this ship is geared closely to the Chinese traveller and it has a selection of luxury retail shops, some of which are not yet offered on the other ships,” the spokesperson said.
“The Shops of Princess feature products direct from the brand manufacturers and are showcased in nearly 1,100sq m of luxury boutiques, the largest shopping space at sea. Specific boutiques on board include Bulgari, Cartier, Chopard and EFFY [made in New York’s diamond district], while other brands featured including Dior, La Mer, Estée Lauder and Clinique. We have brought on these brands knowing it is what the Chinese are interested in buying,” noted the spokesperson.
The high-end watch and jewellery line-up extends to Blancpain, Hublot, Longines, Montblanc, Omega, Rado, and TAG Heuer, and there are also leathergoods from Burberry, Coach and Gucci. Princess says that its duty free pricing means that passengers can get up to -30% off retail prices compared to the US domestic market.
Other international brands on board include Calvin Klein, Chanel, Citizen, Lancôme and Swarovski while sunglasses lines include Ray-Ban, Maui Jim and Oakley. There is a also a separate onboard beauty store called Essence.
Facets showcases EFFY Diamonds, fine jewellery and designer watches; Meridian Bay sells fashion accessories, costume jewellery, handbags, men’s accessories and cruise wear; Calypso Cove features souvenirs, alcohol, tobacco, sunglasses, and Princess-logoed items; and Celebrations (Royal & Regal) has a chocolate/confectionery selection.
Route network
From its Shanghai homeport, Majestic Princess will ply a number of routes including several to Japan and South Korea this year. From 2018, the vessel will offer two 14-day Grand Asia voyage sailings between Shanghai and Singapore. These will cover Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand. The first departs Shanghai on 25 February and the second leaves Singapore on 11 March.
The ship will also be based in Australia from September 2018 to March 2019 when it will sail from Sydney and Auckland on voyages up to 13 days in length. Destinations will include New Zealand, Tasmania, Fiji and other South Pacific islands.
