Sapphire Princess makes local debut
(eastday.com)
Updated: 2005-04-06 10:56

The Sapphire Princess arrived at Waigaoqiao Dock yesterday morning, becoming the largest cruise ship ever to visit the city.

The Sapphire Princess anchors at Waigaoqiao Dock yesterday. The vessel, the largest cruise ship ever to visit the city, is carrying more than 2,600 passengers mostly from Europe and the United States.  It is scheduled to leave for Busan, South Korea, tonight.

The ship, which debuted in November, is about 300 meters long, 18 stories tall and weighs 113,000 tons.

It is also the largest ship cruising the Asia Pacific region, said Jonathan Cheung, director of the China market development of P&O Travel, Princess Cruises' Hong Kong-based business representative.

The ship set out from Bangkok, Thailand, on March 26 for its first Southeast Asia trip, carrying more than 2,600 passengers mostly from Europe and the United States.

"I came to Shanghai with the Regal Princess two years ago. It's a good city," said Attilio Guerrini, the ship's captain. "The dock here is big enough to host large ships like us, but it's a pity that it is located too far away from the downtown."
The price of a 16-day Southeast Asia/China cruise tour is US$2,145 for an inside cabin and US$2,395 for an outside cabin.

"Most Chinese still can't accept that traveling by ship is more expensive than by air. So we should wait longer for the local cruise travel market to prosper," said Zhao Dexiang, Shanghai International Travel Service general manager.

According to the Shanghai Tourism Administrative Commission, the city expects to welcome more than 50 international cruise ships this year, carrying tens of thousands of passengers from across the world.

Many cruise companies have planned to put their newest large ships on routes that include Shanghai as a destination port, the commission added.

The Sapphire Princess is scheduled to leave the city tonight for Busan, South Korea. It will return next week to Shanghai for another two days. The Diamond Princess, which is almost the same size and weight as the Sapphire Princess, will visit Shanghai four times between October and November.