World’s largest cruise company debuts first ship for Chinese market, targeting 83 million passengers

Jul 12 , 2017

The Majestic Princess arrives in a port in Xiamen, coastal city of southeast China's Fujian Province. With a capacity of 7,000 passengers, the Majestic Princess, a new cruise ship, made its maiden global voyage from Rome to east China's Xiamen City. Photo: Xinhua

To tap into the Chinese market, Princess Cruises has launched a new ship built specifically for Chinese vacationers

Princess Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival, the world’s biggest cruise operator, on Monday christened the Majestic Princess in Shanghai, a 1,083-foot-long ship that was set to begin sailing Tuesday around China. It represents a larger effort by US-based cruise companies to serve the massive Chinese market – estimated at 83 million passengers.

The swimming pool aboard the Majestic Princess that arrived in Xiamen, coastal city of southeast China's Fujian Province. Photo: Xinhua

Last month, a Carnival competitor, Norwegian Cruise Line, launched the Norwegian Joy, another cruise ship designed for the growing Chinese market. The ship includes an open-air laser tag course, a go-cart racetrack, virtual reality games and two multistory watersides.

Other cruise companies have announced plans to reassign some of the biggest and most modern ships away from U.S. ports to instead serve Chinese customers.

Interior view of the Majestic Princess that arrived in Xiamen, coastal city of southeast China's Fujian Province. Photo: Xinhua

The US remains the world’s leading source of cruise passengers, with about 11 million a year. But the Hong Kong Tourism Board estimates that China — with a population of 1.4 billion — has the potential to generate as many as 83 million cruise passengers a year.

The Majestic Princess features 1,780 cabins, 19 decks, an atrium and nearly 1,100 square meters of luxury boutiques, representing the largest shopping space at sea, according to Princess Cruises, which will operate the Majestic Princess.

The studio aboard the Majestic Princess that arrived in Xiamen. Photo: Xinhua