First cruise line will resume big ship cruises in July from Taiwan

Genting Cruise Lines announced its Dream Cruises brand will be the first cruise line to resume cruises after the global pandemic with sailings from Taiwan in July 2020.

Dream Cruises will operate the Explorer Dream and offer 2- and 3-night "Taiwan Island-Hopping" cruises beginning on July 26, 2020, departing from Keelung and calling at Penghu, Matzu and Kinmen islands.

“After months of detailed planning with the authorities to ensure the safety and health of guests and crew, we appreciate the approval of Explorer Dream resuming cruise operations in Taiwan. Dream Cruises will be the first cruise line in the world to begin sailing after the global cruise industry was shut down due to the pandemic,” said Tan Sri KT Lim, Chairman and CEO of Genting Hong Kong.

Health and Safety

The question on everyone's minds is how Genting will keep guests and crew members safe. 

During the past few months, Genting Cruise Lines has completely re-examined and enhanced all of its health, hygiene and operating protocols to ensure the safest environment for everyone on board including social distancing in dining, entertainment and public areas, 100% fresh air ventilation in staterooms and operations throughout the ship.

Genting Cruise Lines has also worked with DNV GL, the largest classification society in the world, to adapt their hospital “Certification in Infection Prevention (CIP) for the Marine industry (CIP-M). Explorer Dream will be the first cruise ship in the world to receive the CIP-M certification, which will further verify the procedures and systems in place for the proper prevention, control, and mitigation of infection, to protect her passengers and crew.

In accordance with Taiwan’s regulations prior to resuming sailing, Explorer Dream has undergone a thorough deep cleaning and observation of strict quarantine procedures for her crew. The majority of crew will be from other Genting Cruise Lines ships who have been quarantined for the last 3 months and all will undergo a mandatory 14 day quarantine on land after the ship arrives in Keelung on 30 June. Upon negative nucleic acid test results, an additional 7 day isolation period on board Explorer Dream will provide a total of 21 days of exhaustive preventive procedures before operations begin on July 26.

To safeguard the well-being of guests, stringent health screening processes and guidelines prior to embarkation, disembarkation and social distancing measures on board, as well as thorough sanitization and disinfection and enhanced hygiene practices for guest cabins and crew member quarters, public areas and recreational facilities, along with safe food and beverage handling procedures will be in place.

As a further testament to the efficacy of the company’s enhanced preventive measures, two of Genting Cruise Lines’ ships, SuperStar Aquarius and SuperStar Gemini, are currently in Singapore as temporary accommodations for foreign workers after successfully completing careful assessment checks covering various aspects including safe distancing practices, the ships’ ventilation systems, and preventive and infection control measures. Throughout this successful initiative in collaboration with the authorities, the company has been able to further refine its standard operating procedures within a real-world context to ensure that all its Genting Cruise Lines’ ships, including Explorer Dream, will be the safest cruise ships for guests in the post-COVID era.