Dream Cruises has celebrated the restart of its cruise service and return to Taiwan during a special inaugural ceremony to commemorate Explorer Dream’s new “Island Hopping” itineraries created specially for the Taiwan market.
Dream Cruises is sailing and offering new cruises calling into the popular ports and islands of Peng Hu, Matsu Island and Kinmen as well as Hualien, where Taiwanese guests will again be able to enjoy refreshing short getaways on carefree ocean voyages.
“It is a great honour for Genting Cruise Lines to continue its long and fruitful partnership with Taiwan which began over 20 years ago, as we begin on the road to recovery together due to the COVID-19 pandemic and which will bring hope to the global cruise industry as well,” said Kent Zhu, President of Genting Cruise Lines.
“We could not have done this alone and I would like to acknowledge the great encouragement we have received from all the various Taiwanese authorities – namely the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, which demonstrated their immense support of the travel industry; the Ministry of Health & Welfare, for their trust and confidence in us; the Ministry of the Interior for their continuous assistance; and the warm hospitality and advocacy from the City of Keelung – and our travel partners and all of our media friends who have been instrumental in making this day happen,” Zhu noted.
The levent was attended by a number of important guests from Taiwan including the Minister of Transportation and Communications, Mr. Lin Chia-lung; the Minister of Health & Welfare, Mr. Chen Shih-chung; the Mayor, Keelung Government, Mr. Lin Yu-chang; the Director General of Maritime and Port Bureau, MOTC, Mr. Kuo Tien Kuei; the Deputy Director General of Taiwan Centers for Disease Control, Mr. Chuang Jen-Hsiang; business partners, the media and representatives of Genting Cruise Lines.
In preparation for welcoming its first passengers onboard, Genting has completely re-examined and enhanced all of its health, hygiene and operating protocols to ensure the safest environment for everyone onboard including thorough sanitization and disinfection and enhanced hygiene practices for guest cabins and crew member quarters, public areas and recreational facilities; social distancing in dining, entertainment and public areas; safe food and beverage handling procedures; and, 100 percent fresh air ventilation in staterooms and public areas.
In accordance with Taiwan’s regulations prior to resuming sailing, Explorer Dream observed strict quarantine procedures with the crew has completing a total of 21 days of isolation and passing all COVID-19 testing. In preparation for her inaugural sailing, the ship also underwent a thorough deep cleaning in accordance with EU standards. To ensure the seamless execution of preventive measures both on board and on shore, the crew participated in an outbreak simulation drill under the guidance of the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control and with consultation by medical experts from the Taiwan Public Health Association.
“The restarting of the cruise industry is a remarkable achievement which was made possible by the Taiwan authorities’ swift and effective handling of the COVID-19 crisis and their foresight in resuming the tourism industry to benefit all the ports, the economy and the lifestyle of the people of Taiwan,” added Mr. Zhu. “Looking forward, we believe the development of cruise bubbles between Taiwan and neighbouring regions that also have their pandemic situation under control, such as the outlying islands of Japan, can further initiate the next phase in the re-establishment of international tourism and spur the economic recovery for a post COVID-19 world.”
