Royal Caribbean International’s Explorer of the Seas is making double maiden calls in India, first in Goa on October 27, 2015 and in Cochin on October 28, 2015, where she was welcomed by the local port officials and Royal Caribbean’s Indian representatives. She is currently on an 11-Night Middle East and Asia Cruise which started from Dubai and will also visit Penang and Port Klang before ending in Singapore, bringing around 3,200 international guests to these ports.
An official plaque and key ceremony was conducted onboard between Captain Kjetil Gjerstad and Sri. Senthilvel, deputy chairman of Cochin Port. This is Royal Caribbean’s third ship to visit India this year, following Rhapsody of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas. The number of tourists who arrived with these ships ranges from over 2,000 to close to 4,000 per call, while the ships are of 78,491 to 168,666 GRT. Explorer of the Seas is 137,308 GRT, which puts her among the largest cruise ships to have called at Indian ports.
Ratna Chadha, representative- India, Royal Caribbean International said, “We are pleased to bring yet another Royal Caribbean ship to India today, which underscores the strong attraction of Indian destinations for the international cruise market as our brand deploys more and more ships to Asia. We hope at the same time, the arrival of ships of this size will help push for more infrastructure development and hence more viable ports for larger cruise ships in India, which is very crucial now for its cruise tourism development.”