StarCruises and Dream Cruises president Michael Goh emphasises the company’s commitment to innovating itineraries and onboard offerings from new homeports to attract diverse travellers and strengthen its global presence. He speaks to S Puvaneswary
StarCruises and Dream Cruises have recently been rebranded from Resorts World Cruises, which was launched in 2022. Over those short years, you have grown your sailings from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta, Keelung, Dubai, and over 30 Asian destinations. What fuelled such an expansion?
Our decades of experience and expertise in the hospitality and cruising sector in Asia have been key factors in our rapid progress. We understand the diverse preferences and cultural nuances of each market, allowing us to offer products that truly resonate. Another critical driver is the human factor – our experienced team, from top management to ship crew, plays a pivotal role in our success. Many of our employees and crew have a strong connection to the brand and a deep understanding of its DNA, which has been essential in driving the brand forward.
We launched Resorts World Cruises in less than three months, and since then, operations have run smoothly as we’ve expanded our deployment across North and South-east Asia and into West Asia. We have also been able to pace our fleet expansion strategically, adding one new ship per year on average to increase capacity and create growth opportunities for the brand.
We began with our flagship, Genting Dream, followed by Star Navigator (formerly known as Resorts World One), and recently, in March, we introduced Star Voyager.
The deployment of Star Voyager marks a significant milestone, introducing multiple dual homeports from Singapore at different times, including Jakarta, Melaka, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City. The itineraries connect key cities while adding destinations like Ko Samui, Redang Island, and Medan. This expansion has enabled us to broaden our reach across Asia and tap into new markets, as we transition the Resorts World Cruises brand to the iconic StarCruises and Dream Cruises brands to cater to different market segments.
What influenced the company’s decision to enter West Asia in November 2024?
We felt it was the right time to explore the West Asian market and launch sailings from Port Rashid Cruise Terminal 2 in Dubai to key Gulf destinations such as Sir Bani Yas, Khasab, Muscat, and Doha. Our experience in adapting to different markets, including catering to the needs of the Muslim community, positioned us well for this expansion. For example, we have expertise in providing certified halal cuisine, Muslim-friendly services, and entertainment that resonates with this audience. We also saw an opportunity to lead the development of weekly round-trip cruises for the domestic and regional markets, including the growing fly-cruise segment. Entering and nurturing a new market takes time, and we remain committed to identifying new initiatives for future deployments and growth in this region.
How are your itineraries differentiated to attract repeat cruisers?
Our itineraries are unique, offering a series of weekly round-trip cruises from each homeport. This allows easy and regular access for both new and repeat cruisers to enjoy the experience, with journeys starting and ending at the point of embarkation, providing added convenience.
Our itineraries are also designed to allow our guests to have the flexibility to combine itineraries. For example, for the Dubai deployment that was completed in February, guests could combine a series of round-trip cruises such as two-night Sir Bani Yas Weekend Cruise, three-night Oman (Khasab-Muscat) Cruise, and two night Doha Cruise to make (a longer journey).
How do onboard offerings meet the preferences of your diverse markets?
This is one of our key strengths – excelling in catering to diverse cultural and culinary preferences. We understand the needs of each target market and strike a balance to cater to various audiences with each deployment.
We offer a mix of international and authentic local dishes, including halal, vegetarian, and jain options.
Additionally, we tailor onboard entertainment for each deployment. Our ships feature unique activities such as Foam Parties, Rain Parties, Family Pyjama Parties under the Stars, Bollywood Parties, concerts, and Little Dreamers edutainment programmes, among others.
What feedback have you received on the new West Asia route, and how is it shaping future offerings?
The feedback has been very positive and encouraging, including areas of improvement that are required. We value all types of feedback, as it’s the only way to move forward and improve operations. We will also continue to offer short and mid-length itineraries for future deployment in Asia, as it resonates with our target audiences, enabling us to grow new markets.
Fly-cruise is hot in North and South-east Asia. Are you seeing similar trends in West Asia, and how are you leveraging airline and travel agent partnerships?
The fly-cruise segment is an important source market and a main contributor for us with a year-on-year increase in bookings. For example, in Singapore, markets like India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand contribute significantly to annual fly-cruise growth. For the Dubai deployment completed in February, we also observed a growing fly-cruise segment from India, South-east Asia, and China. We work closely with our travel partners to bundle our packages with pre- or post-cruise stays at the homeport cities to boost the fly-cruise segment. We collaborate with airlines, the travel trade, and tourism bodies to explore opportunities to further develop this segment across various homeports.
Will you be expanding into other regions in the coming years?
We are continuously exploring new opportunities for our fleet across Asia and globally, while identifying growth markets and strengthening our core homeports to reach new demographics and market segments.
Due to scheduling changes, Star Navigator’s planned India deployment to Mumbai from March 5 to June 1 will be deferred to the 2026 season.
