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Resorts World Cruises adds Taiwan as a destination and homeport

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Resorts World One will operate a double homeport program, with departures from Hong Kong and Kaohsiung
With Taiwan lifting all travel restrictions on Hong Kong and Macao residents, Resorts World Cruises is adding Kaohsiung as a destination and a homeport.

Resorts World One (the former Explorer Dream) was already scheduled to begin cruises to nowhere from Hong Kong March 10. With the Taiwan news, beginning April 2, the ship will sail from Hong Kong to Kaohsiung on three-night cruises departing Sundays and two-night cruises departing Wednesdays. Two-night weekend cruises to nowhere, leaving on Fridays, will continue.

Optional land stay

Besides the round-trip cruises, vacationers departing from Hong Kong on Sundays will have the option to debark at Kaohsiung on Mondays for a three-night land stay in Taiwan and re-embark on Thursdays to arrive Hong Kong Friday.

Cruise fares from Hong Kong to Kaohsiung start at HK$1,299 per person, double occupancy, with third and fourth guests paying HK$650 each for the two-night cruise. An early bird discount promotion of HK$300 is also now available for the first two people in a cabin with an additional HK$150 off for the third and fourth guests. This promotion is valid for bookings made before the end March for sailing dates in April and May (excluding sailings April 5-15). Port charges will be HK$500 per person with a daily service charge of HK$150 per person (balcony category and below).

Kaohsiung homeport

Kaohsiung will also become a double homeport for Resorts World One. Vacationers from Taiwan can embark in Kaohsiung from April 4 April onwards, starting with a special two-night cruise to Hong Kong. Subsequently, Resorts World One will offer weekly round-trips to Hong Kong that include the three-night cruise departing Mondays and the four-night cruise departing Thursdays.

Vacationers departing from Kaohsiung on Thursdays for the four-night cruise will also have the option to debark at Hong Kong on Fridays for a two-night land stay in Hong Kong. They would then re-embark the ship on Sunday to arrive in Kaohsiung on Monday.

Cruise fares from Kaohsiung to Hong Kong start at NT$6,900 per person, double occupancy, with third and fourth guests paying NT$3,500 each for the three-night cruise. An early bird NT$1,000 discount is available the first two people in a cabin with an additional NT$500 off for the third and fourth guests. This promotion is valid bookings made before the end of March for sailing dates in April and May (excluding sailings on April 4 and 5). Port charges will be NT$2,000 per person with a daily service charge of NT$600 per guest (balcony category and below).

In the case of stayovers in Taiwan and Hong Kong, passengers can make their own land accommodation arrangements or use travel agents.

Hong Kong and Kaohsiung will both benefit from the increased number of passengers carried by Resorts World One and more fly-cruise and rail-cruise passengers, who will have pre- and post-cruise stays in either destination, according to Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, executive chairman of Resorts World Cruises.

More calls in Kaohsiung and Hong Kong than pre-pandemic

With two sailings a week to Kaohsiung, there will be 78 calls in 2023, a substantial increase compared to approximately 20 cruise ship calls pre-COVID in 2019. And with three sailings a week from Hong Kong, Resorts World One will make 126 calls in 2023, 60% of the calls that Hong Kong had pre-COVID in 2019.

New Kaohsiung cruise facilities

Resorts World Cruises said the Kaohsiung deployment is timely as the Kaohsiung Cruise Terminal has developed an integrated shopping, dining and entertainment district that is being completed with a waterfront boardwalk, connecting it with the Maritime Cultural and Pop Music Center. A new cruise terminal is also being completed.