SkySea Golden Era begins Shenzhen service with new featuresSkySea Golden Era begins Shenzhen service with new features

The ship emerged with these and other features to begin a 13-cruise season yesterday at its new South China homeport, Shenzhen.

The refurbishment—the most extensive cruise ship drydock ever carried out by the Cosco yard—stretched from Oct. 25 to Nov. 11. The work included routine facilities and equipment maintenance as well as several hotel projects.

The new conference rooms were built for SkySea Cruise Line's focus on being the MICE leader in the China market. The SkySea Board Room on Deck 7 can seat up to 50 people theater-style and the new SkySea Conference Room on Deck 12 can seat up to 100 theater-style. Both venues offer the latest audiovisual equipment and can be configured in a variety of ways.

SkySea Golden Era also gained a new hair and beauty salon in partnership with the noted international medical beauty brand PhiSkin. Retail shops were expanded and a pharmacy was added, too.

SkySea Golden Era's arrival to Shenzhen was welcomed by government and port officials, travel agents and media. Cruises will visit destinations like Miyakojima and Okinawa in Japan and Da Nang and Halong Bay in Vietnam.

'The successful drydock timed with the start of our sailings from Shenzhen shows our commitment to continuing to be an industry leader offering an outstanding cruise experience to Chinese guests from North, South and East China,' SkySea CEO Ken Muskat said.

The refurbished SkySea Golden Era will return to Shanghai Jan. 7. The ship will also sail from Xiamen, Shenzhen and Taiwan in 2018.