Royal Caribbean and Ctrip announced that they were ending operations for SkySea Cruise Line later in 2018.
SkySea Cruise Line was the first smart contemporary line specifically developed for Chinese market. It has been operating the SkySea Golden Era (now Marella Explorer 2) since May 2015. By the time of its final cruise, SkySea Cruises will have operated nearly 300 voyages and carried about 500,000 passengers in just over 3 years.
TUI AG Marella Cruises has agreed to buy SkySea Golden Era, with delivery due in December, subject to closing conditions. The ship originally sailed under Celebrity Cruises brand as Celebrity Century. Currently, SkySea Cruise Line is owned by Ctrip, Royal Caribbean, SkySea management, along with a private equity fund.
SkySea will continue operations with the final cruise to be confirmed during the coming weeks.
Via its Royal Caribbean International brand, RCL continues to serve the Chinese cruise market, with the biggest fleet deployment in the region and a collaborative relationship with Ctrip.