Caspi Cruises announced today that it had obtained an exclusive franchise to market the Dream Princess cruise ship. The company said that the ship would be the largest and most luxurious cruise ship ever to operate in Israel.
Mano Maritime is the current leader in cruises to various destinations in Europe. Two ships, the Magic 1 and the Magic 2, also operate here. Caspi Cruises CEO Yuval Caspi said that the Dream Princess was 200 meters long, had 600 rooms, and was capable of carrying 1,400 vacationers. Up until November 2004, the ship sailed in the Caribbean Islands. The ship has been renovated, at a cost of $6 million.
The ship, which will be brought to Israel, was formerly owned by Royal Caribbean (RCL), one of the world’s two leading companies in the industry, and by British tourism company MyTravel (formerly Airtours).
The Dream Princess will said twice a week from Haifa Port and Ashdod Port to Larnaca Port and Limassol Port in Cyprus, Alanya Port and Marmaris Port in Turkey, and to Rhodes and Santorini in Greece. Caspi predicts that the ship will carry over 70,000 vacationers this summer.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on March 8, 2005