‘Serenade of the Seas’ arrival restarts Subic cruise tourism program

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Philippines — The arrival here of GTS Serenade of the Seas, a 12-decker cruise liner operated by Royal Caribbean International, is expected to resurrect Subic’s cruise tourism program, which had gained momentum before being halted by the COVID-19 pandemic three years ago.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño said seven more cruise ships have been booked so far for this year to jumpstart the program.
 
Aliño, who was into maritime business prior to his appointment to the SBMA last January, said cruise tourism “is one target industry that we continue to develop and sustain in order to create more jobs and economic opportunities here and around the free port zone.”

According to Aliño, Subic Bay should be a natural cruise ship destination due of its deep harbor and the local shore experience available to cruise line passengers.

The 293-meter Serenade of the Seas operated by Royal Caribbean International made its maiden call here Monday morning with 1,371 guests and 819 crew members on board. 

SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Operations Ronnie Yambao said among the Subic attractions popular to cruise passengers are beach resorts and theme parks like Ocean Adventure, jungle survival demonstration by Ayta natives, and visits to out-of-town sites like Bataan’s Las Casas de Acuzar heritage resort.

Yambao recalled that the SBMA had successfully launched a cruise ship program in 2018, and enjoyed two years of industry growth before it was abruptly cut off by the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

Last year, six arrivals were recorded here by MV Blue Dream Star, a vessel operated by Blue Dream Cruises China, bringing in a total of 3,927 tourists over a two-month period.

Yambao said that aside from Serenade of the Seas, six more cruise arrivals had been booked so far by the SBMA for this year: MV Mediterranea on April 16; MV Resorts World One, May 8, June 5, July 31, August 28, and September 25; and MV Costa Serena, November 13.