Cruise ships target Chinese market

Princess Cruises recently debuted its Majestic Princess, a ship built specifically to serve the Chinese market. (Princess Cruises)

To tap into the Chinese cruise market and its estimated 83 million passengers, the world’s largest cruise company has launched a new ship built specifically for Chinese vacationers.

Princess Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corp., the world’s biggest cruise operator, recently christened the Majestic Princess in Shanghai, a 1,083-foot-long ship that’s begun sailing around China. It represents a larger effort by U.S.-based cruise companies to serve the massive Chinese market.

Last month, a Carnival competitor, Norwegian Cruise Line, launched the Norwegian Joy, another cruise ship designed for the growing Chinese market. Other cruise companies have announced plans to reassign some of the biggest and most modern ships away from U.S. ports to instead serve Chinese customers.

The Majestic Princess features luxury boutiques, a private karaoke lounge and a giant LED screen to show movies at night.

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