In June, two Royal Caribbean ships will be the first to dock at a $1 billion terminal (that's right, one BILLION) in Hong Kong.
The new structure is called the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, and the ships will be Mariner of the Seas (June 12) and Voyager of the Seas (October 15). One hour after the Voyager leaves, the Diamond Princess will arrive and by the end of the year Celebrity's Millennium will also have visited Kai Tak.
But here's what is most interesting about the state-of-the-art terminal:
It can process 3,000 passengers an hour!
That means every passenger could leave most of today's cruise ships an hour after the gangplank goes down. Having recently move 25 feet in 60 minutes at the terminal in Galveston after leaving the Crown Princess, we think this is exciting news that hopefully will spread throughout the cruise terminal world.
There is one problem.
How many people an hour will be processed at customs?
Norwegian Pride of America
7 nights
May 18, 2013
Honolulu (return): Kahului, Hilo, Kona, Nawilili
Inside: $1,549
Cost per day: $221
www.ncl.com